Forbidden Zone

    I rarely weigh in about runway fashions, unless there is something really innovative, or startling going on that makes it worthwhile. But something occurred quite recently that has sparked a conversational topic that I think is worthy here.
    Rick Owens just recently slapped the entire RTW community in the face with his S/S 2015 menswear collection.  Doubtless by now you've heard that he sent male models down the runway with their junk on display.  Okay, so apart from being a deliberate act of provocation, what is this about?  Now, Owens is an Avant Garde designer, so these sorts of razor's edge experiments are to be expected.  But what it ends up being about, for me at least, is an open challenge to our long held conventions about nudity, and body shaming. In fact, looking at the collection from a broader perspective than just men's penises on view, it seemed a larger meditation on body exposure, since many of the looks presented, showed sections of body not normally exposed outside of swimwear.

   

But there is a much larger, more tangled, and interesting issue at the base of this.  Why, in 2015, with all we now understand about human sexuality, and that knowledge deepening almost daily, is it still true that there is a visual no fly zone on the human body?  Why is it still true that that central section from the top of the pelvis to the base of the rump is off limits, a no no, verboten, unseen, and vulgar?

    There are, of course, because we're talking about human behaviors here, multiple reasons for this.  The first, and oldest, is our essential animal natures.  When we see the primary reproductive parts of the body, we cannot avoid understanding that we are beasts, like all other animals.  And for a large number of us, cleaving to our supposed civilization, that is a challenging, disquieting thought.

    The next reason, to my mind, is our western societal disconnect about sex, and sexuality. We know it exists, and we glory in it in certain parts of our culture, but we do not wish to be reminded that all of us are beings with a sexual aspect.  We seemingly cannot face the full truth of our sexual selves.  And in our predominantly patriarchal world, men do not wish to be reminded of the natural physical inequalities of their own gender.  Men wish to maintain the fiction in their heads, that what they've got, is best. I could do a whole post on THAT subject alone. Perhaps I will.

    Another reason is associated with the concept of body shaming, which is connected to the prior reason, but veers off on its own course.  We do not want anyone to see the unvarnished truth of us, because we are taught by our culture and religions that our bodies are bad, and that we, by association, are bad for displaying them.  Nonsense.  As I've written before, our notions of physical beauty, and body perfection have shifted again, and again over time, so claiming that this or that version of shape is most right, or most wrong, is simply a societal construct we accept.  Long past time we dropped that ludicrous notion.  And as we continue our movement along to that global community, we will be more likely to let go of these things.  Will it happen right away?  Of course not, but I see it coming, nonetheless.

    The final reason I'm going to bring up is the sheer, vast, weight of tradition. We do not expose that part of us, because it has always been so.  The truth is different.  For many tribal cultures even now, such notions are absurd. And certainly in our broader past we did not feel so constrained.  But getting past the bulk of all that time and convention is hard, even for people of wide education and experience.

    What Mr Owens did on his runway, was wave a big red flag in our faces, and show us, by the absurdity of some of the garments, the absurdity of our long held beliefs.
   

Scatter #41

    So its time, once more, to dig your hands into the jumble box of my brain, and take a look at what you get.  Let's get to it!

    The concept of genderfuck is hardly a new one, but this image struck me.  The man here presented is gliding effortlessly back and forth across the arbitrary lines of gender identity, as our culture defines them.  When I see this, I'm struck that, without the eye make-up, and rather sedate beaded evening dress, we would have an image that would be considered significantly masculine. Add those two elements into the mix, and suddenly this undeniably male person, suddenly loses hold on their position in our brains.  Do I think that's a good thing?  Oh hells to the yeah, I do.  Besides, I think he's gorgeous, either way.

    Few artists or designers understood the Art Nouveau aesthetic down to the bone like Rene' Lalique.  This pectoral brooch was designed about 1899, and is as perfect an example of what the movement embodied as anything I've ever seen.  The green enameled gold brooch is randomly scattered with opals, and the brooch is bracketed by curving sprays of diamonds.  I love that this has an overall symmetry, but that within the confines of the shape there is idealized natural form.  This is a stunning piece of work, and expresses a yearning that was felt at the time, for a return to more connection with the natural world.

    There are times when I yearn for other days. In this case its because the fashions of 1600 would have suited my frame right down to the ground, since I'm rather short waisted.  This doublet, of cream colored silk, has been both wonderfully embroidered with multicolored flowers, but every seam line has been trimmed with braid to cover stitching lines.  Its also interesting to me, since it shows how very differently sleeves were cut in that time.  In 1600, a sleeve was cut of two pieces, an inner, and an outer, with seams running down the center of the arm. Also, the sleeve was given a pronounced bend at the elbow, which afforded more range of motion, since they were cut so tightly.

