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Super Hero Fashion

November 2nd 2007 00:06
Is it a bird, is it plane, no it’s a fashion show.


Super hero comic
Heroes on the page


I’m a complete comic book nerd and it seems so is the fashion world. This week it was announced that super powered designer Giorgio Armani will chair a Super Hero themed Costume Institute Gala scheduled for New York City in May next year.

The exhibition is aptly titled Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy. Scheduled to be held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, George Clooney and Julia Roberts will be co- chairs.

batman Elle Macpherson
Super hero meets super model


Originating in the 1930’s and 40’s before the advent of television, comics began as a subversive past time, deemed by the general populace as intellectually stinted. By the 1950’s and 60’s there was a certain kitsch appeal attached to fans but it was in the 1970’s that super heroes started to define pop culture.

The Shadow
the Shadow


Superman Phantom
Classic Heroes adapted to the bigscreen


Today the once humble plaything for childish imaginations is now a gigantic influence on society and the fashion community. You only need look at the choking hold that superhero movies have over the box office to get a gauge of their enormous popularity.

Designers and stylists have worked in costume departments for decades, projecting the outfits from the illustrated page and onto the screen.

Catwoman
Iconic Catwoman of the 1960's


Spiderman
A suit of dark intent


Andrew Bolton, a curator at the Costume Institute says, "Today, superhero imagery has suffused almost every aspect of popular culture."

He continues, "The superhero's iconic costume of cape, mask and bodysuit finds many fashionable permutations. But fashion's embrace of the superhero extends beyond iconography to issues of identity, sexuality and nationalism. Fashion shares with the superhero an inherent metaphorical malleability which fuels its fascination with the idea and the ideal of the superhero."

Jean Grey famke janssen
Ex Model Famke Janssen as jean Grey in X Men


Amongst the pieces that will be displayed is John Galliano's notorious Christian Dior Wonder Woman designs and Thierry Mugler’s Ghost Rider inspired leather jacket.

Ghost rider wonder woman
Ghost Rider, Wonder Woman and a corset of inspiration

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A whole new genre

October 2nd 2007 10:20
Galliano's last catwalk show for his own label was brash brazen bordehlo but this season for Dior he's shifted from the door-jambs of Paris to the silver-screens of Hollywood, invoking screen sirens and sirs across eras, genders and genres.

Galliano leopard print dress
All images from Style.com

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Gloria Smythe – an Iconic Australian Designer, Author, Illustrator and Design Teacher.

Part 1 – Trade Patternmaker to the Royal Family


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Melbourne Cup Carnival Fever 2008

September 10th 2007 15:35
Whilst Sydney's spring carnival racing may have been bought to a standstill, the Stylist whose Celebrity was voted one 1 of 9 best dressed at the Melbourne Cup, this very blogger shares her tips as she prepares the 2008 VRC Ambassadors wardrobes for this years Melbourne Cup Racing Carnival...

What’s In


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Saturday Powerhouse (Part 2)

August 20th 2007 05:56
Fashion From Fleece Promo Pierre Cardin Red Dress
Fashion From Fleece - Pierre Cardin Red Dress - image from sydneydesign.com.au


Continued from my previous post.....

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J'adore Dior

July 20th 2007 08:20
I realise I’m running a little behind the couture shows but I am grasping the moment because, as the title indicates, my infatuation with Dior continues, exacerbated by Galliano’s recent designs for their couture show.

Couture is the aesthetic height of the fashion industry epitomising Oscar Wilde’s motto: “art for art’s sake”. Certainly some of the dresses are sold but couture is a millstone round the ankle of fashion houses as far as profit is concerned. The hours and effort spend to make each dress are Herculean, the expense of fabric and beading utterly Olympian (as in the Mount not the games


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Galliano Girls

July 12th 2007 01:05
Ever wonder how you would look if you were a Galliano girl? Think Charlize Theron, Eva Green, Dita Von Teese, Kate Hudson and down to Jessica Alba! There are in fact many more Hollywood glamour girls that are totally hooked by John Galliano's imaginative yet beautiful creations.

Kate Hudson and Eva Green
Kate Hudson and Eva Green, don't they look delicious?

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New York Times does men in Milan

July 2nd 2007 10:21
As usual the New York Times summary of fashion week (this time men in Milan) is impeccable for those time poor and hungry for a fashion injection. So, to borrow their images and a bit of their sentiment here's my favourites of their favourites. (So derivative Alice... I know but didn't I just say I'm time poor?)

Salvatore Ferragamo Menswear Milan
From nytimes.com

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Gucci sucks

June 13th 2007 00:43
Just about anyone with any style steers clear of Gucci on the whole and their Autumn/Winter 07 collection only affirms that general principle. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Lily Donaldson in Gucci
From Gucci.com

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VivienneWestwood.com
From Viviennewestwood.com


After visiting the Victoria and Albert exhibition which travelled to the National Gallery in Canberra a few years ago, I’ve been obsessed with Vivienne Westwood. It’s not just that she’s sixty and has a beautiful thirty-year-old Italian lover, although that does impress me, and it’s not just that she’s been an inspiration for generations of fashionistas, mostly it’s because for Westwood, fashion is thought


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One of the most striking models of the contemporary brat pack is Jessica Stam, a statuesque Canadian who has the kind of natural physique required for catwalk shows. She is indeed long and slender but there is nothing painful about the proportions of her legs or the position of her clavicle. My general rule is that if the knee is wider than the thigh there’s a problem but Stam is in proportion as you can see from the Stella McCartney show.

Jessica Stam in McCartney
From Style.com

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Balenciaga, Vernacular Fashion

May 31st 2007 00:33
Gemma Ward Balenciaga
From Style.com
After using Balenciaga as an example in my white shirt post I remembered what a stand-out collection Nicolas Ghesquière produced for Fall 2007 collection and I was reminded by our very own (why are we so patriotic when it comes to beautiful people) Gemma Ward wearing Balenciaga at Cannes.

Balenciaga Dress
From Style.com

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I love Marc Jacobs

May 21st 2007 00:22
What I really wish I had right now is the entire Marc Jacobs Fall 2007 Ready to Wear Collection. So rarely do I view a collection and consider that not only would I wear just about every piece therein but would look exquisite, savvy and elegant in the process. This collection is a sort of blend of Gatsby-esque 20s chic and slender 70s day-wear. Jacobs manages to create a collection so rich in detail and pleasurable in palate that I just want to eat it all up.

Blue-grey coat
From Style.com

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The Verdict

March 20th 2007 08:04
Futurism vs The New Romantics. Two ground-breaking trends. Two key looks on the Spring 07 runways. Two movements guaranteed to have an enormous impact on this season of fashion.

But there can only be one winner. And for me that winner is


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