A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes

Serena Gili, Discipline Collection 2012, Photo Saga Sig

NOMA’s First Fashion Exhibition Examines Archetypes of Womanhood

Showcasing rare pieces from one of the world’s largest private collections of Alexander McQueen fashion, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) presents A Queen Within - Adorned Archetypes, on view from February 21 through May 28, 2018.
NOMA’s first major fashion exhibition will feature contemporary designers showcased in an immersive gallery presentation. This exhibition’s bold couture explores different archetypes of femininity, and how these mythic characters manifest through storytelling in fashion over the past decade.
Designer Alexander McQueen (1969-2010) was a master of building narratives through his collections and runway shows. Inspired by his sensitivity to historical and literary research, A Queen Within uses fashion to explore seven archetypal personality types of a Queen, or metaphorically, of a woman: The Mother Earth, Sage, Magician, Enchantress, Explorer, Heroine and Thespian. These themes are derived from recurring motifs in myths and fairy tales of world literature. The story of each feminine archetype—its powers, its weaknesses, its significance—is articulated in A Queen Within through pioneering fashion, photography, and artwork.

Maiko Takeda, Atmospheric Reentry, 2013 Photo Yuen Hsieh

“The designers featured in A Queen Within showcase the competing, complimentary and often contradictory roles within the ideals of contemporary womanhood,” said Susan Taylor, the Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA. “The exhibition explores the complicated symbolism used by avant-garde designers while bringing a major fashion exhibition to New Orleans. This exhibition definitively demonstrates that fashion is art.”

A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes features more than 100 experimental gowns, headpieces, jewelry, and shoes by more than 50 of the world's most insightful contemporary designers, artists and photographers. The exhibition includes household names like McQueen, Prada, Chanel and Comme des Garçons intermixed with other boundary-pushing fashion, like Chromat's body-positive architectural looks, Rich Mnisi’s experimental videos and Iris van Herpen's dresses that boldly use new technology.

“This exhibition shows beauty, certainly, but also pain, humor, power, and weakness,” said Mel Buchanan, NOMA's RosaMary Curator of Decorative Arts & Design. “A Queen Within references the past and foretells the future, exploring how fashion can be about the complex human condition."

Minna Palmqvist

A Queen Within shows fashion’s possibility as an art form, full of glamour, wit and escapism but also innovation and pressing social issues. "A Vivienne Westwood coat is from a collection that called for people to unite in an effort to save Venice, and the rest of our planet, from the effects of climate change. Minna Palmqvist’s mannequin busts capture the beauty of nonconforming bodies, showing how fashion's pioneers are moving away from the standard size zero dress form. Gypsy Sport’s gender-fluid work is seen as the voice for a new generation that calls for a more global, inclusive world. The exhibition also highlights photographers and artists such as June Canedo, Raúl de Nieves and Joanne Petit-Frére, who use the adorned body to depict stories from communities around the world and place them in a global historical context,” said exhibition curators Sofia Hedman and Serge Martynov of MUSEEA. 

A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes is an exhibition developed by Barrett Barrera Projects and MUSEEA, toured internationally by Flying Fish. Presentation of this exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art is sponsored by the Eugenie and Joseph Jones Family Foundation. Additional support provided by Ashley Longshore, Joseph: A Women's Fashion Boutique, and Millie Davis Kohn.

Comme des Garçons, SS 2015,
Courtesy of Barrett Barrera Projects & RKL Consulting
Photo Sarah Carmody

Exhibited Designers, Artists and Photographers
69, Adidas, Alexander McQueen, Anrealage/Kunihiko Morinaga, Arvida Byström & Maja Malou Lyse, Ashish, Bea Szenfeld, Bourgeois Boheme, Carcel, Chan Luu, Charlie le Mindu, Chromat, Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao & Jimmy Day, Comme des Garçons, Cooper & Gorfer, Cutecircuit, Daan Roosegaarde, David Lachapelle, Diana Scherer, Fantich & Young, Gianfranco Ferré, Gucci, Gypsy Sport, Hassan Hajjaj, Herdentier, Hideki Seo, Iris van Herpen, Jalila Essaïdi, Joanne Petit-Frère, Jordan Askill, June Canedo, Keta Gutmane, Louise Linderoth, Maison Martin Margiela, courtesy of Maison Margiela, Maja Gunn, Maiko Takeda, Maïmouna Guerresi, Michael Drummond, Minna Palmqvist, MuSkin, Omar Victor Diop, Pam Hogg, Prada, Raúl De Nieves, Reformation, Rich Mnisi, Sandra Backlund, Serena Gili, Slow Factory, Tabitha Osler, this is Sweden, Tommy Hilfiger, Viktor&Rolf and Vivienne Westwood.

