STELLE

Evolution of Fashion

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: SAVAGE BEAUTYV&A Tribute

TRAVEL: Hidden Gems of Europe

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Contents

Editor: Veronica Mervild veronica@mervild.com @vmervild

Images: None of the pictures used are owned by me. They are used as resources and all copyrights are re-served to the owners. All the text is original and written by Veronica Mervild.This publication is intended only as a piece of University Coursework, no copyright infringe-ment is intended.

3 Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

6 SS15 Catwalk Edit

9 Evolution of Fashion

13 TRAVEL: Hidden Gems of Europe

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Power. Intensity. Beauty. Three words which sum up the Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibition, at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibition has come to London following its popularity at the Museum of Mod-ern Art, and it is easy to understand why it has been so successful.

As soon as you walk through the doors you are transported into a world of darkness, depth and dreams. Mesmerised from start to finish you wander through the exhibition, witnessing some of the most intricate of Mc-Queen’s designs, organ-ised in order to shed light upon the complexity of his life. The audience is taken on a journey through McQueen’s different variants of design, from the deepest of luxuries exemplified in his AW08 collection ‘The Girl Who Lived in the Tree’, based around the idea of Romantic Nationalism and forming garments as heirlooms, to the strong tailoring of his Romantic Gothic col-lections which McQueen claimed to be dealing with a dark side of his personality..

Awe-stricken silence falls over the Cabinet of Curiosities, each visitor taking in everything there is to be seen, every inch of the room filled with beautiful designs, such as a hat sculpted from delicate butterflies. The contrasts between

Sarabande SS07

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: SAVAGE BEAUTY

McQueen design for Widows of Culloden

different pieces of McQueen’s work can be so clearly seen in this part of the exhibition and throughout.

Nature can be seen as inspiration in all of his collections, with ‘Sarabande’ SS07 being a personal favourite, fea-turing a dress made entirely of frozen flowers. McQueen never hesitated to push the boundaries of modern fash-ion, and was quoted saying: ‘You’ve got to know the rules to break them. That’s what I’m here for, to demolish the rules but keep the tradition.’

Quotes like this one are scattered throughout the exhibi-tion selected to accompany the intricate designs, drawing your attention to certain aspects of the garments that you perhaps hadn’t previously noticed. For me, these provoked the majority of the emotional response, because they appeared so genuine and heartfelt. His passion was his art, and his emotions were his drive to pursue it. We have lost one of the greatest talents of the fashion indus-try, and are forever indebted to him for his empowering designs.

The exhibition coming to his home town has only in-creased the influx of visitors, and a quote from McQueen within the exhibition stands out as to why London is the true home for his works: ‘London’s where I was brought

up. It’s where my heart is and where I get my inspiration.’ It really is the exhibition of the year, powerful, moving and emotional.

See it at the V&A 14th March- 2nd August 2015.10.00am-17.45 daily & 10.00-22.00 on Fridays.

Tickets: £17.50 Adult

For more info visit: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-al-exander-mcqueen-savage-beauty/ Or call: +44 (0)800 912 6961 to book

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ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: SAVAGE BEAUTY Quite possibly the most moving

exhibition of our time...

‘You’ve got to know the rules to break them. That’s what I’m here for, to demolish the rules but keep the tradition.

Plato Atlantis 2010

SS15 CATWALK EDIT

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Denim, denim, denim: Denim is an absolute must have this season with even the previous ‘double denim’ faux pas taking to the catwalks. It’s been featured in everyone impor-tant’s collection this season, in all variants, from the Burberry mini-jackets to the patchwork by Tommy Hilfiger.

From left: Burberry, Tommy Hilfiger, Chloë, Gucci

Retro: Designers took us back to the 70’s with this season’s bold prints, colours and the tailoring. Boho trousers, crocheted dresses and clashing florals were brought to us from a multitude of designers, such as Henry Holland with his groupie girl tribute. Bold patterns can even be seen on platform shoes, which paraded the catwalks this Spring.

From left: Moschino, Alice Temperley, Henry Holland

Uniform tailoring: SS15 brought us the military and utility and nautical uniform tailoring, with large buttons, strong shapes and even using a military colour palette; the catwalk was a wash of khaki and beige. Marc Jacobs and Gucci brought different takes on the military styles to us.

From left: Marc Jacobs, Sacai

This seasons catwalks brought us big, bold colours, patterns, textures and strong tailoring.

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Ballerina: Tulle skirts have pirouetted their way back onto cat-walks this season with dresses fit for a princess fea-turing in the collections of haute couture designers. With Burberry offering up playful colour schemes in contrast with chic nude tones from Valentino, tulle is an absolute must have this season.

