The Wedding Industry as it is Linked to Fashion Throughout History

I’m currently working on a wedding gown for a friend and have thus been doing a lot of research on wedding dresses, their history and function and the various available types of gowns one can choose. The bridal industry makes $50 billion a year worldwide, which is only a fraction of the $900 billion that the overall fashion industry is responsible for. In this post I want to discuss the place of fashion in the wedding industry and how it happens that women spend more money on gowns than any other part of the wedding.

Back in the old days a woman’s wedding gown said everything about her family and social standing in the eyes if her future husband. Thus, the wedding gowns of the time featured more and more expensive fabric the wealthier the family was. The poorest girls in town would wear their Sunday bests to their weddings while the richest would have a dress maker design a custom gown to celebrate their big day. I suppose that’s my job.

But the trends of the old days changed completely when Queen Victoria wore white on her wedding day to symbolize her virginity going into the marriage. Suddenly, the wedding dress trend changed from wearing the fanciest gown possible to wearing a dress reflective of the fashion of the period – the only restriction being that it must be white. In the 60s there were little white mini dresses with flowy sleeves and in the 80s big poofy gowns inspired by Princess Diana’s masterpiece dress designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel in 1981.

Of course, like anything else, wedding dress design was affected by the changing social climate throughout the 21^st century. As the women’s rights movements progressed, so did women’s ideas of a fashion and the unnecessary traditions associated with marriage. Soon women were wearing anything they wanted for their big days, striking the fancy white conventions and expressing their personal styles with wide variety and colour. In my humble opinion, the notion of the wedding dress and indeed, the wedding is one than exists solely to allow women one chance to buy a gown better than any other gown. The dress usually corresponds not only with the bride’s social standing but also their personal character, and their political, social and religious beliefs.

So it’s complicated, this choice. The choice of which dress is the dress that will represent the bride the best is one that is often taken into deep consideration by many stylists and designers. As for myself, when I started the current piece I’m working on, I thought I had the best idea ever and drew it out and hoped it would please the bride in question. Though she did love the idea, there was a seemingly minor detail which was not to the taste of the groom which caused me to put my entire design under a microscope. As a result, I have now come up with three distinct, but similar designs represented in three prototype dresses for her to tear apart and decide which pieces she likes the best.

I was warned not to get into doing wedding shit by my mentor Patricia Fell once. She did it herself for a time and warned me of the psycho brides and the overzealous family members, but she also gave me some compelling advice. She said that before the wedding, when making a wedding dress, the dress maker must have regular fittings with the bride, with increased frequency as the final date approaches. This process is not only to accommodate the ever fluctuating weight of the stressed out bride, but to act as a sort of psychiatrist, allowing the bride to vent her stress, all the while appreciating the precision of the dress making process. It’s something that must be done in order to establish trust between the bride and her dress maker as well as allow for a better final outcome overall.

Very interesting, the whole idea of working in the bridal industry. At the moment, I love the thought. But perhaps Patricia is right and the stress of working with bridezillas won’t be worth the fabulous money that can be made from these endeavors. Yet another decision, the answer to which I’m sure will reveal itself in due time.

Until then!

Fashion Design From a Backward Perspective – Le Costumier

Sometimes I imagine what I want to do after I graduate from design school and have the precious certification that says I can dress people better than most. The obvious choice is that I would love to see our own label Petey the Troll Apparel become successful. If this happens, look for the most eccentric little shop on Queen West and you’ll find inside three floors; a store for the general public to browse our latest merch, a studio where we create our clothes and have top models come in for special fittings, and finally a loft on top where we have our regular high profile events and parties. I spend a lot of time dreaming.

But there are other options I could potentially explore as a designer should the above dream happen to not come true. One of these options could be the other love of my design life – costume design. For over three years now I’ve been insanely lucky to have a job working behind the scenes in the wardrobe department of the St. Clair College Musical Theatre Program. For this job, I assist the head costume designer while she decides on colour pallets, unique costume concepts and how we are going to acquire or build each of the necessary pieces.

