Fashion Drones

Recently I came to the absolute conclusion, we have become fashions drones. Fashion dictated by corporations, not an expression of who we are.

As a costume designer for film and TV, my job is to design a look so that each scripted character has a unique look. For inspiration, I frequent vintage and resale shops for inspiration of character individualism. Often my favorite pieces have been constructed by an avid stitcher or are from an era that still incorporated hand finished details. With those treasured fashion finds, there is a soul and creativity rarely found in the massed produced articles of today. These pieces from yesteryear had hand finished details, style, and fit not often offered by the designers of today.

The 21st century has brought forth people too busy to create looks for themselves. They have become a slave to soul-less fashion made without expression or personality .

At one time women's clothes were all custom made or made at home, no two alike. Now fashion is stamped out by the thousands and the tailor or dressmaker are no longer the source of individuality.

In a world before computers and television, leisure time was spent reading or creating. Now we have given up a part of our brains to a manufactured and commercial world forced fed to us so we don't have a need to think.

With this kind of of expressionless fashion, it is safe to say our creative brains have become Malnourished. Critical thinking has been starved out.

The last great movement of fashion as expression art was during the 1960's. Those hand made art pieces can still be found in vintage shops and in grandma's closet. Most young consumers of today flock to stores such as Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters to find copies of arty vintage pieces. These store-bought garments are not an expression of individual taste. they are mass produced. But the way an individual puts the outfits togather can reflect a personal creativity.

There are some great online sources such as Etsy which have one of kind art wear- but still need the final touch of the individual wearer.

Exploring who you are, and expressing it in fashion exposes an inner self. There is much psychology to creating a style. One must first define one's personality and then literally wear it on one's sleeve.

For Fall 2011, Native American fashion is a theme throughout the runway collections. A trend I believe is reflecting a return to an earthy look, a definite reverse from last years hi-tech futuristic trend. Below is a sample of runway looks from different designers . Since money does not guarantee exclusiveness as seen so often on the red carpet, hopefully the ideas will inspire you to create your own look. Click on photo to enlarge.

Authentic Native American style is one I am quite found of because of the beautiful handcrafted detail on the garments of Native American regalia. The individual performer adds to the garment over months and years resulting in pieces that become quite elaborate in detail. These are true works of art when they are completed. The regalia is a powerful statement about the person.

It is my hope that individuals can break free of their addiction to regimented and dictated fashion. To me runway fashion has become a crutch for those fearful of their own individualism and creativity. For many people, a label makes them fell safe. 

Crewel work and hand beading makes these Native American pieces beautiful works of art

Below is a small selection of wearable expression art that I found to be quite interesting and fun - The focus here was mostly on jackets and shoes. Remember to click photo to enlarge.

These shoes are infinitely more interesting than a plain pair of red soled Christian Louboutin .

Above and below are creative pieces using scrapes of lace, embroidery, screen print from a favorite t-shirt, or textile paint created these creative pieces

Above WWII Leather bomber jackets-It was popular then to paint the back with pin up girls or bombs that signified how many planes that were shot down.

Airbrushing , ink jet printing, iron transfers, and patches were used above and below here-

Sample of hand embroidery work below.

The Meow Meow on Miu Miu Winter 2011-2012

Miu Miu Resort Collection for 2012 has a distinctively early 1940's look. This is an era which I have always liked. The overall silhouette is very flattering to women. Exaggerated shoulders were seen throughout the show and a nod to peplum detail was featured on many of the outfits. Fur, a through back to the glamour years, is added to many of the pieces. It is my wish that more designers would embrace the remarkable faux furs available for their shows, instead of using animal skins . Throughout Muiccia's collection, there were many frumpy design/balance issues. Below are photos I call "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." Click on photos to enlarge

Good Bad

The short coat on the left balances out the 3/4 sleeve and the large shoulders. The long version simply looks dumpy and the sleeves look out of proportion.

