Such were the screams that could be heard ringing around the staff room as I idly flipped through Grazia magazine on my lunch hour and chanced upon this advert. With this double page spread of grinning Barbies, all dead behind the eyes, I had been plunged unwittingly into the valley of the dolls. But why did it freak me out so much? (more…)
By: Sarah Barnes, 03.03.2010 | Comments (3)Running around London Fashion Week last week there were plenty of fantastic collections to write up (something I’ve been doing here)… but very little in the way of feminist happenings to report on. That was until I bumped into the All Walks Beyond the Catwalk campaign in the Vauxhall Fashion Scout venue at the opulent (and slightly creepy) Freemason’s Hall. In a little make-shift photography studio the All Walks team were snapping away at willing participants, each holding a letter that would later spell out ‘Every Body Counts’. (more…)
By: Sarah Barnes, 01.03.2010 | Comments (1)I read with interest (and not just because she’s a friend, honest!) Esme Benjamin’s take on the new French Connection adverts. Writing over at the Fashion Editor At Large blog, where she and Grazia’s Melanie Rickey pour out their fashionable thoughts, Esme loved the brand’s post modern approach to winning over the public.
What I love about this ad campaign is that it cheekily mocks (and yet, still obviously loves) the pretension of editorials and the fashion image whilst simultaneously making us as viewers aware of the way the fashion ‘dream’ is delivered to us. And the most interesting thing, I think, is how that ‘dream’ is all tied up in defining a particular gender in a romanticised and precise manner. So, from the video campaign (that deliciously sends up French art-house cinema), we understand the Man is ’strong, virile, a brute’ and the Woman is highly desirable, yet independent.
What I find especially exciting about this campaign is that it gives a personality to the ‘dream’ woman in the campaign, and acknowledges that French Connection customers also possess personality… and a sense of humour! With this in mind, I was interested to read BitchBuzz’s latest fashion report that, when presenting their AW10 collection this London Fashion Week, Antoni & Alison chose to go over-the-top in their openness about the kind of woman they designed the pieces for.
As the lovely editor of BitchBuzz Cate Sevilla writes, the presentation (which had clothes for the writer, the country girl, and those ‘very good at maths’)was essentially about how Antoni & Alison have created a collection that tells women that they can do anything that they might deign to turn their hand to… or dress appropriately for. It’s an interesting idea. Is this fashion coming round to the idea that women actually have lives and do stuff when they are wearing clothes, rather than being passive clothes horses? Or is this yet more pressure for women to ‘look the part’ and play at dress-up (if she dresses like a martial artist, does it follow that she can perform the perfect judo-chop? Did she earn her black belt, or simply buy it?) I think the aim was for the former, and it was great to see Antoni & Alison picking up on the interests of women, and not simply labelling them ‘the sex-kitten’ or some other tired cliche.
Whilst the marketing idea of having a ‘Woman’ that a brand designs for has been around for donkey’s years, I think this new mini-trend for turning the notion on its head is a rather fascinating one… and I wonder whether we’ll be seeing more examples of it in the future.
By: Sarah Barnes, 24.02.2010 | Comments (0)
Find Part 1, and the back-story to Bite The Hand That Feeds You, here.
By: Sarah Barnes, 06.02.2010 | Comments (0)What better way to set off your Oscar De La Renta robe than with a smear of Jolen bleaching cream on your top lip?
This image, from German magazine Kinki, totally tickled me – and so I just had to smuggle the mag back from Berlin (that’s where I was this weekend, for all those wondering about the lack of posts from Fri to Sun!) and share it with you all.
The editorial is called Taking Pictures of Myself and the set-up (which is false, since the photography is credited to Filippo Del Vita) is that the model is idly messing about, dressing up and snapping away with a remote trigger. The style is faux-intimacy, with a feeling that these ‘personal’ images were never intended to be made public. Though it’s all a fiction, I still love this defiant daring of portraying, what is to many, an intensely private beauty regime.
The rest of Kinki is a complete visual feast; all sexy typography, delicious fashion and brave new art. And the smell! Oh, the smell! That thick paper sure has slurped up it’s fair share of ink. For Mag-Addicts like me, here are some choice Kinki cuts;
Read Kinki for yourself (if you can read German, of course) online here.
By: Sarah Barnes, 04.02.2010 | Comments (0)Back in December I went along to the V&A to indulge my eyes on the exquisite creations of Erdem Moragliou. The Canadian born designer’s catwalk show was part of the museum’s Fashion in Motion series, which brings couture out to play for the paying public.
I’ve salivated over Erdem’s collections for a while now, but have never been lucky enough to see his work up close and personal. In the beautiful surroundings of the V&A’s Raphael gallery, Erdem’s fantastic prints and embroideries (a mixture of Monet and magic eye pictures, of saturated English rose gardens and psychedelic Kimono embellishments) were even more eye-popping than I’d anticipated. Being so close to the pieces gave a new appreciation for the cut, structure and flow of each garment. This event really brought home the fact that, until you’ve seen a garment being worn – until you’ve seen it moving – you’re only seeing half the picture. Let’s just say, if I was an Erdem admirer before, I was a full-blown super fan afterwards!
