The name of my new trend vision is Re-Retro. I am taking 1950's style and modernising it through the use of urban style clothing to create a brand new trend that all girls will love!
I am taking inspiration from the style of skirts and dress that ladies wore in the 1950's. I really like this style of skirt as I think that it is flattering for all shapes and any print can be used on them. For my new trend, 50's style skirts will be teamed with baggy, slogan tees to incorporate some modern style into the 50's.
I also like the cigarette pants that were extremely popular in the 50's. I think that they create a nice, clean shape and will look interesting when teamed with modern style T-shirts in my new trend. As well as the shirts, these trousers can also be used with any print and still look effective.
My inspiration from modern, urban style is being shown through the use of baggy, slogan tees. I will include a variety of colours and slogans on the T-shirts and pair them with the skits and trousers from the 50's shown above. I could also use skinny jeans that are popular in modern day and team them with a halter neck, polka dot top that were popular in the 50's.
In this River Island window display, all of the mannequins are standing in an identical pose and they do not show much body language. They all stand with their hands straight by their side, looking forward. Whilst researching window displays, I noticed that River Island stores often use mannequins standing in this pose in their displays. Although some people may think that this is a boring or uninteresting approach to a display, I think that having plain and simple mannequins draws more attention to the clothing and accessories which makes the shop look chic and classy.
This 'Denim Studio' Selfridges window display includes mannequins that have all different poses and are positioned differently inside the window. I think that their body language looks quite quirky and edgy with their arms and hands almost awkwardly placed and they are facing different directions than the customers. This makes the collection look interesting, appealing and will make customers want to enter the store to view more of the range.
This Bloomingdales window display looks very high fashion due to the mannequins that have been included. They are posing in a way that catwalk models would stand and look as if they have been frozen positions that they would be in whilst walking down the runway. This makes the shop look very fashionable, on trend and will draw customers in to view the rest of the up-to-date store.
This video is Tim Walker's Mechanical Dolls piece that created for Vogue Italia in October 2011.
The clip has been created to portray another meaning for the phrase, "all dolled up". I think that this could mean when make up is used too heavily or pressure is put on to women to wear outfits or follow particular trends, they can end up looking or acting like dolls as they are all trying to create the same look. The stiff, restrictive movements could suggest that women can feel trapped when creating a look as they are afraid to step outside of what their appearance is expected to be. The rigid, eerie looking dolls have been dressed up to look slightly creepy with heavy make up and quirky outfits. Throughout the video, the clothing includes vintage French, British and Japanese garments; adding to the strangeness of the clip and making it unique. The music playing links to the spooky, slightly scary theme as it is very slow and mirrors the slow movements of the dolls.
This second video is Tim Walkers creation for Mulberry from their Autumn/Winter 2011/12 campaign.
This video is a lot more light hearted than Mechanical dolls. This is portrayed through the use of upbeat music, brighter colours and it is a fast paced video. The Autumn/Winter theme is shown through the use of autumnal colours such as brown, orange, dark pink and cream. The storytelling aspect is also tied in by the use of props. The woodland creatures and plants are extremely oversized compared to the models which creates the sense of a fairy tale story because by making the models seem smaller than the scenery, it paints an unrealistic picture of being in the forest. Also, the animals around the models appear to be friendly which links to children's story's as the main characters often befriend animals or use them as a comfort. The setting of the video is typically British as it is in a manor house in Oxfordshire. The classic country attire, chandeliers, furniture, colour palette and use of nature all ties in to the video representing Mulberry which is a timeless British brand.
This video has also been made from Vogue Italia by Tim Walker in April 2011. It is called 'Dreaming of another world'.
The video shows distressed models within a manor house that have been dressed up to look creepy and eerie. Their heavy make up and quirky outfits set the scary scene of the video and their awkward movements suggest that they are in pain or distressed. The title of the video, 'Dreaming of another world' suggests that the video is telling the story of women that are not happy with their lives so spend their days fantasising about a different world where they could live peacefully. The models are all wearing long dresses that look as though they could have once been beautiful and elegant but they are now ripped and torn. This could mean that they have once lived happily but something has changed to make them miserable. Some of the dresses look like they could have been wedding dresses which implies that their misery may be due to heartbreak.
A boutique is a small shop that sells unique clothing and accessories. They have specialised customers as the products are generally rather quirky and different. An example of a boutique that has several stores in the UK is Anna Park's boutiques. The store on Primrose Hill opened in 1997 and was her first to open in London. It was the only womenswear store in the area at the time and expresses her passion for colour and print. Anna is known for having a good eye for fashion and she now stocks labels such as Orla Kiely, Odd Molly, Maison Scotch and Anya Hindmarch. The boutiques sell unique products that are one of a kind to the store. For example, Phillipe Model's scuffed glitter trainers or an Anya Hindmarch clutch.
Anna's boutique on Primrose Hill
Inside the boutique
Department stores
A department store is a large shop stocking a variety of goods in different departments such as beauty, fashion, accessories and home ware. There are lots of popular examples of department stores such as Debenhams, House of Fraser, Harrods, John Lewis and Selfridges. Selfridges is an up-market store that is always decorated in extravagant ways with amazing window displays and interesting use of props. There are several stores in the UK located in London, Manchester and Birmingham. The displays always take advantage of the festive season and create their own themes throughout the year as well.
Selfidges London Christmas lights
Selfridges Christmas window display
Haute Couture
A haute couture store sells expensive, fashionable clothing produced by leading fashion houses. The clothing is more tailored which makes it more expensive and has a specialised customer. Examples of these are Dior, Chanel and Valentino. Their store designs generally make the shops look exclusive and the window displays and interior design is always very elegant and classy. These leading fashion houses have opened stores all over the world and have become extremely popular.
Dior Paris store Christmas display 2013
Chanel Bond Street Store
Valentino store in Florence
Pret a porter
A pret a porter store is the same as ready to wear but for designer clothing. The clothes are ready to wear as they are not made to measure. An example of this is Vivienne Westwood who is a very famous fashion label that has opened stores worldwide.
Vivienne Westwood store in Cardiff
Cardiff store interior
Vivienne Westwood store in Bangkok
Ready to wear
Ready to wear stores are those that sell high street clothing. Some examples of these are H and M, Topshop, Primark and River Island. These stores have all become increasingly popular and have opened stores internationally.
New York Topshop store interior
Marylebone, London River Island store
Oxford Street, London Primark store
Pop up shop
A pop up shop is a temporary store that is opened to take advantage of a certain trend or product. They can vary from a stall, market stall or seasonal store and can be created by any brand or designer.
H and M pop up shop on the beach in Schevenigen
Ebay Christmas pop up shop in Covent Garden, London
Market stall
A market stall is a mobile unit that is usually opened at regular intervals. They are often used at events or occasions. Some markets become popular throughout the nation and make individual stalls have a larger customer bracket. For example, Camden market has become increasingly popular and is now a tourist attraction for people visiting London.
Tourist attraction Camden Market
One of many popular stalls at Camden Market
Vintage store
A vintage store is one that sells used clothing items and accessories that are at least 10 years old. You can usually find items from each decade in these stores. Some vintage stores have become a popular name across the UK, especially those situated in London. Brick Lane is home to various vintage stores such as Rokit, Blitz, Beyond Retro and Hunky Dory. The strip is now known for its vintage items and tourists often visit in hope to find unique pieces.
Rokit vintage store interior
Hunky Dory vintage store
Beyond Retro vintage store
Thursday, 16 October 2014
Trends around the world
JAPAN
House of Canon is a popular women's clothing brand in Japan at the moment that sets trend for woman all over the country. Whilst researching the brand, I have noticed that particular shapes of clothes and patterns that are printed on them are forming trends and can be a representation of the Japanese culture.
For example, this dress is a swing dress and the pattern includes a robot, a busy road and several buildings with bright lights. This links to the Japenese culture as it is a digitally advance country and the cities within it could be represented by this print. Another example of a print that is inspired by Japan is this swing top with blossom printed onto it. Blossom is something that is often associated with Japan and other oriental countries so this piece of clothing shows a strong influence from the Japanese culture. Also, the shape of the top is similar to the dress which shows that 'swing' cut pieces are on trend in Japan.
