WIDOWS OF CULLODEN

After two overwhelmingly pedestrian runway presentations, McQueen returned to form in spectacular fashion with one of his most critically-acclaimed shows ever. Returning once again to his Scottish roots, ‘The Widows of Culloden’ (which can be seen in full here) tackled similar subjects to his provocative ‘Highland Rape’ collection, albeit with a more romantic eye. Whilst the 1993 McQueen tackled the subject with ferocity and courted controversy, the 2006 McQueen took a softer, more poetic approach. Renowned for his romanticism, this collection is possibly one of the most lyrical of his career, designed to tell the story of the countless widows that resulted from the 1746 Battle of Culloden.

THE GOLDEN SHOWER

Generating controversy before it even took place, McQueen’s S/S 1998 collection ‘Untitled’ (previously entitled ‘The Golden Shower’ until a financial backer threatened to pull out - see the full show here) was shown in a London bus depot and featured then-rookie models such as Jodie Kidd and Kate. The show has since become one of his most celebrated, mainly for its balance of commercial appeal and grandiose spectacle but also for launching the career of ‘The Body’ herself, Gisele.

Gisele, The Golden Shower.

The show opened in traditional fashion with a series of beautifully-tailored trousers and suit jackets which nipped in at the waist and curved around the chest. It was here that the McQueen established one of the main colour themes of the collection – yellow and gold were both prominent throughout (a reference to the ‘Golden Shower’ title), most notably in a series of gold chain halter tops that more closely resembled body jewellery than an actual garment. There was also experimentation with animal print (one which McQueen had tackled in his previous collection) in the form of a snakeskin pencil skirt made from what appeared to be PVC, a piece which was surprisingly wearable when teamed with a black pinstripe suit jacket that jutted open at the back.

LA POUPEE

McQueen continued his streak of success with his S/S 1997 collection, La Poupée (which can be seen in full here) – a collection inspired by the work of twisted German puppeteer Hans Bellmer, renowned for his freaky female mannequins who were often contorted or deformed. Considering that Bellmer’s work was designed to oppose Nazi definitions of beauty, the fact that McQueen was inspired by the artist seems natural; both tend to work within the realm of the grotesque and the mutated, and both take pleasure in rebellion. 

Staying true to his signature showmanship, the designer crafted an extraordinary set which featured a flight of steps leading down to a flooded runway. The models all had blunt fringes cut to highlight cheekbones which were almost artificial in their severity, whilst their eyes were surrounded by bold sweeps of metallic silver eyeshadow. Many of the girls also wore heavy facial jewellery in the form of protruding spikes or silver cylinders which orbited the face, whereas the African model Debra Shaw created the most memorable imagery of the show by attempting to walk the runway whilst shackled with metal body jewellery. As usual the press rushed to create controversy, stating that a black woman in chains had to represent slavery – as usual the press were wrong, and McQueen chose the outfit because he liked the delicate way that it made the model walk, somewhere between demented and beautiful.

PORN?

Politics is a tricky business. Within right-wing countries such as my own home, the United Kingdom, politicians play a difficult game, attempting to combine conservative values with an economy driven only by growth. Ever since David Cameron (part of the right-wing Tories) took on the role of Prime Minister, a class hierarchy of sorts has emerged – arguably an undeniable element of a Capitalist government and not one which has had a hugely detrimental effect so far (aside from the fact that most of the population now shudder with fear at the thought of £9000 tuition fees, meaning that university education is now less of a right, more of a privilege). However, Cameron’s most recent announcement that he was going to ‘revolutionise the Internet’ was a step too far, and a clear example of politics sticking its proverbial nose where it does not belong. 

Kristen McMenamy, 032c

The ‘revolution’ of which Cameron speaks will manifest itself in the form of strict online censoring, no doubt designed to appease the overly-sensitive members of the UK population that  spend their Saturday nights on the phone to OFCOM, complaining about Lady Gaga getting her arse out on the X Factor. Now, with regards to the ban, it would be less irritating if Cameron was talking about cracking down on child pornography, or if the censorship was aimed specifically at youngsters, but he wasn’t and it isn’t. Instead Cameron now apparently feels he has the right to judge what we, as a nation of consenting, educated adults, should and should not be allowed to see – a rage-inducing thought, especially when we consider the effects that the ban could have on young creatives. This article is designed to highlight just one of the countless flaws in Cameron’s grandiose scheme – the notion of defining what it and what isn’t porn, especially within the realms of fashion and art. In terms of censorship, how can we define what is inappropriate and what isn’t?

SEXUALISATION? OR EXPLOITATION?

A number of things have been on my mind recently, probably due to a number of factors. The first was my decision to (finally!) buy ‘Lolita’, a book that I’ve been meaning to read for years and was also one of the only English books I could actually get hold of in a French bookshop.  The second was a conversation that I had with my friend Hamza, a long conversation about how the media manipulates social views of beauty and uses certain types of women to sell certain kinds of products. The third element has just been actually meeting and chatting to people that have been to model castings and hearing their experiences – for example, one found that the designer never actually spoke to him personally, instead using her assistant to communicate despite being in the room, whereas another girl (undoubtedly one of the most strikingly beautiful girls I know) was apparently ‘too fat’ for the job – bearing in mind she has a figure that most women would kill for.  

Promo poster for 'Girl Model'

MORE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN

The requirements to become a model seem generally straight-forward - striking beauty, unwavering professionalism and (most importantly), nerves of steel. By nominating themselves as clothes-horses, models are exposed to more scrutiny than any level of celebrity by the fashion press - every inch of a model's body is expected to be perfection, so the revealing 'More Beautiful Women' by respected fashion photographer Nick Knight provides a providing insight into the personalities behind the aesthetic. Before reading the rest of this post, feel free to click here - http://showstudio.com/project/more_beautiful_women to see the videos from the project in their entirety.

The enchanting Devon Aoki for 'More Beautiful Women'