From left: Valentino, Burberry, Christopher Kane, A Ferretti

Leather & Suede: Contrasting to the soft shapes of the tulle skirts, leather and suede have also graced the catwalk extensively this season, with all major fashion house using the textures intertwined with their bold pat-terns or tailoring.

From left: Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Derek Lam

Eye Catching Shapes: Shapes and styles on the catwalks this season were highly varied, but brought back many elements of the past. Tunics and wide legged trousers pulled us back to the hippy era, whereas off the shoulder cuts brought us elements of 50s fashion.

From left: Loewe, Balenciaga, Alice Temperley

Fashion during the First World War was very conservative, respectable women wore ankle length skirts, a far cry from the hot pants of modern society, it was considered fashionable to be covered up, with long sleeved blouses made of lace, silk or chiffon, being completely a la mode. Feminine touches were added with brooches, and lace embroidery around cuffs or collars. These luxurious touches were only for the privileged, as there was no such thing as Primark so ‘bling’ existed only for those wealthy enough to afford the real thing.

This conservatism continued through to the 1920’s, however with the Roaring 20s enticing many of the young privileged Britons, fashion started to allow for more skin on show. Hemlines were being brought up, and dresses were loosely cut and didn’t define the figure, however there was a slight descent in the necklines, revealing a little more chest. Throughout the 20s hemlines continued to creep up, getting to about mid calf by the end of the decade, but as a respectable lady stockings were always worn: yes, stockings.

Dresses maintained the same style well into the 30s, and despite the economic crises occurring worldwide fashion was not to suffer and true glamour crept into the upper classes with fur and florals breaking through the traditional plain coloured skirts. Shoulder pads remained a

feature in most dresses in the 30s, enhancing shape, which was otherwise not excessively defined. In 1939, after the outbreak of WW2, clothing became rationed, to one new outfit per year. Yes. One.

To cope with clothes rationing many women took to sew-ing their own clothes, which were mainly classic A-line skirts and dresses with cap sleeves. The war was a huge turning point for wom-en’s fashion in Britain though, as women took the place of men in the factories, which led to the acceptance of women wearing trousers. Dress-es got shorter still, pushing the

boundaries and moving up to just below the knee, something now only seen in school uniforms, and even that is a daily struggle to enforce.

The 40s were seen as a combination between glamour and comfort and convenience, trousers were worn to work for practicality but colour-ed headscarves were worn to stop hair getting caught whilst working in the factory, which added the feminine touches deemed necessary in such a masculine environment.

Once the war was over, fashion had been changed permanently, into the 50s the strong tai

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TheEvolution of Fashion

Portrayal of 1920s fashion in ITV’s Downton Abbey

“The 20s saw a daring descent in neck-

lines”

loring remained, a pioneer of which was Gabri-

elle ‘Coco’ Chanel, whom created feminine twists on traditionally male tailoring. There was no defi-nite shape that was typically ‘50s’, some dresses had a very tight, structured waistline which gave a lot of definition to the female figure, whereas others resembled what we now know as shift dresses, with no defined body shape. These were the styles promoted by iconic stars such as Audrey Hepburn, and Brigitte Bardot who is known for her bare shoulder tops and dresses which have rocketed back into every shop in recent seasons.

In the early 60s fashion mimicked the 50s, how-ever this very quickly escalated with experimen-tation with colours and patterns, which became the psychedelic patterns, stereotypical of the era. The age of the hippy was upon us. People started wearing tie-dye in all colours; the brighter the better. Long loose fitting trousers and tunics were now very much ‘in’ amongst the peace crowd.However, the 60s were also the start of the phe-nomenon that was, and continues to be the mini skirt. It was officially okay to get those pins out.

The 70s seemed to tie together the loose ends of the 60s, perfecting the different styles and use of colour. Early on there was a continued stream of colourful patterned garments in every shop window. Cuts such as cowl neck sweaters, robes, tunics and culottes were very popular, giving a slightly more polished look to the previous fashions of the 60s. It became quite com-mon to wear two piece suits, either mini skirts or trousers with a blaz-er, something which is commonly known in today’s fashion world as ‘co-ords’. By the end of the 70s colours were fading out in favour of monochrome and earthy tones, which continued well into the 80s.

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TheEvolution of Fashion 101 years of British women’s fashion

60s Fashion Icon Twiggy

Sketches of WW2 Fashions

“Coco Chanel created feminine twists on classic

male tailoring.”

The 80s saw a shift in the cuts and shapes of women’s cloth-ing, which went from favouring strong tailoring with interest-ing cuts, to the more relaxed sportswear style with velour and velvet tracksuits being an abso-lute necessity, god knows why. Younger gen-erations acces-sorised these with big earrings, bangles and

sunglasses, and the ‘chav’ style was born. Through-out the 80s there seemed to be a mix and match of clothing options, which made fashion seem fairly in-coherent, throw into the mix a Coca Cola branded jumper, a baseball cap, and a pair Nike Air Jordans and you’d be the coolest 80s kid around.