FRANCE
The Little Black Dress is a popular trend that originated in France and has now become popular in the UK and many other countries across the globe. It is a classic style that has become a must have for every women's wardrobe. The trend is most commonly known for the designer who brought it to fame, Coco Chanel. A simple black dress designed by Chanel was published in American Vogue in 1926 which is how it first became popular. The chosen dress was calf-length and had a straight silhouette. it was described as "a sort of uniform for all women of taste".
Costume jewellery is a creation by Chanel that is less well known than others. The designer began to produce jewellery that was made from affordable, durable materials during the First World War. During this time, wearing more expensive gems was considered poor taste. This is a trend that has caught on around France and has become extremely popular to wear. Yet another contribution to fashion from Ms. Chanel was the production of costume jewelry. Coco Chanel introduced the trend during the Art Deco movement, which was defined by an attempt to combine the harshness of mass production with the sensitivity of art and design. The Art Deco movement faded away with the onset of the Great Depression and the outbreak of World War II, but costume jewelry has prevailed, especially within the mass market.
French designer Yves Saint Laurent was the first to adapt a man’s tuxedo for a woman in 1966. This was an iconic runway look called “le smoking.” The suit was used as an eveningwear alternative to the little black dress as it was seen as a controversial style statement for women to wear trousers in public. This suits continues to influence designers in present day, each designer putting their own creative spin on the classic two piece.
Wednesday, 15 October 2014
WGSN
Denim trends Ximon Lee is a new designer that has recently been noticed by the fashion press because of his Spring/Summer 2014 collection that explores the layering of synthetic and organic materials like denim and neoprene. The inspiration for the collection was the styles of street children near suburban Moscow and because of this, he deconstructed and re-made garments from the Salvation army. The collection includes oversized silhouettes with some pieces looking like sandwich boards that cover you below the knee and the main colours are whites contrasted with indigo and blue. Some of the surfaces and textures on the clothing represent rubbish bags and cardboard boxes to convey the theme of homelessness. After the success he received from this collection, he is currently working on his next one. Here are some of the pieces that feature in the collection:
The Japanese denim craftsman Kapital have released the 8th edition to their 'Indigo' collection that includes a series of purple denims. The brand are known for their use of indigo shades but for Autumn/Winter 2014, they have introduced a new, vibrant shade. This range follows on from the Century Denim collection that was released a few years ago and it is called No.8 Beniimo Denim. The collection features deep purple denims in slim, straight and tapered fits and are available in both raw and pre-wash. The jeans are crafted in the home to Kapital, Kojima, Japans denim sanctuary.
Here are some examples of the pieces that feature in the collection:
Although both Ximon and Kapitals' collections both include and focus around denim, they are very different because Ximons' use of metallic materials and rough surfaces create a strong, powerful look and it gives the collection an edge. Whereas I think that Kapiatls' use of deep and vibrant purples create a soft, gentle look for everyday, casual wear. The two collections are similar though because denim is the main focus and base of them and then the designers have taken this popular material in the way that they have been inspired to do.
Catwalks
Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2015
This collection appears more grown up than previous Vuitton collections and has a strong 70's influence showing throughout. The collection is made up of 70's inspired zip front, mini dresses, velvet trousers, trouser suits, lace and crochet dresses, fur lined coats and a split front midi skirt. The prints and patterns used throughout the collection are renaissance florals and household appliances and the main colour palette consist of black, purple, olive, beige, red and white. The accessories and footwear also show a strong influence from the 70's with monogrammed bags and boots, box bags, totes, textured tights and colourful heels featuring on the runway. Here are some examples of the pieces that feature in the collection:
Miuccia Prada Spring/Summer 2015 This collection has been inspired by the 1974 film, Female Trouble by John Waters. This shows the story of Dawn Davenport who was a waitress, go-go dancer, prostitute and thief and has inspired this collection to have a rebellious edge. Made up of silk, cropped trousers, structured house coats, ruffle neck blouses, printed pencil skirts and plunge neck tops, the inspiration is clearly shown throughout the range. The use of leopard print, leather, floral jacquard and tartan all closely link to the rebellious 70's influence of the range as well and it is also carried through to the footwear which includes patent boots and platform sandals.
