Sympathy For the Devil

So my photoshoot took place on a quiet road off Soho square and inside an old Cotton Mill in Highbury and Islington. Named sympathy for The Devil, after a Rolling Stone song, I think you get the gist of the story...

 I wanted to represent the modern party girl "self distruct" groupie style like the muse's I looked into such as Edie Sedgwick with a Rock n Roll theme. The Mood board above was my inspirations and ideas for the shoot. "Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll" as Ian Dury would say.

I chose Soho as my main location as I there are so many good hangouts there, weather its for a glass of red at Gorden's, a Cocktail at the loft or get on your dancing Shoes for G.A.Y. Not to mention in the my favourite, Berwick street, its full of amazing art and fabric shops, surrounded by amazing coffee shops a market. Absolute vintage is a brilliant thrift store and the prices are reasonable another must stop shop is the newsagent's Wardour news (Creative Review), the range of worldwide fashion magazines are worth a look, or a treat (however some are pricey) from Purple Fashion, Numero, ID and LOVE to name just a few.

Interview with ex guitar player, Keith Oliver. From "Hue and Cry" a Rock 'n' Roll during the 60's and 70's

Kelsey "Do you remember why you started a Rock and Roll band? Who influenced you> (in terms of artists)"

Keith: "It was as simple as me and a couple of friends knowing how to play musical instruments, and we just went for it. I was greatly influenced by Buddy Holly, Shadows, The beatles and of course The Rolling Stones."

What is your most fond memory of music?

"Well theres are a few, despite the general buzz from audience as small as 50 at a wedding to 5,000. I thoroughly enjoyed " Stones in the Park" at Hyde Park. free by The Rolling stones, what seemed to be a tribute to Brian Jones who died a few days before form an overdose. Everyone seemed to be there, or going, whoever I saw or spoke to (bear in mind I was living in Birmingham) were going to Stones in the park, I think there was about 300,000 people there, ridiculous amount Everyone was wearing ddim  Denim Denim Denim, hats, shirts, jackets and jeans it was THE trend at this time.

 And then there was the fight in 66. I was playing at Weston Super mere, not far from the beach front. The festival was about 500 mods, until it got invaded by Rockers, rockers on their motorcycles, until the police finished it."

Where were "the hangouts"?

"Well in London it had to be the 2i's coffee bar, very small, very crowded place, I didn't see any shows or anything there I thought it was more of a meet up point us. Always more people outside than in. There were retro laminated chairs and furniture...

In Birmingham i loved the Kardame cafe, just full of 'wimpy bars" popping up, like a posher Mcdonalds i think.

The men would drink beer, the women would drink Brandy and Babycham."

"Where did you perform? "

"A mixture of clubs, weddings, we started off performing for free once a month at a church so we could use the space to practice. The Hammersmith pavilion and The seeder club where a few regulars. We played alongside a few other bands for gigs and festivals too like The californians, Robert Plant and The Band of Joy (who went on to join Led Zeppelin)"

"Lets talk about the Groupies.."

"Lots of bands had groupies, not just for sex, sometimes they just wanted free drinks, or a ride home. The clingers for most bands would want to just date someone form a band or try and sing with them, that was the norm. I just remember the beehives and debbie harry hairstyles, the fashion trends were ever changing, barely saw the same trend twice it was constantly changing."

"And the Drugs…"

"When the Rolling where known for it, it was a rich man's drug, nobody could afford it, such a rare thing. The only 'drug' were cigarettes, everyone smoked, all the time, non stop, not for me personally. Wacky Backy started too, Jamaican's seemed to come over late 60's. Carribean influence, bringing the shoulder uits, with baggy shoulders and baggy knees with tight ankles. Eventually LSD, uppers and downers where around too."  

Balenciaga

Balenciaga

Founded in 1917 by Spainish designer "Cristobal Balenciaga," a master of cut, proportion, with clean but pronounced silhouettes that won him the respect of even Coco Chanel (who notorioulsy loathed other designers) But this brand wouldn't be where it is today if it weren't for Nicolas Ghesquiere.

  In 1997, Balenciaga turned into a critically acclaimed fashion house, with great thanks to Ghesqiuere, he was the surprise choice to head the Parisian fashion house at the tender age of 25. Ghesquiere took the houses legacy and re-worked it for the 21st Century, putting a contemporary spin on structured jackets, billowing sleeves and fitted waists, from what was a sleepy couture name, to now, an electrofying luxury brand.

 He also possessed a business mind like no other whom wised up the business side of the brand instantly! He wanted to make the vision available & commercial to be instore. Reportedly, sales doubled within the 1st year! 