Special commissioned headdresses by Charlie le Mindu.

About NOMA and the Besthoff Sculpture
Garden The New Orleans Museum of Art, founded in 1910 by Isaac Delgado, houses nearly 40,000 art objects encompassing 5,000 years of world art.
Works from the permanent collection, along with continuously changing special exhibitions, are on view in the museum's 46 galleries

www.noma.org

Tina Gorjanc turns Alexander McQueen's DNA into leather designs

Central Saint Martins graduate Tina Gorjanc proposed a conceptual range of leather accessories made of skin grown from late fashion designer Alexander McQueen's DNA.

Recently she presented her “Pure Human” project in an exhibition, using products made of pig skin to show what the final items could look like. 

The Pure Human range uses DNA sourced from labels in McQueen's first collection, Jack the Ripper Stalks His Victims, which contain locks of the designer's hair housed in perspex.
After extracting the genetic material and implementing it into a cell culture, Tina process involves harvesting the cells into skin tissue. This would be tanned and processed into human leather with the view to using it in bags, jackets and backpacks.

“With the tattoos and manipulation of freckles and sunburning, I wanted to showcase the material. I think that was really important in terms of getting this connection between the jacket and McQueen.”

 "The Pure Human project was designed as a critical design project that aims to address shortcomings concerning the protection of biological information and move the debate forward using current legal structures."
 
"If a student like me was able to patent a material extracted from Alexander McQueen's biological information as there was no legislation to stop me, we can only imagine what big corporations with bigger funding are going to be capable of doing in the future. Furthermore, the project explores the ability of the technology to shift the perception of the production system for luxury goods as we know it and project its implementation in our current commercial system."

Courtesy, http://www.tinagorjanc.com

Alexander McQueen Fall Winter 2014 menswear

One of the prettiest menswear Fall/Winter 2014 collections presented during London Collections: Men is the nostalgic and gothic Alexander McQueen collection. The show took place in Welsh Chapel.

Sarah Burton was talking about "a nostalgic look back," not just at McQueen's history but also at the history of the chapel and the Soho neighborhood that surrounds it. She was inspired by the work of John Deakin, who photographed the Soho art scene in the fifties. Why? "Honesty, beauty, melancholy," she said. Deakin's image of a young Lucian Freud was printed on a trenchcoat. > read more on style.com
http://www.alexandermcqueen.com

Christmas Jumper for Save the Children

Alexander McQueen

Your chance to win a unique Christmas jumper customised by the best of British fashion talent and to make a difference.
Save the Children is launched its annual Christmas Jumper initiative and this year it's better than ever. The charity has partnered up with the British Fashion Council and leading British fashion talents, each of whom has customised a unique Christmas jumper hand knitted in the UK by fashion label, Wool and the Gang.
Designers in question are Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Burberry, Anya Hindmarch, David Koma, Paul Smith, Giles Deacon, House of Holland, Jonathan Saunders, Matthew Williamson, Peter Pilotto, Mary Katrantzou and Sibling.
A month long auction - ending on 13 December, the designated Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day - whereby fashion fans can text bid for the designer sweater they'd like to win. However, there's a twist: it's the LOWEST unique bit that will win the piece in question so everyone has a real chance of owning a designer one-off - no matter how deep their pockets.

Burberry

To make sure you don't look like Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy at the infamous 'turkey curry buffet',  Text bid from Thursday November 28, to 78484 with the name of the designer and your bid.
Texts cost £1.50 www.christmasjumperday.org/designerchristmasjumpers

http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/christmas-jumper-day/about

Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 in V&A Museum

Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 
19 May 2012 - 6 January 2013

From spring 2012 the V&A celebrates the opening of the newly renovated Fashion Galleries with an exhibition of beautiful ballgowns, red carpet evening dresses and catwalk showstoppers. Displayed over two floors, Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 will feature more than sixty designs for social events such as private parties, royal balls, state occasions and opening nights.
The exhibition will cover over sixty years of a strong British design tradition that continues to flourish. Eveningwear from the V&A’s vast collection, by designers including Victor Stiebel, Zandra Rhodes, Jonathan Saunders and Hussein Chalayan, will be on show alongside dresses fresh from the catwalk shows of Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon, Mary Katrantzou, Erdem and Jenny Packham.

