SoLoveToSewLikeTheBoys

Remember these two vase like CdG creations from my previous blog?
I'm making them bloom this time, as Spring is in the air.......

and flowers always brighten a day.

Let's start with a glorious Autumn 2009 Jil Sander collection.
Raf Simons was the Creative Designer at the time and he designed garments inspired by the 1950s vases made by French ceramics designer, Pol Chambost.
Pol Chambost was one of a group of french designers, who created ceramics in a modernist style during the post-war years.

Pol Chambost vases

One of Chambost's ceramic vases appears in the film 'Mon Oncle', Jacques Tati's 1958 satire on modernity, because it was recognised as a strong image of late 50s modern design.

Take this link and see how it played out in the film. It is approximately 1 minute 8 seconds in. When I saw this film, I remember being intrigued with the constant tip-tap tip-tap of shoes inside the house. It was like being inside a hollow concrete bunker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmTnJFLZJtA

Raf Simons' designed clothing demonstrated wonderful scuptural curves, folded-back flanges and molded volumes, ala the Chambost ceramics.

 
Simons had discovered Chambost's work in the late 1980s "I've loved Chambost's modernist flower pieces for years. They're so modern, but so feminine with such a softness in their forms and wonderful colours. So simple and very pure. I wanted to use that language in a Jil collection by bringing in colours from the inside to the outside, and introducing shapes that seem to grow into something else."

Rei Kawakubo has always liked flowers.

A CdG Pop-Up Store Giant Rose Prop

One of the earliest CdG collections that is available on the internet, is the S/S 1991 one. It is quite tame compared to more contemporary CdG collections, but the flower headpieces are rather cool.

In the CdG Autumn 1995 "Sweeter than Sweet" collection, flowers were very prominent. Bear in mind it is the early days, when RK loved her black, her raw, her dis-stressed. This collection was seen as her most romantic and feminine to date. As well as incorporating flowers in the designs, RK encouraged and emphasised flower shapes, creating unique ways in which they could be worn.

My take on the wearing of a flower shape, a floral cowl neck collar. 

CdG's Fall 2005 'Broken Brides' collection had RK conceptualizing about a non-traditional tribute to brides.  She was demonstrating anti-conservatism, yet each model wore a veil. What set these veils apart from more traditional bridal ones, were the flowers  made out of paper, plastic, feather and tinsel. I like the idea of  black and white plastic flowers making up my wedding veil.

Here's a closer look at those veils surmounted by the various flowers forms, courtesy of the glorious 'Bloom' publication (more on that a bit later on).

Comme des Garcons S/S 2012 'White Drama' collection was equally inspiring. 

It was interpreted as a collection that tracked a progression through life's dramatic events...birth, marriage, death, transcendence...the colour white was considered a representation of these traditions, and flowers proved to be an appropriate design feature. 

Apparently this was the first season Rei Kawakubo had worked with all white.

The collection was inspirational for artist Kamila Maslowska. She interpreted it in this flower piece. Click on the link below to experience her full work. 

https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/1688/comme-des-garcons-white-drama

Have a look at the CdG Homme S/S 2016's collection.
A fascinating expression of aggression, seduction, armour, war and peace. Sliced and re-spliced jacket panels, resembling plates of armour, and male models with flowers...beautiful work.

Just taking a pose similar to the guy in the upper right image, due to the armour like piece I am wearing, similar to his. (My one was inspired by the CdG S/S 2010 collection and is constructed from felt.)

Many a clothing designer is inspired by flowers, maybe none more renowned than Christian Dior. 

The Victoria & Albert Museum held a 'Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams' exhibition earlier this year. It looked like it was a fabulous exhibition, tracing the history and impact Dior had on fashion during his lifetime. 

This link will give you an informative look into Dior's love of a garden.

https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/christian-dior-gardens-inspiration

If you want to take a closer look at the Christian Dior S/S 2020 RTW collection, which is mentioned at the end of the above article, this is a link that will get you there. It is described as Maria Grazia Chiuri's (the current  Dior Creative Director) nod to Dior's lifelong devotion to a garden. I was especially interested in the coverage section relating to Dior's sister, Catherine, a woman who had experienced life, as it was at that time in history.
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2020-ready-to-wear/christian-dior


A 'Flower Room' was a major aspect of the V & A Dior exhibition. It displayed wonderful flower inspirations found in many of  Dior's designs.

