Reflection - (June), September to November

Kicking off my second year at University, I was eager to collate and analyse secondary research to gain inspiration for my studies. Within this period I visited three exhibitions, which although were not particularly interesting to me, allowed me to introduce primary research to my assignments. In the upcoming months, I hope to gather research which will inspire my independent idea resource.

Suffragettes to Supermodels – A Century of Fashion from 1910 to 2010 - Review

Above: Manchester Gallery of Costume

The exhibition was presented at Platt Hall, a beautifully English 12th century Georgian house, nestled within a span of green fields. The quaint setting, in comparison to other clinical Art museums in bustling cities, was very unique. However, this was a house in its original state, meaning that exhibition space was split between various rooms. This made it difficult to travel from Suffragette to Supermodel without stumbling into a different room and getting Kate Moss mixed up with Emily Davidson.

Unfortunately, a wide selection of the pieces were clustered together in poorly-lit cabinets – which made it difficult to see their striking designs clearly. However there were a selection of pieces that were well worth the visit: 

Above: Silk Dress, 1780

A silk gown from 1780, which exemplified typical dress of the time. It included a full skirt, pleated into a corseted bodice. The waistline was risen higher than the natural line to produce a neoclassical silhouette. By the 1830’s, corsets emerged that moulded the natural figure rather than encouraging a rigid shape. In the first decade of the 19th century, the fashionable woman briefly discarded her ‘stays’ altogether to adopt garments that emphasized the desired long and lean silhouette.

 

Above: Green beaded 'Norman Hartnell' evening dress, 1927

A green, beaded evening dress from 1927 with heavy bead-work which would have dazzled off the artificial lights of a ballroom. This style would have been the height of sophistication - and a statement against the previous structure of feminine dress. Today, relaxed styles of dresses are often considered casual or informal – which led me to reflect how difficult times in history can provoke outrageous fashion trends. 

Alexander McQueen, Body stocking in printed silk jersey, 2010

An unusual reptilian bodysuit from 2010 – screen-printed with raw edges. The designer, Alexander McQueen, was recognized for his themes of fantasy and rebellion within his theatrical runway shows.­ McQueen was hailed as one of the most influential couturiers of the 21st Century before his death in 2010. The clingy shape leaves little to the imagination, which led me to wonder how shapes and silhouettes of female fashion will continue to evolve in years to come.

All three of these pieces opened my eyes to the radicalization of women’s fashion though the ages. They are radically different in their shape and structure, which reflected how the historical events provoked women’s attitudes (and the way they chose to present themselves) to change.

'Tailored – A Very British Fashion' Exhibition Visit at Leeds City Museum

All photographs taken at the exhibition on 06/11/15

British fashion has a rich tailoring heritage and could even be considered as the ‘basis’ for Fashion design today. The Tailored – A very British Fashion exhibition has made me aware of the significance of tailoring in fashion, the icons that influenced tailored design and cultural influences that encouraged tailored styles to change and adapt.

Tailoring is a renowned British skill, made famous on London’s Saville Row, which then flourished, dressing ordinary men and women across the country for much of the twentieth century.

Above: Tailoring timeline – 1600 to 2015

Tailored suits for men began to be made from the end of the 1600’s using methods of cutting and measuring cloth to closely fit the body. By the end of the 1700’s English tailors had become the leaders of menswear, due to the trend of well-made country coats. The following image demonstrates how tailors began to add shape to wool suits for a fashionable purpose.

 Above: 1770-1780’s Suit

Wool cloth was often used to create suits and tailored clothes, which influenced later designers to develop alternative fabrics and finishes.

Above: A ‘fashionable’ boys suit (worn in upper-class families after children were ‘breeched’ at the age of four), made of silk with silver thread embroidery and buttons.

Above: 1835 wool, cotton and silk suit-jacket with a ‘lark’s tongue-notch’ lapel. It was designed to show the waistcoat, shirt and cravat underneath. The flamboyant style presents the tailors art, for a fashionable 1820’s gentleman.

Above: ‘Barfoot’ Blazer, 1900. Brightly coloured blazers originated in English rowing clubs in the early 1800’s. This casual, lightweight style was designed for leisurewear and adopted for playing cricket.

