The Armour

Armour is defined as something which offers the wearer protection and is therefore traditionally conceptualised as tough and unforgiving. It is heavy and all but smothers the person underneath, but what if it didn't have to be about hiding the person underneath? Alexander McQueen and more recently Bouchra Jarrar's couture shows have proven that feathers can be used in a similar way. For birds they offer protection from the elements but are also used in order to attract the opposite sex in flashy shows of display or camouflage to suit their surroundings. Many of the aforementioned designers have stuck to rich earthy tones when using their feathers simply allowing texture to reign supreme. Compared to the other couture this season, Susie Bubble noted that Jarrar's collection was a welcome reprieve from the spectacles of fashion week. This resounding approval only reinforces the idea that feathers frequent some of the more spectacular editorials. Indeed it is somewhat overwhelming to imagine where one would wear such an outfit but as always, fashion can be used as more of an escape.

1, 4, 5, 8- Bouchra Jarrar via Style Bubble. 2- Grace Bol by Simon Burstall for Hunger Magazine. 3- Giambattista Valli, Alexander McQueen. 6- Mia Wasikowska in Alexander McQueen's Ostrich Feather and Silk Dress 'Dual in the Sun'. 7- Lady Gaga in Alexander Mcqueen SS11. 9- Chanel, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent. 10 & 13- Bouchra Jarrar Couture Fall 2015 photographed by Kevin Tachman. 11- Feather Dress from the Alexander McQueen SS08. 12- Versace, Alexander McQueen. 14- Lady Gaga in Alexander McQueen.

lady love

Lately I've been fascinated with ladylike style extended beyond the stereotype of tall, thin women. This latest obsession has been largely inspired by these images from my Tumblr dashboard, but seeing connections between my online muses. An excessive, almost satirical use of pink is common amongst all of these photos but I have tried to include various body types and represent women of colour as well. This because I believe all forms of media should embrace diversity rather than pageantry of an idealistic notion. I am more conscious when I create a moodboard or photoset that is a whitewash of female models and excludes others. Feelings of exclusion are something I am trying to protect my readers from, while creating the same dreamy aesthetic I have cultivated over several years. It feels like a constant struggle to balance the two but I know in many ways it should not. This then makes me angry that popular culture and media could have formed in a number of ways, but we're stuck with what we have, but in many ways it is substandard and insufficient. 

1- Kailey Flyte. 2- Lady Gaga wearing a Juan Vidal sweater and Anya Callendo hat (instagram). 3 & 4- Laura Du Vé (femmeplastic), inspired by punk-puke. 5 & 6- Vivian Fu: May, 2014, San Francisco. 7 & 8- "In the bathroom" by Chiara Baragatti. 9- Divine (as Dawn Davenport) in John Waters’ Female Trouble, 1974.