Mike Disfarmer‘s photographs from the 30s, 40s & 50s:
Everything by Maison Martin Margiela (photo by Joe Hughes):
Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist (photo by Brendan Skinner):
fashion
26
Jun 10
I must, must, must see this exhibition
I’ve been meaning to arrange a trip to London to see the Martin Margiela retrospective exhibition at Somerset House for ages, but I’m really going to have make more of an effort because I must, must, must see this exhibition!
I’ve been a fan of Maison Martin Margiela since first coming across his/their work in the early 90s, and especially of the Artisanal limited edition and one-off pieces. Waistcoats made from shards of broken porcelain or vintage evening gloves, reworked 50s ballgowns and theatrical costumes. But Margiela is also a master of cut, proportion and fabrication so the main women’s and men’s lines are equally gorgeous and wearable too. Just wish I could afford the stuff!
The attention to detail in the clothes is carried through to every part of the Margiela experience, from the website that looks like a file directory to the whitewashed shops and the exhibition itself – can’t wait to see it
25
Jun 10
Some cool stuff I’ve been looking at
Just a few links to some cool sites I’ve been looking at recently, though I can’t take credit for having found them – far cooler people than me did that and I just hoovered up the links:
super/collider – some really interesting projects from a not-for-profit promoting science through the creative industries
The Glue Society – lots of cool art and media projects from an Australian creative collective
Daytum – really nice approach to collecting and visualising personal stats. One of the people behind the service is Nicholas Felton, the creator of the awesome Feltron personal Annual Reports
Ilse Ruppert – photos from the 80s of punks, musicians, actors in Hamburg, Berlin, Paris & London
Fashion Projects – interesting look at the more experimental and ideas driven side of fashion
Uploading – about lots of things, but particularly interesting (to me) about wearable technology
Sesame – an online fashion magazine from Australia with a nice left-field approach
20
Jun 10
This week’s project. Well one of them anyway
I’ve got a few things on the go at the moment (including job hunting) but a gazillion years ago I promised to make a dress for one of my oldest friends’ mum. She gave me the fabric and a pattern to adapt and I…totally didn’t make it. For quite a long while :-s
But it’s her birthday in a couple of weeks (a major one too), so this week I’m going to turn this:
into a shirtwaister dress, as requested (though I’ll probably tweak the pattern a wee bit to give it that Tanner touch)
Because I want to do something to show my appreciation to someone who welcomed me into her family home, and gave me a roof over my head and food to eat (at a very reasonable rent!) at a time when I was first making my way in London
And hopefully the surprise will make up for the considerable delay!
11
Feb 10
Goodbye Lee
Earlier this afternoon I heard the very sad news that Alexander McQueen had died.
I had the great privilege to work for Lee (Alexander was his middle name) for a short time in the early 90s. Lee was just starting out, I was looking for work experience, and he was the first designer to answer the phone when my tutor started calling round to see if she could find me something!
After a brief meeting at his then flat in Tooting, where he grilled me about my design skills, and rubbished my attempts at tailoring, he agreed to take me on to help him prepare his first catwalk collection.
We spent the summer working out of, and sleeping on the floor of, a flat in Chadwell Heath owned by his sister (Well, I slept on the floor – Lee had the bedroom!), living on hummus, soup & fresh air. And the odd night out on the town!
As well as more mundane jobs like running errands and sewing, Lee also gave me the freedom to design some pieces for the collection, as well as the opportunity to work with some of the people producing textiles and accessories for him.
After the summer, when I returned to college for my final year, I carried on working for Lee in my spare time until the show in the Autumn, and afterwards, until the demands of producing my graduation collection took over.
A vague plan to start working properly for Lee after I graduated fell through due to lack of money and we lost touch when I went travelling, bumping into each other only a few times in the years since then, though I continued to follow his brilliant career.
Working for Lee remains one of the best experiences of my life – he taught me a huge amount about fashion & design, but also about life in general too. And it was great fun. He was hugely talented, inspiring, generous, hard-working, brilliantly creative - his death is a huge loss in many, many ways. My thoughts go out to his family and friends.
Goodbye Lee