It was particularly interesting to see how tailored styles, first of all intended for men, seeped into the womenswear market after 1800’s women’s rights movements. The style of suits we know today were made not only made to accommodate women, but adapted in style to accommodate movement for popular leisure activities such as horse riding.

Above: Legg & Millard – Women’s ‘Riding Habit’ - 1880-1890. Adapted from a 1600’s style.

The association of tailoring and work wear developed in mid-1800 then the suit became a typical uniform for men and women. Men wore matching wool suits, unless they worked as labourers, and women wore tailored jackets with skirts to mark their position in the workplace. Pin-stripe cloth became a popular trend associated with office-wear.

Above: W.R. Dargie, Pinstripe Skirt Suit, 1932. Wool.

Until the 1850’s, brands such as Saville Row (London) produced tailored clothing that was bespoke-measured to fit the wearer. When clothes began to be factory produced, brands such as Hepworth’s and Burtons introduced ‘made-to-measure’ suits which were measured in-store but produced in factories - the birth of ‘ready-to-wear’ suits we see today.

 It is interesting to compare the development and adaptation of tailored items to what we see today. Tailoring now takes a multitude of forms (shirts, jackets, skirts) and can be worn for any activity due to relaxed design and casual standards of dress in modern life. Throughout the ages, tailored items remain a symbol for conformity (which became popular with subcultures such as Teddy Boys and Mods adopting tailored styles as uniform). Their powerful connotations encourages designers to play with the structure of ‘tailored’ items, turning a craft into something quite abstract.  

Above 1: Vivienne Westwood ‘Winter’ outfit, Autumn/Winter 2000. Felted Polyester & Viscose.

Above 2: Hardy Amies for Hepworth’s ‘Teddy Boy’ Jacket, 1972. Wool & Polyester.

Vivienne Westwood is an example of a designer who is known to explore the craft and history of British tailoring. She has dared to questioned the structure of ‘classic’ styles of tailoring by twisting and shifting the patterns into fluent shapes.

Above 1: HRH Prince of Wales by John Saint-Helier Lander, 1925. Oil on Canvas. Edward, Prince of Wales became a style icon for ‘sport’ styles of tailoring.

Above 2: Scholte, Foster & Son Suit, 1932. Style icon Edward, Prince of Wales popularised ‘tweed’ suits with a zip-fly, which was uncommon for formal wear.

Around 1900, with the invention of the tape-measure, the art of tailoring was improved and ‘fits’ became better than ever. The Upper-class began to wear tailcoats and dinner jackets for evening wear or special events.

Above: Blades – Velvet and Silk Evening Suit – 1967. In 1962, London store Blades designed innovative suits in luxurious fabrics which appealed to young men during the ‘peacock revolution’.

In 1964, Leeds multiple tailor Hepworth’s celebrated their centenary. Fashion designer Hardy Amies collaborated with Hepworth’s in collaboration and the company donated £20, 000 to the Royal College of Art to establish the first menswear design course (Leeds Museum, 2015).

Above:  Coverage of the Hepworth’s desi­­­­­gns at the Savoy Hotel show in London, 1964.

The following images illustrate two different interpretations of tailoring, both developed from the original uniform-like style which originated around 1600. With the many possibilities of design technology and textiles, it will be exciting to see how (or if) designers will continue to interpret classic tailoring in the future.

Above: Roger Saul Suit, 1979. Cotton. This outfit from Mulberry’s Spring 1970 collection demonstrates the relaxed and informal trend of tailoring as designers experiment with structures (Leeds Museum, 2015).

Above: Vivienne Westwood, 'Morning Glory' Suit, Autumn/Winter 2015. The striking Tartan pays homage to British Heritage and signifies the importance of British tailoring to Westwood’s brand.

Trends: Feminism & Online Marketing

In current news, Feminism is trending. While David Cameron sets out plans to tackle the gender pay gap, the recent cinema release of The Suffragette couldn’t have arrived at a better time. In the midst of the ‘gender equality’ uproar, it seems brands are ‘jumping on the feminism bandwagon’ in order to make themselves relevant or gain media exposure.

