The Davidelfin's KATHARSIS!

Every season there's that one collection that sticks in your mind for weeks after it comes down the runway, it speaks to you, it's almost as if that collection was made just for you. For me it wasn't something I watched come down the runway in Milan and Paris or saw online from New York. This time it was Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week that was the culprit, more specifically so Spanish designer Davidelfin's new Spring Summer 2012 collection: Katharsis. The word Katharsis comes from the greek word katharos, meaning pure or clean, which is exactly what comes to mind with this collection.
From the moment the first look came down the runway, a simple white button up with colored panels of bright pink, red, baby blue and a yellow collar with an asymetrical pencil skirt with a technicolor fringe, I was smitten. Nude tops with conveniently placed colored stripes, color blocked zippered tees, asymetrical shorts and pants in the freshest pastels. Add to that a mindboggling skirt and dress seemingly made of paint chips in every imaginable shade of the rainbow. The Katharsis collection is pure magic. It's the new Prep of the future. One particular piece that is going to be a must have is a sleeveless pastel paneled modified motorcycle jacket. In bubble gum pink, kelly green, tan, saffron, ice blue, orange and white this jacket is unlike anything you probably have in your closet at the moment.







Ever since I discovered Davidelfin on his other half Pelayo Diaz's blog I've eagerly waited for each new collection. Pelayo collaborated on some of the finishing details of this collection with David as evidenced from the Mawi jewelry and Dr. Martens shoes and it's perfection.
The Katharsis collection is simple but yet so complex with its strange geometries and multifaceted color palette. With a season full of crazy patterns, textures, and heavy accesories this collection is a breath of much needed fresh air.




Louis Paul Pisano

Maria Francesca Pepe caught us in a trap! Gothic glam trap!

With the start of the fashion month just a few weeks away we're all scrambling to put together our looks whether we're sitting front row at Dolce&Gabbana or standing outside Michael Kors hoping to be snapped by the likes of The Sartorialist or Tommy Ton. We at Fashilosophy have always been MAJOR lovers of fierce accesories and in the search for the finishing touches to our Milan fashion week outfits stumbled upon Maria Francesca Pepe.

Crafted by italian artisans but completely influenced by the London avant garde scene the pieces range from ornate gothic headpieces to simple cross necklaces and studded double rings. The concept of Maria Francesca Pepe is revolutionary, her "Jewellery-Wear" blurs the line between clothing and accessories while retaining the functionality of both with the latter being the main feature. The iconic tubular bracelet has become a sort of cult classic worn by everybody from Jennifer Lopez to Beth Ditto. Nicola Formichetti also often goes to Maria Francesca Pepe when he needs a special pieces commisioned for Lady Gaga.
Maria initially studied literature at Milan University for 2 years before realizing her true calling was in fashion and transferring to Istituto Marangoni and pursuing a BA in womenswear fashion before going on to achieve an MA at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London. Before finally starting her label she briefly worked for Vivienne Westwood as well as Jens Laugesen for the spring/summer 2008 season. Immediately after her first show she had buyers from all over clamoring to carry her line, from Dover Street Market to Henri Bendel and LuisaViaRoma.

In 2009 she was nominated for Emerging Talent in Accessories at the British Fashion Awards. Although Maria did not win you wouldn't be able to tell from her soaring popularity and social relevance especially with her loyal fanbase of celebrities. Steven Klein, Nick Knight and Nicola Formichetti are huge fans of her designs and often incorporate pieces into their editorials.
A must have for the fashionista who doen't mind a little edge on the competition, Maria Francesca Pepe says in her own words "I sell objects of desire" and she's absolutely right.

MFP FW11/12 'FORTUNA' from MariaFrancescaPepe on Vimeo.

Louis Paul Pisano

Shopping tips: The new "IT SHOE". PRADA Rocks!

There's no doubt that Prada's spring 2011 espadrille wingtip oxford creeper is the current "IT shoe" this summer. From the Olsen twins to fashion bloggers like Pelayo Diaz everybody is rocking these shoes with the distinct leather, rubber, and robe combination sole. Selling out immediatly in almost every Prada boutique worldwide at one point there was an extensive waiting list.
Lauren Sherman, a fashion writer at Fashionista.com says this of the highly criticized shoe "It doesn't matter that they're ugly and not sexy because they're Prada, Prada is known for its subversive sexiness. It's geek chic. People are sick of wearing hooker heels."

Available in a multitude of colors do you think these are worth the hype AND the $795
price tag?

Louis Paul Pisano.

MIRYAKI on our mind - Fashion new concept!

Milan is a hotbed of young new talent. No matter where you go in the city you’re sure to discover a new artist, freelance photographer or emerging designer trying to make it and in the process using every opportunity they can to showcase themselves.
One of my new favorite emerging lines in Milan is Miryaki. The brainchild of designers Riccardo Polidoro and Mia Vilardo, this label, which won the prestigious Clam Award at Mittelmoda last July, meshes together the designers’ distinctly different backgrounds together effortlessly ,resulting in stunning wearable art.
The strange beautiful geometry coupled with the combination of textures and color palette creates a multi dimensional look. It’s haute couture made street smart, wearable on and off the runway.
The Spring/ Summer 2011 collection is simple and chic as spring summer collections should be. The dresses in the gorgeous palette of white, black, and varying shades of blue are cool, elegant and serene, perfect for an evening spent perhaps enjoying a cocktail by the sea in Portofino or a rooftop dinner party in Milan.

