Reflections

Westwood and Mcqueen

Jenny Good presented an interesting perspective when discussing designers Vivienne Westwood and Alexander Mcqueen. She focused on how both designers not only used their labels exclusively for fashion, but also as a political platform. Westwood opened a shop named SEX aimed mostly at the disaffected youth in London. The shop rebelled against social norms during a time when British culture was very reserved. SEX was risqué in the name of the shop as well as the type of clothing kept in stock.

The boutique: SEX at 430 King's Road, London - run by Westwood and McAllen

Good also talked about Westwood's partner McClarren who discovered and created the well known band the Sex Pistols. Like Westwood's designs, the band was real, raw, and expressive. Almost ironically, McClarren and Westwood used the Sex Pistols as an advertisement. The band reacted against normal traditions and encouraged listeners to be rebellious.
Alexander McQueen became Westwood's protege with the same rebellious reputation. McQueen came from an impoverished, working class background and was known as the "hooligan of British fashion. However, Mcqueen was revolutionary in the way that he turned fashion shows into an entire theatrical spectacle. For his Autumn/Winter '95 collection, McQueen's fashion show was titled "Highland Rape." The collection featured tartan, tweed, fur, and Scottish knit wear - all of which are associated with country life. As the fashion show progressed, tension built as little clues on the models, such as tears in the clothing, suggested sexual violence. The show was gruesome and featured overt exposure of the models. McQueen got a lot of backlash for the show. In defense, McQueen explained how his show was not only a theatrical narrative but also a political statement about the British treatment of Scottish people throughout history. Essentially, McQueen was attempting to show his audience how Scotland had been raped by England throughout history.

Another thing that stuck out to me about Jenny Good's talk was the comparison she made between Saville Row and James Bond. Bond is known for being impeccably dressed and has become a symbol of masculinity, power, danger, action, sex, etc with his "license to kill." However, in order to attain that license, Bond had to go through very strict training and experiences. Similarly, the Saville Row suit is about knowing the rules before you can break them. Designers must put extensive time and effort apprenticing and learning the rules before they are given their "license to break the rules" and begin designing their own non-traditional menswear.

Daniel Craig as James Bond

Wicked and Top Hat:

I got the pleasure of seeing the musical Wicked for the fourth time this week. As one of my favorite musicals of all time, I went into the show with high expectations. Before, I was wondering if I'd merely built up the production in my head; however, Wicked never seems to disappoint. I have previously seen the show on Broadway in New York and traveling productions in Atlanta and Nashville. While I may have some bias toward the musical, I believe this London production rivals New York's performance with its talent, set, costume, and overall performance.

I enjoy the musical because of the complex layers of foreshadowing, irony, and sarcasm. If you're not paying attention, you just might miss something. Although I've seen the show multiple times, I am always able to pick up and appreciate something new. I had never paid attention or given much thought to the costumes and use of color throughout the production.  I had not previously thought about what an important role colors play in costume design for plays and musicals. For example, when Elphaba and Glinda are at school Elphaba is dressed is all blue and is always the darkest person in the room while Glinda is dressed in all white so she is always the lightest person in the room - everybody else is a mix and falls somewhere in between. Therefore, either way Elphaba and Glinda always stand out. We were lucky to be sitting close enough to truly recognize the amount of craftsmanship and detail that went into each ornate costume. The costume designer did an incredible job creating a coherent design while also incorporating ideas and silhouettes from many different periods.

The close up of Elphaba's dress reveals costume designer, Susan Hilferty's intricate detailing

Whereas, Top Hat was just like watching a simple comedy, I enjoyed Wicked more because I believe the production challenges the audience. Not only does the audience have to pay attention to understand and catch all the joke, but the musical also encourages the audience to analyze their own decisions and intentions in life. It seems obvious, but this time I really took notice to the strong contrast between perception and reality shown through the two main characters, Elphaba and Glinda. 

David Bowie Exhibit:

While touring the exhibit, I learned David Bowie was not only a musician but also a performer, a radical, an artist, and an inspiration. As I was going through the David Bowie exhibit, I took notes of several quotes by Bowie, as well as some of the commentary about him. As I reflect on my own experience, I'd like to take a look back on what stood out to me about his accomplishments and why. However, some quotes do not require any explanation because I believe they speak enough about Bowie's work on their own.

"I wanted to be a trendy person rather than just a trend"

• I really liked this quote by Bowie because it is how I strive to be as well. In my biography, I mentioned that I enjoy pairing trendy pieces with classic pieces so that I look trendy without being dressed head to toe simply in the latest fads. I think it creates a more unique, lasting look. Similarly, Bowie wanted his influence to last longer than the latest trend.

"Catalyst for creativity might be a title or cover of a book, costume in a film, philosophy or oblique strategy of chance - visited art galleries all over Europe, reads books, watches films, goes to theater engages with avant garde talks to people…"

• I was intrigued by what inspired Bowie - I guess before this class I never thought about where designers got the inspirations for their designs. I think it is amazing to compare new designs to different periods clothing, architecture, art, etc and see the tangible influence.

"Discovers the stage and the possibilities of delivering his ideas through the creation of extraordinary characters"

• Bowie was one of the bravest individuals who did not see any boundaries as he continued to separate himself from others with his creative ingenuity.

