Chris Gill

Posts Tagged ‘fashion’

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

, , , , , , , ,

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.

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

, , ,

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?

Home

, , , , ,

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.

Home

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

%d bloggers like this: