Robotica

Metallics reflecting the light for a basic austerity, details inspired by a 20s metropolis. Inspired by  Metropolis (1927) by Fritz Lang, woman becomes an eclectic android in all forms.

A multi-hued metallic pattern for Chanel that redefines the details of a classic coat in gray cloth.

Metallic plates embrace the female silhouette, like Co Te and their metallic skirt. Punk-like metallic fringes for the dress by Ambre Babzoe.

Metallic plates embrace the female silhouette, like Co Te and their metallic skirt.

A yellow riveted armor for the detailing by Versace, as if just welded into its steel structure.

The cult detail: the shoe boots by Andrea Chaves: simple nude pumps closed into a 3D-effect metallic structure.The same mood seen at Meier Bruecher that choose an almost space-age revisitation for a golden scaled glove while Giussepe Zanotti designs a necklace with the same feel.

Zippers

Zippers are more than an embellishment. Their tale begins throughout the past century and up to the present becoming an ornament and a sartorial element to clothing.

Zip fasteners come out the first time in 1851 on jeans, but by the end of the century, there is the concern for a patent “separable fastener”. Only during 1913 was the zipper fashioned and used primarily for galoshes. It frequently rusted and got stuck. For a relative amount of time, before being used by immensely popular couturiers like Elsa Schiaparelli, zippers didn’t have an easy life. They were considered maladroit and too industrial.

Within 1934 Tadao Yoshida, instituted the Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha, or, YKK, engraveing them on zippers for years that have been used all around the world. It’s the brand of the bulk of zippers that are around us, from clothing to leather goods, from footwear to furniture. And since 1936, thanks to YKK’s mass production, zippers are part of our lives forever.

It’s not possible to survive without them and, above all, to think of a life devoid of that heartening up and down. There is technology but also sensuality into that swift hand motion we do whilst opening a zipper an onomatopoeic sound. From aged sleeping bags to the high-tech warfare-proof suits, from the pencil case we used to have in school, to suitcases, or boots.

Sticky Fingers Album Art 

via:29-25.com 

And then there are those unforgettable illustrations – or in other words,icons: James Bond’s wet suit, Marlon Brando’s motor bike jacket, Gilda’s “scandalous” dress, the chic jumpsuit worn by Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009. But also the clever introductions in the clothing designed by Fashion Houses like Dior, Givenchy, and Versace. In 1973, Esquire identifies the zipper as “A brilliant tailoring design that has among its numerous advantages the one of avoiding the possibility of the unintentional and embarrassing disarray in menswear”.

In that year an ad for children’s clothing with zippers was published: in this way they can dress by themselves. It was in 1971 when another small record was broken: the Rolling Stones placed a zipper that works on the cover of their Sticky Fingers album created by Andy Warhol. 

McQueen's Downfall

Flickering through the net and marveling at McQueen's genius I started to wonder what his worst collections were. Like any artist's body of work, some collections are burned into our psyche forever whilst others get lost in the mix. But did he have any? And should I be using the word 'worst' in the same sentence as McQueen?

After searching the web for some reviews,they were fairly mixed. For two seasons,Men’s: Spring/Summer 2006 Killa ,Fall/Winter 2005-2006 The Man Who Knew Too Much,  it seemed that Mr. McQueen had produced collections that are manifestly commercial - again, causing insiders to complain that the British bad boy has become lazy.

"I've done Victorian, I've done romantic," he said. "I wanted to bring sexy back. It's what is missing right now. And Alaïa was sexy for me. It was classy sex." He added, "I have so much respect for him, and I don't even think he will mind." Mr. McQueen is also someone who can get below the fashion surface. Despite the rightness of the minimalist silhouette this collection was all about surface. It grasped the notion of sexiness technically but not with feeling or belief.-Cathy Horyn of the New York Times

[NYT]

Azzedine Alaia

Is this the fashion moment for warrior queens in curvy tailoring as sharp as a compass point; or for Grecian tunics cinched with leather harnesses? Alexander McQueen thinks so. He carried his show of Glamazon models by force of energy. But turn the pounding music off and what was there? An image that Azzdedine Alaïa created in the 1980s when the power woman look was a challenge to spacey flower children and a genuine reflection of burgeoning feminism.