Stop for a second and think of your favorite movie or tv show. Imagine that before the show is made, you only have the script and the actors and they tell you to dress them all in appropriate clothes for the corresponding scenes. Who are these characters? What do these types of people wear? It involves a lot of knowledge of the history of fashion design and the types of clothing that people have worn throughout history for various reasons throughout life. For example, Patricia Field was the costume designer for Sex and the City. She needed to choose clothing that fit each of those characters, all the while keeping the designers, director, actors and most importantly, the fans happy at all times.

If I choose to go this route I could imagine working on something really amazing like Mad Men which the talented costume designer Janie Bryant has designed for its duration. This is a great example: I don’t know if you watch Mad Men, but if you don’t, you definitely should. There are three main female characters in the show right from the start. They are the housewife – Betty, the career woman – Peggy and the bombshell – Joan. Keeping in mind the period (obviously 1960s fashion was much different than our own) Bryant needs to think about what the character is doing in the show, what her personality is, the history of the character, their whereabouts etc.

Then there’s the ever present issue of design in any capacity – that fact that human beings are not all the same size, and that clothing has to accommodate such an issue. This means the costume designer (if she doesn’t have a room full of assistants to take care of it for her, that is...) would have to have a considerable knowledge of clothing construction to match sizes and make alterations to various items of clothing in order to make them fit the characters correctly.

Costuming is an art which is very similar yet very different than costume design. Do I need to choose one of these two paths for my career or can I manage to be successful in both? We’ll see.

Who Cares What VanessaPetey Thinks: Marc Jacobs Spring 2011

Marc Jacobs is the first of two designers I’ll review who’s collections as private labels far exceeded their lines under large fashion house names this season. DON’T get me wrong, Louis Vuitton was beautiful, but there is nothing like a “Marc Jacobs” fashion show to make you weep into your yogurt sitting on your bed at 11 am on a Sunday. I decided to post about this particular collection because I’ve just been dying to dissect it and also because I get to talk about the influence fashion in the 1970s has had on fashion in the modern world. Dig?

Anyone who takes one look at this collection can see that the clothing could be part of Farrah Fawcett’s wardrobe circa 1977. The first thing that gives it away is that long slender 70s shape that all of the pieces accentuate. The dresses feature straight cuts and very bold patterns all in a wash of beautiful bright flowing colour. The dark purples and thick oranges glide down the runway – these are the clothes that models were meant to wear. The long thin, straight look on heels that stilt walkers would find challenging.

What I love about the idea of having a practically unlimited budget for a fashion show is that the designer can do whatever they’d like to do to convey the message they wish to convey. The Marc Jacobs show took place in a large, smooth wooden set, reminiscent of a ships’ hull. It reminded me very much of the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto designed by Frank Gehry. The rich colour of the wood complimented the palette Jacobs chose to work with perfectly. Not to mention that the feeling that wood gives me is one of warmth, thinking of my mom’s style of decoration. She was totally rad in the late 1970s and would have been all over this collection. The thing about the 70s is that prior to that time there had always been great fashion movements like Coco Chanel – 1910s-1930s, Christian Dior – 1940s-1950s, and the introduction of the Twiggy, mini-skirt, hippie, jive looks of the 1960s that all came before the era of disco, Nixon and Women’s Liberation. The 1970s saw the creation of the celebrity, fashion life style that we know in the industry today. After the earthy, “natural” vibe of the 1960s, people were ready to dress up again. Discos like Studio 54 gave people a place to wear upscale designer clothing and the trend proved to be one of considerable longevity.

WOW I totally didn’t even talk about what a genius Marc Jacobs is for bringing back the glamour and silhouette of the 1970 without all of the tacky detail and flash we’ve come to know and abhor about fashion in the decade. Jacobs is the Creative head of three major labels currently, his own self titled line we are discussing here, an offshoot line titled “Marc” by Marc Jacobs and of course the legendary French luggage company turned glamorous fashion house: Louis Vuitton. Jacobs is one of those designers who’s just been doing it since he was born and will never not be making beautiful, unique clothing.

I think this is a very exciting and impressive time in the history of the fashion industry and we’re all very lucky to be a part of it. Fashion designers like Marc Jacobs or many of the others I’ve discussed or will discuss soon now live like celebrities and make as much of a contribution to the world of art and beauty as any other medium available in this high technology world we live in. No matter how high tech our world gets, people will always have a need for clothing and women will always desire to look beautiful.