For Fall/Winter 11/12 you’ll find more combinations of fabric layering, asymmetry, hard edges, and a more avant garde vibe. The use of pleating sheer fabrics create give it depth. In shades of black, white and gray the frocks paired with perhaps a pair of leggings and a winter coat would be perfect whether you are stepping into Dolce Gabbana Gold for a quick coffee with friends or an après-ski in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Every aspect of this brand is well thought out, from the incredibly sleek website with the fun little video that welcomes you, to the ad campaigns, my favorite being the spring/summer 2011 shot by Giuseppe La Rosa in the iconic Centrale Stazione. It oozes the gritty glamour the city is known for. Ricardo Polidoro and Mia Vilardo are definitely names you should be keeping an eye out for and judging from what they’ve already produced they are on the fast track to international stardom.



Louis Paul Pisano

The magic of Milan: behind the scenes could be fun!

Milan, a place as gritty as it is glamorous, a place where dreams are made and lost. Each year thousands of hopeful designers, stylists, models, and wannabe street style stars flock to the city in hopes of making it big. Fortunately for 24 year old Benedetta Borioni her dreams came true. In January 2010 Borioni was just your average student in Milan with fashion aspirations. Right before Men’s Fashion Week a friend asked her if she wanted to take her place as a model dresser at the Costume National show. Borioni jumped at this opportunity as most of us would have in hopes of meeting her favorite model. After it was all said and done she realized that she actually had enjoyed the work. I asked her what she loved about it. “I like being a model dresser because I’ve met a lot of great people, stylists, models and I’ve got a lot of new friends!” says Borioni. Her favorite part of the whole experience? “You can live the backstage with all the things like panic, photographers, people screaming, people smiling, hair and makeup, the collection before models doing the catwalk and the designers face at the end of the show. What a gratification!” The experience she describes is every fashionistas dream. The backstage is a world rarely seen by people not directly involved in the show and seeing the work that goes into what you see coming down the runway in its perfect presentation, makes you appreciate it even more.

In November 2010 Benedetta found an agency and was an official model dresser for fashion week. Since then she has worked everything from Moschino to Salvatore Ferragamo dressing the likes of Abbey Lee Kershaw, Arizona Muse, Alex Dunstan Alex DunstanAlex Dunstanand Aiden Andrews.

One of her favorite moments she fondly remembers was at FW '11, checking the runway and walking down the catwalk with the music as if she herself was modeling. She says she was so happy she felt like crying. To some people that would seem silly but to fashionistas everywhere that would be a dream come true.
I asked Benedetta what her favorite things about working in the fashion industry are. “I guess the beauty of the things, the creativity of the people and learning a lot as a person and for your work” Her least favorite? “People feel like they’ve got all the power in the world” No explanation for what she means there. We’ve all heard the stories of the taskmaster designer or the pumped up PR.
Milan is a very fickle city in all aspects from fashion, to weather, to nightlife. Most people have a love/hate relationship with the city and Benedetta is no exception. “In order to find something beautiful of Milan you have to know it slowly. You can find everything you want, amazing parties, gigs, and art” she explains. The downside of life in the fashion capitol of the world is the lack of the sea that she loves, the (unbearably hot and crowded) summer, and the difficulty of meeting good people.

To many on the outside the world that Benedetta Borioni now lives in seems like a fashion fairytale, with its fun, glamour and crazy model filled after parties, it seems so out of reach but she insists it’s not. To people aspiring to make their way into the fashion world she says all it takes is “passion, patience, strength, and to be in the right place at the right time”. I can say from experience, she’s got it right. Passion is what drives the kids here to spend their free time sewing and creating outfits to wear, patience to wait outside the venues in the rain during fashion week to glimpse the latest runway creations, strength to wait for hours in tragically chic and avant garde creations outside The House of Bordello on a Saturday night in hopes of seeing their favorite designers and to be immortalized in the weekly party pictures. Milan is a truly unique city filled with some of the most creative people in the world. It’s a place where dreams do come true, just ask Benedetta Borioni.

Louis Paul Pisano

Get The Edge of Summer: Shopping Tips by Louis Paul Pisano.

It's that time of year again, SUMMER. Tank tops, colorful pants, flip flops, neon sunglasses are all the rage but you're not like everyone else. While they run to the nearest Jil Sander, Prada, and Dsquared you head the opposite direction. You say to yourself summer is no reason to look like a box of Crayola crayons. Yet you can't exactly run into your closet and wear those black leather Rad Hourani pants you've been rocking all winter. So how does one do summer on a edgy, monocromatic scale? Watch.
Let's start with the foundation. It's hot outside so you want to wear a tank top, but not a boring old basic body hugging piece of fabric. You want classic with a twist. I propose a Claude Maus tank. It's your classic tank top with a draped scarf neck.

But it's BLACK! And it's SUMMER! you think, well this tank top is made of a superfine jersey that gives maximum breatheabilty. PROBLEM SOLVED. And remember black is very slimming.
Moving on. You've established you want to wear black. Great for you. But menswear below the waist has gone to both extremes of the spectrum. You're still not sure about this new trend of leggings and "skirts" so you stick with a pair of shorts. Now what kind? Leather? Yeah NO. So you decide on cotton. Lanvin has this classic and casual pair.

Cuffed at the bottom and falling just above the knee, these beauties are versatile enough for the transition to evening should you opt out on trousers.
Now on to footwear. So many options, so little time! You wore boots all winter, so how about sandals? These dual style Dior Homme detachable canvas lined calfskin sandals will take you easily from the street to the shore

But you can’t forget the accessories! Your jewelry should be as minimal as possible in the summer so forget about all that stacking and choose one statement piece. My pick is this beautiful Ann Demeulemeester silver feather necklace. Simple yet stunning it will leave you soaring high above the rest of the fashion crowd.

And THE BAG. Your classic black leather bag gets a summery update with a woven texture in this version from Officine Creative. Big enough to hold a small laptop, the latest copy of L'Uomo Vogue, your camera to capture those summer moments, etc.

