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Gyaru don’t want to be treated like the traditional Japanese woman, they didn’t want to be confined by the same norms. They wanted to free themselves, express themselves and find community and strength in each other. Gyaru started as a protest, fighting against society through their clothing, makeup and accessories.
Matières Fécales is a collaborative label between two ‘outsiders’. They shared the same hatred for the restrictive fashion industry and the same pursuit to dismantle it. Now, they’re at Paris Fashion Week.
She was the icon of 90s clean girl style, swept up in the romance with one of the most famous men in America. Her style has been praised & endlessly replicated, but who exactly was Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy?
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Fashion history
Take a journey back in time to discover the people and movements that have influenced the fashion and society of today.
I have a love hate relationship with the colour pink. I used to hate it because it was just a ‘girls colour’, something so clearly feminine and carried so many stereotypes with it. But its meaning has changed throughout the years, and I’ve come back to respect pink and what it can represent. So, I thought I’d go through the history of the colour pink, especially through the lens of fashion.
Cher wanted an Oscar for her work but didn’t want to compromise herself in order to get one. She was seen as an over-the-top pop star, not a serious actress, but Cher wanted to show that she could be both.
As the zoot suit was continued to be worn, this led to rising tensions between white and minority communities, ultimately coming to a head in the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, fashion and sports don’t go together. but, technically they do, in their own way. And I’ll be real with you all, I’m not much of a sports person. I can appreciate it, just from a distance. And my distance is writing an entire article about the connections between fashion and sports uniforms.
It's hard to find someone who hasn't heard of or even seen Harajuku fashion. It's practically become synoynmous with Japanese culture at this point, an eye-catching postcard for everything Japan has to offer.
Danny La Rue was a genuine star. It was never complicated, never crude, never excessive. Simple, genuine, funny, talented and glamourous. He never missed a performance in his 60 year career, and critics never denied his likeable and grand nature off-stage.
She was a sex symbol, a ‘blonde bombshell’, a figure to represent the sexual revolution of the late 50s and early 60s. Her signature blonde hair and feminine figure has become synonymous with 50s fashion and femininity - becoming a muse for many people to come.
Now I will be honest here, is the film good? Not really. It failed in the box office upon its release in 1986, but has grown to become a cult classic over the past 3 decades. It most loved aspect is the aesthetic, it’s combination of 80s cool, 40s noir and an underlying goth attitude. For what it lacks in depth, it makes up the visuals.
It’s the perfect combination of teen drama, horror/sci fi and iconic 80s fashion. It capitalised the Millennial/Gen Z nostalgic fascination with the 80s aesthetic and did it incredibly well. But, was the fashion really accurate to 1980s mid-America? Let’s find out.
Freddie Mercury was constantly reinventing himself. He is the symbol for constant reinvention. He was a free spirit, wanting to capture the gaze of others and look good while doing it.
Fashion plays the same role in video games; without meeting a character in-game, we can already begin to understand them by looking at what they’re wearing. And, you can also begin to understand the world around the character and the society they live in.
Across all her fashion ‘phases’, Madonna has always presented the idea of controversy, femininity, sexuality and dominant identity through fashion.
Fashion Reports
Extra, extra, read all about it! For all the latest fashion stories, reports and articles, have a look below.
So, why are clothes getting shittier? And are we funding a system now designed to break after a few wears?
She was the icon of 90s clean girl style, swept up in the romance with one of the most famous men in America. Her style has been praised & endlessly replicated, but who exactly was Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy?
Surely if something becomes more expensive, less people would want to buy one. If it becomes so financially unobtainable, why do people want to obtain one? Why do people want what’s most expensive? How does that work?
In my mind, watches were just a thing that existed, a simple way to keep time. I knew there were some facets of ‘fashion’ in watches, Rolex being the luxury brand and watches in general being a ‘wealth indicator’, but turns out, there’s a lot more to it.
Okay - another year, another Met Gala. And honestly, this one was pretty good. I know there’s been a few recent ones that haven’t been the best, but I feel this one was consistently good. This years theme was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. Its inspired by the 2009 book by Monica L. Miller named Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
There’s been something happening to fashion recently, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. But I think I’ve figured it out - personal style is dying. There’s a lot of different reasons for this, big and small.
