Thursday 25 February 2010

The 60's are back by K.R.



For Spring/Summer it seems that we should embrace our inner sixties child and give in to pretty pastels. 
PPQ started the sixties revival in their SS09 show with this dress (above), paired with a top knot and some hefty wedges.
Seen on Lily Allen and Peaches Geldolf, the dress, a simple shift with a luscious pattern, holds its appeal in its short hem length and over-sized collar and bow.  The almost clown-like bow, evoking a playful masculinity, looks chic paired with bare legs and a powerful strutt.


More recently, A Single Man has wowed audiences in its pristine and powerful portrayal of a gay teacher in the 60's, suffering over the sudden loss of his lover.
While some criticise Tom Ford's overly stylised aesthetic, others relish in his considerate recreation of this era in all its glory.  Careful notice has been taken of everything from the kitchen appliances to the  perfume bottles on Charly's (Julianne Moore) dressing table.
All the more the characters themselves are neat and carefully put together: Charly takes the entirety of George's (Colin Firth) working day to get her eyelashes in place for her evening in with him.




On the SS2010 catwalks Luella and PPQ mastered the coquettish 60's look. 
Luella sent her models out in perfectly placed dresses in an array of pastel and vivid colours.  Hair piled high in top knots was highlighted with a colourful bow.
The shapes of the dresses evoked a time when women were expected to look a certain way, a hair never out of place.  While this attitude may be out of place nowadays itself, the elaborately girly dress, pastiched with a slick of neon eye shadow, is a welcome look that will blow any remnants of recession blues out of the water.



PPQ also styled the models with slick top knots and presented a inspiringly bold collection.  
Stripes and clean lines gave the collection a firm structure, while the injection of shorts made these looks beach-friendly.





These bold monochrome outfits, with fierce collars, as with the SS09 dress, gives the collection an unmistakably fresh panache.  



Elsewhere, Rachel Weisz was shot for the January issue of Vogue in a lazy hazy 60's story.  
Ultimately the pastels in these shots sum up the 60's trend.  Playful pretty colours paired with strong yet subtle shapes make up a gorgeous Spring wardrobe, that, especially on rainy days like these, is easy to fall in love with. 






Keep it Modo people ;)

Tuesday 16 February 2010

Alice In Wonderland's Fashion Legacy by V.B.

With the new Tim Burton film Alice in Wonderland gracing our cinemas this year it seems like an opportune moment to explore the influence of Lewis Carroll’s fantasy world on fashion’s imagination. This look’s eclectic mix of the girly and the surreal means there is great flexibility in the style, offering flights of fashion fantasy if you dare plunge into Wonderland.

Let’s have a peek down the rabbit hole....



The full dress or skirt is key to the Alice look, however if you do not want to look too 1950s housewife use soft fabrics to keep the fullness of the skirt without the rigidity. This soft skirt and white tights combination embodies the gentle girlishness of Alice, whilst the lace echoes Victorian styles evoking Alice’s underskirts or smock.

Whist this look is feminine and playful it does not have to be limited to pastel colours or flowing fabrics. Stripes echo Carroll’s eccentric word, whilst you do not need reminding who in Wonderland this quirky hat look emulates. A pinafore and blouse is a less girly alternative to the full skirt as it still brings to mind Alice the Victorian school girl.

 
Play with colours and fabrics to achieve the eccentricity key to Wonderland. Coloured or patterned tights or socks are mischievous and can be used with a more sombre outfit to still give it a sense of fun. Checked patterns tend to stir up images of Scotland or Texas ranches, however when worn as a tea-dress with a soft cardigan they channel the style of Alice through the fabric choice of the Mad Hatter.

The peculiar reigns supreme in Wonderland, so express your inner oddball within the safe constraints of Victorian tailoring. This wet weather look is a perfect example as the raincoat dress is surreal yet stylish and unapologetically feminine.

For the Alice in Wonderland look to take you through the last few months of winter and into spring team your quirky dress with thick tights, long cardigan and lace petticoat to ensure your look is eccentric yet warm.









As to that final touch of Wonderland, wear a pocket watch or teapot necklace to take the curiousness of the Mad Hatter’s tea party with you and never be late for a very important date.

Keep it Modo people ;)

Sunday 14 February 2010

TRASH by M.O.

Exactly two weeks left until the UCLU Modo Green Fashion Show! 28th February 2010, 6:30pm - 9:30pm, The Hotel Russell, 1 - 8 Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London, UK. Buy your tickets!



Trash is always an issue in Greenery - two of the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle imply dealing with trash one way or another. Fashion is no exception, whether you consider regular trash as potential material, manipulate old clothes, or recycle trends and silhouettes.

BOTTLES
A few extraordinary ideas on how to use the surplus plastic bottles. Normally, it's good to buy one and re-fill it with drinking water.

Evian Bottle Dress by Kristen Fahrig

Bottle Dress in Museum of Contemporary Art, Nice, France (photo via John Elmslie)

Down sweater from Patagonia made of recycled bottles


Bottle Dress (glass, cork, water, plastic, leather), 1999, by Cat Chow

flattened bottle cap dress by Danica Olders (Rustik)

BAGS
Fabric or re-usable bags for shopping; if impossible: paper rather than plastic.. Turns out that so far the plain black trash bag has been the most inspiring as a piece of clothing.



Vivienne Westwood

Dolce & Gabbana

 
 
Whitehouse Fashion and Design students:

Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton bin liner bag (worth about $2,000)

+ not quite a trash bag:
 
 
IKEA bag dress by Adriana Valdez Young


GREEN MCQUEEN
The Art of Recycling and The Throw-Away Habits of The Fashion Industry (A/W 2009) - a show taking place in an arranged junkyard, with broken glass floor and old props piled up in the middle. Hats of stacked umbrellas, plastic wrap, garbage bags, lamps and car parts, and clothes mimicking classic designs (like Dior's New Look) and their reinventions made in the last years, also by McQueen - all to expose the bizarre mechanism of hailing novelty which in fact is just a piece of same old. So subtle, so bold. “This whole situation is such a cliché. The turnover of fashion is just so quick and so throwaway [...] There is no longevity” said McQueen. A ten minute silence.

 Hendrik Kerstens Bag, 2007 
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2008 (2nd Prize) 

 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 

 
 giant bubblewrap cape/coat