With sunglasses you can never go wrong a pair of black Ray Ban Wayfarers

So that’s how to do simple summer dressing if color is not exactly your "thing". Remember look for modified versions of classic summer apparel to stay ahead of the curve but while keeping the season in mind. Remember no matter what anybody says nothing will ever be the new black. All pieces featured above can be found on the always essential Luisaviaroma.com.

Happy Shopping!

Louis Paul Pisano

Reports from Belgrade Fashion Week. Ana Šekularac F/W 2011. Freedom, strength, sensuality and love.

One Shot #7

One of the favorite designers in the UK, Ana Šekularac, presented her Fall/Winter 2011 collection on the 29th Belgrade Fashion Week. The collection embodies freedom, strength, sensuality and love of a woman. Each piece of clothing symbolizes one of these emotions and encourages its bearer to experience and express freedom, its inherent strength, sensuality, and above all love their own unique way.
The color palette used in this collection are white, red, the color of sand and chocolate. The choice of materials are delicate chiffon and comfortable velvet.
This season great chiffon dresses, with their layered ruffled skirts and skilful signature drape, were in the forefront of design and pass a new kind of modern femininity and elegance.
In addition to the Belgrade audience of celebrities, fashion show was attended by Elizabeth Musmanno which for years has been in a position of global director of Christian Dior and Vera Wang, who now works with the biggest Hollywood celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron.

About the Designer.
The British-born fashion designer Ana Šekularac of Serbian origin, attained a Masters degree in Fashion Styling at the prestigious Istituto Marangoni and then studied Fashion Illustration and Womenswear Pattern Cutting at the London College of Fashion. She is the rising star in fashion and designer of choice for the international fashion elite and the synonym of truly modern elegance and refined style. Her striking dresses with their sleek silhouette and exquisite details are loved by celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Cole, Keira Knightley, Rihanna, Anna Friel, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Tolula Adeyemi, Fergie and many others.
Wardrobe signed by Ana Šekularac has been available for couple of years on the shelves of the famous London department store Harrods.


Vesna Filipovic Fashionela's "One Shot" for Fashilosophy!

See the original article on Fashionela.

Faster, Mugler! Kill Kill!

One Shot #6

"Fashion is a movie. Every morning when you get dressed, you direct yourself."

Thierry Mugler, 2011.

The unsaid is very important.

Futurism is the unsaid, the unexpected. No codes, completely open and full of charm. It's movement and evolution. Dada and Futurism allow sensations to be evoked, emotions to be awaken. It's true, the world gets formatted, trivialized everyday more but when facing with the unsaid, taboos are ready for us to hold on to.

Get some humor, world! Here's to you the infamous Mr Misogyny par excellence: Thierry Mugler. Yet Femininity has never been celebrated in such a way. Heavily criticized during his whole career for the not-so-comfortable styling and fitting ("…je veux une femme roulèe comme une Buick!"), Mugler simply elevates the Woman to a pagan goddess. The body becomes a hybrid, a machine that never stops changing shape. The limits between dress and model's body do not exist anymore. The designer's sources include sexual fetishism, politics, sci-fi, Metropolis, Hollywood glam. A newly revamped Sunset Boulevard takes place during Mugler's shows, like Cirque d'Hiver is showing (1995). Dada and Futurism seem to be the pattern influencing the designer's approach to fashion: detail, transformation, theatrics, communication.

The woman is touched with idolization and devotion by his hands and the way he conceptualized femininity is nothing like the others. McQueen also pushed the Woman to fight against herself, against society, against men, against history. Remember the whole Highland Rape thing by McQueen? It was history en scène, it was the epic representation of a civilization. Let's imagine John Willies' work alive: a third body is created when the model dresses the strong, living clothes by Thierry Mugler. (robot)

Dealing with history, the broad-shouldered collection of 1986, for example, was inspired by Russia. Visuals of the performance-show included backgrounds of heroic Soviet monuments mixed with endless landscapes reminiscent of early 20th-century Social Realist painting and poster art. The kaleidoscopic compositions he created represent myth and truth, Chimere (1998) and Hollywood ladies, Gothic Velvet Vampires (1988) and Cow-girls (1992). Mugler's work as photographer also is a clear-cut definition of how his Goddess should be portrayed.

In his words, the unsaid is very important. Muglerettes would agree, I'm sure.

Hold on tight to taboos, world!

Spread the word!

"La moda è come un film. Ogni mattina quando ti alzi scegli cosa indossare, stai mettendo in scena te stesso."

Thierry Mugler, 2011.

Ciò che non diciamo spesso è più importante delle nostre parole. Il Futurismo rappresenta il non detto, l'inaspettato. Privo di codici, è totalmente aperto e affascinante. E' movimento, evoluzione. Dada e Futurismo rivelano sensazioni, emozioni celate. E' vero, non è più così facile lasciarci sorprendere: il mondo diviene ogni giorno più omologato, semplice, ma quando veniamo in contatto con il non detto i nostri tabù porgono una mano a cui aggrapparci. Per paura.

Procuratevi un sano sense of humour, signore e signori! Ecco a voi Mr Misoginia in tutto il suo splendore: Thierry Mugler. Eppure la Femminilità non è mai stata celebrata così. Da sempre criticato per i suoi fitting non propriamente agili ("…je veux une femme roulèe comme une Buick!"), Mr Mugler semplicemente eleva la Donna allo status di divinità pagana. Il corpo è un ibrido, una macchina in continua evoluzione di forma. Il confine tra abito e corpo non esiste più. Pensiamo alle fotografie di John Willie: le sue modelle, legate con corde e lacci divenivano la somma di corda e corpo, un terzo soggetto nasceva nei suoi scatti. Il designer si lascia influenzare dalla moda fetish (1989), dalla politica, dalla science-fiction, dai grandi film del passato, da Metropolis ai grandi capolavori di Hollywood. Un nuovo "Viale del tramonto" viene messo in scena in Cirque d'Hiver (1995). Dada e il Futurismo sembrano essere la chiave per comprendere le creazioni di Mugler: dettaglio, trasformazione, teatralità, comunicazione.