A little bird has told me that the next Fashion in Motion event won’t be taking place until April at the earliest… and yet, already, I can’t wait. For those who view fashion as an art form, there really is no better way to expand your understanding of couture than to see it gliding down a catwalk. And, since it’s only a chosen few who can take their seats at the fashion week shows, we should be especially thankful that the V&A brings this opportunity to the non-fashion-pack people.
(Illustrations by Sarah Barnes – You can see the official V&A photographs of the show here)
By: Sarah Barnes, 21.01.2010 | Comments (0)
The Environmental Justice Foundation (whose Carnaby Street pop-up shop I blogged about back in October) have laid down the gauntlet for all adventurous fashion mavens. The UK based charity is calling for people to join them in July for a 300 mile bike ride from London to Paris. Of course, it’s all to raise money for their work promoting a fairer future for the fashion industry.
The four day cycle between one iconic style capital to another promises to be an experience participants will never forget, whilst also raising awareness and funds for EJF’s international work aiding sufferers of environmental abuses. The ride will be taking place from the 14th to the 18th of July. It’s a long way off, but since everybody seems to be intent on getting fit this month (can’t think why!) then this might be an incentive to carry on visiting the gym and actually train for something worthwhile!
Here’s what your pedal power will be working to change;
In fashion, EJF works to address the fact that around the world, whether it is state enforced, or child trafficking, millions of children face severe exploitation in the cotton industry. EJF also campaigns for a global ban on the most toxic pesticides, used in cotton production, which in total kill over 20,000 people a year.
Deadly pesticides like Endosulfan, continue to poison people and planet and remain a serious health hazard for those working in the fields and EJF are working to end this and other environmental and social abuses.
All levels of cyclists are welcome and you can get involved as an individual or as a team. It costs £99 to register (you’re expected to raise a sponsorship of £1300, it is for charity after all!) and all non-bike related transport (by ferry out, by eurostar back), plus accommodation (3* hotels), mechanics, guides, medical support and meals are covered. All that, and you’ll be seeing picturesque Northern France in a unique way for a worthy cause!
Get a taste for more by watching the promo video (below), or visit the Great Fashion Cycle website.
(Photographs taken by Sarah Barnes at London Fashion Week, September 2009)
By: Sarah Barnes, 16.01.2010 | Comments (0)
It’s not long ’til Christmas and I’m sure many of you will be busy scribbling your lists for Santa, but don’t put down your pens until you’ve taken a look at these beauties! (more…)
By: Sarah Barnes, 17.12.2009 | Comments (0)
I’ve become quite enamoured with this tee shirt after seeing it on Melanie (creator of the fantastic Colouring Outside The Lines zine) Maddison’s Remember Who You Are blog. The tee is the creation of Twtee, a collaborative project from two screenprinting maniacs, Eva Megias and Emma Thatcher, who offer up ‘classic white tee shirt style with a handmade homo twist.’
I love the scrabbly illustration style, the electro style font and the zingy hot pink. And, of course, I love the image itself! I think it’s hilarious; those hairy legs sitting oddly atop a pair of high heels, provocatively mixing up and messing with the ideas of what people find sexy and repulsive.
I can imagine Peaches wearing this tee on her day off. Teamed with some pink hot pants, of course. And maybe even her own hairy legs to complete the look!
By: Sarah Barnes, 11.12.2009 | Comments (0)
Today sees the Environmental Justice Foundation -or EJF for those short of time and breath- open the doors of their pop-up shop in Kingly Court, Carnaby Street. They will be selling preview samples of their organic and fairly traded cotton tee shirts, printed (using organic certified inks, naturally!) with the S/S 2010 exclusive designs by Jenny Packham, Alice Temperley, Richard Nicoll and Ciel (all above).
EJF is a UK based charity who work internationally to empower the people who suffer most from environmental abuses and help them to find peaceful ways of preventing further devastation in the future. One of the EJF’s primary concerns is the human rights abuses and environmental destruction linked to the production of cotton. It is for this reason that they began the Pick Your Cotton Carefully Campaign. (more…)
By: Sarah Barnes, 17.11.2009 | Comments (0)
To mark the first annual Anti Street-Harassment Day, Dearbhaile Kitt reports on a growing movement that is aiming to put a stop to this most anti-social sexist practise.
Heather Kennedy takes a look at the role of men in the feminist movement, examining why it is needed and asking why there isn’t more of it!
Stephanie Phillips, of Don’t Dance Her Down Boys blog, went along to the launch event for UK Feminista to see what prospects the site might hold for the advancement UK women’s movement.
