Garment Of The Week: Miss Sixty

Image courtesy of Chase PR

With the 70’s set to make a huge comeback for SS11, it seems that several designers and high street stores are referencing Andy Warhol and Studio 54 to embody the era of D-I-S-C-O, snubbing the perhaps more obvious and cliché inspiration of Saturday Night Fever. Whilst the 70’s are in, it appears that John Travolta esque white suits and shiny shirts are out – fashionistas take note.

Instead brands such as Miss Sixty - a label so quintessentially Italian the mere mention of it makes me long for gelato – are going all out with iconographic symbols galore. The arty Disco Fever Skirt (pictured above), plays homage to the 70’s with an array of pop art inspired frames featuring acid coloured lip prints, optical illusions and all things kitsch rock ‘n’ roll. So, if you’re feeling bold and want to have some fun with a youthful take on 70’s fashion this season, the Disco Fever Skirt is highly recommended.

Ode to the humble Polaroid...

Late last year I blogged about the sad demise of the Polaroid, after visiting the exhibition Polaroid: Exp. 09.10.09. at the Atlas Gallery. Sad that I can no longer use my beloved Polaroid, a couple of weeks back I started thinking about my love for the Polaroid and decided to order the official Polaroid Book by Taschen to console myself.

As I flicked through the previously unleafed pages I was reminded about Polaroid’s that I have previously taken, although somehow – I’m putting it down to the Polaroid’s whimsical nature – they have all been long lost or ‘accidentally taken’ by old friends and acquaintances. The only one I could find dates back to 2002 when a neighbour left two slashed leather chairs outside our flat and I guess I must have been playing outside with my new toy and thought they’d make a good shot... somehow - to me at least - they do. Perhaps this is where my fascination with vintage leather furniture began. Leather furniture is a- highly aesthetically pleasing (if in brown, navy or possibly red at a stretch) and b- highly durable, and c- tells so many stories about where it’s been and the lives that have centred around it. It’s just a whole lot more special than the cheap leather crap and fire-resistant polyester you find nowadays, don’t ya think!?

In reminiscing I remembered why Polaroid’s were so iconic. Never before was a memory or unique moment so instantly capture-able and accessible without the hassle and cost of paying and waiting for a laboratory to develop it. Polaroid simply cut out the middle man, which was revolutionary for consumers – although I’m sure there were some developers who felt the repercussions by way of no longer having the privilege to develop and sneek a sly peek at pictures of the kinkier variety. I say this as everyone with a little life in them has surely been there, done that – including many of the photographers, whose work features within The Polaroid Book. There was just something about the Polaroid that brought out the naughtier side...

Don Rodan, 'Hypnos', 1977

Mark Power, 'Sisters 1', 1970

 

Pete Turner, 'Women on Black Beach', 1976

Whilst a teeny-weeny bit disappointed that the epic images I spied at the Atlas Gallery were not present in Polaroid’s own collection book (as I thought was a fact recalled from the exhibition... *scratches head*) I have embraced the book into my ever-expanding collection of art titles (most of which are published by Taschen, Phaidon and Tate). There were after all, several Warhol’s, Newton’s, a Hockney and works by Barbara Hitchcock so it’s very good really!

Here are some of my favourites:

Blok, Diana + Broekmans, Mario, 'Construction', 1981

Jan Hnizdo, 'Woman on street', ????

Jorge Saenz, 'Venta de Peces', 1994

Chuck Close, 'Self-Portrait', 1987

Helmut Newton, 'untitled', 1976

David hockney, 'Interior, Pembroke Studios', 1986

Andy Warhol, 'Unlimited', 1979

Bill Burke, 'Seated Man, Tiled Floor, Brazil', 1982

Polaroid: Exp. 09.10.09 at the Atlas Gallery

On Thursday I visited the Atlas Gallery in Marylebone to view the exhibition: Polaroid: Exp. 09.10.09. As many people know due to Polaroid UK going into administration earlier this year the company stopped producing their iconic instant film, the last of which expired on 9th October 2009. In light of such a pioneering company closing its doors the Atlas Gallery have acquired hundreds of Polaroid’s from artists all over the world and have picked the best to display in this somewhat landmark exhibition officially marking the end of an era in modern photography.
Like many I too own a Polaroid camera which I bought when I was about 14. I remember getting it home and being so excited by the concept of instant photography continually playing with it and experimenting. Thinking about it now this is probably how I came to love photography so much. So for reasons of great nostalgia if nothing else I was very excited to go and have a look.
Featuring 76 original Polaroid s taken by an array of amazing artists such as Andy Warhol, Peter Blake and Marc Quinn I was also delighted to see the work of many photographers I admire such as David Bailey, Helmut Newton and Rankin. Favourite Polaroid’s included:
Andy Warhol’s ‘Self Portrait in Drag’, 1981:

David Bailey’s ‘Fenton Bailey’, 2005 and ‘Swinger’, 2008:

Helmut Newton’s ‘Sylvia in my Studio, Paris’, 1981:

André Kertész’s ‘May 24 Tricycle’, 1979 and ‘January’, 1979:

Polaroid: Exp. 09.10.09 is showing at the Atlas Gallery until 28 November.