L'artista tocca la Donna con adorazione e devozione, viene plasmata in modo completamente nuovo, unico. McQueen allo stesso modo spinge la Donna a lottare contro stessa, la società, la storia, a divenire guerriera, strega. Ricordate il celebre Highland Rape di McQueen? Era una messa in scena storica, l'epica rappresentazione di una civiltà.

La storia? Mugler lavora ad una collezione di ispirazione russa nel 1986. Spalle ampie, alte, geometrie severe. Il background mostra gli eroici, imponenti monumenti sovietici e grandi paesaggi ispirati alla pittura realista socialista degli anni '20. Il caleidoscopio di Thierry Mugler crea mito e verità, Chimere (1998) e dame hollywoodiane, Gothic Velvet Vampire (1988) e Cow-girls (1992). Anche il suo lavoro come fotografo esplicita una lucida visione della sua Donna, l'unico modo in cui una divinità deve essere ritratta.

Per dirlo a suo modo, ciò che non diciamo è molto importante. Tutte le Muglerettes sarebbero d'accordo.

Tenevi stretti i vostri tabù!

Spread the word!

Tommaso Pollo's "One Shot" for Fashilosophy!

The Snatch! Postmodernism in Fashion.

One Shot #5

Craft must have clothes but Truth loves to go naked.

Vivienne Westwood, 1974.

Do we really know what a revolution is? We do not fight things anymore, yet we do not accept things. Being hazardous and daring sounds quite legendary in times like these, when leaving our mark on society is a necessary snatch to make to let our statements not be forgotten.

With reference to snatches and marks, this is how 430 King's Road, London looked like in 1974.

It all started back in 1971, when Let It Rock opened its doors for the world to see. 50's memorabilia, vinyl records, magazine AND clothing were sold here. Malcolm mcLaren gives birth to this small sanctuary of the Revolutionary Epoque, the 70's. He and his friends collect clothes, objects, manufactured products from all over the world: his task is to submit a bigger, more complete photograph of what style is in their époque.

Not that this is just a shop. From 1971 to 1983 and still being ran nowadays as Anglomania (sounds familiar?), the shop is an iconic travel through history, social issues, threats, fashion, censorship, freedom of speech, freedom of expression. Freedom. And truth.

"We can only take democracy for granted if we insist on our liberty". Do you recognize these words?

Vivienne Westwood's words. Honoured Dame of the British Empire in 1992, she's the one who invented punk, studded decorations, asymmetry and basically the one who introduced revolution in fashion. From Let It Rock (1971-73) to Too Fast to Live Too Young to Die (1973), from SEX (1974-1976) to Seditionaries (Clothes for Heroes) (1976-1979) and the final World's End (1979-1983), McLaren and Westwood concentrated their efforts in providing the perfect clothing soundtrack to the musical aggressiveness to Sex Pistols rising success. If you wanted to provide the world with a statement to be remembered you had to wear Vivienne's asymmetrical cuts and equivocal stuff.

The famous Tits T-shirt here worn by Sex Pistols is still a relevant affirmation of uniqueness.

Do not forget about the swastika issue: Malcolm McLaren, Jewish on his mother's side, introduced the swastika into the Sex Pistol iconography. What he wanted to state was: if your civilisation produces Nazis then your civilisation is rubbish. They were not Nazis. They condemned everything condemning freedom and equality on its turn.

This is when Postmodernism in fashion is born, when the American Dream is looking lost and weak, when the future is looked at as disrupted and not pleasant anymore. Just like Dada did with the deconstruction of things and concepts to reveal the hidden content, punk anticapitalist statement wanted to reveal subversion and rebellion, and mark it as the new Bible.

Let's not forget Alexander McQueen Postmodernist odyssey.

Vivienne keeps on representing British attitude, attention to detail and uniqueness in the best possible way.

"Fashion is about eventually being naked".

Spread the word!

"L'Artificio indossa abiti ma la Verità adora andarsene svestita"

Vivienne Westwood, 1974

Essere rivoluzionari. Sappiamo davvero cosa vuol dire?

Non combattiamo come un tempo, questo è certo. Eppure combattiamo. Azzardo. Sfida. Suonano come parole di un'altra epoca, in questi tempi in cui lasciare un segno nella società è un atto necessario. Un taglio dovuto, per non permettere di essere dimenticati.

A proposito di segni, tagli, ecco il 430 di King's Road, Londra, nel 1974.

Tutto è iniziato nel 1971, quando Let It Rock ha aperto i battenti al mondo. Memorabilia anni '50, vinili, giornali e abbigliamento era ciò che potevi trovare. Malcolm McLaren diede vita al piccolo santuario dell'Età delle Rivoluzioni, gli anni '70. Lui e i suoi amici collezionano oggetti, abiti, prodotti manufatti da ogni parte del mondo. L'obbiettivo è fornire una grande, completa fotografia di tutto ciò che è stile, comunicazione in quel tempo.

Non che si possa definire un semplice negozio. Dal 1971 al 1983 e aperto ancora oggi con il nome di Anglomania (vi dice qualcosa?), Let It Rock è un viaggio, un'icona della libertà senza tempo, minata dalle minacce, dalla censura. Let It Rock nasce come una sfida in nome della Libertà.

"Possiamo dare la democrazia per scontata se lottiamo per la nostra libertà". Riconoscete queste parole?

E' Vivienne Westwood a parlare. Nominata Honoured Dame of the British Empire nel 1992, è stata lei a inventare il punk, i fiumi di borchie, l'asimmetria. E' stata lei a introdurre la rivoluzione nel fascino world. Da Let It Rock (1971-73) a Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die (1973), da SEX (1974-76) a Seditionaries (Clothes For Heroes) (1976-1979), e l'ultimo World's End (1979-83), McLaren e Westwood hanno creato la perfetta colonna sonora visiva alle eroiche gesta dei Sex Pistols e alla loro carica aggressiva. Per essere ricordati era necessario indossare Vivenne Westwood, le tue frasi sarebbero state scolpite nella roccia. Tagli asimmetrici, look da macello, trucco pesante.

Una guerra di musica, vestiti, un'idea. Vera.

La celebre Tits T-shirt dei Sex Pistol rivela ancora oggi la sua forza sovversiva nella ricerca tormentata di un'unicità.

Non dimentichiamo la scottante questione "svastica": Malcolm McLaren, di madre ebrea, ha introdotto la svastica nell'iconografia del gruppo. Il suo statement era: "se il tuo mondo genera il nazismo allora il tuo mondo fa schifo".

Non erano nazisti, condannavano tutto ciò che a sua volta condannava la libertà e l'uguaglianza.

Ecco quando è nato il postmodernismo nella moda, ecco quando l'American Dream era freddo e malato agli occhi del mondo, ecco quando il futuro era una condanna, non più la soluzione. Proprio come Dada cercava nella decostruzione di oggetti e concetti una fonte di Verità, il Senso compiuto, gli statement anticapitalismo del punk sceglievano la Rivoluzione, la Ribellione. Una nuova Bibbia.

Non dimentichiamo l'odissea postmdernista di Alexander McQueen.

"Fashion is about eventually being naked".

Ditelo in giro!

Tommaso Pollo's "One Shot" for Fashilosophy!

Deep Down Diane Arbus and Ellen Von Unwerth: Photography and feminism!

One Shot #4

"I do not like to arrange things. I arrange myself!"

Everytime I look at the 1968 picture, A family on their lawn on a Sunday in Westchester, I can't help but thinking about Diary of a Mad Housewife (1968), by Sue Kaufman. Contemporary to Diane Arbus, Sue was a writer, one of the most important and revolutionary artists at the time. The way she looked at women, the way the protagonist, Tina, gets real and living in her hands, well, it's far from being common.
Do we really know what happened when women usurped traditional male roles in society? Tales were published in newspapers during the 50's and the 60's, functioning as warnings of what could happen if wife and husband did not perform their duties correctly. Do you want some more?
In 1956 Life magazine told the story of a woman who got dominant and active within the household: this fact drove her husband to drink. She was left to support the whole family, a very "undesirable and unnatural" role. Women like Tina and Diane were considered dangerous because "the independent, active woman is believed to give birth to perverted, homosexuals boys, the so-called "sissies".
The same sissies, transvestites, dwarfs, freaks, out-of-the box subjects Diane was longing to take pictures of. She wanted to focus her attention on how bodily decoration like make-up, jewels, dresses were used by the men to create the socially-culturally-determined image a woman was entitled to look like.
When Diane finally found her subject, she already got bored of fashion photography. Nothing really excites her, nothing impresses her like freaks. Let's go deep down and dirty into freakness, let's climb the way back to beauty. The sexual tension between photographer and model. Yes, this is it. Consider who the photographer is, and who's the model. Freaks. Watch them in Tod Browning's movie Freaks.
I think Arbus is still the one, but there's one girl more nowadays. Ellen Von Unwerth is the only living female photographer who's giving shape to a new kind of woman.
She started after being a model herself, she doesn't look for freaks, she's really sexual in her strength and imagery: so, what do Diane and Ellen have in common? Apparently nothing.
Take a look at this.

Ellen does not hit us with a subversive or violent impression, yet she's looking for a strong sense of surprise and unexpected sense of grotesque.
Genius is a form of beauty, beauty is a form of genius, being surprised or moved by a picture is the key to a new approach on creativity. Our age is way more used to getting shocks and stabs at one's eyes, yet Ellen caused me shivers down my spine more than once.
Get outside of the box.
"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know."

Spread the word!

Ellen Von Unwerth
Diane Arbus' freaks (1966-1967)

"Non mi piace fare ordine. Riordino me stessa!"

Quando davanti a me ho A family on their lawn on a Sunday in Westchester (1968), non riesco a non pensare a Diario di una casalinga disperata (1968), di Sue Kaufman. Contemporanea di Diane, Sue fu una delle più importanti e rivoluzionarie scrittrici dell'epoca. Il suo sguardo verso le donne, il modo in cui Tina, la protagonista, prende forma e vita nelle sue mani, beh, è lontano da qualsiasi stereotipo.
Ma sappiamo realmente cosa accadeva quando una donna usurpava i costumi maschili negli anni '50 e '60?
I giornali raccontavano favole moraleggianti, sedicenti cronache di ciò che accade quando l'uomo e la donna non rispettano i propri ruoli in famiglia. Non vi basta?
Life nel 1956 metteva in inserto la storia vera di una donna che aveva "indossato i pantaloni" in casa propria, portando così il povero marito all'alcolismo. Lei rimase quindi l'unica a mantenere la famiglia, un compito "che nessuna donna vorrebbe avere, perché innaturale." Donne come Diane e Tina erano pericolose. Uscire dal ruolo della casalinga perfetta imprimeva maledizioni sulla progenie, si diceva infatti che la donna-uomo avrebbe avuto figli pervertiti, omosessuali, chiamati "sissy".
Gli stessi sissies, travestiti, nani, freaks, outsider che Diane doveva fotografare. Era incuriosita da come questi soggetti indossassero make up e abiti femminili ricreando la perfetta immagine dell'aspetto che la società imponeva a una donna di avere.
Quando infine Diane trovò il suo soggetto, era stufa da tempo della fashion-photography. Nessuna ossessione come loro, nulla la spingeva al limite come i suoi freaks. Si lanciava in profondità nei loro abissi, per scalare al ritorno verso la bellezza e il loro segreto. Guardateli, in Freaks di Tod browning. Diane cercava una connessione con loro, la trovò. La tensione sessuale tra fotografo e modello. Certo, c'era. Consideriamo chi è il fotografo. Diane Arbus. E il modello, i freak.
Ritengo sia ancora la prima e l'unica, ma un'altra donna scava in profondità, di questi tempi. Ellen Von Unwerth sta dando una nuova forma alla donna del XXI secolo.
Ellen ha iniziato come modella, non cerca i freak, è profondamente sexy e allusiva nel suo immaginario. Cos'hanno in comune quindi lei e Diane? Nulla...apparentemente.

