Chris Gill

Archive for the ‘Fashion’ Category

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The Return of the Gentleman

In Arts & Culture, Fashion on October 21, 2012 at 2:17 pm

Menswear Gentleman Trend AW12

Menswear has paid tribute to its past in recent seasons, but can the same be said for men’s values?

Over the past year or so, I have really begun to notice a shift in the way men are dressing. Guys are trading their standard jeans and t-shirts for sharp tailoring, even in casual environments. Could this be the start of a resurgence of the gentleman?

Of course, working in the fashion industry allowed me to see signs of this sartorial restoration quite a few seasons ago. However as we all know, what’s being sent down the runways doesn’t always translate to the high street; this is particularly the case when it comes to menswear.

This trend is different from many others though, in the sense that it goes beyond being just a trend altogether. The dandy approach to dressing harks back to simpler days gone by when men were well-mannered, witty, intelligent, well groomed and culturally aware.

I’m not saying that I fully support the whole “when men were men” notion. I would always consider myself a feminist, and feel that chivalry is something that should work both ways. However, there are definitely situations where we could learn a lot from our history.

What seemed to happen, both in and outside of fashion, is men lost sight of how far they had evolved as a gender. Whether it’s through primitive aggression, ignorant view points or taking no interest in their appearance, men are often stereotyped in society for all the wrong reasons.

So how did this happen? How is it that our forefathers often overshadow our generation of men when it comes to being well-respected members of society? Perhaps we’ve got so caught up in desperately trying to prove ourselves and our masculinity to one another that all these values have been made redundant. Surely a gentleman knows himself well enough to not care what other people think?

Fearing the Femme Fatale

Around the same time the gentleman disappeared from society, women experienced a revolution. No longer just the objects of their husbands, the feminist movement in all its many shapes and forms allowed women to fight against the hands of patriarchy so they could finally have their voices heard.

This process, although incredibly overdue and necessary, undoubtedly had a huge affect on the male ego. Perhaps the entire lad culture is a form of retaliation against the liberation women have continued to experience throughout the years.

Although patriarchy is still more than present in modern day society, one area in which women have always managed to enjoy freedom is fashion. Looking back in time, men once donned everything from top hats to tail coats, as well as all sorts of accessories. Today, the limitations seem to only allow a shirt and tie for formal occasions and a hoodie and jeans for the weekend.

Metro Man

In November 1994, the term metrosexual was coined in an article by English journalist Mark Simpson, who wrote:

“In the Eighties he [the metrosexual man] was only to be found inside fashion magazines such as GQ, in television advertisements for Levi’s jeans or in gay bars. In the Nineties, he’s everywhere and he’s going shopping.”

And so was born the metrosexual, a straight man with gay attributes who normally lives in an urban environment and who cares a lot about his grooming and appearance. The description seemed to portray a type of man who was defying the lad culture that went on to become popularised throughout the 90s.

More recently in 2011, Simpson spoke again about metrosexuality in his eBook Metrosexy – A 21st Century Self-Love Story. In this he argues the enormous impact of metrosexuality on our ideas of masculinity and femininity:

“Contrary to what you have been told, metrosexuality is not about flip-flops and facials, man-bags or manscara. Or about men becoming ‘girlie’ or ‘gay’. It’s about men becoming everything. To themselves. In much the way that women have been for some time. It’s the end of the sexual division of bathroom and bedroom labour. It’s the end of sexuality as we’ve known it.”

Although this concept might sound liberating to many, there’s no denying that metrosexuality has negative connotations within society. With everyone from footballers such as David Beckham to the male cast of reality TV show The Only Way is Essex falling into the metrosexual stereotype, the look seems a million light-years away from the classic gentleman.

Suave Spirit

Whether you allow yourself to be pigeonholed or not, the way we act and present ourselves at any age has a huge effect on the other people that surround us in society. Perhaps a return to the classic gentleman look, and some of his values with contemporary updates, can only be a good thing.

We need to reach a point in society where no matter your sex or sexuality, anyone can hold the door open for anyone else. Label it dandyism or metrosexuality; I just call it good manners.

So whether you apply the tailoring trend to your wardrobe or not, the spirit of the gentleman (or gentlewoman) can be channelled by us all; and will never go out of style.

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The Sadness behind the Sequins

In Fashion, Personal on February 26, 2012 at 9:07 pm

My first experience at London Fashion Week’s womenswear shows reminded me how feminism is still a dirty word in fashion

So the tornado that is London Fashion Week has once again left a trail of trends, tweets and tired faces in its wake. This is the second season I’ve experienced the madness, and the first time I’ve attended any womenswear shows.