Shein has streamlined the fast fashion process – a direct correlation to their immense success. Utilising different online algorithms, Shein identifies nascent trends and sends small orders to suppliers, to produce 100-200 units of each style in a manner of days (the maximum being a week).
The contrast between appropriating black designers and black culture while simultaneously creating an environment which makes it impossible for black individuals to find traditional success is a significant yet underlying issue in the fashion industry.
Now, I am admitting that what is happening in the fashion industry can’t be compared to the severe impact that COVID-19 is having on those directly affected. But there is something really despicable happening at the moment, especially for fashion manufacturing.
The same arched/defined brows, the same neutral sharp cat-eye, the same contoured full-coverage skin and the same nude lip. Say hello to the ‘Instagram Face’.
Both in her fashion/aesthetic and her music, Eilish is the antithesis of femininity in pop music. She plays with traditional femininity and modern gender fluidity.
Lil Nas X is making history, especially being a black queer artist in the current music industry and breaking so many records. It takes a lot of confidence to wear the looks that he wears
Matières Fécales is a collaborative label between two ‘outsiders’. They shared the same hatred for the restrictive fashion industry and the same pursuit to dismantle it. Now, they’re at Paris Fashion Week.
His work is present through fleeting moments; TV specials, concerts, red carpets, living on through photographs and old recordings. Mackie has always committed himself to the art of the costume, to commit to the fantasy and the aesthetic without considering marketability and retail profit.
Versace was inspired by the world around him and the world he wanted to create. Inspired by the Italian Baroque movement and mixing it with rock, pop culture and sexuality, Versace blended old and new to create a unique point of view. His move to the US turned up his use of bold colours and prints, showcasing Versace’s daring aesthetics.
Wun is inspired by motifs unrelated to fashion, rather than fashion’s own history. A main inspiration is the relationship between humanity and nature, the future intertwined with the present. It’s a combination of haunting and beautiful.
Why is it fine for other designers to take control over fashion brands/houses after the original designer has passed away? Why is the McQueen brand still around even though Alexander McQueen is no longer with us?
Chelsea Hickman isn’t your average fashion entrepreneur. She’s an emerging Melbourne-based designer, photographer and multidisciplinary visual artist originally from Tasmania.
Born in 1943, Yohji Yamamoto is one of the most masterful Japanese designers of our time, most known for his avant-garde tailoring and unique design aesthetic. His unique oversized and drapey silhouettes and limited colour scheme have become his two most known qualities as a designer.
Ok so I don’t know if you know this, but Dolce & Gabbana have a problematic history. One of their most problematic and frankly racist moments was the breakdown of their major fashion show in Shanghai in 2018, but trust me, there’s more than you think.
Over his time at MGM, Adrian produced 50 to 75 sketches per day, designing and creating costumes for over 250 MGM films. Adrian’s time at MGM studios resulted in some of his best and most glamorous work, dressing iconic Hollywood actresses, including; Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford and Judy Garland.
I wasn't aware of why I suddenly liked Dior's latest men's collections, until I found out that Kim Jones became the new artistic director for Dior Men, as of March 19, 2018. The introduction of a new artistic director for a luxury fashion house can be the make or break for its future. And in my opinion, the decision to choose Kim Jones for Dior Men is one of the best made for the Dior brand.
No designer blends haute couture fashion, technology and art better than Iris van Herpen. Brought to life, van Herpen's creations bend and break the rules of what haute couture fashion is. 3D-printed dresses made to look like exoskeletons, fabric flowing in mystical ways, laser cut fabric transforming the human form, bodices turning into second skins; Iris van Herpen is a designer to fall in love with.
Founding the high-end streetwear brand Undercover while still studying at Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, Takahashi's first boutique, 'Nowehere' opened in Ura-Harajuku in 1993. Showing his first collection at Japan Fashion Week just a year later in 1994, it was clear that Undercover was a brand to keep an eye on.
Designers
Peruse my collection of fashion designers, to learn more about an iconic designer, or perhaps to discover someone new.
PERSPEX-TIVES
Wanna read about my other interests? How does learning about my favourite films, people and topics sound?
She was once too dark, too unsellable, too threatening, too volatile. Then, she became a supermodel, a James Bond actress, a Grammy nominated singer and a muse to Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. Now she is what others strive to replicate and become.
