John Galliano

• Was designer of Givenchy, Dior (1996 - 2011) and own line John Galliano 
• Enjoyed critical acclaim from fashion press, and celebrity status because of his ability to interpret the past in a larger-than-life way and create the excitement of couturiers of yesteryear 
• His collections offer romance and theatrical imagination that affects all facets of the industry 
• Fantastical qualities of fashion design, approaches the process in such a focused and obsessional way that the results of his creativity cannot help but excite and enthuse 
• Began with experimental cutting of fabrics and alternative ways of putting pieces together—lead to understanding of precisely just how a jacket had been put together in the past; how to put it together correctly in the present 
• Finds relevant connections between historical and contemporary time periods, such as the French Revolution and the 1980s London club scene, and uses them to create postmodern masterpieces 
• Inspired by African, Mongolia, China and Japan cultures 
• Having worked in theatre, Galliano takes the view that fashion is a story—an image or identity that we affect to manipulate the viewer 

Recurring themes

• Fashion dandies of the 18th century 
• Homage collections inspired by Dior 
• Strong and stylish women of the past 
• Attracted to dramatic non-Western countries - Russia, Maasai people of Africa, Japan, China, Mongolia, Egypt 
• Looked to for his choice of iconography that has relevance to contemporary audience 

Fairy-tale fashion

• Ability to play with and combine so many rich style influences from the past allows Galliano a romance and excitement that is not often felt in contemporary market 
• Criticized for wastefulness, costs millions to produce the theatricality of his shows 

Designers influenced by Galliano 

• Zac Posen - adopted Galliano's alternative constructions and draping techniques that allow them to create arresting interpretations of history - eye for richly colored textured fabrications 
• Oscar de la Renta 
• Junya Watanabe - the bias cut that Galliano helped make popular 

"Early on, I realized how important it is just to be curious. You mustn't be frightened or hide behind preconceived ideas. You have to experiment. You just do it and it's beautiful because you discover an energy that feeds you. There are no rules" — Galliano 

Helmut Lang

Helmut Lang was known for two things in the 1990s—modernism and playing the sexuality and power of women's image. For these reasons, Lang became on of the most influential and copied designers of the last decade of the 20th century.

• Simple in silhouette yet often talked about alongside more conceptual designers such as Rei Kawakubo and Martin Margiela 
• Primary reason because Lang's aesthetic was no based in the ideas of mass production or sale-ability, but rather in a minimalist concept that is far more intellectual and artistic in its connections to a modernist philosophy 
• Sleek elegance - loyal following due to how his clothing made women feel as professionals, rejecting large shoulders of 1980s 
• Often used layers of sheer fabrics, "peek holes" in places such as elbows or side of leg to examine the inherent sexuality in skin and exposure 
• Calls attention to the hidden mysteries of the figure—skin is sexualized because it is hidden under clothing 
• Combination of undercurrent of sexiness helped to define women as powerful and equal while not resorting to trying to look like a man 

"Androgyny is an idea from the past. Women are feminine in many different way. Maybe the biggest achievement of the last years is that there are many more attitudes of being a women" — Lang

Gianni Versace

• Post-modernist 
• helped cement Italian fashion, setting trends in 1980s  

"An extremely simplified definition of post-modernism as the combination of several looks, ideas, philosophies or aesthetic qualities to form a whole new product" —Versace

"A knowledge of history makes you see things as they are" —Versace

• Versace - did so by combining historical periods, materials, fabrications, shapes and silhouettes together w/ moral and social ideas plus his love of pop culture, art and rock and roll 

Experimenting w/ Symbols and Fabrics

• For Versace, best way of understanding contemporary society was through the lends of history
• Formed basis for experimentation 
• Playing historical references to communicate a message all the more strongly about the present 
• Ex: Using crosses, Byzantium and the Crusades, calling attention to the duality of the iconic vision of women as the contrasting virgin/whore —and the ability of contemporary women to take control of their own sexuality and not be embarrassed or castigated 

Love of All Things Italian 

• Inspired by nation's rich history, culture and art 
• Italy known for exquisite printed silks, expensive textiles -> shows in his richly colored animal prints, florals, geometric shapes, lace, beading, embroidery 

"Fashion has be free to express personality and individuality. I always look for people who are out of the crowd, who are individuals, who are free, who have a real sense of style, which means their own sense of style". 

Designers influenced by Versace

• Alexander Wang 2009 downtown wrap dress reminiscence of Versace bondage dress 
• Dolce's brazen sexuality - metallics, animal prints, bold colors all signatures of Versace aesthetic 
• Dsquared - sexy hard-glam look 
• Tom Ford references Versace as source of potent sexuality and glamour 

Notoriously sexy — Fall 1992 that helped cement Versace's reputation as highly sexualized, allowing women to flaunt their bodies as a way of owning the constant male gaze as inevitable objectification that comes with it

Nippelocalypse

   

   

 

Those circles? Yes, they are made of cow nipples. Rachel Freire operates on the more extreme end of upcycling spectrum as she collects the cast aside cow nipples from restaurant businesses. While controversial, Freire argues that the process is the same as those used in any pair of leather shoes or clothing. 

Rachel Freire website here.

Kimono Inspired

Schmidt Takahashi

"At Schmidt Takahashi the history of every piece recycled in the collections is as important as the resulting new garment. Information of each item is IDed by previous historym color, material and style—all meticulously catalogued. The information is duly stored on RFID chips and emedded into new garments. The chips can be easily scanned, read and updated using a smartphone, so the new wearer is able to not only unlock the garment's history, but also to contribute to its ongoing narrative" (Thames and Hudson). HOW COOL IS THAT?? 

Website here.

ULTRA 10

Ultra 10's minimal 10 piece collection is designed to provide a woman outfits for the entire year with mixing and matching. The collection "[C]oat's that turn into both a shirt and skirt as well as jackets that converts into a vest.." (Thames and Hudson). Launched in 2011 by Kuala, the collection is made entirely of "sustainable materials such as soy and bamboo, recycled PET and salmon-skin leather" (Thames and Hudson). Absolutely in love with its minimalism feel and the provided ease of mixing and matching. 

Ultra 10 website here.

Gary Harvey Recycled Couture

Livia Firth's recycled couture dress, in which she commissioned ex-creative director of Levi Strauss Gary Harvey to design for the 2011 Oscars that she attended with husband Colin. The gown is made of up 11 vintage dresses all from the era of the King's Speech (Thames and Hudson).