For my new fashion paper at uni we're looking at how fashion influences and in turn is influenced by politics. We have a number of options such as religion, gender, environmental aspects, etc., that we can choose to look at and eventually design a collection around. For my "theme" I have chosen to look at how fashion is implicated with the gender roles in society. This decision was promoted by my purchase of the most recent issue of LOVE magazine, which focuses on androgyny. They have a number of covers, and I ended up with the cover featuring Kate Moss, however this was not my favorite cover. They released three different covers with one cover of Kate, one of Lea T and one of Kate and Lea T kissing; I personally think the last one is the best cover and wish I could have found that one (seen below).
Although this is now a relatively old issue, (February 7th 2011). I still thought I'd feature it because it started off my newfound interest. Before reading this magazine I was very sure that I preferred women to look like women, I liked the Hips, I liked the bum and I loved the breasts. However I'm now not quite so sure, I'd seen plenty of androgynous styling both in fashion and music, however the look never really held interest for me. However this issue, intrigued me as not only does it feature boys who look like girls, and girls who look like boys, but it features trans-gender model Lea T who I find to be unworldly beautiful and to top it off she also takes excellent photographs.
So, when I was given my new assignment, there was really no question of which subject I would choose to follow as I now held a more interest in how gender roles were defined by clothing. So last night and this morning I trawled the Internet looking at how designers had incorporated androgynous aspects into their collections and photo-shoots. I think one of the most exciting parts of research is making the mood boards as I got to print off every picture I loved and stick it down. As I was researching I grew increasingly fascinated in how especially the women became a new type of beautiful, which I'm sure many of you may have noticed before, but alas, I had not.
It has also made me appreciate the simple, clean designs in ways that before I had dismissed, such was my previous prejudice to those who seemed to shun the female form in their work. This new found obsession with this somewhat un-idealized beauty had got me super excited for my fashion class on Tuesday, as well as to see how I can use androgyny in my own designs. I think that Vivienne Westwood was right when she said:
"In the pursuit of art you will discover the human race, and it will give you purpose and meaning"
That women is a genius...
Lots of Love
Audrey Megan
No comments:
Post a Comment