‘Like it or not, we are all postmodern now’

Last year we were set an essay on postmodernism, and it’s shameful to say that a recent visit to the ‘postmodernism- style and subversion 1970-1980’ exhibition at the V&A has allowed me to finally understand it. In simplest terms, postmodernism is ‘A radical freedom of design, showcasing funny confrontational and occasionally absurd’ to me, translated too going against what is deemed as politically correct. So why on earth did it take me so long to understand this?

The exhibition was completely stunning, and introduced me to so many new artists whose work was truly inspirational. Vivienne Westwood- quite possibly the most postmodern designer out there showcased the subversive power dress. Printed with stills from blade runner encapsulating the post punk era, it was clear to me that her designs have influenced many other postmodern designers today.

The Lévi-Strauss dress, taken from the Autumn/winter collection in the 80’s was the oddest design I saw. To me, it was reminiscent of a crocodile, yet it made me understand that anything goes. The images of Las Vegas created by Robert Venturi and Scott Brown, and new architectural styles showcased the use of elaborate colours and buildings that were not your standard ‘boxes’ but exaggerated pieces of architecture.

My favourite section of the exhibition was ‘strike a pose’ showing that dancers, art directors, drag queens, pop stars and night clubbers influenced postmodernism. The hologram created by Edwina Orr and David Trayner of Boy George covered in polka dots, showed postmodernism at its finest. The images of Grace Jones, who turned herself into a subversive celebrity and the Talking Heads video translated into postmodern art.

The quote ‘like it or not, we are all postmodern now’ is one that I can finally understand. Some of you who read this may be thinking it sounds so simple and the fact it is, it really is.

Where have you gone?

Having just been to a lecture on commerce, culture and design, I practically sprinted from my lecture theatre down to Waterstone’s (quite possibly my favourite place to visit) to trawl through their extensive magazine stands, to find something obscure on what I have just learnt from my lecture. I knew that Waterstone’s wouldn’t disappoint, as I always manage to find a magazine that relates to my course. Such as ‘Ad-busters’; to me, a majorly controversial magazine, but something you have to read.

As I went up each floor, it became plainer to see that the magazine stands no longer existed. I passed a sales assistant on each floor, yet I refused to let myself asked them where it was as I didn’t want reality to hit. After looking confused/rather upset, I bought myself to ask a sales assistant. They told me the dreaded news that the magazines have left and he does not know when they will be bought back.

A rather over dramatic post, but why have you done this to me Waterstone’s? Please come back.

Succumbed to resolving the height issue

Having always been rather stubborn about wearing heels on a daily basis, I believe that I have now succumbed to the fact that if you get an appropriate pair, it makes one hell of a difference to your posture and of course my height. Having to be stringent now I am facing the dreaded bills and the fact that I do need to eat, the heeled boots in Topshop are going to remain a dream inside my head. After trawling through the majority of Nottingham’s high street stores, I found my boots in H&M. You are most likely no stranger to the fact that I do not like things to look new- so the shine that has just about faded on my boots did put me off at the beginning. Then again, what do you expect for £25.00? They are comfortable, practical and most of all match every outfit.

Then there is my silver midi skirt. Primark has stages of producing some amazing pieces, and this I believe is one of them. It falls just below the knee, is high waisted (of course) and matches beautifully well with black tights and my new boots. I honestly look like I am a few feet taller. Teaming it with a red patterned T-shirt and bright red lipstick, I feel like I am wearing a rather sophisticated outfit for an incredibly cheap price.

I fell a little bit in love.

I very rarely shop anywhere other than vintage shops and when I can afford it- Topshop. I am back in Nottingham now, back to the world of student living, where shops believe it is appropriate to offer us 20% off. How dare they do such a thing- obviously I am not really complaining, but it makes me buy more than I can actually afford. I am one of those terrible people who will buy something that I believe I really need and love, and then three weeks later I will hate it. It will sit in my wardrobe starring at me. So this year I told myself, buy staple items that you will not go off.

So I bought a bright red skirt.

River Island has always come across slightly tacky to me, they over-embellish many of their clothes. So when I saw the 20% off sign, I didn’t believe that I would be drawn in- oh what brilliant will power I have. I came out with a skirt that I have fallen a little bit in love with; it fits beautifully with my blouses and has a vintage feel to it. I wore it tonight with black brogues, black tights, a baggy grey t-shirt and an emerald green necklace I recently purchased from Topshop.

