ARCO IRIS PROJECT (blog)

FLASH BACK to 90's

Nineteens, the last original decade. The debut of  hip hop music and rap style, sneakers, bluejeans, oversized jean jackets, neon colours. A decade when people used to mix their casual style with an elegant way, a style as known as "casual chic". The decade of the "pop music groups" like Spice Girls and Backstreet boys. This gold decade left us thousands of memories like films, music, fashion. Do you remember the famous tv series Beverly Hills?? Even if you've never seen this, I'm sure you know the title. Now be honest..I'm sure you know some famous 90's films like "Pretty Woman" with J.Roberts and R.Gere, "Home Alone", "Pulp Fiction" by Q.Tarantino and "Fight Club" with Brad Pitt. Songs that are going to stay forever alive as "smells like teen spirit" Nirvana, "losing my relegion" R.E.M., "Creep" Radiohead, "Enjoy the silence" Depeche Mode. Super Models, with amazing bodies and beautiful faces like Naomi Campell, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista and Claudia Schiffer, and one of the most amazing fashion designers, Gianni Versace who achieved to create this kitsch fashion into masterpieces with his imagination and his talent. So take your sneakers and your backpack, mix them with a beautiful dress and your vintage sunnies and go out. 90's are here, 90's are back. 

Marriage between Fashion & Art

Some people believe that's impossible but that's not true. Let's talk about it, Fashion isn't only something about tailoring.Fashion is art, imagination, painting, that's why we use the term "haute couture" (eng: high fashion). Fashion has a huge history. First fashion designers used their imagination to create dresses for kings & queens and "high society". One of the first fashion designers, Mariano Fortuny had opened his "couture house" in 1906, then came Coco Chanel (the rebel of fashion), Christian Dior and many other famous designers. But what about art & fashion? The revolution of artistic fashion came by a young designer named John Galliano many years ago at St.Martins (one of the most important fashion schools). Galliano rocked the fashion world with his graduated collection "les incroyables" (eng: the incredibles). After this show he met the glory, when "browns store" suggested him to show it in its window. Galliano was the designer of Christian Dior for many years, where he identified his love of theatre and femininity as central to his creations.  Another artist-fashion designer, Alexander McQueen, a "St. Martins student" too, used to impress with his extraordinary catwalks. As a talented fashion designer, he won many times awards like the "british fashion designer of the year" n "commander of the order of the british empire". Returning to Paris, we are going to talk about the "corset guru". Jean Paul Gaultier, the amazing french designer and the idol of the french haute couture. This man achieved to understand what a woman needs and create some of the most feminime corsets. He's the creator of the spiky corset & bra (Madonna used to wear it too) that created a new silhouette to the fashion scene. From UK n Paris to Netherlands where we find an unbeatable duo, Viktor n Rolf, two friends who met each other while they were studying fashion in Arnhem academy of art and design. They achieved to be the most artistic fashion duo with a sense of creativity and extravagance style. A Japanese wave (the japanese avantgardists) came too, to give another meaning of the word "fashion". The begginer of this group was Rei Kawakubo, (Comme des garcons founder) then followed Yohji Yamamoto, Yusuke Maegawa etc. This wave gave inspiration to the "Antwerp six", a group of influential avant garde fashion designers who graduated from Antwerp royal academy of Fine Arts (includes Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee). Except this Avant-Garde group, this work carried on by the belgian fashion designer Martin Margiela who began his career creating eccentric silhouettes. A fashion panic came into a young designer named Gareth Pugh (he studied at St Martins too) who is famous about his gothic style. Using his dark side managed to impress the world of fashion and art. Before I end this post I would like to mention the epic collaboration between art and fashion, "The Mondrian dress" by Yves Saint Laurent, a minimal designed dress whose the print is inspired of one of the most famous Mondrian's paintings.

Here are some images I found during my research.