The Victorian Gothic in Fashion: Why it Exists and Why it’s Awesome

In university I was an art history/history major. Naturally I have over the years learned to merge this quiet passion of mine with my louder passion for fashion. Often, this has led to me working with a lot of period clothing and historical costuming, which requires a lot of attention to detail and the patients for the research it sometimes takes to create these pieces. Today I’m going to talk about my most recent interest – Victorian Gothic.

The other name for this type of dress, with a more contemporary edge is “Gothic Lolita,” the Lolita style consisting of over the top Victorian style dresses and accessories. I don’t really like calling it "Lolita" though because it makes me think of an old man checking out a pre-teen in a slutty dress...so we’ll stick with Victorian Gothic. :D

Since the nineteenth century this style has come and gone through the eras of fashion consistently and always with a specific audience in mind. Remember the wallpaper of the 1960s? The little frilly design on that shit was inspired by the Victorian era. Not to mention any use of damask or ruffled stripes are all influenced by the period and have continued to be used for decades since. People who like Victorian Goth usually really like it. I mean, I don’t know anyone who pulls out their frilly black lace gown for a day when they normally dress in common fashions... either you love it or you don’t. One designer who loved it was the late great Lee McQueen who made his label Alexander McQueen famous for its dark, Gothic sensibilities. Occasionally at an award show you’ll see a star or two decked out in something totally Goth, but it’s usually someone like Rose McGowan or Helena Bonham Carter....

I kind of think our generation has a specific attraction to darkness. The bestselling novels and films of the past two decades have been about witches or vampires and the market continues to grow. Everybody wants to look like a sexy vampire chick, right?

Well I’m buying into it. Petey the Troll Apparel are currently working on the initial concept and outfits for our 2011 Petey Couture collection to be released this Spring at Alternative Fashion Week in Toronto. I started my dress without thinking of any concept. It began as an entirely white, highly structured piece that I made with canvas and white gesso. I started painting it, bit by bit and the colours I used were increasingly pure, rich and dark. I decided to use a black crinoline and I asked Meg about it. She said her work was mostly going to be black as well, and that we might have a concept brewing. I stared at the dress for quite a little while and soon the concept was decided. It would be utterly foolish for me to reveal the concept or any more details about the collection before release, but we’re very excited to say the least!!

If you like this stuff check out my treasury on Etsy and stop by our shop on the way!

Fashion Design as the Last Gasp of Artistic Success in the Twenty First Century Part 2 – Subtitled – Why I Love Capitalism so much.

This is part two of my last blog entry about Vogue Magazine and fashion photography as an art form. I saw an ad in this month’s Vogue that I thought was amazing to this effect. It says

“Some people in this wired age question the fitness of the magazine business. They suspect it’s in tough shape, even failing health. A genre no longer in vogue. Well you might be surprised to discover that readers 18-34 actually read more issues than those 35 and older and that our overall readership is growing. In fact, nearly 300 million now spend their money on magazine subscriptions.”

I thought it was great because it’s a simple nod to the traditional forms of media, which continue to maintain their place in society despite the existence of the internet (blogging bastards like myself who could certainly never get published in the likes of Vogue.) LoL

This leads me back to the original point of this post: the validity of the statement that Fashion Design is in fact that last possible way to achieve real monetary success as a visual artist. I brought up the point about magazine readership and the traditional forms of media in order to dispel any suspect that I might be a modernist propagandist of the opinion that tradition is dead. However, my background in visual arts as a painter and print maker in my early University years afford me enough knowledge to truly say that living as a visual artist with no other form of income is impossible in the expensive world we live in. The term “starving artist” didn’t come from nowhere, let’s say. Upon my discovery of this fact at a reasonably young age, I decided the change my major and rethink the whole “ART” thing.