The first thing I have to say about this season is how generally unmoving it was.  I was hoping for extremely creative collections designed to make us forget our current economic woes. What we were instead met with were designers playing it safe to produce clearly commercial collections.

Perhaps the problems on the high street have channelled further up into the realms of high-fashion, leading to far less risk-taking. Nevertheless, there were still a few strong collections that got me excited, and it will be interesting to see how some of the new trends translate onto the high street.

I noticed something else this time around at Somerset House, which struck a slightly deeper and ultimately more meaningful chord in me. Perhaps it was due to everyone’s lack of sleep and sheer exhaustion from the whole experience, but an overall feeling of despondency and desperation seemed to resonate throughout the crowds.

As I’ve written previously, my feelings towards fashion echo my feelings towards any art form. I enjoy the process of creation: the story that you unravel in the press release you find on your seat when you arrive at a show, or when the first item from the collection is revealed as a model glides down the runway.

Whether the clothes descend from dreams of ancient Russia, or if their shapes are inspired by insects and animals, the whole procedure is incredibly fascinating. It’s this evolution – from a tiny bug to a giant department store – that ultimately keeps my pen scribbling throughout each show.

I therefore find it deflating when the entire experience of Fashion Week becomes about being spotted and what row you’re sitting in. The desperation of hipsters wanting to be snapped for ‘street style’ blogs becomes so apparent that even Warhol would be turning in his grave.

Beyond this, there’s an even simpler and in some ways more primitive form of rivalry that exists at Fashion Week. It’s an unspoken truth that fundamentally, fashion is not always just a platform for us to express ourselves, but a way for us to impress one another.

So here’s where my problem lies. In supposedly one of the only industries that is not governed by patriarchy, I can’t help but wonder… where are all the feminists in fashion?

Firstly, you may be surprised to hear someone openly refer to themselves as a feminist in this day and age, let alone a male. The way I see it, feminism literally means women should have the same rights as men. What’s so shocking about that? In which case, I believe all men and women should call themselves feminists out of respect.

My issue is that women should be allies and not competitors. For something that is meant to be so liberating, fashion can often lead to situations that feel like a high school beauty pageant and London Fashion Week happens to be one of them. Wherever you look there are distressed women trying to look their best, all the while pretending they’re having the time of their lives.

Of course, the women who appear the saddest are the models. We’re so accustomed to seeing glossy pictures of them in magazines, that we forget entirely that they are actual people. Watching these atypical women move across the catwalk from up close is an entirely different story. Brittle bones poke out of their long slender necks and backs as clothes are draped over them like human coat hangers.

Going backstage after shows during Fashion Week gave me an even closer insight into the lives of these women. Behind their confident stride on the catwalk, many of the models look fragile and exhausted. As I fought my way through the crowds to get an interview with one designer, I couldn’t help but notice the solemn look in their eyes.

Of course it’s not all doom and gloom at Fashion Week and there are many happy and healthy models, designers and writers who attend the shows for all of the right reasons. I just think it’s important that we all realise that feminism does not have to be a dirty word in the fashion world.

Not everyone will agree with my viewpoint on these issues, but it’s important for me to always be honest in my writing. The response I’ve had from speaking to women about the concept of this piece, gave me reason enough to ensure I write it.

It’s important for me to find hope in whatever I’m commenting on, which is why it’s taken me a while to put together a conclusive final section for this article. I guess this subject is a work-in-progress in my mind and I’m sure I’ll go on to explore it further next season.

You never know, perhaps SS13 will see bra-burning make a huge, overdue comeback.

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A New Leaf

In Fashion, Personal on October 25, 2011 at 6:21 pm

Lavenham

As summer faded and the leaves shed from their trees like skin, I recently found myself in a similar stage of transcendence. After spending a year moving in a career direction that clashed with my genuine goals, I guess you could say I was feeling more than a little jaded. After countless complications and setbacks, things have finally taken a turn in the right direction.

I began working as a junior menswear copywriter at fashion website Cocosa three months ago, and have been enjoying every minute of it. The company is still young and going through fast changes, which perfectly coincide with my own professional journey. I’m extremely excited to see how we will both grow.

Of course, what I’m happiest about is the fact that I finally have a day job where I get to write. It may be commercially led, but it’s a lifetime away from selling magazine advertising space to rude clients down the phone. Ultimately, I feel lucky to finally have a job where I get to use my imagination.