 




Check out how that 'Flower Room' evolved. It's fantastic.
Oh, how I love the V & A and what they do!
https://www.facebook.com/victoriaandalbertmuseum/videos/628444280907965/?v=628444280907965

One other designer who created astounding creations inspired by flowers....Alexander McQueen.

This fabulous coat, for example. The jacquard weave rose effect has a beautiful tapestry like appearance.

 

This is from his A/W 2008 collection, and was described as "a tudor rose sleeve detail"

The Alexander McQueen A/W 2019 collection delivered some garments in a similar vein to the above. This time it is Sarah Burton who is the Creative Director, and some of what she designed was described as "a thicket of tucks at the bodice from which explodes wild yardages of fabric resembling huge roses." Isn't it glorious.

The fuschia satin sleeves, which are draped into rose-like petal shapes are work of superb tailoring. Are we still looking at 'tudor rose' inspiration?

What is this 'tudor rose'?

It evolves from  The War of the Roses. 

The House of Lancaster and the House of York, didn't get along too well....vying for power here, vying for power there...

eventually the two houses came together, creating the House of Tudor, and the rest is history. (The Tudor rose was to be seen as a symbol of peace and unity, following the Lancaster and York civil wars.) 

The infamous Richard III (1452 -1485) was the last king of the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of  Bosworth Field was the last battle of the War of the Roses, and marked the end of the Middle Ages in England.

I once undertook a design collection, which took on the story of ..

"I'll entertain a score or

two of tailors to study

fashions to adorn my body."

and ended up with my take on Richard..

"A horse

A horse

My kingdom for a horse!"

If you are interested in the history of The War of the Roses, take this link, you can follow it in 3 minutes, so they say. I would still need pen and paper beside me to record some notes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-c5K4pcBXA

There is another "The War of the Roses', the 1989 film, a dark comedy based upon the 1981 novel by Warren Adler, starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny de Vito. Try this link if you are at all interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugYOTAvcMi8

I previously mentioned the 'Bloom' publication. It is a fabulous magazine/booklet, whatever you wish to call it, which explains itself as... 

'The first trend magazine

for flowers and plants

and how they relate to fashion,

interiors and other industries'

Click on this site to gain some interesting background on Bloom's originator, Lidewij Edelkoort.  I like how she accepted where her skills were at, and then went for it.
https://www.thegreengallery.com/en/issue-8/interview-li-edelkoort

I love the images in Bloom publications. The colours, the textiles, the connections, and the creative inspiration that comes from them (like how an Irving Penn photograph inspiring a textile daisy, and another vase inspiration, for example).

This is kinda CdG like.

Fab floral headpieces...

and beards. (I'm sure I saw a TV ad the other day, that had something like this in it)

Of course I loved this piece that featured in Bloom Issue 11 (It featured in one of my previous blogs, the CdG SS 2004 collection, those fabulous skirts)

flower dance

petal-perfect pirhouette

skip hop blossom

tulip twirl

 and these Bloom images of cool vases and flowers, they make me think about...

Ikebana.

The Japanese art of "arranging flowers" or "making flowers alive".

Ikebana developed during the 7th century, when floral offerings were often made at alters. 

It invoves more than arranging flowers. It is arranging stems, leaves, and flowers in the vase, which brings out the inner qualities of the flowers.

Contemporary Ikebana is an inspirational take on traditional Ikebana. The vases and the props help to deliver a cool modernity.

This is a link to an interesting article discussing the historic and modern aspects of Ikebana. I particularly like the arrangement which works with a withered apple as an expression of the various stages of life.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/06/t-magazine/ikebana-japanese-flower-art.html

Here are some of those Dover Street Market t-shirts that are mentioned in the above article

I mentioned Irving Penn before, a very cool photographer, he of a minimilist style against a plain background. My first introduction to Penn's work was via Issey Miyake fashion photography, but as  noted, he also produced fascinating images of flowers

David Bailey, famous fashion photographer of the swinging 60s, also got into flowers. He said "Flowers are hard to photograph because they're so beautiful to start with. You just don't know what to do with them."