Ellen non ci colpisce con violenza sovversiva, ma cerca la sorpresa, l'inaspettato, il grottesco. Ad ogni costo.
La bellezza è una forma di genio e viceversa, farci sorprendere o sconvolgere da una fotografia è certamente un modo sano per risvegliare la creatività. Certo, la nostra epoca è decisamente più abituata a ricevere shock allo sguardo, ma Ellen è riuscita a farmi arrossire e pensare più di una volta.
Usciamo dal recinto.
"Una fotografia è il segreto di un segreto. Più ti comunica, meno sai."

Ditelo in giro!

Tommaso Pollo's "One Shot" for Fashilosophy!

Looking beyond fashion: Alexander McQueen and Art!

One Shot #3

"I was looking at the show on the monitor, watching everyone trying not to look at themselves. It was a great thing to do in the fashion industry—turn it back on them! God, I’ve had some freaky shows.”
Alexander McQueen, after the 2001 S/S Voss show.

A glass cube explodes.
Michelle Olley is revealed, naked. Pipes from her mouth, moths all over her. A devilish mask on her face. Breathing.
This ain't just Francis Bacon or Freud. In faithfully reproducing Joel-Peter Witkin's Sanitarium (1983) Alexander McQueen drowns in his nightmares: having no shelter, feeling scared, feeling love, that's what true experience is all about. The definition of one's identity.
The apparent misogyny is nothing but a way to help a woman to face the worst: rape, loneliness, masks, suffocation, racism: "I was always trying to make them look strong and sheltered. You have to have balls to talk to a woman wearing my clothes".
The ritual takes these creatures deep into their gloomy fears: they'll rise as brand new warriors, dressed with armours.
This is what the Joan of Arc-inspired A/W 1998 show's about. A bondage-clad Joan of Arc, encircled by a ring of fire, celebrates the feminine power suffocated by institution and religion.

On the contrary, Eye (S/S 2000) shows models with no identity, lifted upon a bed of nails, floating on air. Burka and masks hide their faces, the lack of identity is a scream from the catwalk.
The 1995 Highland Rape show terrified most of the audience: models walking in ripped lace dresses, their clothes torn apart, tampons hanging from their rocks, green rotten grass under their naked feet, wounds on their skin.

Would you call this glamour? It was his fathers history represented on the scene, the 1746 Battle of Culloden. It was the massive "Rape" that England inflicted upon Scotland: the 1746 Dress Act declared absolutely illegal for Scottish people to wear Highland-Scot clothing like plaid kilts, military shoulder belts. The canceling of Scottish identity was the aim: the designer overturned all of this, setting tartan as the absolute trend of the 90's. Revenge? Maybe. Certainly self-affirmation.
We went through women oppressed, raped, burned: what about decay? Here's to you the incredible flower-studded dress presented in Sarabande, 2007. The model wears rotten flowers, falling from her dress while she walks. Things rotten, fallen, things dying. Marc Quinn's Garden (2000) in the Fondazione Prada in Milan is the perfect match to this celebration of decay: a frozen Eden, built to last, yet dead. Opposites attract.
Last but not least, fun and smiles are admitted too. Cindy Sherman, Diane Arbus, McQueen.
What we hide, he reveals: our identity is safe.

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"Dai monitor vedevo lo show e tutto il pubblico evitare il proprio riflesso sul cubo. E' stato bello farlo all'élite della moda, rivoltarli contro loro stessi! Ho fatto un bel po' di cose strane!"
Alexander McQueen, dopo lo show Voss, S/S 2001.

Un cubo di vetro esplode.
Nuda, vestita di falene e farfalle, Michelle Olley appare. Tubi escono dalla sua bocca. Una maschera demoniaca sul viso, respira.
Non è Francis Bacon, non è Freud. Alexander McQueen riproduce fedelmente Sanitarium (1983) di Joel-Peter Witkin, cerca conforto, paura, amore nei suoi peggiori incubi. Mette in scena sé stesso, la sua identità.
L'apparente misoginia di cui sembrano intrisi i suoi show è solo un rituale. Le creature di McQueen vengono accompagnate in una discesa agli inferi dalla quale risalgono scintillanti guerriere, indossando armature: "…ho sempre cercato di far apparire le donne forti, al sicuro. Devi essere un uomo con le palle per avvicinarti a chi indossa i miei abiti".
Ed ecco appunto Giovanna d'Arco, in Joan, A/I 1998. Una personificazione in abiti bondage dell'eroina medievale conclude la sfilata al centro di un cerchio di fuoco, esorcizzando il terrore dell'oppressione, del soffocamento dell'identità femminile e celebrandone invece il potere, quasi un nuovo femminino sacro.