The collection, played out in black and white with touches of silver and gold, included taut tailoring with tiny, fluting skirts, gilded chains filling in a scoop front or a goddess gown suspended from a silver harness. But at a moment when women are reasserting their right to look simply beautiful, McQueen's premise went against the movement toward fashion grace.-Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune

[NYT]

Alexander McQueen has changed. The commanding impresario who once took delight in scaring and astonishing his audience with stadium-filling shows and designing at the brink of scandal has—if we're to judge by the past two seasons—joined the regular ranks of ready-to-wear designers who line up their models like soldiers and march 'em on out with the collection.For night, the part of the show McQueen said was inspired by Greek goddesses, things took a turn for the disappointing—tiny pleated silver lamé dresses, white crystal-beaded gowns and pieces made in bandage wrappings of white or gold elastic. The slot formerly occupied by his showstopping extravaganzas is now serviced by metalwork body costumes with all the finesse of something left over from an eighties sci-fi TV series. Gone, even, are the staggeringly made, couture-grade fantasy gowns that have brought so many brides banging on his door. Though some of his moves are clearly being made in an effort to sell—no criticism in itself—this show, from a designer whose capabilities have won such respect, was a letdown.-Sarah Mower of Style.com

[Style]

Versace S/S 2006

What made Neptune such an anomaly in McQueen's career was it's straight-forwardness both in the clothes and the presentation. 99% of the clothes were wearable. Like, off the runway and straight on your body wearable. No gowns and no real show-stoppers except for a white silk cape embroidered with a phoenix on the back. According to McQueen he wanted to bring sexy back. I think a lot of his 90's collections featured sex but it was raw, aggressive, in your face sexy. Neptune to me was like selling sex, like Versace and in that respect it felt hollow. I completely missed the Alaia references which I feel so stupid about now because they're so painfully obvious.

The commercialism of the collection was quite shocking too. He showed everything you would expect from a standard runway show. Day-wear, easy to wear separates, handbags, even swimwear. And no runway theatrics. No dress-painting robots, no impaled models or merry-go-rounds. I wonder what factored into this decision? Was it a financial decision? A push from Gucci Group execs to get some cash injected into the brand? I doubt it. Perhaps it was a psychological break? For many seasons people had an expectation that a McQueen show was going to be an extravaganza. And season after season he delivered. The Man Who Knew Too Much preceded Neptune and that too felt like a bit of an artistic breather. Instead of dark romanticism he opted for sexy Greek goddesses, not exactly a mind-bending subject.

Impeccable details on belts

After looking at this collection several times now I do like it. I don't love it, like his other collections but there's some beautiful pieces and it should also be noted that there's an immense amount of detail in the pieces that are really easy to miss. The beading and embroidery is flawless.

And the worst?  What appears to be a white silk crepe wrap shirt with obi-style sash was just boring. The same shirt appeared again in black but this time with silver sequined pants. The slinky-somewhat sloppy-beige wrap dress.

So while Neptune pales in comparison to McQueen's other collections I still feel that it has classic McQueen references such as harness-like details, leather, sharp tailoring and some ingenious draping.The show proved he was capable of doing wearable clothes and removing the typical McQueen runway theatrics forced people to focus only on the clothes instead of getting swept up in say, a video installation or what have you. The repercussion was that people felt ripped off. Most notably Sarah Mower who called the collection lazy. I agree with that statement to a point. I think perhaps it was mentally lazy and some of the pieces weren't structurally challenging. 

Metal Polka Dots

To tiny metal “polka dots” to golden cones, they come in many shapes and sizes and had come a long way from a mere decoration

The Sex Pistols wearing Vivienne Westwood

The stud is a tiny metal, disc or square, used as an ornament on leather accessories, but also suits, shirts and trousers.They add instant flair to everything from jeans to sandals, and lend a slight edginess to even the fussiest of fabrics. They were first used in the seventies and they were associated with the punk movement, which saw the light in the States but thrived in the UK, especially in London, where various elements of the movement were in fact institutionalized.

Alexander Wang's Brass Studs Duffle Bag 

In the 70's and 80's studs were spiky ornaments that defined a deliberately tough look which was meant to shock society. Among the designers that used them  was Versace, who use studs to decorate suits and jackets which then became one of the symbols of his maison; and Alexander McQueen, who used various elements of the punk style in his ’95 and ’96 autumn/winter collections titled "Highland Rape". In the early 2000 other designers added studs to their collections, like the Chanel jacket decorated with small round silver studs, or the black leather belts that resembled a studded fabric. Alexander Wang created the Brass studs duffle, a bag that has become a cult item ever since it came out and it is now produced in various models with studs and different materials. But the real studs explosion was in the 2010/2011 season, when many designers brought on the catwalk not only some studded accessories, but also clothing.

Versace’s woman is a siren, 

with studs replacing the scales” 

The trend continued on the spring 2012 shows, where studs made an appearance on various items: Donatella Versace’s woman is “a siren in neoprene with studs replacing the scales”; and Valentino presented new versions of his famous Rockstud bags. For the studs, Shoes became the accessory where they create the most original effects, which reflect Westwood’s motto: “when in doubt, exaggerate”.