I love headpieces!
I love this collection. The shirts are so sculptural and the headpieces presented with them, set the skirts off brilliantly.
These headpieces are based on a hat making custom among the Herero women of Southern Africa.
The Herero come from a lifestyle of cattle ranchers. During the 19th century they were subjected to German colonisation, consequently coming under the influence of German missionaries who took exception to their "lack of dress". Eventually the woman were encouraged to completely cover themselves up. They developed a dress that falls to the ankles with long sleeves and a bodice that
comes up to the neck.
They top this dress off with a uniquely shaped headpiece, which is said to pay homage to the horns of their prized cattle.
Check this site and watch a Herero woman preparing her headpiece. It's fascinating, as she does it all by feel, never once looking in a mirror.
I have made one myself. It was quite challenging, but very satisfying to achieve.
Rei Kawakubo invites highly talented people to collaborate on her collection headpieces.
Stephen Jones, the English milliner extraordinaire, being one of them.
His collaboration with CdG began in the 80s
In an interview Stephen Jones carried out with Katharine K. Zarrella, May 2014, he discussed his creative relationship with Rei Kawakubo.
The brief usually consists of something like "black", "animal" or "romantic." Sometimes he doesn't even get that, i.e. "there is no brief." Rei Kawakubo's briefs are never about specifics. She wants the hats/headpieces to be an unexpected element in the collection, to be something that "almost has nothing to do with the collection." It's like randomness is the buzz. If the hats SJ has designed don't work, he is told exactly that! Sometimes, what RK wants does not make sense to SJ, but when he sees it "in situ", it does.
The spring/summer 2006 RTW CdG collection was the first time Stephen Jones worked with Rei Kawakubo for some 20 years, and his creative approach resulted in the most wonderful crowns.
In the interview mentioned above, SJ was asked this question, maybe his answer kinda explains why he was asked to do the headwear for this collection, after such a length of time since the previous one.
And this is my take on a crown headpiece, a teddy bear crown. Seven teddy bears glued together, making a crown. A bit of fun...
Another CdG collection collaboration with Stephen Jones was 2006/07 A/W. A fabulous work. It is about "the persona" - what is in front and what is behind. Fascinating concept concerning the complexities of disguises we construct to represent our selves to the world. Comme des Garcons 'Persona' is a study in masculinity and feminity, and Stephen Jones headpieces beautifully depicted that mask of disguise.
When I wrote the word 'Persona' regard CdG's above collection, I immediately remembered Ingmar Bergman's minimalist psychological drama, filmed in 1966.
It is about a catatonic actress, Elisabet, who is being cared for by a young nurse called Alma. It is an intense story concerning anxieties and relationships (Bergman's speciality really) filmed in beautiful black and white. The visual climax is the split screen visage of Alma and Elisabet as they appear to have become one face...the merging of 2 into 1.
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| Woody Allen was influenced by "Persona" in his film 'Love and Death'. My take on the 2006/07 A/W Collection, however my beret headpiece seems a bit more 'Elephant Man'! |
Stephen Jones also collaborated on the CdG A/W 2007 RTW collection. It is a rather quirky collection. Apparently RK was tired of mundane everyday fashion (she has never been into that!) and wanted something that would take us into another world. Fashion writer Sarah Mower, described it as "something that seemed to start with an exploration of the tender parts of the developing psyche". Minnie Mouse hats and tiny baby frocks sewn to the front of dresses. It was very sweet and playful. I have referred to it in a previous blog.
He also worked on the A/W 2008 collection. I thought this one had a delightfully "trashy" aspect to it, and SJ's head wear was great. RK was quoted as saying, "There's value in bad taste". The collection involved lots of tulle, hairnet veils, lattices of elasticated straps and the hats, fab. faux fur hats. R.K. does not use real fur.
My take on this "bad taste" collection with a pink faux fur hat.
I came across a 'showstudio' designer pattern download for a Stephen Jones hat. It's a great pattern to download and create so you can have your own very cool SJ headpiece to wear.
This is what is involved.....
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| Print off the A4 sheets to create the outer hat and lining patterns. |
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| Tape the pieces in the correct order and cut out the fabric. |
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| Follow the instructions, make darts in outside hat, tucks in the lining. Create petersham band section, and put it all together. and et voila......an exaggerated beret.  The CdG S/S 2012 collection, 'White Drama', is another one with wonderful headpieces. 
This collection was described as being about ritual and traditional draping in white, the classic white western tradition being marriage. It is an all white collection, satins, lace, white flowers with sleeves being a significant detail. One fashion journalist wondered if it was life and death coordinating together, who would know...
Three different artists contributed to the headpieces, and apparently none of them had ever made a hat before!
Gary Card, a talented set designer, was given 3 words for the brief, "white, rubber and object". Remember it's the accident of it all coming together that R.K. is always looking for. Card worked with dog chew toys, rubber animals and clown dolls. Latex and rubber also appeared. This combination resulted in unique, inflated amorphous forms.
 