Eye, P/E 2000, al contrario sospende letteralmente su un letto di chiodi modelle la cui identità viene cancellata, soffocata dalla religione o dalle istituzioni. Maschere, burka, celano donne inquietanti, perché dal volto assente.
Nel 1995 Highland Rape terrorizza la platea: abiti strappati, pizzi lacerati, collari Edward, modelle ferite camminano a piedi nudi su ciuffi d'erba svenuta. E' questo il glamour? E' la storia degli antenati del designer di origini scozzesi, della Battaglia di Culloden (1746). E' la mise en scène del Dress Act inglese che impediva alla Scozia conquistata di indossare i propri tartan tradizionali, il kilt, le cinture militari.
Di nuovo, un'identità cancellata. Ancora una volta affermata con decisione da Alexander McQueen, che impone il tartan come must assoluto degli anni '90. Vendetta? Forse. Self-affirmation di certo.
Donne maltrattate, oppresse, bruciate: e il decadimento? Ecco a voi l'incredibile abito-giardino di Sarabande, 2007: la modella è vestita di fiori che cadono dall'abito mentre avanza sulla passerella. Fiori caduti, appassiti. La perfetta controparte per Sarabande è il Garden (2000) di Marc Quinn, alla Fondazione Prada, Milano. Un Eden congelato, perfetto, rigoglioso, ma privo di linfa, morto. Dove gli estremi si uniscono.
Infine, un piccolo richiamo al divertimento, al sorriso. Cindy Sherman, Diane Arbus, Alexander McQueen.
Rivelare ciò che è nascosto: un'identità al sicuro.

Ditelo in giro!

Tommaso Pollo's "One Shot" for Fashilosophy!

Animalier and style. Tips by Alexis Becca from Big Apple's streets!

One Shot #2

The fashion stylist Contributing Market Editor of Harper's Bazaar Asia and fashion blogger Alexis Becca, Fashilosophy's contributor, this month gives to us some advice about how to play with the animalier style, drawing influences from New York streets.

Animal prints came ferociously this season! From luxe handbags to cashmere cardigans, the trend made a huge impact commercially and editorially. But with all heavy hitting trends its easy to get lost in the high speed momentum and lose sight on how to make it your own.
I went through my closet and pulled out a few of my favorite animal prints and want to share with you how to wear the trend with out the trend wearing you.

Gli stampati animalier si sono imposti ferocemente questa stagione! Dalle borse di lusso al cardigan di cashmere, il trend ha avuto un impatto enorme a livello commerciale ed editoriale. Ma con tutti i forti trends che ci colpiscono è facile perdersi nell'alta velocità del momento e perdere di vista il modo giusto su come rendere personale uno stile.
Così ho aperto il mio armadio ed ho tirato fuori alcuni dei miei stampati animalier preferiti, per condividere con voi il modo giusto di indossare un trends senza rischiare che il trends indossi te.

You can never go wrong with simple and timeless. Tweed in a classic silhouette as this is chic and subtle. The leopard print belt is only allowed to make the exclamation point, my body makes the statement.

Non si può mai sbagliare scegliendo la semplicità e lo stile senza tempo. Un tocco di classico tweed come questo tubino per una silhouette sottile ed elegante. Il cinturino leopardo è consentito solo per dare quella nota di stile, è un punto esclamativo ed il mio corpo è la sua affermazione.

Dress: Zara, Belt and Shoes: YSL.

These silk harem pants make me feel like I'm a performer! All eyes on me and its showtime! Its fun to let your inhibitions go free with colorful animal prints but the key is too keep it caged with smart blazers and accessorize to bring it together. I paired my pants with a crop fitted blazer to tighten my look, it keeps my waist slim and balances the drama below.

Questi pantaloni di seta in stile harem mi fanno sentire come se fossi un artista! Tutti gli occhi sono su di me e io misento la protagonista dello show! Il divertimento è osare, lasciare le vostre inibizioni libere usando stampati dai colori forti e gli animalier colorati, ma il segreto è tenerli in gabbia, riquilibrando tutto con un blazer elegante e i giusti accessori, per far stare tutto in equilibrio con gusto. I miei pantaloni abbinati con una giacca corta e easy fanno si che si snellisca il mio punto vita e che si bilanci il "dramma" tra il sopra e il sotto dell'outfit.


Jacket: H&M, Scarf: Sonia Rykiel, Pant: Temperley London, Shoes: Alessandro Dell'Acqua.

I purchased this electric blue Ted Lapidus vintage jacket a few years ago in Los Angeles and its been my staple "pair me" with anything bright or printed go to piece! This is what I like wearing when I party with my friends in the Lower East Side in NYC.

Ho acquistato questa giacca vintage di Ted Lapidus pochi anni fa a Los Angeles e il suo stile è grandioso con qualsiasi cosa di stampato animalier tu voglia indossarla! Questo è l'outfit giusto per un party, è quello che mi piace indossare quando ho una festa nel Lower East Side di New York.

Jacket: Ted Lapidus, Pant: Dolce & Gabbana, Shoes: Zara.

I wear black like there is a drought with the color! In fact as I am typing this I am wearing my favorite black cargo pants from French Connection. Black is classic and 10 years from now, this picture will still look very cool. The shoe is my statement. It says the trend but in a subtle understated way.

Io scelgo di indossare il nero come se ci fosse una sorta di siccità del colore! Infatti, mentre sto scrivendo sto indossando i miei pantaloni neri cargo di Franch Connection preferiti. Il nero è un classico e tra dieci anni questa immagine avrà ancora un aspetto cool ed elegante, senzatempo. La scarpa è la mia espressione, questa parla di tendenza ma in modo sottile e sobrio.

Sweater: Diane Von Furstenberg, Pant: Club Monaco, Eyewear: Emanuelle Kahn, Shoes: Dolce & Gabbana.

I love how denim and leopard goes together. It reminds me of 80's punk/pop bands. I did it here with a huge leopard cuff. When it comes to prints extend it beyond the clothes, have fun with the accessories as well.