    Our seemingly universal penchant for dazzlement never ceases to make me smile.  This image is so over the top, with that wildly intense patterned cloth, and the literal mounds of gold jewelry, that the eye doesn't quite know where to rest.  I think that, from a psychological perspective, that's one of the base parts of something being dazzling.  We cannot find a single element to focus on, since the whole is so complex.  The brilliant, multiple patterns in that textile keep our eyes in motion, and oddly, its a jewelry that ends up being the most restful place to look, though even there, there is a lot going on.

    This is from a Chanel show in 2013.  What interests me here, is the sequin work on that pouffed skirt.  Its one of those times when technology, in the form of computer augmented design, and skilled hand labor, meet in the middle.  There will come a day when such complex embellishment work will be able to be done by robots, just not yet.  I love the fact that work of this sort, surface decoration on textiles, is always managing to come up with textures that exist nowhere else.

    This is a portrait of the young Louis XVI, painted by Jean Martial Fredou that was done in 1760, when Louis was only 6.  This is practically a textbook of 18th century luxury, all in one little stiff shot.  The patterned velvet of the coat, the gold brocade of the waistcoat, those wildly embellished and gold worked cuffs, the sash, the medal, the order on his right breast, the exquisitely worked lace, even the tiny frill visible on his hat, all add up to one mighty statement of wealth and power, even though he was a small child.  His destiny to be king was made manifest.

    As a pair of shoes, these, made for a D Squared2 runway show in 2011, are dangerous, silly and strange.  They are also, however, a real world expression of surrealism, bound up, quite literally, with a healthy dose of fetish.  Really rather fascinating, actually, how these project so many different things at once.  Skating, sex, danger, and nostalgia, are all wrapped up in this single image.  And this is part of why I find Attire so compelling.  There is so much information crammed into each word in the language.

    This is a Dolce & Gabbana jacket from their F/W 2015/16 collection.  There are things that I like about this, particularly that its messing with old school military uniform styles, and skewing it into another direction with the soft material and the Renaissance art in the central medallion.  What doesn't entirely work for me is the scale of the trimmings, in particular, the rope, because the essential stiffness of that rope trim makes the softer, more mobile fabric behave strangely.  That may have been the intention, but for me, its a near miss, though I love the idea.

    Boue' Soeurs made this set of very fine underthings in the 1920s, when women's lingerie was going through substantial changes.  As we moved further into the century, underwear and sleepwear changed right along with the outerwear, sometimes moving forward, like this does, faster than the times required.  But when a lady was in privacy, a good deal more latitude could be permitted.  Apart from the brevity of these pieces, its their flawless workmanship that stands out.  Exceedingly fine silk charmeuse has been expertly worked with lace insertion, and tiny roses.  An incredible piece of hand labor, and a vision of the future.

    Sometimes, a garment is not about function in any realistic way.  And sometimes that is precisely what we have in mind.  Occasionally, sexual allure is the only point to a garment.  This Adidas hoodie offers no protection from the elements. It exists to display a hot body and advertize a brand, nothing else.  Pretty man, packaged for consumption.

    A while back Dior did a campaign in honor of their anniversary where they re-shot some of the most recognizable early Dior clothes on contemporary models.  This shot is of a suit called Aventure, and what strikes me so about this is how totally contemporary it looks, even though the model is posed in a very old school way.  It looks chic, modern and sexy as hell.  That is quite a tribute to the staying power of excellent design.  The tweed swing coat is wonderful, and paired with that slim, buttoned skirt, the counterbalance of volumes is perfect.

    As a final entry today, this amazing bit of headgear.  This is a Turkish Bedouin headdress, from the late 19th century.  Made of colored wools, and heavily coated with both iron jingle bells and iron coins, this head piece must have made a very appealing sound while worn. And it also stands as an example of how, even among groups that live vastly simpler lives that we do, there is still a strong impulse to express extravagantly, within the confines of the available materials.  This is quite a lavish statement to wear, and perhaps, when your life is so mobile, such expressions become more important, rather than less.

Well, that's what got dug up this week out of the jumble box.
Have a Magnificent Weekend, Everyone!

One Shot- Chanel Suit

    Few designer garments have had the massive impact, and longevity of this particular one.  The suit designed by Gabrielle Coco Chanel was a trumpet blaring.  It showed women that they could be chic, comfortable, and have freedom of movement for all their chosen activities, all in one simple, easy to understand package.

