I'm rather excited about this last Couture fashion week: it has had unexpected highs (Giambattista Valli's first collection) and lows (Dior's trademark without Galliano seems to be somewhat lost), new collections by long-established industry members (I'm talking Azzedine Alaïa) and... lots of XIXth century references. And not the obvious crinoline-cum-corset ones!Most designers seem to have reflected, one way or another, upon the Aesthetic movement that started in Britain in the 1860's and its femininity ideal. Dark, mysterious and primal yet languid and pure creatures were the main characters of Rossetti, Draper or Whistler's paintings- and of this season's catwalks. I mean... all that dramatic velvet!
Valentino
Alaïa
The Crystal Ball, John William Waterhouse
Alexis Mabille
Chivalry, Francis Bernard Dicksee
Jean-Paul GaultierIt's all about preraphaelism and a mythologic and slightly medieval-tasting version of the XIXth century with a dark, romantic mood...
James McNeil Whistler
Chanel
Alaïa
Jean-Paul GaultierAnd about the sultry sexuality in Aubrey Beardsley's fabulous drawings.
Alaïa
Valentino
Alexis Mabille
Lots of nature-provided drama...
Mourning for Icarus, Herbert James Draper
Giambattista Valli
And of course the utopic virginal femininity of the heroines of aestheticism.
A Sea Spell, Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Valentino
The Little White Girl, James McNeil Whistler
Givenchy
Valentino
So much drama, theatricality and strangeness... I die!
Ophelia, Millais
Valentino
Lately I've been obsessing over Lizzie Siddal. She modeled for Millais' Ophelia and was Rossetti's lover and wife. The Pre-Raphaelites are one of my few artistic obsessions.
ReplyDeleteAnd there is so much pre-raphaelism (is this a word?) on fashion these days.