"Personally controls his body of work… from music and album covers, costumes and stage sets - to realize vision actively seeks out collaborators… what doesn't work, he leaves out"

• I thought this quote was very important because it showed the extent of the work that Bowie put into all of his work. He had a vision and made sure it became realized in all aspects. He did not simply write songs and let others plan everything else for him.

"Challenges the status quo"

"Constantly reinventing himself Bowie is looking for a future that will never come to pass"

• In my notes, I had asterisks beside this quote because I thought it encompassed what truly differentiated Bowie from artists before and around him.

"Channels avant garde influences into music and performances with mass appeal and has an uncanny ability to anticipate and define the direction of pop culture"
"Understands his audience but by taking bold and unpredictable steps he guards his artistic integrity" 

• Bowie knew what his audience wanted; however, he was successful because he took it a step further by taking risks. He didn't settle for becoming popular. He was not satisfied to do what other stars were doing, Bowie was an entrepreneur in the way he put on a show. As the next quote explains, he was a... "conduit for new ideas and a visionary icon"

"Manages to project more charisma during one song than most modern day stars manage in a career"

Sabina Motesem:

I didn't know what to expect before meeting with designer Sabina. On the tube ride over all of the girls were discussing their ideal wedding dress designs. While I've given much thought to my wedding, I didn't have a clear picture in my mind of how I wanted my dress to look like the other girls. When we got to Sabina's dual purpose home and design studio, I was surprised by the comfortable, relaxed feel of the room. Sabina went through her design process and showed us pictures, magazines, mood boards, mock designs, and how her drawings were transformed from the paper to real life. It was amazing to see one of her designs, taken from pieces of architecture and skillfully placed on a figure, come to actuality. Then Sabina gave us figures and allowed us to sketch something on our own. At first I was pretty hesitant, especially with everyone else around watching; however, Sabina was very encouraging. Soon I began sketching a dress without really thinking too much about it. Once I had my silhouette down on the paper, I began adding more details. After I had my design complete, Sabina did a structure drawing of my dress to scale. She worked with me to make sure she was interpreting my dress correctly. I feel like the meeting with Sabina was the confidence boost I need for my work personally - she showed the class that we are capable of drawing and designing on our own. She even let us take some figures to go so that we could continue our sketching. Since the meeting, I have not been able to stop soaking in inspirations for my designs - whether it be from magazines, architecture, other designs, etc - but it has become second nature. I'll see something or perhaps even read a quote and think that's what I want to try and capture with my designs. Sabina made me realize the importance of doing what you love. She has invested so much time and money into her designs that it just now starting to pay off. It was incredible to see some of her designs on the red carpet.

Harry Potter Studio Tour:

I did not know what to expect with the Harry Potter studio tour because I am not an avid fan. However, I was so impressed by the extent of the displays and sets. It was so cool to see the sketches, models, and workshops for everything that went into the movie. The amount of work that goes into every scene in a movie had never occurred to me. I still can't even imagine the time and effort it takes to create an entire film - as well as how many people must be involved. Not only do you have the actors, producers, directors, the costume designers and make-up artists - but also all the people that have to make up each and every scene. They must have had thousands of people working on the series of films. I really enjoyed the way the tour was set up. At first, we had the introduction and then the audience was awed as the screen raised and we were able to walk through the front entrance of Hogwarts and into the Great Hall. As you walked down the great hall, you could take notice to some of the main character costumes and notice all the details. Additionally, it was amazing to see everything laid out on the table to see how much attention to detail went into every little minute thing. As you walked further through dragon alley, you could walk into the wand shop. They said there were thousands of hand painted wand boxes on display. It was amazing to see the costumes up close. The studio gave us access to costumes such as slytherin's uniform, hagrid's coat, dumbledore's exquisite outfit and more. What I enjoyed most were the scale models of some of the architecture used to film the movie. They mentioned how they used a small camera around the scale model of the castle for several of the movie scenes. It was an eye opening experience to see the film makers' ingenuity. I also enjoyed the make up section. You could see all of the masks made for the dwarves as well as all of the make up that went into creating each character. In the same room were design sketches and I thought it was very cool to see the entire design process and how each characters portrayal came to be. The Harry potter studio tour made me realize there aren't any limits to what you can do. If you can conjure the creative imagine in your mind you will find a way to actualize that dream. 

The Fan Museum:

When we went to the fan museum I was surprised by how impressive some of the fans were. The fans were a work of art in and of themselves. Some fans on display were simply frames of the rainbow silhouette fans with intricate detailing and painting on them. Others were unique because of their closure or their dual purposes. It was intriguing to see the different mechanics that went into each type of fan. There were fans with magnifying glasses to be used at the theater, fans with built in sewing kits, fans that came out of walking sticks, fans with clocks, and so on! There were even fans built in the shape of a violin and a revolver. Clearly, fan makers were very creative and adventurous. I also did not realize fans could be used as a form of language. Women during the time would use the fans in different ways and positions to give off a certain message to men. So not only were fans an item of luxury, comfort, and fashion but also a form of flirtation for women. Additionally, our time making fans ourselves gave me a small appreciation for the amount of time that fan makers spend on each individual fan. Granted it was our first time, but our simple fans took us at least an hour and a half to make. We simply made the fan and did not even worry about creating a design on the fan part. The amount of time and patience fan makers and artists must spend creating these incredible works of art is unimaginable. Our time at the fan museum made me realize how and why these fans from history are so unique and valuable. My favorite fans can be seen below. 

Fan with a mask

Fan with a revolver holster