Adoro come il denim e il leopardato stiano bene insieme. Mi ricordano il look un po' punk un po' pop delle band anni '80, e l'ho riproposto qui con degli enormi bracciali effetto leopardo, perché quando si tratta di animalier è bello divertirsi ed estendere il trend oltre i vestiti giocando con gli accessori dallo stesso stile.

Jacket: Express, Shirt: Kenneth Cole, Skirt: Zara, Shoes: Zara, Eyewear: Vintage.

I feel like woman should look desirable and sexy. This look is how I like to feel everyday. Its very simple, just a top and skirt but the cheetah print gives me the perfect injection of fierceness without having to say a word. Go girl!

Io mi sento come una donna che ama apparire desiderabile e sexy e questo look è rispecchia il modo in cui mi piace sentirmi tutti i giorni. L'immagine è molto semplice, basta un top e gonna, ma la stampa ghepardo mi dà la giusta dose di ferocia senza il bisogno di dire una parola. Go girl!

Tank: Kenneth Cole, Skirt: Dolce & Gabbana, Shoes: Christian Dior.

Ágatha Ruìz de la Prada: Colorful Revolution of a soul!

One Shot #1

"Spain isn't provided with a perception of freedom when it comes to clothes: you must feel free, comfortable. You have the chance to keep the constrictions of modern life away from you. At least with what you're wearing. In Spain this is far from being achieved so this is what I'm trying to do myself."
Ágatha Ruìz de la Prada, 1983.

Glam also lives in revolution, instinct also plays a role in fashion.
Ágatha Ruìz de la Prada represents the power of Spain at its best, a country ready to explode culturally and socially through the Spanish Movida: after the death of dictator Franco in 1979 oppression is no more tolerated in Spain. Everything starts in Madrid: Ágatha was born here, she starts working in fashion in 1981, therefore her creativity is the direct expression of the new look at the world.
Times of punk and new wave also arrived in Madrid and while this city gets colored and joyful in the aftermath of Franco's fall, a whole new suburban world comes out: a positive and colorful chess of new subversive values and ideas comes to surface in the city.

Madrid and Spain are considered the most powerful and creative sources of inspiration in the whole world because of their angry retort to a suffocating historical and cultural setting. Optimistic aggressively of Andy Warhol, the Niki de Saint Phalle's nanas, Velázquez's meninas, cubism by Picasso, all of them are living in Ágatha's creations.
Imagine Spain in 1982 and think about Pedro Almodòvar provocative mises en scène, think about Alphaville first pop steps , think about Ágatha Ruìz de la Prada playful mood. The deconstructed, unfitted, cosmic shapes she builds with raw and natural materials like silk, mohair and cotton; her plastic sculptures painted with exciting flashes of bubble gum pink, yellow, orange: every single element wants to forget the past, what is known-and-worn. She craves the unknown, the unconventional.
It's like going back to the joyous tunes of childhood, to theatre as the game of impersonating characters, objects and sensations.
Today's fashion is looking further of course, but Ágatha's fluo strength and sense of divertissement is something not to be forgotten, as sense of humor seems just too naive to lots of people.
Meat dresses are admitted, of course.

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f/w Ready to wear 2009 - f/w ready to wear 2008

Niki de Saint Phalle's "Adam & Eve"

"La Spagna non conosce la libertà e la comodità in fatto di abiti. Ciò che indossiamo può offrire una fuga agli obblighi quotidiani. In Spagna non esiste nulla del genere e io voglio farlo con le mie creazioni."
Ágatha Ruìz de la Prada, 1983.

Istinto e rivoluzione giocano in prima linea nella scacchiera della moda. Accade.
La Spagna degli anni '80 è pronta ad esplodere dopo la conclusione della dittatura di Franco nel 1979, e così lo stile inconfondibile di Ágatha Ruìz de la Prada. Nasce a Madrid, entra nel fashion world nel 1981, legata a doppio filo alla movida madrilena, alla rivoluzione sessuale, creativa. Il momento del punk e della new wave arriva anche per la calda Madrid, che rinasce dalle austere ceneri dell'oppressione in una strabordante, caotica metropoli ridipinta a nuovo: dai sotterranei della vecchia città emerge un altro mondo, preda di tensioni sgargianti e sovversive.
Nell'opera di Ágatha il cubismo di Picasso, le meninas di Velázquez e l'aggressività ottimista di Andy Warhol convivono, così come nella Spagna intera. Tutta la nazione è ormai pronta a ricevere avanguardie, nuove personalità, influenze creative di ogni espressione artistica e diviene fonte di ispirazione per tutta Europa per la sua agguerrita risposta alla fine della dittatura.
Immaginate la Spagna del 1982 in piena movida, pensate ai controversi lavori di Almodòvar, ai primi passi nel pop degli Alphaville, al mood giocoso di Ágatha. La decostruzione, la ricerca dell'imperfetto, degli elementi della natura (lune, stelle, fiori sono il suo marchio di fabbrica), di materiali naturali come mohair, seta, cotone, maglia; gli abiti-scultura, colorati di rosa, giallo, arancio fluo, come le nanas di Niki de Saint Phalle: ogni singolo elemento spinge dal passato verso un nuovo e positivo presente, verso l'inaspettato, il non convenzionale.
A volte ricorda una canzone che cantavamo da bambini, a volte il teatro, l'interpretare persone, oggetti, emozioni.
Tutto questo é scontato, la moda guarda oltre, direte in molti. In realtà il senso di divertissement, la forza tagliente e simbolica di Ágatha credo siano da non sottovalutare, oggi il sense of humour è ostracizzato e considerato naif da troppi.
Meat dresses esclusi, naturalmente.

Ditelo in giro!

Tommaso Pollo's "One Shot" for Fashilosophy!