One day I will learn to actually take photos of myself in my clothing- but for now, you can see the beauty of my new items attached to my overly busy walls.

A sudden change in style

My previous post talks about my search for the perfect midi. Trawling through rails of clothes at my favourite charity shop looking for last minute buys to take back to Nottingham led me to my midi. It cost me £2.00. It came below the ankle, which I discovered was not a good length for my short height. Cutting and hemming the skirt just below the knee, the ruche black and white stripes and random flashes red sits nicely around my waist.

For me, everything has to be high waisted, in fact I don’t think I own anything that isn’t. A/W 2011 collections have completely drawn me towards midi pencil skirts, brogues and oversized jumpers; needless to say I know where my next lot of money will be going.

Oh Comely; the magazine that never fails captures my curiosity

The odd yet witty articles, the genius layout and the optimum fact that there is something to read on every page; to me this is something that all magazines should have. Oh Comely most definitely has this; yet the one thing that strikes me the most when I’m turning from page to page is the photography.

I have always been a sucker when it comes to beautiful photography. I am completely terrible at taking photographs myself; but looking at other people’s photography always catches my attention.

An array of photographs entitled ‘Stacy in plaits’ shown in issue six are completely brilliant. They capture a girl who portrays a sense of innocence in each photograph. She wears a different blouse, and has a different style of plait in her hair; who knew that something so simple could be translated into such beautiful photographs.

From picking up Oh Comely for the first time in a magazine shop in Manhattan, I become curious even at the sight of the front cover.

Stand, observe and then breath.

It seems that my childhood memories are completely slipping away; I have been to St. Ives many times, yet I just don't remember it. As i walked around with my parents last week, they pointed out where we used to stay, the walks we used to go on, and the restaurants we used to visit with my Grandparents. Granted, the last time I went I was about seven, but you always remember little snippets of your childhood. The views are breathtaking and certainly not boring, I have never seen a sea so blue, and even on a cold day you don't mind sitting on a beach staring out to sea.

Would I have rather been abroad sunning myself? This year, I really don't think so. Being able to get away and forget about reality for a while was amazing. (There were also some overly gorgeous surfer men).

The Iconic Beauty.

On a monthly basis, the media manages to catch her with a cigarette in hand, dishevelled hair and little make up in the hope that the majority of people will judge her for ‘losing her touch'. Yet to me, I can still see the complete and utter beauty of Kate Moss. She is the element of utter cool, her carefree lifestyle and utter compassion for what she does always translates into her iconic photographs.

Mario Testino has never failed her, especially with his most recent photos of her in Vogue. It seems that this month is all about sophistication; each photo creates the illusion of a different type of silhouette, each of which she pulls off magnificently. With red lipstick in tow, and her hair pulled back off her face, it is easy to see why so many people have fallen for her.

These are yet another range of photographs to add to my overly crowded walls.

If only I was a little bit taller.

I am completely and utterly in love with the midi skirt. The way it looks so elegant on, disguises your thighs and hugs you beautifully at the waist and the optimum fact that it seems to go with everything.

I told myself that I could definitely get away with the midi skirt. I rarely go out the house without wearing something high waisted in order to make my short legs appear slighter longer, so a high waisted midi skirt must work on my body.

I was wrong; being the fantastic height of 5.2 does have its major disadvantages. I tried on a sophisticated navy high waisted pleated skirt which fell just below the knee, and to my total annoyance it just drowned me.

I am however not going to give up; my friend Bethany always tells me that I should use my short height to my advantage by simply buying a pair of heels. According to Vogue I am going to have to be very careful with what pair I buy. I love running; therefore my calves are rather muscularly, therefore I need to avoid ankle straps and bold colours.

Personally I see the midi skirt as a total revolution- the photos accompanying this month’s Vogue article ‘The subtle allure of the midi’ by Lachlan Bailey are breathtaking. The model is beautiful, with Lachlan managing to catch her at the most fantastic angles. (If only I was as tall as her)

By the time summer is over, I will have bought a midi and I will most definitely have photographic evidence to show you.

Who knew?

Middle parting, wavy hair, red/ orange lipstick, vintage or high street blouse, high waisted bottoms (always), thin pair of tights, a pair of brogues, a charity shop bag over my shoulder and with my charity shop black cardigan in tow (The best £4.00 I have ever spent) and I’m out the door.

I would be completely kidding myself if I said I was individual. When I was look back at old photographs of my Mum, I become rather angry at the fact that she didn’t save me any of her old clothes. She looked completely stunning, and I found myself incredibly jealous of her outfits and well, her.

