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ABOVE AND RIGHT: Betsey Johnson.
It is by pushing the boundaries,
however numbingly mind-blowing the presentation, that one is able
to create advances within the genre
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Since then, fashion designers have continually
widened their horizons by utilizing the full range of theatricality
while presenting their semi-annual collections, leaving behind memories
as precious as that 1945 event. Who can forget any one of the numerous
fashion shows Alexander McQueen has presented? Although I have not
personally had the pleasure of attending one of his shows, I have
seen the tapes; and believe me, it resonates even more deeply on
film. My favourite so far was the collection where the models were
sealed off in a wintry tundra of a glass box. Here, fashion as theatre
was surprisingly both emotionally distant and vulnerable at the
same time. And even if it was panned by the critics, it’s hard to
forget John Galliano’s d’Orient Express Haute Couture collection
at the Gare d'Austerlitz, where he hired an antique steam train
to ferry the models to the platform. Last fall, inspired by a trip
to China, Mr Galliano flew a dozen Shaolin monks to Paris and send
them rumbling down the catwalk with twirling swords and swinging
nunchaku. If nothing else, he got your attention and kept
it.
Other notorious agents provocateurs include
the Imitation of Christ team and Los Angeles-based Jeremy Scott,
who in seasons past have had models vacuuming (topless) in their
underwear à la Melanie Griffith in Working Girl.
More recently, Mr Scott’s spring 2004 show left fashion insiders
speechless with its vignettes of live, fluffy sheep, penis-shaped
cakes coming out of frosting-smeared ovens, a naughty 1950s-style
hoop dress that (when lifted, revealed a patch of fake fur located
just south of her mid-section), sexually-charged models with dollar
bills stuck in their private parts, and very little in the way of
wearable, saleable clothing. But then, that was the whole point
of this soft-porn–art–fashion-show exhibition. It is by pushing
the boundaries, however numbingly mind-blowing the presentation,
that one is able to create advances within the genre. The following
designers have been doing exactly that for far too many years to
count. They may not offend one’s senses as Jeremy
Scott does, but then again, he’s a very special in a class all by
himself.
Betsey Johnson
BETSEY JOHNSON is the one designer
who copies and recycles ideas only from herself. And I mean
that in the nicest way possible. As Ms Johnson herself will tell
you, she is often inspired by what’s in her own closets; and more
often than not, her closets are filled with pieces from Betsey Johnson
collections of the past. She is one of the New York fashion industry’s
most beloved characters, as well as being a very competent and inventive
designer.
The spring 2004 collection had the usual over-the-top
crazy glamour that is intrinsically her own. But once you get past
the usual lingerie looks that one has come to expect from her, she
showed some very nice pieces that are fun, eminently wearable and
totally Betsey in their scope. Right off the top, I was immediately
enamoured with her yellow (with black stripes) Uma Thurman–Kill
Bill zipper-front jacket. It wasn’t so much a knock-off of the
look as it was an individualistic take-off. I loved her button-front
jersey striped dresses (in black and red), her skinny Peg Bundy
cigarette-cut pants with bondage straps running down each side,
her sexy lingerie-inspired black lace cocktail dress with pink ribbon
accents and a lovely chiffon jacket top with star accents.
CONTINUED
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