05/12/2014

The Talented: Simone Rocha

Simone Rocha, the Dublin-born designer and Central Saint Martins graduate, showed a new side of her designer self when her Spring 2015 collection was sent down the runway. Simone Rocha’s design aesthetics is known for being both romantic and down to earth in quite a unique way. She lets her choice of fabrics, layering skills, eye for details and great cuts, speak for themselves, finding a way to create romantic pieces without the risk of overdoing it. The natural colour scheme and clean styling gives her design a much deeper and darker appearance, while remaining beautiful and sweet in an edgy rather than princess-y way.

Nevertheless, for her Spring 2015 collection, Simone took a step out of her comfort zone, including a couple of pieces with patterns in eye-catching colours. Challenging herself to push the boundaries of her own work, yet framing it within within her own peculiar aesthetics, the resulting pieces were distinctly ‘Rocha’ yet offered a new glimpse into her way of understanding fashion research. In Rocha’s collections, deliberately feminine pieces – such as red flowers – are knowingly combined into bold collections which are bolder, subtly ironic and ultimately, carefree. But, the most important element in Simone Rocha’s work is knowing who she is as a designer and how to take on a challenge without losing herself.

Hanna Cronsjö 
04/12/2014

Daily Tips: Modern Classics at Design Miami

As the holiday season steadily approaches, Design Miami delights modern design enthusiasts with a selection of collectible pieces, just in time for some well-deserved Christmas shopping. Among a list of international galleries showcasing unbearably desirable pieces, our eyes fell on the fair’s new section: Curio. Curio is Design Miami’s new exhibition platform which invites designers, curators, innovators and gallerists to present ‘total environments’ – special cabinets of curiosity that offer an immersive experience of design practice. Among this year’s four exhibited projects, Joe Sheftel Gallery and Koenig&Clinton present a selection of rare and fairly well-known work by Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis group. Shifting radical to established, Sottsass’ designs should, by now, be on everyone’s gift lists.

The Blogazine 
03/12/2014

Trend Watch: Fedora Hats

Made out of felt with a wide brim, a crown that is indented and pitched and a ribbon in colors such as black, dark brown and grey: the fedora hat is one of the most iconic accessories in fashion history. For the past couple of seasons the increasing popularity of hats in general, has given the fedora a newly reclaimed status. The fedora hat first appeared in 1882, exclusively adorning female heads, while, at that same year, it also appeared in the title of a play, “Fédora”, by the French author Victorien Sardou. The character of Princess Fédora wore creased, soft brimmed hats introducing the piece that soon became a popular item among women, particularly women’s rights activists. Following 1924, when the fedora was quickly embraced by men after Prince Edward of Britain started wearing them, the fedora became a natural part of the male wardrobe replacing previous fashionable head-gears such as bowler and top hats. The hat worked well in the metropolitan lives as protection from poor weather and the style could be worn on public transport. As the popularity for the fedora blossomed in the 1920s it has often been depicted in correlation with gangsters and the Prohibition era. The noir films of the 1940s and 1950s re-popularized fedora hats making it a staple until late 1950s, when casual attire took stage. Since then felt hats have made several come-backs both in the 1970s and 2000s.

Thanks to the silver screen, the fedora hat has been immortalized as a piece of old Hollywood glamour. It became an icon of manliness and mystery worn by the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant. However, it has also been used as a symbol of feminine rebellious force and is therefore in many ways to be considered both a status symbol as well as a link between the sexes. It has an androgynous quality, mirroring the debate ongoing in many societies today, whilst still keeping its stylish practicality. It’s an easy way to see why a piece like this is spotted on many fashionable heads, aware or not of its rich history.

Victoria Edman 
03/12/2014

Guy Bourdin: Defying the Image of Fashion

In 1979, a pair of body-less, elegant female legs was seen travelling from London to Brighton on board of a cadillac, stopping, occasionally, at several iconic locations: from Battersea Power Station to delightfully decorated Brighton seafront, from rough taxi ranks to soft English rose gardens. Through a surrealist operation, those lifeless plastic legs became animated stars of vivid imaginary stories, told through the most uninspiring of all the media – an advertising campaign – shot by Guy Bourdin for Charles Jourdan. Throughout his career, spent within the fashion system, Bourdin tried to subvert its very core by producing images that overlooked fashion’s subject matter in favour of subliminal, marginal and often violently unexpected narratives that loomed at its margins. Known for his work for Vogue Paris, Guy Bourdin (1928 – 1991) is mostly associated with colourful “rich and strange” photographs which explored the realms between the “absurd and the sublime”.