The 90s were another tumultuous time for fashion, with globalisation and the media strongly affecting the new fashion world. Initially the 1990s had a style of quite loose fitting and colourful clothing, however this soon became more structured with the rise of the tapered trouser, only to be thrown into the gutter with the invasion of grunge.

Grunge favoured your dad’s old flannel shirt, a pair of ripped jeans and not cutting your hair, some-times even not washing it either. However this was only short lived for most people and being glam-orous became extremely important in the late 90s. Think Cher from Clueless, co-ords were back, heels, and swapping out the mullet to, well, anything would be an improvement.

When the new century came upon us we saw a contin-uing globalisation of fashion powered in force by the popular music culture. This involved a mashup of previous styles and several episodes of fashion revival.

Denim, became a true staple through-out the 2000s, and the military look once again graced the streets

thanks to Britney Spears. Shorts got shorter and heels got higher. No surprise this decade’s been given the name the ‘noughties’.

Today, we see a continued increase in re-vival fashion, returning to classic shapes like the Bardot and veering from tight mini skirts to a classier (but still very short) A-Line skirt. Fashion changes so quickly now, one new outfit a year would be a catastrophe.

80s Icon Madonna

Cher & Travis from Clueless: two iconic 90s styles.

Christina Aguilera & Paris Hilton flaunting true

noughties style

“Being glamorous became extremely

important”

Hidden Gems of Europe...Five places you probably wouldn’t have thought to visit but definitely should...

It’s that time of year again, it seems like everyone has a holiday booked to the same places as every other year. There are so many places to explore, things to see and foods to taste, and without the budget to globetrot, you can still enjoy what Europe has to offer with so many idyllic destinations, secluded from tourism, here are just five:

CINQUE TERRE , ITALY

One of Italy’s treasures, this slice of heaven could quite easily be considered one of the most beautiful places in the world. Nestled in a National Park situ-ated right on the Ligurian coastline, are five villages consisting of vibrantly coloured buildings, independ-ent family run shops and pizzerias, and breath-taking landscapes. Take a walk from Vernazza to Monterosso, the ferry from village to village or just relax on the beaches, make the most of every second.

SANTORINI, GREECE

Santorini is one of the smaller Greek Islands, the typical image of Greek paradise: white washed houses, azure seas and golden sun. It is the remnants of a volcanic eruption and so has multiple cliffs, with beautiful picturesque views. Though recently it has become a hotspot for tourism, it remains an absolute must when it comes to places to visit in Europe, with many landmarks such as churchs, museums, and stunning architecture as well as offering the chance to unwind on the beach.

SKAGEN, DENMARK

The most Northern part of Denmark, probably not somewhere you’d imagine whiling away the hours for your summer holiday, but it has so much to offer. Thriving with culture such as the famous art as well as having white sandy beaches, it is the perfect retreat. Visit ‘Grenen’ and you can stand with one foot in the North Sea and one in the Baltic Sea. There are also churches, one of which is known as the sand-covered church as only the tower can still be seen. Though you may not expect it, the climate is warm in the summer and snowy in the winter so all year round there is plenty to do here. 13

‘Nestled in a National Park are vibrantly coloured buildings, independent family

run shops and pizzerias, and breath-taking landscapes.’

More amazing destinations: Lake Garda, ItalyLake Como, ItalyMatera, ItalyVerona, ItalyOrange, FranceAvignon, FranceVerdun Gorge, FranceBrussels, Belgium Copenhagen, Denmark

Marielyst, Denmark Rhodes, Greece Crete, GreeceBarcelona, SpainMadrid, SpainAlicante, SpainBerlin, GermanyBudapest, TurkeyPrague, Czech Republic

Hidden Gems of Europe...Five places you probably wouldn’t have thought to visit but definitely should...

ALBEROBELLO, ITALY

Alberobello, situated in the southern Italian region of Puglia, is renowned for it’s composition of white round build-ings with grey tiled roofs known as trulli which are quite common in the region of Puglia. As well as these, other tour-ist attractions are the small museums, shop and the churches in the town. One church, Chiesa di Sant’Antonio is in fact a trullo. Flowers growing from trullo to trullo add colour to this quaint idyllic town, which is scattered with bar and restaurants bordering every square.

PORT GRIMAUD, FRANCE

One of the less prestigious towns in the Gulf of Saint Tropez seems to be completely undervalued, Port Grimaud, known to some as France's answer to Venice; lies on many canals, and boasts some beautiful beaches. Just a short ferry trip away are the popular destinations of Saint Tropez and Sainte Maxime, though the town itself is home to many good restaurants and bars, as well as having plenty of activities for during the day.

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