Good Bad

The red dress on the left is fun, vibrant, and fits well. It connects with the other pieces in the line keeping the 40's vibe. The cafe au lait colored dress on the right, a vaguely '20s almost 30's dress, does everything possible to come off as boring and shapeless. The finishing touch is uninspiring print.

Good Bad

Repeat what I said in the last paragraph-just insert the color change.

Good Bad and Ugly

The heavy wool works great if the design of the garment is structured, as the outfit on the left shows. The 40's theme remains in tack with the nice shoulder detail as well. However the photo on the right shows a bulky, shapeless, baseball-like shirt. Even the lowly sweatshirt is more figure flattering. The long skirt doesn't work with this blah blouson shape either. This collection gets a B - grade .

The story of the Bride

June is around the corner and with all the hype of royal wedding dress copies, I thought it would a nice diversion to share some original ideas for gowns. In my opinion, wedding dresses have become boring. There is no passion in the design and construction and this is reflected in the finished product.

When I personally design for an event, I like to bring a history and story to the finished piece. In the early conception , I will choose a combination of new and/ or vintage fabrics, lace, and beads that will then be the inspiration for the gown . This can only be done by hand. My feeling is the dress reflects who the bride is.

I found a wonderful example in New Zealand of a dress with a history and personality. The dress shown below was designed for a bride who is Samoan and Australian. The fabric is tapa cloth which is completely hand made from the inner bark of two year mulberry trees. This is truly a dress for a princess. The bride explained that the tapa cloth gave her a strong connection with the earth. The bead work is comprised of sea shells and the trim is braided jute. If you would like to hear more about this dress, here is a link -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quKUnWCl6FU

Some other examples of tapa cloth dresses can be seen below. All of these tapa dresses, above and below are in museums.

Below are wedding dresses from India, Thailand, Africa, as well as Native American wedding regalia. (Click photos below to enlarge.)

Symbols of Wealth and Fantasy

Considering the state of affairs around the world, I find it hard to believe there are people who still desire if not lust after the most expensive money can buy. Most importantly buying a designer label so famously expensive, everyone knows the cost. There is a psychology behind owning an item that displays a big ticket value. Purchasing "labels" fills a character void, that is psychologically well understood. Designer ads creates life and lifestyle association with their product. Consumers feel buying the label attached to that lifestyle will lift them to that level; or at the very at least, make them feel like they have been lifted to that level. That consumption fantasy is what corporations bank on.

Can you guess the $25,000.00 real Hermes Birkin bag from the $399.00 copy ?

Perhaps there is truth to that thought. Just recently there was an article about women who interview with designer handbags will be offered more money when negotiating. It makes me wonder however- does carrying a designer bag gives the owner more confidence, or per-chance is it possible a woman who can afford a designer handbag, won't be interviewing for the average job?

Just in case you didn't guess the bags are in the center side by side. The $25,000 bag is left center and $399. is right center. The other two bags are Hermes bags as well, both in the $10,000 range. If you want to try your hand and create your own Hermes purse, the company offers a pattern - http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/story?id=7488477&page=1

That old saying "you are what you wear" also applies to what you drive . According to Toyota, young children are being encouraged to embarrass their parents into buying a cooler and hipper car- Toyota's Highlander ad is has the most obvious- which in my opinion is really low end selling . The young actor Riley Thomas Stewart is pandering for Toyota :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80pNUxIczig

It's a corporate myth of a better life that has people selling their souls to own a label. Purchasing an expensive handbag, shoes, or a car has very short lasting gratification. Happiness isn't purchased. Martha Stewart still went to prison owning a Birkin bag and David Beckham cheated on Victoria and she owns several Birkins. As for the children, spare them the myth their life will be better with a label on their ass.

Disaster for Jeremy Scott Fall 2011

There is nothing like a disaster to kick off the Fall 2011 runway season . Jeremy Scott must have been trolling close out sales for anime dolls to come up with his Fall collection . It's easy to find this look on Hollywood Blvd. without the high end price tag. Great for the club, but on the runway, one would hope for fashion with a little more sustenance.