Inspired by his actress muse Ghesquiere created a violet-centric scent based on the intolerably cool, Charlotte Gainsbourg. " My friendship with Nicolas Ghesquière, our bond made of mutual admiration and complicity, grew so strong over the years that I was secretly hoping to be the face of Nicolas’ first perfume for Balenciaga,” said Gainsbourg in Style magazine, who is the daughter of French icons Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg. 

Ghesquière, who described Gainsbourg in WWD last June as “one of the most inspiring girls in the world” and “really representative of what France is today,” declared she personifies the fragrance. “Her unique sense of style, her graceful and intense talent have always been very inspirational for me,” (wwd)

Despite all the success, Ghesqiuere after 15 years is no longer with Balenciaga, as of November 2012, Ghesquiere left the fashion house, temporarily taking time out. So who other than THE americain "it" boy (ok so 29 year old man) Alexander Wang whom dropped out of Parsons school of design and set up his own successful brand full of relaxed "off duty model" looks and slouchy tees, leather shorts, how does his style reflect to Balenciaga's in any way and how will he compare to Ghesqiuere who was named in 2007 and "fashion's most sought-after and influential figure." 

A former fashion critique at Le figare said "Nicholas Ghesquiere made Balenciaga grow up, Balenciaga will make Alexander Wang grow up" Referring to the command of the house that will stretch him, revealing much more of what he's capable of.

When Wang's first show A/W 13 took place, reporters pens where at the ready, (as anticipated) The show felt true to Cristobal's lines, with a modern take. He wanted to go back to the roots, identifying the codes of the house. Translating them into a a functioning full wardrobe. The cracked, paint-spackled mohair knits were some of the best things on the catwalk; they made for a nice metaphor, too, about the promise of a young designer ready to break with the past when the time's right.  Is this the right time to revisit Cristobal's roots? Or do we know and love the brand that was Ghesquiere? I suppose only time will tell, but so far, wang;s doing all right.

Iris Van Herpen

Conceptual Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen,Known as a "technical couturier"  She successfully joins machinery with the tribute to the traditional craftsmanship and precious handwork. Since graduating from the ArtEZ institute in Arnhem in 2006 and starting her label in 2007, Iris Van Herpen has been exploring her advanced ideas with the help of scientists, architects and 3D printing. 

Iris believes that couture is a laboratory to explore working in new ways, with no limit of time or research when working with scientists, its apparent that her discoveries may take up to a year to produce, new materials and new techniques. As the dutch designer explains in the video (below) she only like working and thinking in 3D, unhappy to even sketch as its 2D. The freedom of creation; the process, research and experiments that she thrives on; curious about everything that's not quite possible yet, creating a modern vie won haute couture.

"inspired by scientific SEM photographs of bacilli, vermin, mites, lice and termites. “I wanted to show the beauty of them, because in my eyes they are the most bizarre, unbelievable and most imaginative creatures imaginable,” (thecreatorsproject.vice.com)

3D printing is an additive manufacturing technology which makes it possible to turn 3D modelled designs into custom solid objects on demand.A prime example of her fascinating discover. The shoes were 3D printed using Stratasys rigid opaque black and white materials on the PolyJet-based multi-material Objet Connex and Objet Eden 3D printers.

“For me, fashion has always been about setting your own boundaries and making a statement,” commented van Herpen. “This time around, Rem and I wanted to create something that echoed the beauty and wilderness of the natural world, so we decided to use the technological capabilities of 3D printing to bring this concept to life through a pair of shoes.”- Quote from 3dprintingindustry

The essence of van Herpen is expressing the character and emotions of a woman and to extend the shape of the feminine body in detail. In all her work, she tries to show that fashion is an artistic expresso, adding value to the world as opposed to a commercial tool.Van herpen's bizarre design's attract many a style icon, such as Björk wearing multiple van her pen dresses during live concerts. Additionally, Lady Gaga and style icon Daphne Guinness, collaborated with Van herpen and Nick Knight to create a short fashion film for SHOWstudio.

Designers are no longer limited with conventional manufacturing. They can now produce virtually anything they can imagine. For that reason, we feel that 3D printing will become more and more an integral part of fashion design curriculums.”

Proenza Schouler

Founded in 2002 by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the pair collaborated their senior thesis at Parsons, which eventually became Proenza Schouler's first collection, selling the entirety to Barney's in 2003. The label was named by conjoining their mother's maiden names, this later on became their one and only regret (although they thought McColloiugh Hernandez sounded too common) 

This Proenza Schouler woman seems sensual, but remains in control; slightly wicked, but never weak. Imagine a no nonsense Network-era Faye Dunaway letting loose over dirty martinis on the set of Woody Allen’s Interiors. Veteran supermodel Kirsty Hume was the perfect stand-in for that kind of hard-edged sensuality.