Then it dawned on me; this must be wear I get my style from. As I turned from photo to photo, I noticed that half the clothes she was wearing are currently sat in my wardrobe- just in a different colour or pattern.

I have always envied the way the likes of Alexa Chung, Fearne Cotton and Kate Moss dress, yet now I can see who I really envy. My Mum dresses and looks as beautiful now as she did back then. I guess I’ll be the one to remember to save my clothes for the next generation.

Hello middle partings.

I'm done with the huge fringe. The fringe that has damaged my hair, and took an hour out of my day to create. Its time to try something different; I'm used to clipping my fringe back, and over the last few weeks my parting has managed to creep its way into the middle of my overly large forehead, Okay I'm exaggerating here; its not an abnormal forehead but having a centimetre less of it would be fantastic.

Now all I'm waiting for is a dramatic hair growth.

Praise for the Designer Forum.

This post is going to be short and straight to the point.

The fashion journals. Beautiful pieces of art in themselves; pages of sketches by designers, fabrics that you can touch, and descriptions that are so detailed that you can actually vision what the clothes and accessories will look like.

The websites, one word; WOW. Trust me, you will not be able to find anything as detailed on the internet.

Thank you Designer Forum.

Barcelona. One of the best trips EVER.

Back when I was in secondary school, me and my best friend Becky took an art trip to Barcelona with the school. Whenever we look back at the photos we cringe slightly, it is crazy to see how different we looked. Our dress sense was indescribable, and the poses not much better. We took endless amounts of photos of paintings in art galleries, buildings, statues, anything that caught our eye, without knowing the meaning of what we were taking.

I am a big fan of street art, there will always be something quite cool about it. The fact that people don't care if they get caught, they merely just draw how they feel. It doesn't need to be neat and tidy, it just needs to have a creative edge and mean something to them.

Kind of like mine and Beckys relationship, we have both surpassed caring what people think about us. We both wear what we like (Good clothes now I can assure you),we both do as we please- yet we both have a creative edge. She has the better wardrobe whereas I have the better drawing skills!

I knew that one day the pictures I took of street art would come in handy, I see it as a new trend, such as using it in shops to form displays, some people even go to the extent of having a professional graffiti artist paint there room. Keep on drawing please street artists, your art is something else that inspires me.

If I was a colour.

If I looked to my friends and asked them what colour I would be, they would say black. My wardrobe mainly consists of black and white clothing, because I believe that these colours look best on me. Don't get me wrong, I love colour, I wouldn't leave my house without bright statement lipstick. Black and white explains my personality, one day I'm up and the next day I'm down, its odd because I'm never somewhere inbetween.

Summer is approaching, and the last few items I have purchased have been rather colourful. I love love love the trend of clashing bright colours, it creates such a bold statement, and emulates a quirky personality- which when I'm on an 'up day' I have! I am going to start by adding brighter lipsticks to my already vast collection, then begin to add brighter statement pieces to my outfits- who knows, I may be able to carry off this trend too.

Elle and Vogue's April issues had some fantastic photos of this current trend, therefore I have used some of these photos to create two mood boards that show off the 'clash of colour', both of which I will be using for my portfolio.

The fear of white walls.

From a very early age, whenever I went to a new place, it would be my prerogative to find a souvenir to remind me of that specific place; Even if the souvenir was a tacky fridge magnet or an ‘I love London T-shirt’. Mum and Dad used to call them ‘the tacky shops’, me and my sister took every opportunity we had to go in and have a good look around, leaving our parents outside trying to figure out where to go next.

Since the beginning of my fashion course, I have come to the realisation that collecting such items could potentially help me. With the exception of fridge magnets and T-shirts, collecting endless amounts of postcards, and taking photos of everything that catches my eye, could be collectively put together to create something visually pleasing. My Dad has taught me that I should carry my camera with me everywhere, if you just stop where you are and look around I can guarantee that you will see something beautiful. Such as the graffiti that lined the walls in Barcelona, the mosaic patterns on a random street lamp in New York, Covent Garden’s tube stop, and even Nottingham’s market square.