    This particular version is from 1962, after she had re-started her house in Paris.  There are numerous things about the Chanel suit that made it revolutionary, and still allow it to have relevance in the Attire language today.
    First of all, the skirt, though narrow of profile, has a deep pleat in the back to allow ease of walking, and sitting.  The length of skirt varied from just below the knee to somewhat above it, but essentially, it was meant to break near the midpoint of the leg.

    Second, the jacket is loosely fitted, ending at the hipline, with sleeves set wide and deep, again for ease of motion and comfort.  Chanel said that a suit that your couldn't rotate your arms in didn't fit correctly.  The jacket also has pockets that are large enough to actually be usable for more than just a kleenex and a lipstick.

    And both the jacket and skirt have a line of dressmaker's chain hidden in the hem to make certain that, regardless of the woman's activity, both pieces would hang correctly.

    The Chanel suit in its endless permutations was the mainstay of the House, nearly from its inception.  And when she re-started her couture business in 1954 after having closed it in 1939, she had a rougher time of it than before.  The world had substantively altered, and her spare, athletic version of couture was not in the ascendant any longer.  Nonetheless the indefatigable Chanel continued to work as a couturier right up to her death in 197, at 87 years of age.

    The suit she devised is still out there in new versions, during every season of the Chanel couture business, and  still exerts a strong symbolic effect on anyone wearing one, or seeing one worn.
   

Erwin Blumenfeld

    German born Erwin Blumenfeld was given his first camera when he was 11, in 1908.  From that point on, he considered himself a photographer, though he never gained any formal training.  Referred to by those who know, as one of the most influential and innovative photographers of the 20th century, he had an expressive range that was incredibly broad, going from pure dadaism, thru Surrealism, into carefully staged, pristine imagery, naturalism, and even shots that seemed pure casual chance.

    Now, why am I talking about him here?  We wasn't a designer of fashions, but like any artist or photographer who works in that realm he was a major presenter of the words and phrases getting created for the Attire language.  His images, helped show women what to do, how to look and even, to an extent, how to think.  Sure, we might balk at that idea now, though its no less true today in the images we are bombarded with by advertizing, but in the world of the 40s and 50s, when structured lives seemed more important after the nightmares of the Depression, and WWII, rules of appearance, apparel, and conduct were given much more dense consideration.

    I have, myself, often found it hard not to fall prey to the images I am presented, that tell me I should be taller, thinner, and more muscled than I am. But in the final analysis, I am the one I should be seeking to please, so, even though its tough sometimes, I chart my own path through the density of Attire's jungle.
  The images below chronicle just a fleeting sample of his work, and some of the shots, you will instantly recognize.   But take the time to study these, and look deeply at what we are being told, beyond the lovely surface image.

Erwin Blumenfeld
  

Traditional Powers

Gender Free At Last, A Continuing Discussion

    Before I dig into this subject again in earnest, one thing has to be stated up front.  Every one of our notions about how men and women should accoutre themselves, is based not on anything hard wired, but on layer after layer of tradition, supposition, politics, religion, and sexual behaviors we've built over millennia of time.  Apart from the need to accommodate the physical differences between sexes, like the existence of breasts, and other external sexual hardware, there really is no reason to differentiate between them, by apparel, other than the previously mentioned ideas.   Taken from a broader view of things, the only need we have for such separations now, is sexual/procreative. I find that interesting, since its likely that the first reason we donned apparel at all, was to attract mates.  And all the other reasons for separating our attire into differing camps is fading away.
    

     What makes this a topic that needs discussion, is that we seem to be moving rapidly forward into a world where gender specificity, or even defined gender at all, is being called to question, or abandoned as outdated, and narrow of mind.  Perhaps this is happening simply because there are more humans alive on the Earth right now, than have ever existed before this time; creating a climate that allows such explorations into the subtleties of sexuality.  More precisely, the complete number of human persons born and died before now, is smaller than the living population of the world today. And that gives us, by sheer numbers, the freedom to investigate such things; since the survival of the species could hardly be called, "at risk".  So we find ourselves casting about for new ways to conceive of, and express honestly, the reality of the human people on the planet we share.

    There are more, and more designers who are creating clothing that is meant, from its first concept, to be freely usable by any human who wishes to; and there are plenty of more mainstream designers who are creating clothing that, though marketed for one sex, could, without alteration, be worn by anyone.