All images are copyright of the individual artists and their estates.

SHOWstudio: Fashion Revolution at Somerset House

Earlier today I wandered down to Somerset House to see the SHOWstudio: Fashion Revolution exhibition. I figured as I was having lunch with a certain sister on the Strand it made sense to pop in to while away my afternoon, and as luck would have it Somerset House also doubled up as a lovely shelter from the rain. Faced with a £5 entrance fee I was pleasantly surprised, as I was expecting to pay in excess of £10, but at the same time I was a tad sceptical that there wouldn’t be enough on display to keep me entertained for my money. To say that I was wrong would be an understatement and I can honestly say that this exhibition was a real treat. If you’re interested in fashion and are looking for an exhibition to get lost in- then this one is for you. I actually almost made myself late for drinks with H this evening as I completely lost track of time and spent in excess of two hours in there which is a record, even for me.

SHOWstudio: Fashion Revolution, charts this rise of the iconic site from its creation in 2000 and was bursting with installations of some of the best videos, podcasts, interviews and most importantly their live projects. Split over two levels, as I entered I was greeted with a room comprised entirely of mirrors that were designed to make each person entering ‘really’ look at their reflection. Luckily as I entered there were two teenagers excitedly bounding around taking photos of themselves, so in order not to spoil their picture (yeah, right) I snuck through avoiding my reflection at all costs. As I entered the next room I was faced with the giant 3-D sculpture of Naomi Campbell. As impressive and imposing as it was I was a bit scared of saying anything near it as I knew that there were hidden microphones, however in hindsight it would have been good to get involved.

For me there were many personal highlights in this exhibition. I think the best was watching a loop of the project ‘More Beautiful Women’ which pays homage to Andy Warhol’s ‘Thirteen Most Beautiful Women’ screen tests of 1964. It’s such a simple idea where Nick Knight invited several iconic models from the 1960’s through to the present day and asked them to stand in front of a video camera for two minutes. Models involved were Twiggy, Marie Helvin, Kate Moss, Liberty Ross, Stella Tennant and Gisele to name but a few. The best one that I saw was that of Stephanie Seymour who looked rather bored throughout and remarked ‘This is the longest two minutes of my life!’ which I thought was absolutely hilarious!

Another project I really enjoyed, and regretfully was unaware of until today was the 2004 collaboration between Brad Pitt and SHOWstudio titled ‘Freedom of Love’. The short film showed Pitt frantically painting over an enlarged passport sized photograph of himself adding in captions and blurbs, whilst reciting Breton’s sixty line poem of the same name. I thought this was really original and something I would never have expected to see within this exhibition, and was surprised that Brad Pitt was the subject. In all honesty I wouldn’t have thought he’d be game for something like this- which just goes to show that you or at least I shouldn’t always judge celebrities.

Near the end of the exhibition by the gift shop there was a small section dedicated to Fashion Film, which was comprised of a reel of 16 short films created for SHOWstudio. My favourite one was titled ‘Sheena is a Punk Rocker’ and saw a topless and rather energetic Kate Moss doing some sort of frantic dancing which was quite punky and saw her head banging. I really enjoyed this as I feel it showed much more of her personality than you would usually see in a still image and also had a funny moment at the end where she started ripping the red paper roll background and gets so into it that she suddenly drops, and well it was one of those classic buckle moments that for me makes her even more endearing... Watch it now!

Any fans of SHOWstudio.com would absolutely love this exhibition as it was great to see highlights of the work together in one place, but most importantly it was humbling to see how fashion in general has progressed during this past decade which I feel can partly be credited to Nick Knight, the wealth of contributors and of course the unsung heroes that are the SHOWstudio team. Everyone and anyone will comment on the wonders of technology and how its advancements have done so much for many industries, but I truly believe fashion is a completely different ball game to what it was ten years ago when SHOWstudio.com was a mere idea.

I feel that as a keen fashion enthusiast and frequent visitor of SHOWstudio.com even I didn’t realise until seeing it laid out tangibly before me, just how much this project has achieved to date. It has really pushed the boundaries of what is possible and helped guide fashion into the mainstream sphere by applying and manipulating all the modern technologies to bring it to the masses, most importantly looking forward to new and innovative ways to make fashion accessible to anyone and everyone who has even the slightest interest.

Whilst any of the things on display (bar the garments) can be viewed (on a smaller scale) on the SHOWstudio.com website, it was definitely a whole other experience seeing everything collated together on such a large scale. The best thing I thought about the exhibition, and is coincidentally the primary reason I would urge people to visit; is the interactive element that is impossible to get from our computers at home. This exhibition truly stimulated my brain and several senses as there was so much to see, hear and touch, that if anything it was almost overwhelming. I realise until I’ve been getting so excited writing about it, but I honestly believe that this is the best exhibition I’ve been to so far this year, hands down. Take a look at some of the extra pics...

SHOWstudio: Fashion Revolution is running until 20 December.