Kohei Nawa, a Japanese sculptor, created 11 of the headpieces. He describes his 'brief' communication as Rei Kawakubo waving her hands above her head enigmatically, saying "White". Working with organic spray of heated polyurethane resin and Bangladeshi cartoon masks, Nawa created dramatic pieces which RK was very happy with. Supposedly she said "This was exactly the kind of accident I was hoping for".
I think Christian Astuguevielle was the 3rd artist, but it's hard to get a complete handle on his contribution. I wonder if he created this hat, but I'm not 100% sure.
Anyway, they were all crazily cool "hats", and really set this collection off in an innovative field of its own.
Look at this link, for a beautiful video of the 'White Drama' exhibition in Paris.
Some of the headpieces in CdG collections are like fabulous coils of hair hats, as in the 1999 S/S & 2001 S/S collections.
A very innovative artist known as Julien d'Ys may have created these, 'cos hair pieces are very much his creative thing, like these ones, for example, his collaborations on the CdG 2009 S/S and 2010 S/S. Wonderful candy floss creations. He has worked with Rei Kawakubo since 1991.
2009 S/S
2010 S/S
This guy is fascinating, check out this site for how he goes about his creative work. I'm interested in the way his assistants help him in the work. The people who work with these talented artists are often an important aspect of their creations.
One of the latest collaboration between R.K. and Julien d'Ys is the CdG. Spring/Summer 2014. R.K.wanted every model to have a different hairstyle, so J d'Y's imagination ran away with him "wanting to create wrapped sheets of black fabric around paint-stripped hair to blur the boundaries between beauty and sculpture.."(according to 'Dazed & Confused'). It's quite different to his previous headpieces I have featured isn't it..
   
Go on to this web site and take in the actual collection
then go to this web site, and look at Julien d'Ys scrapbooks, they are so cool.
I think this is also Julien d'Ys headpiece work. This time for CdG Junya Watanabe...bit different aren't they, but just as wonderful.
 
More Julien d'Ys cool headpieces, but not CdG clothing.
I love this plastic, sticky tape and bubble wrap headwear RK used in her 2001 S/S collection, I did refer to previously. It just seems so "unwhat you would expect in such a collection", yet totally appropriate and cool ...don't you love it. I wonder what the brief was that RK gave to her collaborators?
(and just me, having fun with a plastic taped piece of work I found in my classroom last Friday.)
Another plastic CdG one, but different. Kinda spacey I think. Comes from the 2009 S/S collection, but don't know the artist who designed/created it. A great collection.
What about these head pieces? They are an advertisement for Benetton, wonderful pieces of colours created from skeins of wool. It's kinda reminiscent of Julien's work, and a bit of visual fun.
Now for a slightly different headpiece...this 2012 A/W collection was all about 2D, which I imagine is the brief RK gave to the artists who collaborated on the project, i.e "flat".
This is another interesting 'headwear' collection. CdG S/S 2013 Menswear, which was titled "Poor King". The collaboration was with Fleet ILya, who are a London based leather fashion & bondage label. I think I can see that.
It is amazing what artist and designers conceive then create when it comes to headpieces. These concepts are right up my textiles street....
 
and Karl Lagerfield's, 'Chair Hat & Upholstered Dress', from 1985. It is a lovely composition, with the fanteuil brooch, tufted ottoman dress and chair matching the hat or vice versa.
I have a wonderful 'Fashion' book, which I sometimes use with my Junior classes. It has all sorts of cool ideas relating to fashion and clothing, like these pages about 'the Beret'.
 
I love this design by one of my juniors (Year 7 or 8) from a couple of years back
Isn't it a lovely play on the word beret. It's got an Elsa Schiaparelli look to it. I think it would make up beautifully. One day I will give it a go.
There is no end to cool headpieces in a fashion shoot. Isn't this a great composition for showing off fashion clothing.
(Courtesy Italian Vogue...who always demonstrate fabulous style)
This Performance Art piece, 'La Cura', created by Studio Toogood (a fascinating London design business) is based around the humble everyday day cream Nivea. The 'nurses', in cool headwear, handed out balls of white clay to the visitors, encouraging them to create something that expressed their current state of mind/mood, whatever. Check this website for further images on this wonderful concept, especially the cool headwear.
 
This is a work from the fab. textiles artist Maria Blaisse. She creates cool sculptural stuff. This particular work of hers inspired one of my own, but I created mine in felt. It's a circle shape known as a 'chapeau ring' , which you can shape however you like. At the time I constructed these, I was into a Victorian bonnet look.
  This is Neil Moodie's neat concept "Hairts"...hair and hats together. It's considered a way to cover your hair up with a hat that looks like a hairstyle. Fun, ....can you see Grace Jones there, and Elvis..?  
And, the wonderful traditional paper hat....it too, can make a cool fashion statement.(Why is he grabbing his crotch?)
Your first folds of the newspaper sheet create a Captain's Hat
continue folding, and you create a Fireman's Hat
 
and fold some more, and it will become an Explorer's Hat
carry on folding, and it turns into a Pirate's Hat
then press the paper flat again, pinch the two side points and pull them apart, which creates a boat....
then a storm at sea occurs, and the boat loses its stern and bow...
plus the bridge is also lost.......
and nothing is left but the captain's shirt!
This wonderful paper folding story is a creation of Lillian Oppenheimer, who was an origami pioneer. See this web site for further information on Lillian Oppenheimer's life story.
and this site will give you instructions for the Captain's Hat story
And final headpiece, I see a rather surreal 'Flying Nun'! What do you see?
SLTSLTBsigning off
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