A selection of royal ballgowns will be on display, including a Norman Hartnell gown designed for Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Diana’s ‘Elvis Dress’ designed by Catherine Walker and gowns worn by today’s young royals. Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 will also include dresses worn by actresses and celebrities including Elizabeth Hurley, Bianca Jagger and Sandra Bullock, and a stunning metallic leather dress created especially for the exhibition by innovative designer Gareth Pugh.
http://www.vam.ac.uk

Edward Finney at Cologne Catwalk 2012

Hertfordshire born designer Edward Finney showed his new SS 2013 collection at Cologne Catwalk 2012. After the graduation at Central Saint Martins he gained experience experiences with Alexander McQueen, Chittlebourough & Morgan of Savile Row and 4 years as assistant designer for John Galliano in Paris.
In his collections he combines various colours, sharp cutting techniques and Parisian luxury and couture with British modernity and tradition.

More about his work:
http://www.edwardfinney.com/

Team Supermodel at the London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony

The Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics event turned into an Olympic style fashion show with supermodels Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Stella Tennant, Sarah Burton, Georgia May Jagger, Jordan Dunn, Lily Donaldson, David Gandy, Lily Cole Karen Elson, who took to the stage. They were wearing outfits by Britain's top designers Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Victoria Beckham, Stephen Jones, Erdem and Christopher Kane.

Summer Olympics 2012 editorial in Vogue US

London Olympics are coming to an end but not so long ago Vogue shot an editorial with Karlie Kloss with various male US athletes.
Featured athletes in the editorial are Jonathan Horton, Ashton Eaton, Ryan Lochte, Bryan Brothers and Dwyane Wade.
The dresses are from Lanvin, Victoria Beckham, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Stella McCartney, Haider Ackermann, Atelier Versace, Alexander McQueen  and Bottega Veneta.
Vogue US June 2012 issue.

Dressing the 20th Century at MMH Fashion Museum Hasselt

Dressing the 20th Century | Women’s Fashion in the Designer Era
Some of you still may not have heard about the MMH Fashion Museum Hasselt (Modemuseum Hasselt) (Belguim) but with its exciting and relevant exhibitions and their collection it is one of my favorite museums.

MMH recently bacame owner of a home-grown fashion talent and phenomenon Raf Simons. Substanial Raf Simons archive is now part of their collection and is shown in the in the exhibition Dressing the 20th Century.
Alongside Raf Simons the exhibition focuses on a number of Limburg designers such as Martin Margiela and upcoming labels Ti + Hann and Sofie Claes.
Also worth mentioning is the scenography. This time Michiel van der Bos was responsible.
For more information: http://www.modemuseumhasselt.be


Here are impressions from the opening of the exhibition!


Dressing the 20th century is open unti the 6th of January 2013.

The 20th Century was characterised by extremely diverse fashions which followed each other at a breath-taking rate: from orientalism, Roaring Twenties, the elegant Thirties, the new simplicity and New Look to the revolutionary Sixties, anti-fashion & ethnic influences, Dress for Success and avant-garde, with an explosion of different fashions at the end of the century.

Vivienne Westwood

Spurred on by technology, supply and demand and sociocultural change the concept of fashion was given another interpretation. The status of the designer was also redefined. The exclusive atmosphere of Parisian couture at the beginning of the 20th Century moved towards the instant worldwide accessibility of fashion on the internet in the nineties. Paris remained the epicentre, but designer fashion was simultaneously developing in the United States, Italy, Great Britain and Japan.

Throughout the 20th century intercultural and historical influences had a major impact on fashion design. Styles, designs and materials from earlier periods and other cultures became more accessible to designers as a result of more efficient travel and communication opportunities. At the same time, developments in the field of photography and new printing techniques meant that designers could draw on ideas from secondary sources such as illustrated books, magazines and newspapers.

Woven Bird by Mark Goldenberg

Meet Mark Goldenberg, young fashion designer, who graduated at Shenker Collage in Isreal in 2011.

While searching for young talents I came across 'Woven Bird' collection and it made me curious to find out more about this promising designer.