The following YouTube advert titled ‘#WEALLLOVEBEER’ aims to generate an online community through media conversation. With a hashtag alone, the video is successful in bringing thousands of like-minded individuals to social media pages. In the future, the followers could be useful for marketing strategies.

The video aims to highlight female ‘power’ by challenging gender associations, however the concept is horrifically flawed. Before I continue my rant, I will let you see for yourself:

The intro reads: “Women’s voices are getting more powerful all over the world, but can they be heard in a bar?”

As a social experiment, the creators filmed a selection of heterosexual couples ordering drinks in an American bar. Each of the women ordered a beer, whereas the men ordered wine or cocktails. When the bartender arrives to present their drinks, the females are horrified to discover their partners cocktails set in front of them.

“Wait, I didn't order this!” one lady exclaimed with disgust, gesturing to a Martini before swapping it for the pint of beer in front of her partner. The bartender apologized profusely for his assumption that a man ordered a beer. What a sexist idiot for making such an assumption, right? To be frank, the whole video was badly executed and flawed in its fabrication of female equality.

I can empathize with the attempt to equalize women when it is relevant (I am all for the women’s voices being heard!), however the assumption that only men drink beer is a social construct rather an a sexist one. Drinking beer is associated with masculine activities (bonding rituals such as fishing, watching football etc) and perceived weight gain. It is also factually proven that women prefer the taste of sweeter, fruitier drinks rather than bitter tasting beer (see study by MW Tin Hannis here). It is unusual that women drink beer for these reasons, however the notion is actually widely accepted in Western culture. Did you ever see the women in ‘Sex and the City’ drinking pints of beer? No? I rest my case.

Similarly, the fashion world often attempts to challenge gender constructs through clothing. Many designers have attempted to re-appropriate the skirt for men, however western culture has resisted (with the traditional exception of the kilt and the cassock). Similarly to the association that men drink beer, women wearing skirts is merely a gender construct that is deeply embedded into our culture. Is it fair to call a man sexist for not wearing a skirt?

Above: Kanye West receives negative press for wearing a skirt in 2012

Retail Settings - Burberry Flagship Stores

Within Fashion Marketing, the retail setting is perhaps the most powerful communication tool. Since fashion products are discretionary purchases, brands must go to great lengths to provide an enjoyable shopping experience, encourage the consumer to purchase and visit again.

In traditional stores, visual merchandising promotes the ‘image’ of a brand through carefully planned spaces and presentation of products. Retail spaces are often arranged to encourage customers to travel in certain directions. Furthermore, POS materials and in-store communication encourage consumers to notice or interact with the products. These elements are particularly useful in luring customers into buying additional products they didn’t know they wanted before they walked into the store.

Flagship stores, however, are the ultimate way to tell the story of a fashion brand. They’re often placed in London or tourist 'hotspots'. Since expense is no object, the retail space becomes a place where brand credentials can be illustrated down to every lavish detail.

The New York Burberry flagship, unveiled in Winter 2002 on 57^th Street, is a particular store that offers the consumer a ‘Brandscape’. Here, the consumer can gain a panoramic view of what the brand has to offer, spread over 24, 000 square feet and six separate floors.

The outer-building features a pattern made from marble stone and brown burnished metal, referencing the classic Burberry plaid. The warm colours represent traditional English materials such as oak and tan leather, distinctive in contrast to the many silver-coloured modernist buildings of New York.  Before entering the interior there is a ‘tunnel’ which offers a transition between American exterior and British interior.

Inside, the focal point of the interior is a grand staircase – a reinterpretation of those found in English country houses. A new and fresh heritage is tied into a traditional English décor of wood, polished metal tactile fabrics – each floor unique in its interpretation of British culture.

The large space is more an accommodating for Burberry to showcase their Prorsum and London collections. The selection represents the comprehensive range for men, women and children as well as accessories and fragrances.

The first floor presents ‘The Art of the Trench’ - an ‘Outerwear’ room which celebrates Burberrys iconic trench coat. Here, the consumer can have coats made-to-measure or repaired, all accommodated by the finest attentive service. Another floor includes an English Tea-room, which encapsulates British way-of-life. Upstairs, a penthouse includes a bar, game stations and a tailoring floor– a space for men to relax (or wait while their partners are shopping).