The role itself has got me thinking about the concept of fashion and my true feelings towards it. I’ve always had an interest in clothes, but there’s always been something holding me back from delving too far into that dimension. Perhaps in the creative pyramid of music, art and poetry, I have always seen fashion relatively low in the hierarchy. The fashion world felt so oversaturated and overcrowded. It just felt so superficial.

So taking on my role at Cocosa has really opened my eyes to what fashion is, and why it has such significance in the creative universe. When you put the all of the brands and marketing aside, fashion is a form of art.

I’ve delved back into the history of couture to gain a deeper understanding of its origins. I‘ve found a whole new respect not only for designers, but for garment technologists and pattern cutters too. My eyes have been opened to fashion as an industry where skilful people dedicate their lives to something they adore.

This was made even clearer when Cocosa sent me to Suffolk at the beginning of September, to visit the factory of heritage-clothing brand Lavenham. I remember reading about the Lavenham factory and its values during Drapers’ Save Our Skills campaign at the beginning of the year, so I was excited to take a look around myself. I was not disappointed.

Last month, I left the steely greys of the city to be met by the green hues of the country as my train pulled into Sudbury.  Here I was escorted by a friendly old taxi driver, eager to tell me the history of Lavenham before I had even been officially shown around. Once I arrived at the factory, I was met by Lavenham’s UK sales manager Nicky Santomauro who then gave me the famous tour that was once given to Princess Anne.

After tea and biscuits in the quaint visitor’s room, complete with patriotic British flags and an equestrian vibe, I was shown the steps taken to produce a quilted Lavenham jacket. Here I learnt it takes fifteen members of staff fifty-five minutes to make a single jacket, and 2060 are made in just one week.

As I was shown around I was taught more about every step of this process by speaking with individual staff members. I learnt how the quilting machine works, how the jackets are cut, how the pockets are sewn on and how the button-holing machines work.

I also saw that vigorous quality checks are carried out throughout the whole of this process. If something goes wrong and the garment does not meet its standard, the process will start again.  All of my hostile feelings towards the superficial side of fashion started to fade away when faced with such a ruthless procedure. Blood, sweat and tears really go into this labour and the proof is in the high-quality of the results.

Once my tour around the factory had ended I began my interview with Nicky, which got me thinking in depth about clothing manufacturing in the UK. She spoke passionately about the severe shortage of skills and the long-term effects this will have on the industry.

We then spoke about menswear, in particular the country heritage trend and the fantastic impact it has had on the brand. It’s no surprise that Nicky and the rest of the team at Lavenham want the heritage trend to be one that doesn’t quickly go out of vogue.

I left the prettiness of Suffolk to head back to the insanity of London with a warm feeling of pride and enthusiasm in my heart. Fashion, an industry I had once tried to steer clear of to avoid cliché, now has a whole new layer of meaning to it. I see it in a whole new light, like a whole new leaf has been turned.

Behind the gloss and pretence there are hard-working people in the fashion industry with passion and vision. This is what has got me excited again. This is what has got me writing again.

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The Future of Social Media in Fashion

In Fashion on July 4, 2011 at 6:03 pm

Facebook Like

The days of a brand’s success relying solely on the quality of its goods are well and truly over. We live in the digital age, where it is fundamental to harness the power of social media as a marketing tool to avoid being left behind. With global brands such as Nike having over 4 million fans on Facebook, the advertising opportunities appear to be endless. But how much profit really lies behind each “like”?

When reports recently emerged that Facebook’s popularity may be on the wane, it raised serious concerns surrounding the longevity of advertising in social media. Social network monitoring site Inside Facebook suggested that during May, Facebook lost 6 million users in the US and 100,000 in the UK. One theory for this drop-off is that users are feeling bombarded by spam-littered news feeds, leading them to flee the site altogether. It’s becoming clear that for a brand to stay ahead of the game, it needs to find innovative ways to keep its audience engaged online.

The same week that news leaked of Facebook suffering a downfall, online retail giant Net-a-Porter unveiled an interactive element to its website called Net-a-Porter Live. This feature offers visitors a portal into the shopping habits of customers around the world, highlighting in real-time what items they are adding to their shopping baskets and wish lists. This concept is the brand’s first step into developing its own social network.

In a similar vein, the “fashion interaction” company Schway recently produced a multi-channel experience for New Look customers on the Channel 4 website. The B2B service was commissioned to create an application that allows teen shoppers to take a style quiz and then piece together their own collection using a virtual outfit builder. Visitors can click to purchase their creation, share it with their Facebook friends and even get the chance to win a stylist job at New Look.