    Part of this is, of course, a canny method for broadening a sales base.  And part of it, to my mind, is a subconscious reaction to a major social mindset change.  We are becoming increasingly aware of, and comfortable with, through exposure, transgender people, and others with less defined gender modalities.  As this continues, and we find ourselves more consistently in contact with people who are re-defining what human sexual identity means, the Attire language will do what it always has done, it will adapt; often before we realize it needs to, to the changes we are facing.

    I believe that a good deal of this change, this move forward, and away from constricting ideas of identity, is in part due to the Women's Rights movement, part due to the Gay Rights movement, and part due to the birth of the Global village, as we become more evidently connected through our communications on line.
    The Women's Rights movement in the 60s and 70s, opened Pandora's Box (if you'll forgive me) and made the males of our world start to face it that they had been treating their lovers, wives, partners, and co-workers, as something less than human.  In terms of the Attire language, it meant that forms of dress previously outside of the norm for women, became acceptable, and in time fully understood as appropriate, and in keeping with their needs.
    The Gay Rights movement did something similar, and oddly, in the end affected mostly the same demographic, straight men.  It challenged people to understand that maleness was not simply the province of chest thumping, border protecting, aggressive action.  It also embraced simpler, softer, and more thoughtful things.

    Now in the case of the gay men of the world, the desire to be seen as masculine and acceptable overrode all other concerns for a good while. Gay male icons were, and are still,  mostly hyper-masculine, and I find it interesting in the extreme, that as time has gone on, the paradigm of male physical beauty has shifted so much, that what was once the gay male idea of the perfect man, has become the gold standard for our culture.
    Certainly it has been said that the internet is for porn, (lets be honest, its observably true), but, its also a way for people of diverse backgrounds to connect in ways heretofore impossible; and give them a way to learn and grow, outside of a classroom. Even in my own humble blog here, I have readers spanning 4 continents, and hopefully someday, much more.  That I can share what I know across the globe, was something inconceivable, only 50 years back in time.  So, that said, the effect of the information age is profound, opening doors, breaking down barriers, and exposing people to all sorts to experiences. and manners of expression, they would never have thought of on their own.
    So what do we end up with?  Well, what I'm seeing, admittedly through the lens of the edgey San Francisco universe, is that we are, finally, beginning to let go of some of the oldest and more hard held notions of male, female, and what makes you one or the other.  We are beginning to understand that its not the equipage you come bundled with, but what you have inside to give, and what you do with those qualities that makes you beautiful, desirable, and worthy.

    I'll close with this.  It is my earnest hope that someday people all over the globe will be able to express their personal truth, using this complex language of Attire, without fear of being censured, dismissed, or harmed, because what they have to say is different.

Scatter # 40

    This is the 40th time I've let you roam about in my head on a Saturday.  I hope its fun for you, it is for me, I gotta say.  And I do truly enjoy sharing these things with you, for their beauty, humor, and possibly informative aspects.   So,... lets DO this!

    This first image is an early photograph, of a evening ball, held in the 1860s.  What really appeals to me here is that we get a rare look at people in their apparel, not as artfully, or stiffly posed as is the norm for studio images that survive that time.  The men's clothing is largely indistinguishable, since by that point menswear had fully ossified into the pattern it still holds to a significant degree.  The only things that identify one man from another is their head and facial hair choices, and their neck wear choices.  The ladies, of course, are much easier to identify, as there is such a broad range of pattern, texture and decoration between them all.  You can clearly see the dominant silhouette of the day, and the most popular hair style.  Also, we can see how a huge crinoline operated in the real world; again much different from the aspect we see in studio card images that survive.

    I found this Ethiopian child's image beguiling.  In his beautiful cord work embellished burnoose, and sheer fabric turban, he's like a princeling from some fairytale.  Our apparel surely has the power to lift us away from the ordinary, given the chance.

    Mkay, so I rarely weigh in in a negative manner here, I know, this is an exception. I found this effort from Moschino both a cheap shot, and rather absurd.  I suspect the intent was some sort of irony laden satire.  To my mind it doesn't work. For me it comes off as a vulgar advertizement, smack in the middle of a runway show, where none is needed.  Plus, those boots?  Really?  Where and for whom would those be appropriate?  Also, the notion of someone who can afford Moschino clothing making a statement of that nature is insulting in the extreme to people of lesser advantage.  Rant over.

