This image relates to a collaboration between Katsuhiro Otomo and Comme des Garcons.
I don't know all that much about Katsuhiro Otomo, apart from his being a manga artist, animator and screenwriter, who created Akira. His collaborations with CdG relate back to 2013.
I am taken with the monarch type warrior in the image, the crown, the armour, the technology.
Is this a 22nd century samurai king?
It's the image of a 12th century Norman King that makes me think this. The King is wearing his crown over a chainmail suit of armour with hood or coif.
So, armour's the thing this time.
Armour has been in use throughout recorded human history, which is a rather sad indictment on us as people who have trouble living peacefully together on our pale blue dot of a planet.
Armour began with animal hides, leather and bone, then progressed to bronze, then steel, then on to the modern fabrics of today, Kevlar and Dyneema.
What the hell is Dyneema?
This site informed me, https://science.howstuffworks.com/dyneema.htm
And this video will show you how it's marketed. What does it make you think?
For the Fall 2016/17 collection, Comme des Garcons Homme Plus delivered 'Armour of Peace'.
It was explained as Rei Kawakubo presenting a "poetic" message about the state of the world. And, what was going down in the world at that time? Check this out to remind you...https://www.cfr.org/blog/ten-most-significant-world-events-2016
I remember driving home and hearing on the radio when Trump was elected, and when Brexit was voted in. Both unbe****inglievable! And in November, will I be saying, "Absolutely unbe****inglievable!!"?
The CdG Homme Plus collection.
Wonderful tailoring took elements of armour and reworked them into men's suits, using jacquards and floral brocades.
Were the models wearing floral headpieces as messages of love and grace? You could look at it that way.
In this collection you see:
- Couters: Plates that guard the elbow
- Spaulders: Plates that cover the shoulder and part of the upper arm
- Pauldrons: Dome-shaped pieces that cover the shoulder and the armpit
- Cuisse: Plate that curved over the thighs and protected them
- Poleyns: Plates that covered the knee
Check them out as they appear on a classic suit of armour.
As stated in the excellent Irenebringtion blog, "The level of technicality behind the collection was particularly intriguing because it played with armoured articulations....The most interesting point, though, was the fact that most pieces remained wearable and desirable for women as well." I definitely see it in some of the coats. There's something particularly hardy and protective about this one.
I do not know if this arm piece came out of the CdG Homme Plus 2016-17 collection, but it's definitely articulated armour inspired!
Tilda Swinton is wearing something similar in this fabulous shot. Do not know the designer/maker, but isn't it the whole ensemble marvellous. The arm piece is so fabulously articulated, and the eyelet straps/harness add to the whole persona. The tartan could be her family one, but I don't really know.
It is interesting that Rei Kawakubo's CdG Fall 2016/17 collection, '18th-Century Punk', also demonstrated some cool aspects of articulated armour within the astounding garments. Floral jacquards were also on creative display.
You can see Pauldrons, Poleyns, Couters and Rerebraces.
This is my take on the above creation, in sweater form. You can see it has a couter/elbow design feature.
Comme des Garcons Spring 2010, 'Adult Delinquent' collection, also presented aspects of armour. Mainly in the Pauldron and Faulds (stomach section). So cool.
And my approach in a slightly softer form, brown felt.
Here's an impressive shot of a Yohji Yamamoto garment with arm armour and sword.
Is it an evocation of Joan of Arc?
She is the classic female icon in armour.
Interesting how Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres has painted her in a feminine way, with long hair and a patterned skirt over her armoured legs.
Historical records present Joan of Arc as a woman with short black hair who wore shirts with shorts, doublets, leggings and boots.
Here's an interesting article on the subject of "misgendering of Joan of Arc".
And a quote from the article "Nonetheless, contemporary queer artists and writers are reframing Joan as an icon of trans and Christian identity". Read a little bit further and the 2022 Globe production, 'I, Joan' is sited.
Want to know more, this Guardian article will assist.
And what may Joan have looked like, not sure about this article, but it has some interesting bits, the one thing I do query - I thought she was illiterate - how did she write the letter they mention? I believe she could sign her name. So, did she dictate it to a scribe, then sign it?
In 1936 Vita Sackville-West published a biography of Joan of Arc,
with Joan's cross-dressing being of particular interest, "One wonders what her feelings were, when for the first time, she surveyed her cropped head and moved her legs unencumbered by her red skirt." Much of this sentiment, Vita herself could identify with. She went through a period cross-dressing as an alter-ego male, called Julian.
This is an interesting article pertaining to cross-dressing Joan being a LGBTQ role model. I am particularly interested in the various artworks that are presented.
There are always fascinating Joan of Arc fashion shoots.
The quote at the beginning...
'I never committed a mortal sin. Because in that case my voices would have reproached me, my Spirits would have abandoned me.'
And,
Florentina Leitner's collection was Joan of Arc inspired, with many J. of A. films providing visual stimulus, Carl Theodor Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc" making special mention.
I don't think there are any scenes of Joan in armour in his film. Dressed in male attire, yes, but not the classic Joan in armour. Renee Falconetti is riveting in the title role.