The store, at the time, was regarded as a significant milestone in Burberry’s growth strategy. However, in 2012, Burberry introduced a World Live flagship in London – a 44,000 square foot space beyond the innovative, which seamlessly merges the physical store and Burberry online.

121 Regent Street is a digitally enabled cultural space. Here, customers can not only celebrate British design and craftsmanship, but also truly immerse into the brand through multimedia content. On-screen technology uses radio-frequency identification that picks up products carrying microchips. This means that while shopping, customers are able to see additional information on their chosen product; from craftsmanship to catwalk looks.  To develop world-class service and encourage brand loyalty, sales assistants carry iPads to recover purchase history and customer preferences. In-store, a weekly program presents a showcase of music, theatre and art – allowing the visitor to become more involved in the Burberry lifestyle than ever before.

Take a look at the video below:

This futuristic flagship leads me to wonder, what does the future hold for luxury stores? How will luxury brands continue to re-invent their retail spaces, to stay ahead of the competition and appeal to their markets desires? One thing is for certain - competitors will have a tough lead to follow!

SOURCES & LINKS: 

Burberry NY Flagship:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/burberry-opens-flagship-store-in-new-york-57th-street-76542067.html

Burberry New York Flagship image:

http://www.stonepanels.com/images/Burberry-New-York-NY-limestone-04.jpg

London Flagship:

http://pursuitist.com/inside-burberrys-london-flagship-store/

Trend: Sleepwear Sensuality at Paris Fashion Week

 It was Gucci’s memorable fur-lined loafers that could’ve defined the flavor of last season: challenging yet luxurious, geeky yet practical.

At London Fashion Week this year, Roberto Tisci cast the geek-chic vibes aside to slip his models into ‘something more comfortable’ for Spring 2016. He described his candle-lit show as “very romantic” – awash with chemise dresses, wispy lace layers, swinging silk robes and streams of satin.

The trend of sleepwear sensuality has swept over to Paris this fashion week for Spring/Summer 16:

Saint Laurent teamed silky, old-school vintage patterns with pyjama-like spaghetti straps. 

At Celine, necklines were plunging and framed with delicate lace, yet breasts were exposed, suggesting something more intimate than the sex-appeal of cleavage.

A running theme of relaxed shapes at Sacai brings comfort to centre-stage.

Time to dust off your nightie!

REFERENCES

Givenchy Images:

Loafers:

http://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/s306x306/e15/10963773_456229317862274_1294866086_n.jpg

Collection: 

http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2016-ready-to-wear/givenchy/slideshow/collection#2

Saint Laurent Image:

http://www.vogue.co.uk/suzy-menkes/2015/10/suzypfw-saint-laurent-glitter-grunge/gallery/1499095

Celine Image:

http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2016-ready-to-wear/celine/slideshow/collection#1

Sacai Image:

http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2016-ready-to-wear/sacai/slideshow/collection#34

Customer Profiles & Culture

As part of our Intercultural Fashion Consumer module, we will create a ‘Consumer Profile’ which will inform the development of a new fashion brand. The research will involve a depth of understanding which will form the basis of a ‘communication strategy’ or a ‘conversation’ between the brand and its consumer.

The beginning of understanding a consumer starts with knowledge of their culture - but how do we define a ‘culture’? Something perceived as intangible or abstract? Child and Kieser (1977) present the view that cultures may be defined as ‘patterns of thought and manners which are widely shared’.

The beginning of ‘breaking down’ a culture could start with the geographical location, taking into account linguistic, ethnic or religious variants that differentiate groups of people. Furthermore, there are a plethora of variants that could shape cultural values:

Education/Knowledge

Beliefs

Morals/upbringing

Rituals

Heroes (behavior models - real or imaginary)

Depth of research into each of these variants will form a rounded understanding of the consumer – the first step in identifying their behavior, motivation, influences and lifestyle choices. A poor perception of a culture means a limited knowledge base, which could lead to an incorrect categorization – and therefore ineffective marketing strategies.