My obsession with lining my walls with endless amounts of magazine pages started when I came to university, as much as I hate to rip a page out of Vogue, those pages deserve to be looked at. Every time I enter my room, I stop and look around. After each briefing on a new project, my walls give me inspiration to create new ideas. Added to my walls are endless amounts of obscure postcards I gathered from New York, my own work, flyers; the list could go on really. I guess I have a slight fear of ‘white walls’ I need to be surrounded by pictures and things that remind me of being at home. Thank the lord my parents let me go into those ‘tacky shops’ if it wasn’t for them, I would literally be staring at a blank canvas.

New York: The Gallery.

We were slightly lost, yet me and Daisy getting lost always led to good things. We were walking down a small street in Little Italy, unbeknown to us that we were about to walk into something that we believe know one else from our course would have seen. We walked into a tiny gallery which housed shoes that were stuck on canvases. Each shoe design was different, covered in; forks, popcorn, fingers and bugs, gummy bears, cigarettes, tampons, staples, jelly willies, smashed up records and gift wrap, and lastly toy soldiers and stuffing. The designs must sound so odd to you, but they were incredible and so innovative, such a simple idea of covering a shoe and turning it into a truly brilliant piece of art. As we were walking around the tiny studio, the owner appeared. He was fantastically hilarious; he was financially stable enough to open a gallery merely just to show up and coming artists work. This particular art work was produced by a man who was aged 19, I would love to one day be financially stable to enough to be able to do that for someone. A genuine man who told us that we had ‘made his day’ and how ‘lovely we were’. It just shows, getting lost isn’t the worse thing in the world.

New York: Googoo Dolls.

A typical American pub that you see in the movies; rowdy men surrounding the bar, the most gorgeous rugged bartender, and a shy yet beautiful waitress sitting on the end of the bar, doing her best to ignore all the men that were trying to talk to her. We walk in shivering and worrying whether or not we should be in there- the bartender was incredibly welcoming and the men smiled politely at us both. The music was amazing, old school indie rock that had me and Daisy singing beautifully too. The meal we had was literally the best meal I have ever tasted, there were only four other people in there, yet our food took an hour to cook. It was good to know that it was all being prepared from scratch. It was a simple meal of a chicken burger with red and yellow peppers, and the chips, which were seasoned with what tasted like heaven. What made us laugh the most was when I sneezed; all of the men at the bar turned and said ‘bless you’. In England it is not customary to even talk to a stranger, let alone say ‘bless you’ if someone sneezes. When I next go to New York, I would love to go back to that pub; I think that may be the only meal I have ever taken my time over eating.

New York: The Vintage poster store.

I like to avoid white space; my room at university is covered in endless photographs, pictures from magazines, and my all time favourite collectables-postcards. I need to have something to constantly look as it always seems to give me ideas for a piece of work I am given. On our walk to the Meatpacking district, we noticed a vintage poster shop. Posters lined the windows which completely drew us in, and we were happily welcomed by two men who owned the shop. They showed us many different posters and postcards, and vintage journals on photography and various other art related topics. We were told to take a journal and to choose between a collection of posters which we could take home for free- it was amazing to meet two people that were so passionate about what they sold, and they loved the fact that we were visiting from England. I bought around twenty postcards in that particular shop which they both seemed extremely pleased about. It was an amazing way to begin the day- basically Americans are just brilliant.

New York: Resurrection

This particular store was like a dream world for me. At the back of the store, vintage wardrobes lined the back wall. Wardrobes which contained vintage Chanel suits, still completely intact and as stunning as they would have been when they were first created. Looking at the craftsmanship that went into each suit was incredible, each stitch was so intricate, and the lining as well done as the care that had been put into the suit itself. After reading so much about Chanel, I didn’t expect anything less. It was just bewildering that I had a vintage Chanel suit in my hands, I just felt so lucky. This is another thing I will do one day; I will go back there and purchase a vintage Chanel suit. Even if I don’t have anything to wear it too, I can just stare at it right?

New York: Times Square.

The lights, the billboards, the music, the amount of people- Times Square was incredible. We went at night in order to make the most of the bright lights and the general atmosphere that Times Square gives off. It was hard to notice that it was below freezing, due to me just standing there in awe. It did make me laugh when I saw a giant billboard of Piers Morgan, I had no idea he was so famous in New York. The shops that surround Times Square must do incredibly well, being positioned under giant billboards and bright lights you are bound to go in. We went into the MAC shop and found it exceedingly difficult to move around. Times Square really does connote the term ‘Bright lights big city’.