Here are some examples of the pieces that feature in the collection:
The Spring/Summer 2014 collections for Louis Vuitton and Miuccia Prada have both been influenced by the 1970's but I think that they are very different from each other. This is because Louis Vuitton's' collection includes more classic styles from the 70's and some pieces appear to be quite cute and girly. However, Miuccia Prada's' collection has been inspired by the rebellious side to the 70's so the use of leather, dark colours and revealing neck lines makes the collection appear a lot more strong and daring. The similarities between the two collections are that they both include bold patterns that were popular in the 70's like florals and stripes and the collections seem to have similar colour palettes.
Monday, 13 October 2014
1990's BRIT POP
'Brit Pop' was a style of British rock music from the 1990s that was created to contrast with the American grunge scene at the time. The music featured catchy melodies and lyrics with distinctive references to British culture and bands like The Kinks, The Beatles, Blur, Oasis and Pulp were all influenced by this genre.
Mcalmont and Butler was the British Pop band that released the most successful single from this genre in November 1995. 'Yes' was their first and only single to be released before they split and it reached number 8 in the 1995 charts. The song is about picking yourself up and moving on after an ex lover has left or hurt you and it was a track that got everyone dancing and singing along. The vocals of David Mcalmont and arrangements from Bernard Butler made the song epic and iconic.
The British rock group, Pulp, originally released their single 'Babies' for Gift Records in 1992 but the track didn't become popular until their new label 'Island' wanted to re-release the single for their 'His 'n' Hers' album. although the song failed to reach the charts in 1992, it became a top 20 hit in 1994, peaking at number 19.
'Da Funk' is a single by the band Daft Punk that was released in May 1995 and was a house pop track. Daft Punk revealed that the song was written as they were attempting to make a hard core hip-hop record but failed at their attempts. Instead they recreated their favourite song from the time, Regulate by Warren G's G-Funk, and put their own spin on the track. The music video for the track, directed by Spike Jonze, is considered a classic of 1990's house music and the song later appeared on the bands album, 'Homework'.
“In an artwork you’re always looking for artistic decisions, so an ashtray is perfect. An ashtray has got life and death.”- Damien Hirst
This piece is by Damien Hirst and is called ‘The Inescapable Truth’. It is displayed at The Tate Modern, London, UK. “I’ve been slagged off completely by the art world.”- Tracey Emin This piece is by Tracey Emin and is called My Bed’. The messy double bed surrounded by waste gained a large amount of international media attention at this time.
Thursday, 9 October 2014
Fashion Designers from the 80's
The preppy style of clothing evolved in the 1980s and the designer Ralph Lauren played a big part in this. Conservative teens that wanted to stay on trend and purchase classic items of clothing went to his clothing brand Polo Ralph Lauren as their first choice. Polo shirts, chinos and jackets with large logos to promote the brand were the most popular and the clothing from his brand was all fairly expensive. In 1981, Ralph Lauren became the first American designer that had a European boutique and this caused the brand to go global. The business had expanded to selling home accessories as well as fashion like pillows, bedding and throws by 1983.
I found this quote whilst researching the designer online and found it inspiring because he is saying that people were curious as to how someone from his hometown could design the worldwide trend that he took part in. He is telling people that his work has nothing to do with the family that he is from or how wealthy he is, he succeeded because he had a dream and believed that he could make it come true.
Christian Lacroix is a French designer that created a wave of new haute couture designs in the 1980s. In the late 80's he started his own brand where he combined bold colours of magenta, orange, yellow, green and bright pink. His designs were embellished with big bows, intricate beading and prominent jewellery pieces. His inspiration were artists who used modernistic colours in the 1980's and he was also inspired by the opera and the theatre which was reflected in many of his collections.