And yet, much of Bourdin’s work still remains unknown, as nearly half of his oeuvre – shot in black and white – got completely neglected in favour of his powerful colourful imagery. “Guy Bourdin: Image Maker”, a new retrospective at the Somerset House in London, aims at revealing those largely hidden aspects of Bourdin’s work. Curated by Alistar O’Neill and Shelly Verthime, the exhibition “charts Bourdin’s distinguished 40-year career from Man Ray’s protégé to photography revolutionary in his own right and explores his pursuit of perfection”. In an attempt to reconstruct the secretive photographer’s work and approach – the story of Bourdin determined not to leave a trace of his work has become a widely favoured anecdote – the exhibition includes different body of work – from colour prints to early and late works in black and white, from Polaroid tests to double spread layouts, paintings, working drawings, sketches, notebooks and Super-8 films – that openly tell the story of an image-maker whose photographic craftsmanship sought to defy the very image of fashion.
“Guy Bourdin: Image Maker” runs until March 15th 2015 at Somerset House in London.

Rujana Rebernjak – Images courtesy of the Guy Bourdin Estate and Louise Alexander Gallery 
02/12/2014

Daily Tips: Peter Zumthor’s Holiday Home

Where could a more blissful Christmas celebration take place than in a snowy white mountain resort? And yet, there are some winter holiday homes that are more special than others. Take, for example, Peter Zumthor’s Oberhus and Unterhus houses built in the mountain hamlet of Leis in Vals, Switzerland. Two neighbouring timber houses, one for his wife and one for him, built in 2009, propose an impeccably rational fusion of nature, architecture and life in a true ‘Zumthor-like’ manner. Fortunately, Oberhus and Unterhus are not only Zumthor’s to cherish, as the Swiss master, recipient of the Pritzker Prize, has decided to let his holiday homes to those who want to try on the architect’s shoes and experience “the solid timber’s tangible 
presence”, that, “soft and close to the body, gleams gently and silkily in the light.”

The Blogazine 
02/12/2014

George Nakashima: The Soul of Design

George Katsutoshi Nakashima was born in 1905 in Spokane, Washington State, where he trained as an architect at the University of Washington, before studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He first began designing furniture as an aspect of architectural ventures in India, Japan, and Seattle. An internationally renowned furniture designer and woodworker, Nakashima is recognized as one of America’s most eminent designer crafsmen. Nakashima’s work expresses a worldview that is based on a unique set of circumstances, including his formal education in architecture, his exposure to European Modernism, Eastern religious philosophy and traditional Japanese craft traditions. As a self-proclaimed “woodworker,” Nakashima became an important voice for the artist craftsmen, helping to create a new paradigm for studio furniture production in the postwar period.

Believing in the integration of a personal and professional life, George Nakashima began his business this way and continued to operate on this principle throughout his career. He developed an international reputation and received many important commissions for buildings and furnishings for churches, corporate headquarters and private homes. A master craftsman, he created a distinctive style of object that gave “a second life” to the trees he loved so much.

At any given time, today’s Nakashima Workshop employs a dozen or so workers, including family members. Nakashima’s daughter, Mira, worked as his assistant designer for 20 years and took over the task of producing backlogged orders after his death in 1990. Since then, as head of the Nakashima Studio, she has experimented with new forms, collaborating with other architects and developing new work, contributing to George Nakashima’s unique legacy.

Rujana Rebernjak 
01/12/2014

Style Suggestions: Shearling

Shearling, that blissfully soft material that is part suede, part wool, could easily become the Winter protagonist of a not-at-all subtle total look. Yet, for those gentlemen who don’t appreciate such a level of commitment, choosing a sophisticated pair of gloves and a well-cut jacket will do just the right trick for staying both warm and in vogue.

Jacket: Maison Martin Margiela, Hat: Paul Smith, Gloves: Roy Roger’s, Backpack: Burberry

Styling by Vanessa Cocchiaro 

01/12/2014

Charting Alberto Giacometti’s Course

Nearly everyone has had, at least once in their life, the opportunity to see the work of one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century, Alberto Giacometti (1901 – 1966, Switzerland). And yet, for those who had not had the pleasure of encountering Giacometti’s creations in real life and happen to be in Milan in the upcoming weeks, GAM – Modern Art Gallery in Milan hosts an important exhibition of his work, curated by Catherine Grenier, director and chief curator of Foundation Alberto and Annette Giacometti in Paris. The exhibition was drawn from the collection of the Foundation devoted to the Swiss master, collecting more than sixty amazing masterpieces of the likes of Boule suspendue, Femme qui marche, La cage, Quatre femmes sur socle, Buste d’Annette and the imposing Grande femme.

The selection of works spans from sculpture, painting and drawing conceived and created between the 20s and the 60s, showing the artist’s path and influences, from the very beginning of his career: his studies in Switzerland, the encounter with Surrealists and research on the unconscious and imagination, along with reflections on the surrounding space and its boundaries, that result in Giacometti’s characteristic lengthened silhouettes. Giacometti’s distinctive walking figures are thin and apparently fragile (even if most of them are made of a strong alloys, such as bronze) and reflect perturbation and loneliness, though maintaining a formal grace, linearity and harmony of pure forms. The exhibition – the first of four major shows arranged at GAM for its set up museum devoted to sculpture – is articulated in five sections linked by different themes, accompanied by archival pictures, sketches and documents to help viewers contextualize the career of a genius beloved by masters of his time, from Sartre to Beckett and Genet.
The exhibition will run through February 1st 2015 at GAM in Milan.