And even Robert Mappelthorpe worked with flowers.

I came across this NZ photographer of flowers, Emma Bass, at my hairdresser's the other day,

I was quite taken by 'Interrupted Eden', artificial flowers on Piha Beach, 'a comment about human impact on natural environments.' There's something about the seagulls that are captured in the shot, particularly the one at 11.00 o'clock, which I really like...how good of them to be there at that right moment.

Much of Bass' work is inspired by the vase she uses, and she has a wonderful collection to choose from.

This one, 'Marie Antionnette', so appropriate.

Now, back to my particular medium, fabric.

Textile Artist, Magda Wojtyra's marvellous Flower Blanket, measuring approximately 2m in diameter, gave impetus to....

...my 110cm x 65cm Arum Lily.

Together with Marc Ngui, Magda Wojtyra makes up 'Happy Sleepy'.

In 2012, they participated in the Canadian-Japanese collaboration, 'Field Trip Project', which toured Japan from August 2012 to January 2014, in the locations affected by the 2011 tsunami.

This is their textile art work, 'Yuuki Flower'. (It has the hint of a samurai warrior to me.) 

Click on the link, if you wish to know more about the Field Trip Project, and to take a closer look into Yuuki Flower.

https://happysleepy.com/exhibitions/field-trip-project/

I'm into flower creations, years ago, this one, constructed to be worn on the shoulder.

It is made from some of the pinwale corduroy I used to create a skirt, which was inspired by the CdG S/S 2004 skirts.

When I created my wearable flower collar, I was then encouraged to make an Origami Flower Hip Belt out of the left over silk organdy fabric.

I originally posted these instructions on my 2015 Origami blog

This time, I have actually tried them out. Like so many of this type of thing in a magazine/book/etc, the instructions do leave a bit to the imagination. Here is a translation, if you would like to have a go.

Cut a piece of satin 27 x 120cm (I used organdy)

Make small hems all around

Mark the middle, then fold according to diagram 1,2,3-4,5 & 6

Follow the folding instructions

7. Finish your flower by holding it with some hand stitched.

8. Cut 45cm from satin.  Fold again until you get a width of 17cm, fix the folds in some places with small hand dots.  Double witha 17cm satin band.  Finished, the belt is 15cm wide.  Adjust it to your hip.

9. Cut 4 triangles & join them in pairs, then sew them at each end fo the belt.  Cut off the ribbons & fix them to the tops of the triangles.

10. Attach your flower to the belt.

Like I say, it is not a straight forward set of instructions to follow, doesn't tell you which side up, doesn't give any measurements along the length, etc. Anyway, I did what I did, and it has sort of worked out. 

You could probably make something just as cool, using this method of folding the fabric around an octagonal shape, which creates this fabric flower.

I think it would be effective stitched onto the pleated band, like the Martine Sitbon origami one.

Look into this site for more information if you are interested.

https://oliverands.com/community/blog/2015/10/origami-roses.html

I have a couple of creative Year 9 students working with floral themes in their class project.
Molly is painting delicate daisies, as an all over pattern, very sweet in pink,

and Leticia is painting lovely roses along the hem of her skirt.

 I think we will just overlock the edge, because if we hem it, those wonderful roses will be folded away, and I wouldn't want that.

I was given some cool flower print, kinda retro, fabric, viscose rayon, it has a lovely drape, and there was just enough to make myself a comfy flowery dress.  Roll on summer!

Also made my own Ikebana t-shirt, inspired by those Dover Street ones. I've gone for the cool withered apple arrangement, expressing the various stages of life.

Last thing to do with flowers relates to when I was teaching at Bexleyheath School, a few years ago now, but never forgotten. I asked some students to create floral collages. I love Lawrence's 'A Bowl of Foliage'

and these gorgeous graduated flowery flames.

I'm going to finish with one of my most favourite flowers. Something I share with Vincent.

William Blake's 'Ah Sunflower', read by Allen Ginsberg, and is Ginsberg coping with emotion at the end, or is it just me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jySDWBowDnY

Flowers, forever will express the love and joy, that is found in life.
SLTSLTBsigning off.