The pair find inspiration from travelling and outdoors, places such as New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming, Mr. McCollough got on the Internet, and kayaking in British columbia. 

McCollough and Hernandez spend most their days surrounded by various threads of inspiration such as photo clippings, dizzying fabric swatches and pieces of rubble. Evidence of growth has been so fast the two of them still find it mystifying that some 66 employees share the space! 

When using a concept for each collection, the pair don't design too literal or with obvious referencing, well known for two things, cool and craft.

 ]

10 years since their first collection was sold to barneys in 2003, the photos have recently been relaunched in celebration of the label’s tenth anniversary, the collaboration is especially meaningful because Barneys were the first to take a leap of faith on the young designers, scooping up their entire graduate collection from Parsons School Of Design. The pair's focus was transforming basic wardrobe staples into desirable luxury items which has since been reworked by many designer's.

"Proenza Schouler are the hackers of fashion" daze digital

Season after season, the pair come up with new, exciting designs, as opposed to sticking to a trend, colour or textile process, every Fashion week, its not just the show I want to see, but the Backstage close-up images of all the detais of each garment, the beauty of the close up, there isn't any other designer's work that I want to touch and dget a proper feel for as much as their's.

Subculture

Rock 'n' Roll 

The Rolling Stones

Formed in 1962. Jagger, Richards and Jones with Stewart and Dick Taylor, billed as "the Rollin' Stones" They were considered to be symbols of rebellious youth in their mid-1960s heyday, and were portrayed as the "Anti-Beatles".

 During this time they scored a string of hit singles, many reaching the top of the charts, particularly in the UK and US. Sex appeal was always an essential aspect of the Stones allure, in particular Mick Jagger. He was bold in the way he wore his accessories-his scarves, belts and hats, not to mention his women! He was the ultimate poster boy for Sex, drugs and Rock n Roll.

The 2i's Coffee Bar

A coffee bar situated at 59 Old Compton Street, Soho, London between 1956 and 1970. The espresso bar which, despite only seating 20 people or so, was the birthplace of british Rock 'n' Roll. The likes of The Vipers, and Tommy Steel played here attracting the crowds.

“The Two I’s was the place to be discovered. If it was good enough for Tommy Steele it was good enough for us.”

To celebrate 50 years of Rock & Roll a Green Plaque was unveiled to commemorate its existence.

Representative of the late Sixties, Seventies, "the Power girls", such as Marian faithful and Anita Pallenberg,  with shorter than imaginable skirts, rocker boyfriends, lots of eye makeup  and too many walks on the wild side, often described as "evil glamour". 

"Far more than a mere musical style, rock and roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language.

Many early rock and roll songs dealt with issues of cars, school, dating, and clothing. The lyrics of rock and roll songs described events and conflicts that most listeners could relate to through personal experience. Topics such as sex that had generally been considered taboo began to appear in rock and roll lyrics. This new music tried to break boundaries and express emotions that people were actually feeling but had not talked about."(wikipedia)

 “Uptown & Down” by Mario Testino for V Magazine#67, Fall 2010

Music Inspired Fashion: Designers such as Balmain, Givenchy, Saint Laurent just to mention a few...

Jane and Serge

In 1969, she and Gainsbourg released the duet "Je t'aime... moi non plus" ("I love you... me neither"). Gainsbourg originally wrote the song for Brigitte Bardot. The song caused a scandal for its sexual explicitness, and was banned by radio stations in Italy, Spain, and the UK. (wiki)  

Jane style was so iconic she had a bag named after her, the famous, "Birkin" by Hermes.

In 1981, chief executive Jean Louis Dumas was seated next to Jane Birkin on a flight from Paris to London. 

She had just placed her straw bag in the overhead compartment of her seat, but the contents fell to the deck, leaving her to scramble to replace them. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked. In 1984, he created a black supple leather bag for her,

The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price and usage by celebrities, prices range from £4,800 to £100,000. The Birkin bag is still high in demand still to this day!

Rolling Stones - Plundered My Soul - Stones in Exile

Edie Sedgewick and Andy Warhol (And the Remake below.)

 This style lives on in for every rock chick – Think Kate Moss – Think Sienna Miller- in factory girl and Alfie. these women aren't just trendsetting, but empowering, fashion, sex, and attitude. These women don't need the band to look like a groupie. To any women who has ever worn a fedora, shaggy fur gilet and arms full of bangles.