Madonna, 1993

An elusive Madonna track from her 1993 Erotica album. Released only in the UK as a single, the video sees her portraying an amalgam of  futuristic  enchantress (retro vision ala early 90’s) and seductive Thai dancer, complete with brass claws.

Bruno Pieters Exits HUGO by Hugo Boss

WWD reported this morning that designer Bruno Pieters will be leaving the HUGO by Hugo Boss label where he has been serving as art director since June, 2007.

In the few seasons that Bruno has overseen the line it has risen to become one of the most anticipated menswear collections. The past two shows, presented during Paris men’s fashion week, added much needed esteem to the Hugo Boss name. Pieters gave the line a distinct identity unapologetically rooted in the brand’s German heritage. His references ranged from Weimar era expressionist artists to Kraftwerk, forcing the Hugo name to carry a striking relevance for today while still maintaining a broad consumer appeal.

The end of the partnership, like so many of its ilk in the industry, comes with little surprise. While Bruno’s work for the brand propelled its image far beyond anything it has enjoyed for the past decade, many of his designs shown on the catwalk were doomed to never make it to the floor. Boss’s business team seemed to have the intention of building HUGO as their directional flagship brand under Pieter’s guidance, yet their buyer’s habits remained conservative, at least for the American market, and failed to translate the designer’s vision to the sales floor, minimizing any impact a well received runway presentation could have.

The good news is that with less projects on his plate Pieters could revive his signature menswear line which was proving to be one of the most exciting in Paris before it was shuttered to accommodate Pieter’s work with HUGO.

Front To Back

top, Gianfranco Ferre, 1983

bottom, Jean Charles De Castelbajac, 1984

Sartorial irony and visual puns transformed into elegance and a severe sophstication — that’s what a good sense of humor and an amazing cutter will do for you.

Versace, 1991

Versace, 1991

Versace Ad Campaign, 1991

It was about going back to when we started and then I took myself further still to Adam and Eve and the snake and the tense quality of that, that disturbing thing, and then I thought about Medusa and Versace.

- Raf Simons on his Spring 2010 collection

Gianni Versace was the scion for excess in the 90’s, his Latin-Mediterranean sensuality updating the past decade’s exuberance for a cyber punk- hyper visual world. In the face of minimalism, Gianni excelled at juggling a graphic mélange of pattern and texture that felt current, seductive, humorous, and relevant. And right now, it’s a current in the air…

Bela Lugosi’s Dead/ Bela Lugosi’s Dead

Yves St. Laurent received the macabre treatment when he dressed actress/muse Catherine Deneuve for the 1983 horror/suspense film The Hunger, also starring David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. Deneuve’s wardrobe showed the darkest reaches of St. Laurent’s range — acclimating to the hardness of the 80’s, notably designers Thierry Mugler and Claude Montana, he had French glamor and sexual subversion easing his way.

Perhaps it was this macabre treatment that inspired Martin Margiela’s second reiteration of the squared shoulder in his fall 2007 collection (if in fact it was him). The severity and darkness of the mood is vampire worthy, and certainly those graphic shoulders don’t shy away from Deneuve’s YSL wardrobe, complete with his signature shoulder. But the real give away is the soundtrack of Bauhaus’ Bela Lugosi’s Dead as it creeps along in the opening scene of The Hunger and on Margiela’s catwalk, connecting the two not so disparate visions of the night.

Daul Kim, R.I.P.

I was deeply saddened and disturbed to learn that 20 year old model Daul Kim was found dead in her Paris apartment, speculated to be a suicide.

I was lucky to meet Daul in passing on an elevator a year ago, she was with a group of girls for a casting in the building where I work — clad in a black Mongolian goat jacket that, coupled with her striking Han looks, gave her a presence unlike any model I’ve ever seen. More so, Daul revealed herself to be a curious, thoughtful, and entirely genuine human being as she posted her travels and musings on her blog. When I told her I was fan she thanked me with utter humility and a hint of surprise.

She was clearly loved championed by every facet of the fashion industry that I was aware of. There was the hope and expectation that she, as a young South Korean girl, would go on to be a game changer, adding to the dialogue and setting an example as a model of color in a world dominated by Caucasian preference. And as a South Korean she transgressed the country’s conservative conventions that have long held the nation back as a cultural capitol. I was always rooting for her, anticipating her rise to the top. She will be terribly terribly missed.

YSL Spring 2010

Stefano Pilati put out an enigmatic collection for Spring 2010, though it wouldn’t be the first time. It’s often the rule rather than the exception that his collections’ messages fall on deaf ears only to end up ringing within a few seasons.

What do you all think?

 

Pauline Trigere, 1984

A long but informative and endearing interview with the designer that really makes you understand the hopes of dreams unique to 7th Ave and American fashion. If you can stomach the low-fi 80’s video quality you’ll be in for a terrific story and some fantastic clothes.

Check Mate

Both looks by Pauline Trigere, top image from fall 2009, bottom spring 1950

She (un)famously dressed Holly Golightly’s cougar nemesis in the film adaptation of Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and despite being overshadowed by Parisian hype, Pauline Trigere remains to be one of the most ingenious and dramatic of all American designers. Truly American in her cut, she understood like no other what a simple graphic contrast and sublime expanse of fabric could do for a  garment — appeasing both the wearer and viewer’s interest.

You can view some fine examples of her work at the current FIT exhibit American Beauty.

Per Spook, 1980

Per Spook 1980 Advertisement Campaign

Former YSL designer and director for Louis Feraud, Per Spook was a Norwegian born, French trained designer who upon going out on his own opted for Haute Couture, keeping 3 ateliers for dresses, tailoring, and “fantasy”.

His graphic humor and bold use of color exemplified the easy side of Paris fashion during the late 70’s and early 80’s purveying a spirit of fun and optimism with his peer Jean Charles De Castelbajac.

The current issue of Encens has a rather insightful and enjoyable interview with the designer.