Although bespoke social networks might only be applicable to the major players in the industry, social media continues to pave the way for smaller brands to communicate their identity. In the same way you would expect to receive first-rate customer service in a small boutique, independent brands can now build relationships with their customers online, encouraging them to become interactive communities.

This notion is exemplified by the social website Velvet Brigade, which allows aspiring designers and trend-obsessed fashionista’s to create their own brand. The websites mission is to “revolutionise the traditional fashion regime” by giving its users the means to express their talent and share their ideas.

While global players may have the budget to invest in huge e-marketing campaigns, they often stumble when it comes to authenticity. This is where an indie brand can triumph and have its voice heard. As we become more experienced in this relatively new form of marketing, it is clear that quality is far more important than quantity in social media. Whether you have a million followers or a humble few hundred, if you don’t interact and build relationships with your fans, you may as well have none.

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Make Yourself

In Arts & Culture, Fashion, Personal, Psychology on June 28, 2010 at 8:29 pm

A long hot coach ride back to London from Southampton last Friday had the potential of being Hell on earth. However, getting to spend the time with none other than my dear friend Jen made it far more heavenly. Our conversations went from discussing how hungover we were feeling and how surprised we were we had both actually made it onto the coach so early, to discussing everything in existence and putting the world to rights. This is the way it tends to go when Jen and I get to spend time together and our tongues begin wagging. It is also what I needed right now in a time when my everyday brain stimulation is close to zero and the amount of time I actually get to think creatively, well, you could probably fit it in a shoebox.

As the coach got closer to my recently found home, the subject got on to scenes. What is it about them that people seem so drawn to (whether they admit it or not)? It appears that most of us have a built in longing for acceptance from our peers consequently leading to us feeling like we belong. I still remember vividly how important the whole MySpace scene appeared five years ago and although Facebook may have added a layer of sophistication to the concept, it still plays its part in creating certain scenes or ‘networks’.

Before I left home and went to uni I lived in a small market town called Hailsham which didn’t even have a train station, leading to a real feeling of being cut off from reality living there. However, through all of its imperfections (and believe me, for someone who always dared to step outside of the norm visually, there were plenty), I look back now with fond memories of sitting in the woods with my friends creating our own world and enjoying being young misfits. I look at kids now at that same age and they already have Blackberry phones and use Facebook chat to organise their weekends. I do hope they still go outside.

However, when Myspace eventually did come along it did kind of serve as a vortex for me into different worlds (or cities) and of course scenes. Before I knew it I was no longer on the outside looking in and I found myself swept up in the ups and downs of the social scene in Southampton. If there is one thing I learnt very quickly when I first arrived in that city, it was how easy it can be to lose yourself in the search for yourself. However, its amazing what a couple of years can bring, and along with many life long friends that each have a very special place in my heart, came a feeling of my own identity that I had come to terms with.

As a teenager I idolised Brandon Boyd, the artistic singer/songwriter from the band Incubus. He represented everything I aspired to be: poetic, creative and of course unique. One of his main beliefs which inspired me greatly was the idea of being your own person entirely, and having the guts to ‘make yourself’. This can of course become a tiring, full time occupation. Particularly when you are being scrutinised and put under constant judgement  from the people around you. But being true to yourself really does have its benefits in the long run.

These days it appears that the only way to step outside of the norm is to have a ‘gaga’ sense of style, or hang around East London wearing a kitchen sink on your head. However in my eyes, Brandon Boyd never had to wear a kitchen sink on his head to appear unique. This thought reminded me of how important what we have to say and create is compared to the ‘must have’ clothing people seem to spend their days thinking about obtaining.

Once again, a spanner is thrown into the works and by leaving what had very much become my comfort zone I find myself in a large, noisy new city where I hardly know a soul and once again I am questioning who it is I am. As I discussed different areas of London with Jen on the coach journey debating where it will be I will find myself next, I began to realise how unimportant it is where any scene may currently reside.

The Southampton scene appears to have found East London, many East London cool kids are apparently now heading South, and I’m sure by the time winter arrives it will be somewhere else entirely. But who really cares? I have found myself in so many different clubs and parties in my time, walking through rooms of people having meaningless conversations just to hear themselves talk. I have worn many different looks, had several hair colours and attitudes but the only one that remains the same and constant is the need for genuine, interesting people around you and a clear focus of what it is you want out of life. This is the one sentiment that remains the same no matter what network, scene or zone you find yourself in.

I’ll leave you with some lyrics from an Ani Difranco song that really sum these thoughts up. Genius.