New York: The Prada Epicentre

It was completely baffling, first off because we were actually acknowledged when entering the store, I’m not going to sit here and tell you about the service in English designer stores, yet the service is completely different. We were smiled at, asked if we wanted help and were not followed around the entire time. They obviously knew why we were in there; personally I hardly looked like the ‘Prada type’ on that particular day, I was soaking wet from the snow, my hair was indescribable and I was wearing a giant coat and scarf that clearly wasn’t designer.

The clothes, shoes and bags were absolutely stunning, me and Daisy looked at each other and said ‘One day, just one day we will be living in New York and we will be able to come to Prada and buy whatever we want’- one can hope right?

As we were walking into another ‘wardrobe’ we were both completely stifled, a man who was being helped by an assistant picking up everything in sight for his girlfriend/wife/daughter (we couldn’t quite tell) turned around and complimented Daisy on her coat. He told her that it was ‘amazing’ and asked where she got it from in an incredibly strong American accent, which further enhanced the excitement that Daisy was being complimented in Prada PRADA. Daisy went extremely red and began stuttering, a side I have never seen of Daisy. ‘From Zara- it was only £30.00, thank you’ the man smiled at us both, and I don’t think he understood why we were both going so red. We practically ran out of the store

To me, that day will be known as ‘The day Daisy was complimented in Prada.’

New York: Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

Situated on yet another wonderful Avenue- 7th, The Fashion Institute of Technology was everything I thought it would be and more, imagine being able to go to a university that was smack bang in the centre of New York, surrounded by endless shops and just the general atmosphere of New York. We went to see two exhibitions that were taking place, we were incredibly lucky that we had the entire exhibition to ourselves as they had opened it early for us.

The first exhibition we saw was named ‘His and Hers’ which looked into the concept of comparisons between men and women’s clothing. The 20th Century saw the introduction of Paul Poirot- an exquisite designer, who freed women from corsets and introduced the ‘hobble’ skirt. He influenced my favourite designer Chanel, who took to the extremes of virtually diminishing any trace of corseted styles to let women breathe. She was inspired by men’s clothing, and completely revolutionised women’s fashion. From an Alexander McQueen dress from his 2008 fall collection, too suits by Versace, I felt incredibly intoxicated with the fact that I was stood in a room, centimetres away from such beautiful designs that completely adapt the fashion industry.

The second exhibition we saw was ‘Japan Now’, the designs were impeccable and completely different to European and American fashion. In the 1980’s, Japanese fashion was revolutionised, Introducing the ‘new appreciation of avant guarde fashion’ and the ‘beauty of imperfection’. The 2010 collection of Japanese men’s ensembles were like costumes, using materials such as green nylon, metallic’s and leather, it was clear to me that this particular designer was incredibly original. The craftsmanship from each Japanese designer was outstanding, such as the outfits for ‘Lolita’s’ and ‘gothic Lolita’s’ which really reminded me of odd dolls outfits. Televisions surrounded the mannequins showing videos of models wearing the outfits, sending a clear message that the outfits reflected each models witty personality. As fantastic as the previous exhibition was, it was so incredible to see this particular exhibition as it broadened my view on different takes on what ‘fashion’ is to each individual person and culture.

New York: Goodbye England.

I am not going to wake up. I am going to miss my plane to New York. Alarm set. SIX TIMES. Waking up two hours before actually getting ready may be a tad extreme, but it is New York that I’m going too, not a family holiday to Wales.

Me and Daisy did make it, prompt and on time obviously. Excruciatingly long bus journey then arriving at the airport, who new Heathrow was so big. One of my worst fears is flying, but thankfully on the way there it was completely fine, plus I got to watch three new movies. Seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time out of the window hit me like a very large bus. I was actually about to land in New York. I looked terrible, I hadn’t slept for around 24 hours, but none of that mattered. New York has always been a dream for me; I never knew that the dream would actually come true.

Like all Americans, our tour guide was extremely friendly and eccentric, bus journeys are usually terrible, but this one was amazing. Seeing New York for the first time; driving through Queens, seeing my first yellow taxi and yellow school bus, the skyline, the endless amounts of American flags. It really was like going to another world. Then we arrived to Manhattan. Yes, MANHATTAN. No words can describe it. Even though we were seriously knackered, we just chucked our stuff in our hotel room, and went straight onto 5th Avenue. Oh the endless amounts of designer shops and restaurants, and everyone is so polite. Rockefeller gardens (Me and Daisy failed to realise that’s what the ‘pretty building’ was) Far, far too many photos were taken, but I literally couldn’t get enough of the window displays. Then we literally fell into bed.