Film buffs, you may be interested in this very good critique of the film.
And of course, there is always Alexander McQueen's Fall 1998 'Joan' collection.
Here's some interesting analysis of the collection.
That aspect of articulated armour, particularly in the pauldron, is seen on the NASA Artemis mission programme astronauts, Drew Feustell and Zena Cardman, who participated in mock moonwalks wearing training suits weighing more than 80 lbs (36 kgs) to simulate a real suit's range of motion and weight in lunar gravity. What fascinating jobs some people have!
What's a little armoured one?
A Latin American Armadillo.
It's tough skinned, it can take whatever you say about it!
One of the things that got me conceiving my theme, is this scene from the Bayeux Tapestry, which is actually an embroidery, as opposed to a tapestry.
Here we see William the Conqueror's man servants carrying the chainmail onto the boats, in preparation for crossing the English channel. As you can see, it is taking 2 men to carry one chainmail tunic, giving an indication of the weight they were.
Obviously the knights who wore these needed very strong horses.
Google what sort of horse did a knight wearing chainmail ride?
They rode a war-horse or destrier,
which was a large aggressive stallion and well able to bear the weight. The knights wearing armour only rode these horses in battle. Apparently, it was common practice to shoe the destrier with protruding sharp nails, in order to inflict more damage when trampling down foot soldiers.
Chainmail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together to form a mesh and is the most widespread and longest used type of armour throughout history. It is commonly accredited to the Celts, but maybe that can be disputed.
A Hauberk is a knee-length chainmail suit.
A Haubergeon is a mid-thigh one.
During the battle of Hastings the Norman knights wore Hauberk chainmail suits. I think the Anglo-Saxons wore a similar attire.
If you are as interested in The Bayeux Tapestry as I am, this scene by scene might be your thing.
This is an interesting article regard Phillipa Gregory's theories on how the Norman invasion totally undermined Anglo-Saxon women.
(Vita Sackville-West, referred to earlier, experienced "Primogeniture", which was introduced in England during that 11th century Norman conquest. It dictated that only men could inherit property, consequently when the time came, Vita had to leave behind her aristocratic family estate of Knole, even though she was an only child.
'Orlando: A Biography', is Virginia Woolf's wonderful "love letter" to Vita and her beloved Knole.
See this previous blog, if interested https://solovetosewliketheboys.blogspot.com/2020/08/in-1925-virginia-woolf-wrote-in-her.html
and this is the trailer for 'Orlando, My Political Biography', https://www.criterion.com/films/33901-orlando-my-political-biography?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=title-announcement&utm_term=janus-contemporaries&utm_content=jun-2024)
Here is a wonderful tunic of chainmail, one of the oldest preserved from Northern Europe. It weighs approximately 10 kilogrammes. I believe it was thrown into a Danish bog, as a victory offering after a battle, around 1,800 years ago.
Julien Dossena, the creative director of Paco Rabanne's FW 2020/21 collection, delivered some high-fashion interpretations of chainmail armour.
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Want to have a go at making Chainmail, try this site, it looks an intensive occupation.
Now, here's a method I am interested in, knitted chainmail.
Follow this video "How to knit armour stitch".
I remember seeing 'Saint Joan', at the Christchurch Court Theatre, and the knitted chainmail was so good. I was impressed with the craft's woman who knitted all that was required for the production.
"There was a lot of sitting around in knitted chainmail"
An extra's story,
Knitted chainmail in progress!
I have always been interested in Samurai armour, even had a shot at representing a version of one using my leftover Pony Pearlised Head Pin "thingees".
I've shown him before.
The most important part of the Samurai's armour was his Kanatal, the sword.
The deflection of arrows wasn't so successful for Kurosawa's main character at the end of Throne of Blood.
View the scene via this link.
Excellent information about samurai armour is located in this site, along with very interesting images. http://www.kunin-jj.org/japanese-armour.html
Is there an element of a Samurai armour ensemble in this glorious apron-dress from the CdG Spring 2015, Roses and Blood collection?
When I was young, I loved visiting the Otago Museum.
This exhibit always created a sense of fear and imagination within.
His traditional armour is made from coconut fibre string. The string is made from fibres off the husks of coconut rolled into strands, and then woven together to give the warrior a thick layer of protection. The spiky helmet is made from porcupine fish. And finishing off his wonderful armour is the wooden sword lined with sharks' teeth. Overall, it is an amazing work of craft.
Have a go at making cardboard armour, then spray paint it silver grey and it will look pretty effective.
I created an upper suit of armour, in grey felt, CdG inspired of course. It portrays the pauldron, the cuirass, and the faulds, along with an invisible zip.
Fits me better than it fits the mannequin.
"A horse, a horse,
My kingdom for a horse!"
It is said that, the lifting of the armour helmet visor instigated the right hand military salute.
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aams/hd_aams.htm
My final image comes from last year's day at the Auckland Armageddon. This was my purchase, it just tickled my fancy....and kinda relates.
Sltsltbsigning off.
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