SS15 FAUN
MEN
CREDITS
- MAKEUP: MAC COSMETICS AND LUCIA PERONI (STREETERS)
- HAIR: LUIGI MORENU (STREETERS)
- PROD: LA MODE EN IMAGES
- MUSIC: DJ SWIZZYMACK, MIXED BY JEFF JUDD
NOTES
THE RICK OWENS SPRING SUMMER COLLECTION IS TITLED FAUN, IN REFERENCE TO L’APRES-MIDI D’UN FAUNE, THE BALLET PERFORMED BY THE BALLETS RUSSES, SET TO MUSIC COMPOSED BY DEBUSSY BASED ON THE POEM BY STEPHANE MALLARME, A COMBO OF SOME OF MY FAVORITE CREATORS IN AN HISTORIC MOMENT OF MODERNISM. IN IT, A FAUN CHASES SOME NYMPHS, AND LEFT WITH ONE OF THEIR SCARVES, MASTURBATES TO IT PRIMAL URGES, ARTIFICIALLY EXPRESSED.
MY BETTER HALF, THE HUN, TOOK A WILD THING UNDER HER WING AND HELPED HIM HEAL. BENOIT HAS BEEN MODELING WITH ME FOR YEARS BUT SHE SAW HE NEEDED HELP AND LET HIM INTO OUR HOUSE. THE DRAWINGS HE CHURNED OUT DESCRIBING THEIR RELATIONSHIP ARE EMBROIDERED ALL OVER THIS COLLECTION. THEY WEREN’T DESIGNED FOR FASHION, I JUST PICKED UP WHAT I FOUND LYING AROUND THE HOUSE. THE PAST FEW SEASONS HAVE BEEN ABOUT THE EUPHORIA OF TEAM SPIRIT, THEN NARROWING THE FOCUS TO THE INTIMACY OF MY PERSONAL TEAM AND HERE, NARROWING THE FOCUS FURTHER, TO AN INDIVIDUAL SPIRIT IN THAT TEAM. EXPRESSING HIMSELF IN A PRIMAL YET ELEGANT WAY.
CRISP CANVAS AND POPLINS ARE HAND WAXED, APPLIQUED AND THEN EMBROIDERED IN MY FADED VERSIONS OF LEON BAKSTS EXUBERANT COLORS THAT WERE A BIG PART OF THE BALLET RUSSES IMPACT AND MYSTIQUE. TISSUE LIGHT NYLONS AND A NEW ADIDAS SPRINGBLADE COLLAB RECALLS SCARVES AND ANIMAL FEET RESPECTIVELY…
SHAPES ARE AS SEVERE AS POSSIBLE WITH TUNICS, TENTS AND HIKED SHORTS REDUCING THE CLOTHES TO THEIR SIMPLEST SHAPES. THE ONE CONCESSION TO CIVILIZATION IS AN OVERSIZED DOUBLE BREASTED JACKET IN HONOR OF JEAN MICHEL-FRANK WHOM I LIKE TO THINK WAS IN THE AUDIENCE WATCHING NIJINSKY HUMP THAT SCARF…
WOMEN
CREDITS
- MAKEUP: MAC COSMETICS AND LUCIA PERONI (STREETERS)
- HAIR: LUIGI MORENU (STREETERS)
- PROD: LA MODE EN IMAGES
- MUSIC: PIANO CONCERTO 1, PRELUDIUM, BY WOJCIECH KILAR. REMIXED BY JEFF JUDD
NOTES
THE SEASON’S TITLE, FAUN, USED FOR BOTH COLLECTIONS, REFERS TO L’APRÈS-MIDI D’UN FAUNE, THE FAMOUS BALLET PERFORMED BY THE BALLET RUSSES, SET TO MUSIC COMPOSED BY DEBUSSY BASED ON THE POEM BY STÉPHANE MALLARMÉ– WITH CHOREOGRAPHY AND PERFORMANCE BY NIJINSKY AND SETS BY LÉON BAKST– AN ORGY OF MODERNISM.
IN IT, A FAUN CHASES SOME NYMPHS, AND LEFT WITH ONE OF THEIR SCARVES, MASTURBATES TO IT– PRIMAL URGES IN A SETTING OF RIGID DISCIPLINE, CULTIVATION AND GLITTERING ARTIFICE…
NIJINSKY HAD TO HAVE HAD THE SHOCK OF CUBISM IN MIND WHEN HE DEPARTED FROM TRADITIONAL BALLET BY STRIPPING THE MOVEMENTS DOWN TO SOMETHING CONSIDERED CRUDE AND AWKWARD AT THE TIME, AND TAKING THE SOFT ROMANCE OF BALLET TO A MORE CARNAL PLACE.
THIS RICK OWENS SPRING SUMMER WOMEN’S COLLECTION REFLECTS ON THIS BALANCE BETWEEN HARD NEWNESS AND CLASSICAL GRACE, AND THE ETERNAL CYCLE OF CONFRONTATION WHEN A NEW GENERATION CHALLENGES THE OLD BY TEARING THINGS DOWN AND ROUGHLY STARTS HACKING AWAY AT SOMETHING NEW IN OUR URGE TO MOVE FORWARD IN A MORE LOGICAL WAY.
SILHOUETTES ARE RATIONALIST SUMMER ESSENTIALS– ROOMY SHORTS, TUBE TOPS, THE SIMPLEST OF JUMBO SLEEVELESS T’S AND SIMPLE BLOCKY MANTLES.
BUT ALMOST EVERYTHING IS IN TRADITIONAL TULLE, EACH GARMENT’S COMPOSED OF LAYERS OF MUTED LÉON BAKST COLORS CUT INTO SEVERE ARCHITECTURAL SHAPES. TULLE IS SMOCKED, PLEATED, CRIMPED AND FOLDED TO CREATE LIGHT SHEETS OF VOLUME PANELED IN GEOMETRIC PRIMITIVE DESIGNS OF LEATHER AND THICK FELT. BAGGY SHORTS CUT IN HAND WAXED POPLIN OR CRISP NYLON ARE SLICED, FLOUNCED AND FRILLED– TO BE WORN WITH SAW-TOOTHED WOODEN CLOGS BOUND TO THE ANKLES WITH CRISP RIBBONS.
IF THE BRUTALIST MASTER OF CONCRETE MARCEL BREUER BUILT A HOUSE OUT OF LAYERS OF COLORED TULLE WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? I LIKE TO THINK IT MIGHT BE ALONG THE LINES OF THIS….