International Fashion Showcase 2012, United States showroom

'Lost Time Is Never Found Again' exhibition in Benjamin Franklin House in London Parsons The New School of Design, New York, recently launched Masters of Fine Arts in Fashion Design and Society (MFA) program. The programme presents its first graduate students in fashion design in May 2012 in New York.
During International Fashion Showcase 2012 in London, Parsons presents the work of 10 designers from projects such as the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty Graduate Competition in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the Feel the Yarn Competition to be held at Pitti Filati, Florence in July 2012.

In the exhibition there is stunning work from designers Beckett Fogg, Kaoru Oshima, Soojin Kang, Sinead Lawlor, Talia Shuvalov, Mayumi Yamamoto, Noriko Kikuchi, Aina Hussein, Jie Li and Paula Cheng.

Aleexander McQueen ss 2012

Alexander McQueen ss 2012
Still divine thanks to Sarah Burton.

'We're all in the dance' by designer Six Lee

Meet designer Six Lee, who recently launched his label and presented a new collection 'We're all in the dance".

The 2012 collection is titled " We're all in the dance" which is a line from the lyrics of Feist song.

Life's a dance, we all have to do
What does the music require?
People are moving together
Close as the flames in a fire
Feel the beat; music and rhyme
While there is time.
We all go 'round and 'round
Partners are lost and found
Looking for one more chance
All I know is,
We're all in the dance

Unravel. Knitwear in Fashion in MoMu Antwerp

With Unravel. Knitwear in Fashion, MoMu presented an exhibition about a material that is very familiar to all of us: knitwear. The exhibition closed last weekend. 
Im so happy that I got the see it before closing time, really inspiring! It's about time that I learn to knit.

Tilda Swinton for Sandra Backlund.
Published in Another Magazine, Autumn 2009.
Photo by Craig McDeanK.
Styling by Panos Yiapanis

Encounter with textile designer Joelle Boers

Encounter with textile designer Joelle Boers who just graduated from Academy of Fine Arts Maastricht


Joelle Boers next to her work

-Can you tell us something about your graduation project and collection?

As a child I was always fascinated by nature, that’s why I was inspired for my graduation concept by the seabirds around the “plastic soup” area’s in the Pacific Ocean, which are threatened with extinction, because of all the garbage, plastics and other toxic material that ruins the ocean and the life within,
Using my own photography, detailed with old plastics, metals and other materials, I developed my own kind of “garbage”, old wasted things that took my attention, and used them in my prints.
In my work I play with a mix of geometric shapes and weird material in a bold way. My final collection consists a book of digital printed silk fashion fabrics, a wearable fashion collection based on digital designs mixed with other materials, fashion objects and techniques.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

The spring 2011 Costume Institute exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, is on view May 4 through July 31.
The exhibition celebrates the late Mr. McQueen's extraordinary contributions to fashion. From his Central Saint Martins postgraduate collection in 1992 to his final runway presentation, which took place after his death in February 2010, Mr. McQueen challenged and expanded our understanding of fashion beyond utility to a conceptual expression of culture, politics, and identity.







His iconic designs constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression was fashion. The exhibition features approximately one hundred ensembles and seventy accessories from Mr. McQueen’s prolific nineteen-year career. Drawn primarily from the Alexander McQueen Archive in London, with some pieces from the Givenchy Archive in Paris as well as private collections, signature designs including the “bumster” trouser, the kimono jacket, and the three-point “origami” frock coat will be on view. McQueen’s fashions often referenced the exaggerated silhouettes of the 1860s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1950s, but his technical ingenuity always imbued his designs with an innovative sensibility that kept him at the vanguard.


http://www.metmuseum.org
http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/

PL-Line Men and Women City Outfits

PL-Line opens new store in Maastricht.



Last week I attened the press openig of the new PL-Line store in Maastricht 'MEN AND WOMEN CITY OUTFITS'.
The new store is designed by Maurice Mentjens and in combination nice and well styled team and food by Beluga, it all looked amazing. Congratulations and compliments to Leon Holla and his team!
In the new PL-Line store you can find clothes by labels such as Helmut Lang, PraMartin Margiela, Rick Owens, Alexaneder McQueen, Thom Browne and Lanvin.
You can find this new store in Bredestraat 7A in Maastricht.
For more information: http://www.pl-line.com/




Fantastic Man Magazine http://www.fantasticman.com/













Me & Nawie