Above: cultural stereotypes of the USA: dramatic, incorrect AND offensive

(Source: http://whatculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/america-states-stereotypes.jpg)

A reflection: my culture

I believe that my culture is underpinned by a manifestation of values from my upbringing, my social behavior and way-of-life in Britain:

My values derived from my family who taught me moral right and wrong and raised me with a hard-working attitude. Like many in the UK, my family partake in Christian traditions (Christmas, Easter etc) however I grew with these as a social construct rather than a religious belief. I was educated at state-schools which developed my knowledge and social behavior. In the future, I expect to get a job, a house and start a family – to the expectations of family tradition and customs of Western civilization – as bleak as that may sound!

At age 21, my culture surrounds ‘student life’ within further education. I live in an urban area, have a small disposable income and spend a considerable amount of time consuming media (TV, print and the internet/social media). Due to a busy schedule and employment, my social life surrounds weekend activities, much like many of my friends. Our working lifestyles could explain the popularity of club-culture that is very much alive in Britain today. Fashion plays a significant role in this transitional part of my life, which makes me part of a prime target market for many fashion brands.

The Perception of Fashion & 'The Future of Fashion' with Alexa Chung

On my quest to discover more about fashion businesses and careers in the fashion world, I stumbled upon an insightful documentary on YouTube, by British Vogue, presented by infamous British model and style icon Alexa Chung.

‘In the first episode of this 6-part series, Alexa chats about her own path into the fashion world, before talking cash with the British Fashion Council, and art school and internships with Christopher Kane. Join Alexa as, armed with your questions, she begins her mission to show you fashion from the inside’ – video description (posted 15/09/15).

The series is an attempt to address the negative stereotypes, a mission to uncover the true depths of the industry and huge variety of roles that go towards sending clothes down the catwalk season after season. Alexa talks to people from all disciplines and levels of the industry to find out what’s in store for fashions future.

“I’ve been working in fashion since I was 15 and I have always found the inner-workings of the industry fascinating. As an art-form it has the power to create social change and challenge ideas of body image and sexuality. The thing that really bothers me, though, is that people are very dismissive of fashion in general. It comes across in a clichéd way, it’s considered frivolous or indulgent. I feel like the general public don’t take it seriously enough… Fashion should be allowed to be fun and all of those things, but it shouldn’t be defined for those ideas because it’s also so many other things. I found the industry to be full of very hardworking people who take their jobs very seriously and that’s what I want to celebrate.” - Video transcript, YouTube,

This introduction to the series is a very profound narrative that I can relate to in-parts. When acquaintances ask what degree I study, they often react with a raised eyebrow, a scoff or a "really? I can tell by what you are wearing". Unfortunately, many consider the Fashion industry to be superficial or indulgent and therefore consider fashion education to be a 'cop out' of 'real' subjects of education. What those people fail to realise is that, subconsciously or not, everyone is involved with the fashion industry by the clothes that they wear on their backs, products that they buy in-stores, the programmes that they watch on TV and so-on.

This ideology was notoriously brought to light by Lauren Weisbergers 'The Devil Wears Prada' character Miranda Priestly (2006). See scene below:

1940's Event - Severn Valley Railway, Kidderminster

This Summer, I had the pleasure of being involved in the busiest event of the year for the Severn Valley steam train station; the 1940's weekends. The event took voluntary staff weeks of preparation - from setting up realistic sets of a 1940's home, vegetable gardens and air-raid shelters.

Working inside the station cafe, I saw the hard work come together over the weeks - and the attention to detail was astounding. It was a joy to see the hard work come together on the first big day. The clocks had been turned back to a lighthearted Wartime Britain!

(Above: flyer from the event)

The two weekends boasted costumed re-enactors, performers and musical entertainers. Visitors were invited to take a trip on the 'evacuation trains', watch a flypast with Dakota planes, take a glimpse at vintage vehicle displays and watch a glittering Big Band show. Take a look at my journal photos below.

(Above: vegetable garden set)

As visitors began to flood the steam-train station, I took off to the platform after my shift to photograph visitors in their finest 40's attire - they were more than happy to pose for a photo! The atmosphere was fantastic - a treat for my boring hometown.