Chloe Military Veteran, Spring/Summer 2010

Chloe Army Blanket Dress; Spring Summer 2010 RTW

Chloe Spring Summer RTW 2010 German Military Cape

Chloe Military Dress, Spring/Summer RTW 2010

Military Influence

Military Cape and skirt

Chloe in her spring/summer 20110 RTW collection was all about military life. The fashion show focused on all types of fabric that would be associated with the military. Several of her capes had references to the capes worn during WWII by the Germans. One dress had a reference to a blanket that might be used by the Army for camping out and trying to stay warm by the fire. She had patched up denim that could have been referenced to bandaged up veterans that had received war wounds. Overall, the effect was very obvious that military was the theme and left one thinking which is a high standard to meet no matter what your political beliefs are.

Blue Jeans

Today, the jeans that are the most popular style are the torn, frayed, or whiskered jeans. They are lighter in weight than the jeans that you would wear to your office but the uniqueness is undeniable. These jeans have a grungier feel than the normal pair of Levi's. As for fit, a mixture of manmade and organic fabric is very common to see. However, there are plenty of 100%c cotton jeans on the market. Because skinny jeans are popular currently,  the manmade quality of spandex mixed with cotton is very popular. Other manmade fibers are elastine and lycra. But for jeans spandex will wear better and not wear out after repeated washings.
    Jeans are usually darker in the fall/winter than in the summer. Dark blue without a contrasting thread will make the jeans darker more for winter. Summer/Spring jeans usually have a contrasting thread of white. Most jeans have been enzyme washed to give them a better feel. Distressed jeans are done by hand to cause the whiskering affect. This whiskering causes the jeans to look worn out and frayed giving them a life of its own. The jeans that are very distressed have more of a softer feel then jeans that are not. True Religion, Joes Jeans, Citizens for Humanity and Seven for All Mankind are very popular and range in price from $100-$300. Some jeans have a contrasting white or orange thread sewn on the seams and around the pockets giving them more of a unique style.
   It is very popular today to have decorative pockets that are designed with a picture on it. Ed Hardy really made out with his designs on the pocket. However, girls can not have enough Juicy Jeans with a crown on the pockets. Miss Me jeans are currently selling for about $100 with a fluer de lis on the pockets. With our global society, Target is currently selling very trendy and affordable jeans as well.
   The future of jeans will always be about comfort and fit which means more man-made fibers mixed with cotton. Man-made fibers make jeans fit better and look better on. However, man-made wears out and stretches after lots of washing so  I think the future jean will have more man-made fibers mixed with cotton for comfort and style.

21st Century Rendevous with the 1950's

LOUIS VUITTON FALL 2010 RTW VS. 1950'S

    Louis Vuitton 's Fall 2010 RTW Collection was a modern version of the 1950's and a little take on the 1940's. He chose models of all ages with the perfect background and of course the bouncy pony tails of the 50's to show off his latest collection. Marc Jacobs wanted to get away from the leg and shorter skirts and go for the fuller skirts of the 1950's and Dior's New Look.

   The look was very modern, sophisticated, and completely classic. He chose to focus very much on the breast. The collection had waispie's or waist cincher belts. The collection had many A-line silhouettes but also jackets that could be similar to Zoot Suit Jackets absent the baggy pants. The utility suit of the 1940's was mixed with the A-line skirt of the 1950's. Nipped Waist jackets and skirts were plentiful and beautifully done. No "make do and mend" here with Marc Jacobs. His elaborate details of fur buttons and fur collars of course with the speedo shape of the LV hand bags lend to luxury and opulence. The A-line skirts updated the silhouette into a cascade of fabric that anyone would adore! 

The cite for the video is :

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/video/F2010RTW-LVUITTON.

 Marc Jacobs created the modern version of the  Beatnik Sweater and pairing it with the A-Line Skirt.

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LV Beatnik Sweater with Square Shoulders and A-Line Skirt

LV Beatnik Sweater and A-Line Skirt

1943 Utility Suit                                

Marc Jacobs to the Utility Suit of the 1940's and created a luxury jacket of leather and fur and adding fullness to the skirt

LVA-line Skirt with Utility Jacket of 1940's

Louis Vuitton Zoot Suit Jacket Fall 2010 RTW

1950's Zoot Suit

LV Zoot Suit Sweater

Marc Jacobs used the bodice swimsuits of 1950's mixed with his A-line skirts that mimic the New Look of Christian Dior.

1950's swimsuit

Leather A-Line Skirt with 1950's Swimsuit Top

Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 RTW vs. 1950's

HISTORICAL DRAPED AND TAILORED GARMENTS

THE GLAMOROUS THIRTIES: 1930-1939

Bottem Left: Tailored Tweed Suit with Natural waistline; Upper Left: Coat Hanger Shoulders Coat with huge sleeves

Madeleine Vionnet Draped Grecian Dress 

The tailored suit is a representation of a mid-calf skirt and a natural waistline. The tailored coat has padding in the sleeves to give a broad shoulder effect called the coat-hanger shoulders. The draped grecian gown is a Vionnet Dress with a natural waistline that was cut on the bias to give more of a stretch to the fabric.

THE ROARING TWENTIES: 1920-1929

1920's Draped Elongated Torso Evening Gown

1920's Tailored Box Pleat Skirt with Cloche Hat                 

The draped dress is a representation of the box-cut dress with a dropped natural waistline of the 1920's boyish silhouette. The tailored box pleat skit is representative of what women wore in the daytime with the famous cloche hat and the bobbed haircut.
 
EDWARDIAN DRAPED AND TAILORED GARMENTS: 1900-1909

 

Middle Dress is an Edwardian Tailored Trumpet Skirt which flared like a trumpet down to the hem.

Edwardian Draped Gown: Monobosom Garden Party Dress: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trumpet skirt could be wrapped around the ankles much like a wedding dress would be when taking photographs. The garden party dress is  light and bubbly  and made one feel as if they were in the backyard of a beautiful chateau. 

 

 

 

Tailoring vs. Draping in the 21st Century

Draping or Tailoring are two different ideas.

Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2011

Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2011

     Draping is the means of where courturier drapes the 3D human body with a 2D fabric and using gravity to the art by using a combination of cuts, folds, and tucks to transform a featureless textile into a piece of artwork. Renaissance art often used the draping and folds of fabric to transform fabric into beautiful folds of a gorgeous gown. All draping is started at a point and is turned into flat, cylindrical and conical surfaces which leave the body at a corner along an edge or along a curve. The following pictures are all 21st fashion either Spring/Summer 2011 collections or Resort 2011 collections of different designers

Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2011

Rick Owens-Spring/Summer 2011

This designer, Rick Owens uses draping in a very feminine and elegant way.

Original First Dandy- Known for tailored fashionable clothing and Playboy

Tailoring goes back in history to the 1800's when the classic playboy George Bryan Beau Brummell epitomized the world's first and original dandy. The world looked to him for his elegant style and expertise on etiquette and fashion. Brummell's  preoccupation with pose and appearance was an excellent example of aristocratic decadence.

     Today, Contemporary tailors like Timothy Everest, Charlie Allen and Richard Anderson set the standards for the 21st Century Dandy. They choose to work at Spitalfields, Islington, and Savile Row. They still dress men of power with a more traditional approach.  Richard James, Ozwald Boateng, Mark, Powell, and John Pearse are men's tailors to the celebrities. Paul Smith and Vivienne Westwood are using tailoring methods without formal strict rules. John Galliano is more of a Neo-Modernist style that uses denim for suits, shirting fabrics for linings. His form is usually tighter and sharper and leaner than the nom.
 
     The contemporary monochrome suit may be ultimately made for function but still some designers collections of tailored suits can still be imagined being in the creative society in the cafes of Soho and Mayfair.
Here is some designers from their Spring/Summer 2011 or Resort 2011 collection.

Alturzarra Spring/Summer 2011

Gucci-Spring/Summer 2011

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 Altuzarra Spring/Summer 2011

Chanel-Spring/Summer2011

Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2011

Versace Resort 2011