    Periodically I come across an image of someone's efforts at Avant Garde clothing from another time. I always find them charming and a trifle naive.  This is just that sort of thing.  Shot in the 60s, this set of fellows are showing off some edgy menswear, that doubtless never got worn anywhere in the real world, but such experiments are vitally important, even when they don't fully work.  I particularly like the outfit on the right. A play suit with an attached dickey front and turtleneck collar, gotta love that.

    In 2009, Alexander McQueen did a collection that was a meditation on the intersection between tailored and draped garments. using his incomparable tailoring skills, (he often cut and sewed things with his own hands, even after his rise to fame), he paired immaculately assembled coats and jackets with fluidly draped, intensely hued dresses and pants. As a visual statement, this one exists outside of time or place. it is entirely itself. And as a goal for any of us in our Attire expressions, I think that is the ultimate.

    This gentleman's suit comes from one of the times in history where the proportions of the body were deliberately skewed away from natural lines to create a different combination of shapes, the 1670s.  The waistline is very high, obscured under the huge shirt. The sleeves of the shirt, enormously long, end with lace cuffs that almost fully cover the hands.  The sleeves of the coat, however, end somewhere on the forearm rather than the wrist, creating an odd visual confusion.  Both the periwig, and the falling lace bands of the collar are extreme, creating an impression of greater size to the head, at odds with the rest of the body.  All in all, it was one of the odder times in men's fashion history.

    1815 saw the beginnings of the shift towards wider and ever wider skirts for women, after the great deflation that happened at the end of the 1700s.  This charming dress, would've been worn for evening, or to a ball. It bears all the markers of its time  The slightly conical skirt is decorated en roulade, with puffed bands of stuffed bias cut material, and a padded hem, which gave skirts a rigid appearance. The bodice and sleeves are elaborately worked with more en roulade trimming, with puffs, and with fine pleats.  The sleeves bear the vestigial beginnings of the vast sleeve volume to come in another decade.  And the waist has dropped a bit from its position directly under the bust, to something closer to the natural point.

    Now and again an accessory comes along that breaks with tradition, by mimicking it to a degree. This metal collar, which clearly is meant to be detached and worn with whatever coat one wishes, is exactly that.  By aping the shape and function of the coat collar, but rendering it in metal, and as a discrete piece, it becomes jewelry, and also an accessory that could have broad use.  I can see something of this sort gaining footing in the Attire language, and most especially, for men.  It could imply an armorial aspect that I think a lot of men would find themselves okay with.  Thoughts about this?

    This skirt, offered by Augusta Auctions, is entirely of Battenburg lace, also known as tape lace.  Tape lace is made by taking the narrow, and very mobile white cotton tape and joining it together in patterns using threadwork.   Such skirts were often made to measure, and had non-repeating, large scale patterns on them, as this one does.  Very likely this would have been paired with a matching bodice, and possibly a jacket or coat.  Such things were considered very fine summer or resort wear.  And the lady could alter its impression by changing the color of the underlayer, so it had some versatility, along with its fashionable appeal.

    Here's one of those times where what I see isn't what would first jump to mind.  Sure, the outfit is rather silly.  That's not what I'm focusing on.  What I'm seeing is potential.  The way that blanket wrap has been laid over the models shoulders and held by a belt is a concept that could be explored far more effectively.  Men's clothing tends not to rely on the draped aspect of Attire, so introducing a draped garment that could express many different things, based on how it was draped and fastened, and what material it was could birth a whole new way of men thinking about clothing their upper bodies.  Jus' sayin' is all.

    One of the things that seems to be spreading across all of the Attire language is a willingness to experiment with color on color, and pattern on pattern.  In prior times, ensembles like these would have been considered wrongheaded, or just plain tasteless; but our constant exposure to other cultures and ideas, is broadening our understanding not only of each other, but of the subtle relationships of color, pattern, and texture, that create the base structure of the Attire language.  Looking at this young man, we might never consider that these two bold patterns would work together, but they do.  The colors have the same intensity, and the patterns share a level graphic boldness.
   

Sometimes I do find the internet frustrating.  This Alexandrite, diamond and platinum brooch/pendant is listed again and again as being Art Deco.  I'm not entirely sure that's correct.  Also, if you note the small jump ring at the bottom of it, that to me implies that this image is actually upside down.  If that is in fact a ring to thread a ribbon or chain through to hang the pendant. Then again, there is visible a pin bar through the open parts of the brooch that is consistent with it being right side up.  In any case, after scrolling through pages and pages of references to this image, I haven't found anything conclusive.  Me?  Miffed. But only slightly.
    And that finishes us up for this weeks Scatter.  Have an Awesome Weekend, all!