Monica Lombardi – Images courtesy of GAM 
28/11/2014

Iris van Herpen: When Fashion Meets Technology

A first look at Iris van Herpen’s work might leave you overwhelmed: at the crossroads between fashion, art, sculpture and technology, her work doesn’t fit comfortably within traditional cannons of neither one of these fields. What is, then, the meaning of van Herpen’s work? Should her technically sophisticated and formally sculptured garments push the boundaries of art, fashion or technology? A recent exhibition at Design Museum Holon tries to present a possible answer to this question by presenting an extensive exhibition of Iris van Herpen’s collections.

Iris van Herpen studied fashion at ArtEZ Institute of the Arts before undertaking an internship at Alexander McQueen. It is possible that McQueen’s radical approach built the foundation for setting up her future approach to fashion through her own label, created in 2007. Iris van Herpen’s design aesthetics is characterized by a mix of organic and futuristic elements which are used to build her unique and sculptural pieces. Her focus is primarily on the appearance and technical innovation rather than wearability and everyday use, pushing the boundaries of what fashion design can really mean. In a continuous dualistic dialogue between natural and artificial, past and present, van Herpen mixes together 3D printing and traditional crafts in order to convey the evolving nature of her projects. Van Herpen is a conceptual designer whose collection arise from a deeper vision of what clothes might mean today: an obvious example is her Radiation Invasion collection which communicates the extensive use of invisible radiation and signals that surround us, making telecommunication possible.

A true contemporary designer, set in-between tradition and modernity, Iris van Herpen is the protagonist of a new exhibition at the Design Museum Holon. Organized in collaboration with the Groninger Museum, the exhibitions features pieces from its rich collection, proposing a reading of van Herpen’s pieces through their sculptural and conceptual qualities that stimulate further reflection on the phenomenon of fashion. The exhibition will run until March 7th 2015.

Hanna Cronsjö – Images courtesy of Design Museum Holon 
27/11/2014

The Dancing Meaning of Fashion

Kate Vaughan, twirling with her skirt made of 100 yard of fabric; Loie Fuller and her Serpentine dance, based on the effects of light on the gauze fabric of her dress; Josephine Baker shaking her frayed, sparkling dress doing Charleston on stage: history of fashion offers many examples of how tight is the bond between dance and fashion. The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York puts this tie on stage with an exhibition that celebrates the contacts between these two creative forms. Curated by Valerie Steele, “Dance and Fashion” features nearly 100 pieces that range between dance costumes and fashion designs inspired by dance, that reconstruct a path of institutional and revolutionary dance from 1930 to now, told through a physical exhibition path designed by the architect Kim Ackert.

The exhibition starts with ballet costumes from the romantic ballet era, paired with fashion designs from around 1830-40; followed by oriental pieces from the iconic Ballet Russes, which began to influence designers since their arrival in Europe in 1909, charming fashion personalities from Paul Poiret at the beginning of the century, to Yves Saint Laurent, who dedicated an entire collection to the Ballet Russes in 1976; collaborations between dance institutions and fashion designers are also displayed, with pieces form Valentino, Riccardo Tisci, Isaac Mizrah, Prabal Gurung, Olivier Theyskens, to name a few; the modern dance section reflects mainly on the collaboration between Halston and Martha Graham, one of the pioneers of modern dance, but also includes pieces from collaborations between Merce Cunningham and Rei Kawakubo; flamenco is celebrated too, and even some of Rick Owens’ designs from S/S 2014, inspired by American ‘Vicious’ step dancers.

When talking about the concept of the exhibition, Steel refers to both fashion and dance as ‘embodied arts’, and the choice of this precise word is in no way random: it brings all back to the materiality of the body, which is at once a real body and the image of a fictitious character. By placing together these two disciplines, the exhibition puts the lights on a third one, directly spawned from the other two: costume design for ballet and dance in general. Costume design for dance deals with many issues: not only is it about studying a personality, but it has the added task of making the character communicate by enhancing the movements of the body through clothes; designing a costume for the stage is a way to make a character who’s dancing, talk. This exhibition gives the chance to examine dance ensembles in a way that is impossible when they are on the stage: to appreciate the seams and embroidery, the details and the manufacture in the complete stillness of a mannequin.

But, by taking the clothes off of the context they were designed to fit in, and were supposed to be seen and then understood, runs the risk of loosing the reasons of their particular design. While dance is alleged as the real protagonist, the exhibition is actually more about fashion than dance itself, and works perfectly with the fashion designs, but less with the costumes: it negates movement, and thus the very meaning of dance: admiring the clothes, beautiful and dreamy as they are, we consider all of them as ‘simply’ fashion designs, while we can only guess their real essence.
The significance of a garment, or in this case, a costume, is tied not to dance in the wider sense, but to a specific kind of dance, be it ballet, traditional, modern or post modern dance; therefore, it relates to a specific kind of movement, which cannot be frozen and displayed in a museum, but has sense only when alive, on a well-lighted stage, displaying its power through performance. The exhibition will remain on show until January 3rd 2015 at FIT in New York.

Marta Franceschini 
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