This quote is one that I found whilst I was researching the designer online and I think it reflects his attitude towards the haute couture designs that he made in the 1980's. It shows how he wanted the clothes to be modern and different from anything else that people were wearing at the time. Saying that it should be 'fun' and 'foolish' could mean that he didn't follow any current trends but just created the deigns through what he was inspired by.
This is the runway video that showcases the 1988 Christian Lacroix Haute Couture Spring-Summer Fashion collection.
Calvin Klein was one of the most successful fashion designers of the 1980s. He launched his career in the late 60s, and by the early 1980s he was a global brand-maker. His sportswear ranged from high-end prices to more affordable lines. He then expanded the business to make household furniture and kitchenware. Klein designed for men and women, and his most popular clothing were jeans and underwear in this era. High-profile celebrities, like Brooke Shields, were used for his jeans advertising campaign and Michael J. Fox popularised CK lilac briefs when he wore them in the film "Back to the Future."
Here are some Calvin Klein advertisements from 1980:
I think this quote describes the Calvin Klein brand in the 80's well because underwear was one of his best sellers. The image that he is describing in the quote has been used for advertisements to promote the brand with women modelling oversized shirts or tops over their underwear.
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
1970's
Suzi Quatro is the woman that gave all women a place in the rock and roll society. At Christmas 1973, she received a huge crowd reaction when she performed in a rock and roll style and showcased her rock chick look. Her look consisted of a lot leather that clung to her body to portray a strong and sexy image when performing. She became a style icon and inspired women to be more adventurous with their style and experiment with the glam rock look.
Suzi Quatro's album cover from 1973
Another style icon from the 70's is Farrah Fawcett who inspired women to channel the 70's disco look. She showcased the popular winged, wavy hairstyle which became extremely popular and inspired women from all over the world to copy this. The style of make up that women wore in the 70's was very different to the thick and heavy make up from the 60's. Instead of false eyelashes and matte foundation, women in the 70's wore shimmering eye shadows, rosy blusher and a creative use of eyeliner. Farrah showed women her healthy, tanned look and the use of bronzing gels and powders grew.
Farrah Fawcett in the 1970's
1970's Maybelline advertisement
When disco fever was introduced into the 1970's, people became interested in ethnic styles and Afros were popular hairstyles for anyone with curly hair. The style of make up people wore changed again from the natural look that was popular in the early 70's as disco became more popular. Dark pink lips and brightly coloured eye shadow was the new trend. There was lots of cobalt blue, green, pink, gold and any other flamboyant colours. Glitter was also were popular at his time and was seen everywhere in peoples fashions and styles. Lots of young people embraced the disco era through the clothes that they wore with of 3-piece-suits, jumpsuits and mini dresses becoming popular.
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
1960's
Twiggy was one of the main fashion icons in the 1960's. She inspired every girl with what she wore and how she wore it. Often seen in mini skirts and patterned dresses, she made a statement with her clothes and people admired her for it. Her long, thick eyelashes and blonde hair were her signature looks and she always looked bold and strong in her photographs. In this clip, you can see some examples of Twiggy's fashion throughout the 1960s and how she was an inspiration.
Pyschadelia was a subculture with the message of Love Not War in the 1960s and it was made up of people who enjoyed hippie style music and crazily patterned clothing. Granny Takes A Trip is a legendary boutique from the 60's that sold Pyschadelia clothing.
The boutique has sold some iconic pieces of clothing that have held a deeper meaning to some people due to personal attachments. It was extremely popular with everyone including musician George Harrison who shopped in there. The graphic designs for the boutique have been inspired by the Pyschadelic style that made up album covers and posters at this time. Many of these advertisements/graphics are built up of hidden meaning with certain imagery being covered up. This was the representation that morals were loosening as the Pyschadelic culture grew and grew.
This is one example of a graphic that was made to advertise Granny Takes A Trip
Within this image, there are lots of smaller images within the background. The pastel colours and overall calming feel of the graphic shows that it is Pyschadelic which links well to the boutique. However, you could portray the mushrooms in the background of the image as a representation of the drugs that people took if they were a part of this subculture. This is because of the term 'magic mushrooms', some people may link this image with that term.
In this clip you can see the journey of the boutique and examples of the styles that they sold in there in the 1960's.
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