In 2007 when Meaghan and I started Petey the Troll Apparel, I came to the realisation that I could do my art though clothing, creating something functional and unique at the same time. Since then I’ve been of the opinion that fashion is the best way to be a visual artist, if only for the fact that clothing has the ability to change a person’s life in a real, tangible way. More recently, the most despicable, but plainly obvious truth about fashion as a thriving form of visual art is that it is indeed the only remaining form, which really provides a great possibility for monetary gain. Of course, as anything else, when in the starting stages of any artistic endeavour with the hopes of attracting public attention, the “starving artist” label applies. It’s rough out there boys and girls. But once you make it past that point of recognition, when you’ve got the job at the fashion house and you’re on your way to fortune and fame and riches and wealth and luxury and.......!!!!

*sigh*

And that’s the other thing I love about fashion. Fashion is honest. It doesn’t pretend to have artistic integrity and pride beyond the point of making loads and loads of cash for their creations. They say clearly and with attitude: “I want to be really fucking rich and fabulous.” And then they do it, and we're all jealous. Considering I currently live as the unfortunate stereotype of the “starving artist”, I could care less about maintaining any sort of fake integrity, pretending my ultimate goal is not major success both artistically and definitely financially. :D

Now if you'll excuse me, I’m gonna go put on my $539 Jimmy Choo shoes and my priceless vintage Versace sunglasses and we’ll catch the next jet to Paris baby.

Vive la Mode!!

Vogue: Fashion as the Last Gasp of Artistic Success in the Twenty First Century

Another break in my series of reviews on my favorites from the most recent Spring 2011 fashion weeks, this week I want to talk about Vogue. American Vogue, specifically, as it is the most important, universally respected and admired fashion magazine known to the industry. There is absolutely nothing I love more than chillin on my couch drinking coffee, flipping through Vogue, drooling over the intensely beautiful styling and photography throughout the publication.

From my perspective, there are three major pillars that make up the fashion industry. First, runway shows not only exhibit the clothes themselves to a live audience of excited buyers, but when theatre and character are built in, the shows can actually be responsible for the entire concept of the collection and concequentally, the brand. The second is convincing some person of social, artistic or other notable valor to wear the clothes, thus, making the clothes look cool to admirers of said person. This occurs most frequently with designers and celebrities, obviously, but on a lower, more local scale, it’s nice to see the bartender at the best bar in the city wearing Petey the Troll. ;) The third and most relevant pillar on which the fashion industry stands is fashion photography. Fashion photography has become an art in itself. Since the 1970s when photographers like Annie Leibovitz introduced a new, more intimate and personal style of photography, stylists in the fashion industry have used this technique to entice viewers to desire the clothing they are looking at. The power of a good photograph, one which can move you to your bones, is being used by fashion to exhibit clothing as works of art.

I started my post-secondary training at art school. Prior to that point I was very into drawing, painting and the creation of images on a two, or sometimes three dimensional level. When I started to take fashion more seriously, I realized that I had better stop thinking of fashion as clothes and and start thinking about it as art. This is what I love about Vogue magazine. As opposed to other magazines that are loaded with makeup ads and bullshit filler articles about how to do your hair and impress your man, Vogue takes fashion seriously. They realize that it is an art form and a very important art form at that. “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only.” Says the immortal Coco, “Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

This November 2010 edition of Vogue magazine features Anne Hathaway on the cover. She’s in a ridiculously elegant red gown and diamond jewellery and her smile is 8 miles wide. This photograph is evidence of what I think about Vogue. They really get what luxury is. They understand wealth and privilege and beauty and elegance and they arern’t afraid or ashamed to show it. The fashion industry suffers a lot of criticism about promoting their overtly extravagant lifestyle in an insensitive manor, considering the “economic crisis” or whatever. What’s true remains true – the people who live in and for the fashion industry will never be affected by such a lul in the economic state. Realisitically, they have enough wealth already that they could sustain themselves for decades by circulating the money in a small netowork of people. OH! How I long to join them. ;)

The highlight of this month’s Vogue is without a doubt the Anne Hathaway section. She is seen in several photographs dressed in a late 50s, early 60s theme of elegance. She’s seen wearing Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Miu Miu, to name a few and the actress looks quite well fit in the era. Shot by Mario Testino, one of the greatest fashion photographers of our time, the images are so beautiful that I literally want to go out, buy a bunch of fabric and recreate each and every one of those perfect dresses.

Perhaps one day.

I'm going to get more into this topic the next time I write. Let me know what you think :)

Until then!