The fabric and colors are a cross between futuristic costumes and Easter candy . The pink "costume" group above looks like in my opinion, an anime burlesque show. Perhaps Jeremy was thinking of selling at Adult-Con ?

Where to wear these outfits maybe Coachella, EDF, or Bonnaroo ? But then I would hope those outfits would be original artist creations-not fresh off the runway.

Dear Jeremy,

Stop playing with your anime dolls . There is a reality out there.

Xoxo,

-G

Edward Gn Spring 2011

Edward Gn suit collection

Edward Gn's Spring 2011 reflected the 1930's, 1940's and 1970's. His inspiration for this collection was fashion designers Jean Muir and Ossie Clark. Gn's black and white eyelet suits, left and center and brown suit on the right were some of my favorite tailored pieces from his collection. Below is a glance at Gn's inspiration for his collection from Ossie Clark . His 1960's-70's-all have obvious 30's and early 40's silhouettes .

Ossie Clark collection from the 1970's

Ossie Clark played with color and pattern to emphasize the great details in his designs which clearly hold up today. Looking at the vintage patterns below it is easy to see Clark's inspiration. The 1930's depression and the 1940's WWII had much in common with the Vietnam war and recession of the late 1960's -early 1970's when Ossie Clark and Jean Muir were designing.

Vogue and Simplicity patterns from 1930's and '40's

Gn's Spring collection 2011 also finds a similar world : A massive recession and a long standing war in Afghanistan . His floor length dresses in muted colors have clear 1970's Jean Muir influences. What I like about Gn, is his ability to give a fresh modern look to a vintage silhouette .

Gn's long dresses Spring 2011

The clean lines of these Jean Muir dresses below from Vogue Couture patterns, hold the test of time. Easy to see why Gn was inspired by her designs.

Jean Muir 1970's Vogue patterns

Below, the jewel tone dresses from Gn's collection are classics updated with a nice twist of vibrant color. Feminine ruffles were popular with many Spring runway collections, a detail that is very reminiscent of the 1930's.

Gn shows ruffles and and jewel tones for spring

Using one of these vintage patterns below from the 1930's and '70's , one could easily create their own great look for Spring 2011 .

Patterns from 1930's and 1970's

Spring 2011 Overall Review

Gucci, Hermes ,Valentino -My favorite collections of this season.

The beauty of not being owned by a corporation is I can speak from the heart. I have no fear of loosing magazine ad sales from design houses who are angered by a scathing review of their latest collection.

After viewing Prada's Spring collection, I was convinced we were in for another dismal season of designers dropping to the lowest common denominator while desperately trying to find a trend that would stick with consumers. In 2010 many of the collections were senseless and lacked direction. They seemed to be a mirror image of the world economy.

After looking over twenty one collections (with a hundred plus still to look at), the majority were actually wearable. Many of the designers featured beautiful details. Of course there were still mediocre collections, but that is not unusual. The common ground I found throughout the Spring 2011 collections was a return to the earlier designs that made these fashion houses great in the first place. Yet there was a definite fresh look throughout. It is hard to understand why so many of these fashion houses had deviated from the silhouettes and cuts that made them famous in the first place. Gucci, Valentino, and Hermes get my vote as favorite collections, and Stella McCartney, Viktor and Rolf, and Hussein Chalayan my least favorite. Prada is still winning as the worst collection of the season for me.

Stella McCartney, Viktor&Rolf, Hussein Chalayan

-After Prada these are my least favorite collections for Spring 2011.

When money is tight most people look inward for comfort and safety. Classic design was key this season. Costume frivolity is not for recession times. It took a few years for many of these designers to get the clue. The big trend I would say is saturated colors coupled with barely there colors.

Ready to Wear means just that. Fortunately I'm happy to say that there should be some wonderful and interesting pieces coming to the stores for Spring.