NOTEBOOK

[2012] Hussein Chalayan. S/S Collection ‘Sip’. Once again Cyprus-born Central Saint Martins graduate Chalayan did what he does best - successfully combined the fields of art and fashion by giving a runway show that could have easily been mistaken for performance art presentation. As video is worth a million words, this time I’ll give you two million (plus 79 in this small paragraph) word post: watch the behind-the-scenes preparation (Part 1) and see the show itself (Part 2) in the above videos.

[1921-1981] Rokuro Taniuchi. From an early age this Japanese illustrator was suffering from asthma, and therefore was forced to live in nursing homes. As the institutions were usually situated near the sea, he spent his childhood trying to paint the surrounding landscapes. This experience later put into his works created one of a kind mood for the illustrations - innocent, childlike visions mixed with unexpected, deep and melancholic twists. Rokuro held his first solo exhibition only at the age of 35. But from that point on he managed to paint a huge amount of book illustrations, as well as over 1300 covers for ‘Shukan Shincho’ (the pioneering weekly news and literary magazine in Japan).

[2012] Balenciaga. Visor Hat. This hat with exaggerated, downward-sloping brim that Cristóbal Balenciaga introduced in 1967 as a part of his silk single seam wedding gown (left) made it’s comeback at the latest Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer collection (right). And I have to admit that ever since my inner Darth Vader first saw it on the catwalk, he’s been secretly saving money to possess the black version of the hat once it’s out.

I don’t feel too excited about fashion today, more fearful that people don’t necessarily want or need strong new clothes, that there are not enough of us believing in the same thing, that there is a kind of burnout, that people just want cheap fast clothes and are happy to look like everyone else, that the flame of creation has gone a bit cold, that enthusiasm and passionate anger for change and rattling the status quo is weakening. But what I still love about it is that playing the fool, acting silly, showing off, being a celebrity designer are all integral and necessary parts of the fashion business. And creation excites me, because without creation there can be no progress.

Rei Kawakubo

[2011] Hotel Pro Forma. War Sum Up. ‘The images, the sound, the music, the lights, the movements, the costumes - it all creates totality of the nature of war. And the nature of men. Here you find fear, horror, power, beauty and fantasy,’ explains the director of the Manga opera, Kirsten Dehlholm. Opera ‘War Sum Up’ tells a story of war through three main characters: The Soldier, The Warrior and The Spy. They all are framed by The Gamemaster, who begins the war, but is also the person who perpetually continues working, because everyday life must go on even though there is a war going on somewhere. It is interesting that Gamemaster is the only character who wears yellow. ‘The costumes have to fit the projections and the lights, so they all wear a sand/white/grey colour,’ reveals the costume designer Henrik Vibskov, ‘we were testing 15 different kinds of white/grey/sand tones, and through that found one that was very specific and working with the light’. This opera on nature of war is inspired by Japanese culture and its powerful expressions of poetry, pop, precision and brutality, all of which is illustrated through the music, song texts, costumes and the vast universe of images.

[2011] Kostas Murkudis. AW. Look #04. Greek origin, Dresden born and Berlin based designer Kostas Murkudis in his collections uses minimalist approach and sharply-tailored forms. He pays close attention to details, often keeps to a colour palette of black and neutrals, and admits that he loves conceptual work the same as he does wearable design. Before launching his own line in 1994, Murkudis for 7 years worked as Helmut Lang’s first design assistant.

[2007] Sandra Backlund. Collection ‘Ink Blot’. Look #06. Swedish fashion designer, who sees herself more of a sculptor than a tailor, based this collection on the patterns used in the Rorschach inkblot test. In May 2007 the jury at the International Festival of Fashion and Photography at Hyères, chaired by Christian Lacroix, gave Backlund’s collection the Grand Prix du Jury.

[2010] Madame Peripetie. Dream Sequence. German-based conceptual photographer Sylwana Zybura (the real name of Mrs. Unexpected) explores boundaries between fashion, sculpture and the human body, whilst infusing high-fashion elements with abstract and conceptual ideas. She draws her inspiration from surrealism and dadaism, the new wave era of the 80s, British post punk scene and the avant-garde theater of Robert Wilson. Project ‘Dream Sequence’ discovers profound relationship between humans and flowers.

[1990] Arthur Elgort. Christy in New Orleans. One of the world’s top fashion photographers, who is especially known for his work for magazine ‘Vogue’. Instead of showing models as inaccessible and unbelievable mannequins, Arthur in 1970s turned a journalistic eye on them and their clothes. In his photos models wore less make-up, were more casual and lively, and moved freely in natural light and outdoor locations. His approach changed the face of fashion photography. Arthur Elgort was honoured with the Board of Director’s Special Tribute Award at yesterday’s 2011 CFDA Awards.

[1967] Who’s That Knocking At My Door. Expanded from a film school project, Martin Scorsese’s debut movie was filmed over the course of many years, undergoing many changes, new directions and different names along the way. It tells a story about Catholic Italian-American J.R. in early 1960s New York who struggles to accept the secret hidden by his girlfriend. Scorsese’s signature ‘freeze frame, slow-motion, and classic rock tracks playing on the soundtrack’ are all effectively used in this movie.