“I’m torn
rejecting outfits offered me
regretting things I’ve worn
when I was still playing roles
in order to fill holes
in my conception of who I am
you know, now I understand
it’s not important to be defined
it’s only important to use your time well
well time is something nobody can buy
and nobody can sell you
so don’t let anybody tell you
they have the advantage.”

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Back to the Future

In Arts & Culture, Fashion on May 26, 2010 at 2:41 pm

Retro-futuristic design displays the portrayal of the future produced in the past (usually associated with the 1920s through to the 1960s). This can be both in science fiction and nonfiction futurism such as looking at advancements in technology.

Retro-futurism  in fashion significantly interests me, as it is often made up of visions from the past of clothing that might be worn in the future. The outfits usually envisioned have been either skin-type or one-piece garments often worn together with plastic boots. The assumption seemed to be throughout history that clothing of the future would be androgynous and highly uniform.

Here is an example of some predictions made by American fashion designers from the 1930s of what men and women might be wearing in the year 2000:

Although some of the clothing may be completely off the mark, I can imagine Lady Gaga, Grace Jones, Björk or even Rihanna wearing some of these garments. Particuarly the first outfit with its angular shoulders and on trend military uniform appearance.

Here are some more examples of retro-futurism in fashion, film and art:



Personally I can’t get enough of retro-futurism in fashion; what are your thoughts on the trend?

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Who’s that unedited girl?

In Fashion, Photography on May 25, 2010 at 4:46 pm

Now this blogsite is in no way going to be used for celebrity gossip; there are enough blogs and websites already out there with this content. I want to focus on what people are creating.

However I could not help but notice these unedited pictures of the iconic pop artist appearing on the internet this week taken from her Louis Vuitton photo shoot. Madonna, who must have been photographed more than most other people on the planet, is seen in a far different light from ever before. Raw and unedited.

In my opinion, for a woman in her fifties the singer does not look half bad. However there is an awful lot of criticism circulating the internet about how much she has been airbrushed. Here is an example of one of the images used in the final campaign:

Although stereotypically the icon looks far ‘better’ and more youthful in this image, it is uninspiring and artificial. Therefore my only criticism would be for an artist who has spent their career pushing boundaries and causing controversy, perhaps it would be far more bold for Madonna to put out a raw shoot on her own accord. Why is there even so much pressure for every line, freckle or scar to be removed in fashion or any other media platform? I was taught how to remove blemishes from images in college and have used the technique time and time again but never really questioned why am I doing it. Who decides what is beautiful, and if it is us are we having our minds made up for us? What are your thoughts on the unedited images? Do you think they would still be as effective if not airbrushed? Or perhaps like me, more effective?

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Steampunk

In Fashion, Music on May 14, 2010 at 3:59 pm

The current economic climate has created a yearning for escapism in many different forms which can be utilized through fashion. The desire to look back at days gone by when a lot of society was content with a simpler existence works alongside the need to look ahead to a hopeful future not yet known. A unique subculture known as Steampunk seems to connect these aspirations together, combining vintage elements of the past with a futuristic edge and scientific feel.

First made popular in the 1980s and early 90s, Steampunk was originally a subgenre of fantasy and speculative fiction that is set in an era where steam power is used far and wide. Steampunk tends to integrate modern styles with the Victorian era, including corsets, gowns, tailored suits and sometimes military inspired garments. The exceptional world of Steampunk is starting to come into sight from the subversive scenes it was created; onto the runway and even some high street shops such as Levi’s where you can now purchase brown, acid-washed denim jeans, or All Saints with their ripped old-time shirts. Jewellery sites such as Retroscope Fashions are also exploring the extraordinary look with neo-Victorian gothic wear.

Like all subcultures Steampunk also has its own genre of music, although there has been a lot of debate to what it actually sounds like. Icelandic musician Björkhas been described as having Steampunk elements to some of her music, blending electronics and distortion with roaring twenties big band sounds and industrialism. The majority of actual Steampunk bands however are relatively unknown, for example bands such as ‘Raspuntina’ and ‘Vernian Process’ offer orchestral, metallic sounds that fall directly into the category. Possibly the most visually prevalent band that offer comparisons to the Steampunk music genre are Abney Park, a Seattle based group that formed in 1997. They mix industrial dance with world music, and have released eight studio albums that have won them a cult fan base.

Originally made popular with people in the goth, punk and cyber subcultures, it seems that Steampunk fashion is ready to make a huge impact right across the spectrum and appeal to a diverse range of people willing to use their imaginations. It will be exciting to watch the unique trend move over ground and influence society in a time where a departure from the norm is so necessary.

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