I don’t think there’s been many people in the past 10 years that haven’t heard of or at least seen Hatsune Miku. I mean, she performed at Coachella this year. Have I been thinking about writing an article about Hatsune Miku since I started PERSPEX? Absolutely. Am I just getting to it now? Yes, but better late than never.
Angelyne is obscure, shrouded in mystery and eccentric. We still don’t really know who she is or why she's famous, but she is. And I think that’s the whole point. Angelyne is purely Angelyne. She’s famous because she’s famous.
When Bratz launched with a racially inclusive quartet of dolls, this revolutionised the fashion doll market, with each doll featuring different skin tones, hair colours and facial features. It was also important to note that no character was the leader, unlike Barbie and her friends, each doll was equal.
After Make Happy in 2016, Burnham returns to comedy specials in 2021 with Inside. It’s release date in 2021 provides context before you even watch it, this is a special about COVID and lockdown. It’s created by Burnham all on his own, filmed in the months of lockdown in 2020 and 2021.
I don’t think there’s one person since 1959 that hasn’t heard of Barbie. Now the epitome of the Mattel brand, Barbie has a long, influential and somewhat controversial history. So, why don’t we have a look the long life of Barbie?
Sorayama’s work explores the ‘limitations of desire’, which he explores through erotic and hyperreal fembot sculptures and paintings. He combines pop culture references with 1950 playboy covers, sci-fi and visions or AI and robotics. It’s sort of like the exploration of sex in the digital age.
When discussing the concept of an animated figure, Morton came up with “the most boring thing that [he] could think of to do, which would go against the grain for the MTV generation… was a talking a head: a middle-class white male in a suit, talking to them in a really boring way about music videos.” And the seed for Max Headroom was truly planted.
A coming-of-age story mixed with musical comedy and drama, Sing Street is a 2016 film directed by John Carney. The story revolves around Conor Lawlor, a young boy living in Dublin in 1985. His parent’s are getting divorced and his father lost his job and in order to save money, Conor is moved from an expensive private school to a Christian Brothers public school, Synge Street CBS.
Set on Verona Beach, Baz Luhramnn’s Romeo and Juliet presents a timeless story, combining traditional Shakespearian language with modern aesthetics. Now whilst I could spend this whole article writing about young Leonardo DiCaprio, the costuming in Romeo and Juliet has become one the memorable aesthetics of all films.
FASHION | HISTORY | BEAUTY | NEWS | FILM | ART
Japanese subcultures - fabrication of life
A deep dive into four of Japan’s most influential fashion subcultures.
Stay tuned.
Gyaru don’t want to be treated like the traditional Japanese woman, they didn’t want to be confined by the same norms. They wanted to free themselves, express themselves and find community and strength in each other. Gyaru started as a protest, fighting against society through their clothing, makeup and accessories.
MY PICKS
She was the icon of 90s clean girl style, swept up in the romance with one of the most famous men in America. Her style has been praised & endlessly replicated, but who exactly was Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy?
Shein has streamlined the fast fashion process – a direct correlation to their immense success. Utilising different online algorithms, Shein identifies nascent trends and sends small orders to suppliers, to produce 100-200 units of each style in a manner of days (the maximum being a week).
When discussing the concept of an animated figure, Morton came up with “the most boring thing that [he] could think of to do, which would go against the grain for the MTV generation… was a talking a head: a middle-class white male in a suit, talking to them in a really boring way about music videos.” And the seed for Max Headroom was truly planted.
MOST POPULAR
When Bratz launched with a racially inclusive quartet of dolls, this revolutionised the fashion doll market, with each doll featuring different skin tones, hair colours and facial features. It was also important to note that no character was the leader, unlike Barbie and her friends, each doll was equal.
Wanting to rebel against ‘common’ ways of thought, the poor British youth were completely helpless in their fight to change reality. Therefore, the only way to initiate change in society was to “transform themselves into directly offensive and threatening beings.” But what was punk all about and how did it reach the runway?
They protested against mainstream gender norms and feminine expectations in a male-dominated society. The idea of a woman 'behaving badly' went against the gender norms of how a woman is supposed to act, and provided a thrilling way to challenge society. In addition, the expectations of how a woman dressed were restricting and sexist, and the sukeban weren't going to accept this anymore.
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So, why are clothes getting shittier? And are we funding a system now designed to break after a few wears?