For his s/s 2007 show presented in Paris earlier this week, Hussein Chalayan astonished the crowd with self-contained fashion retrospectives - garments that transformed themselves to represent styles from chosen eras. The magic was made possible by a collaboration between Chalayan and the team behind special effects for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, who microchipped the garments to perform to the tune of the designer’s vision.
Footage of the shapeshifting garments starts midway through this video coverage of the show.
Some stills of one of the garments:
Hussein Chalayan s/s 2007, a transforming look www.style.com
Chalayan is the first big-name designer to inject this kind of technology into fashion, forging the inevitable path ahead. There’s really no telling which direction the industry will take with this first effort. A few considerations regarding the use of technology in garment design with a purely creative intent (apart from functional intents such as RFID chipping for monitoring inventory or theft prevention, nanotech swarms repairing fabric tears and weaving computer and communications technology into the textiles):
1. How will the market respond?
2. Technology of this sort will probably not escape the fickleness of patent law and its stifling of creativity.
3. The possibilities of personalizing clothes are endless, opening up a whole new dimension for bespoke.
Mixed in with the novelty shapeshifting garments in Chalayan’s collection were wearable clothes, appropriate for the s/s season (which deserve mention later). If patent infringement nonsense doesn’t stifle the magic and hinder progress from the example he has set, there will come a day when the integration of technology in garment design will be seamless and practical, and will rightfully be defined as ready-to-wear.
When I asked Noriko Seki and Keiichi Muramatsu of Everlasting Sprout what defines their aesthetic, they politely guided me back to the poetic concept for the label: “Sometimes we encounter something lovely and charming, Sometimes something cruel, even grotesque. ‘Something’ can easily leap across the boundaries of picture books, fairy tales, yet, music or paintings. We can feel ‘something’ in the texture, odor or even taste. ‘Something’ is hidden here and there…”. Something in the creations of Everlasting Sprout strikes a chord that refuses to be classified.
Reviewing the s/s 2007 shows from Milan was an educational exercise, pushing past the standard reports on Versace, Prada, Gucci, Armani, Fendi, Ferragamo, etc. Despite being severely limited by knowing only one language, I made an effort to find more complete coverage. Favorites include well-known labels like Missoni and Bottega Veneta as well as some precious gems like Amuleti J obtained through a little mining.
The velvet rope. In or out. I am puzzled by the folks that stand outside clubs hour after hour, eager to get in or have their name on a magic list. Bouncers part the crowds to make way for the chosen coterie. What is the x factor for cool? At one time there was an equation to solve for whether you have enough of “it”, or bon ton, to belong to the fashionable circle. The equation for ton was well-guarded by, ‘that Most Distinguished and Despotic CONCLAVE, Composed of their High Mightinesses the Lady Patronesses of the Balls at ALMACK’S, the Rulers of Fashion, the Arbiters of Taste, the Leaders of Ton’. (Ellen Moers. The Dandy: Brummell to Beerbohm Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1960)
Princess Lieven, lady patroness at Almack’s by Sir Thomas Lawrence, circa 1805 www.dukesofbuckingham.org
I hesitate to put forth opinions on a collection emphasizing deconstruction. Txell Miras’ s/s 2007 collection entitled, “Desencorsetant” (Uncorseting) goes down that path, and since I am anything but an expert tailor I’ll steer clear from judgment in that regard. Like fellow conceptualists Rei Kawakubo and Viktor & Rolf, Miras’ ability to stir up thought is part of her signature style. In Desencorsetant I first see hatching corsets and think of matryoshka dolls, nested garments being something Viktor & Rolf have done in the past. Then I digress further into the chicken and the egg problem, which of course leads to an even thornier philosophical issue: Which came first, the woman or the corset?
Despite sifting through all manner of draped, sand colored (wet, dry, sparkling, etc.) clothes and getting stuck in a 80s revival hall of mirrors, there were a few shows that stood out at London Fashion Week. Gareth Pugh said his s/s 2007 collection was inspired by the 1985 fantasy film, “Legend”. It has been a while since I’ve seen the film, which was a favorite during childhood, but I’m at a loss recognizing anything of it in his clothes. Either he’s approaching it from the obliquest of all possible angles, or there are answers to be found in the Director’s Cut. Who knows. I see more of a Harlequin/Rubik’s Snake/Anime sort of vibe. Regardless of his interpretation of the movie, his show was future-perfect.
When Romain de Tirtoff Erté was asked to put together a few lines about himself for the March 1919 issue of Harper’s Bazar, he was hesitant to reflect on his body of work at that point in his life: ‘Those things told by an old master might interest the public, but I prefer to give your readers my work, for at my age my art, which is my life, is the only language through which I speak with the world.’ (Stella Blum. Fashion Drawings and Illustrations from “Harper’s Bazar” New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1976) When considering the constant wellspring of fresh designs produced throughout his long life, perhaps there never was a time in which he would be comfortable speaking any other language.
I will close my coverage of the Academy’s final year collections with Vladimir Lazarevic’s “Ambrosia Field”. This collection is his vision of the Bacchanalia as seen through Baroque-colored lenses. “You can immediately associate with the Bacchanalian mood, but I wanted a more romantic approach so I used a sensuous Baroque view on the subject to achieve a bohemian mood. So my complete concept is built up on the centaurs’ looks, behavior and their presentation in Baroque art.” Lazarevic not only demonstrates a balanced silhouette combining man and beast but also a balance in his work between calculated craftsmanship and intuitive design.
Like most of what is promoted as the pop-american lifestyle, collections from New York Fashion Week offer up views of adulthood as taken from the scenic byways heading straight for the Fountain of Youth. Blooms and petals were everywhere, as were loose folds and practical shapes for the warmer months.
For Karin Schönenberger’s final year collection, “Tender is the Night”, she found inspiration in early 20th century photographs of Indian Maharajas and the display of power, status and wealth in their costume. She felt that this theme provided the perfect opportunity to use lace from her native Austria – the ingenious use of which displays her wealth of creativity.
