The Daily DeVoe

McQueen’s 1997 collection comes after a failed Spring/Summer debut from that same year, which was brutally torn in to by critics. Following this, McQueen saw “Fashion [as] a jungle full of nasty, bitchy hyenas,” and combined that mentality with the vulnerable image of the Thomson’s gazelle and H. G. Wells’ novel The Island of Dr. Moreau to create his new Fall/Winter collection, It’s a Jungle Out There.

McQueen worked with the makeup artist Topolino to give the models a feline appearance, with large, freakish eyeliner and chaotic hair resembling a mane. Leather, denim, and animal skins were used to further this animalistic look, turning the Thomson’s gazelle into something of a beast. This beast was somewhat tamed, however, with the blend of floral motifs, turning the animal feminine.

This animal, vengeful and distinguished, is the epitome of how McQueen dresses women. He viewed clothing as a sort of author, forming a barrier of empowerment between the wearer and their surroundings. McQueen strived to show a connection between the fear present in the madness of the jungle and the power of women. His clothing, throughout all his work as well as this collection, accentuates this sort of intimidation.

“Goodbye Seventies” was released in 1982 as the eighth track of Yazoo’s album Upstairs at Eric’s. Yazoo was also known as Yaz in North America due to a copyright issue. The duo was formed by Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke in 1981, although this song was written in the late 1970s by a seventeen-year-old Moyet. The pair was an unlikely duo, with Moyet having formerly been a member of the punk seen and experienced in blues, and Clarke being a former member of Depeche Mode and a pioneer of synth-pop. The two only intended to write the single “Only You” together, however they ended up making two studio albums before splitting.

The stark contrast between the two members of Yazoo perfectly encapsulates what the song is argues in support of. Moyet wrote the song to describe the tribalist nature of many music and fashion subcultures of the time, more specifically the punk culture. Moyet was disillusioned with punk movement, as many of it’s members were as superficial as the popular media and fashion they criticized. She hoped that the 1980s would bring an end to this glamour stubbornness, which it unfortunately did not.

Porter Woodruff joined Vogue around 1916 or 1917, and was one of five American fashion illustrators which worked for Vogue during this time. He continued drawing for Vogue up until the 1930s, moving between New York, Paris, and Tunisia. In addition to Vogue, he also made covers for another Condé Nast magazine, House & Garden. Outside of designing magazine covers, he also made paintings of scenes he observed in Northern Africa, which are stylistic departures from the covers.

The May 1918 issue of Vogue was specifically wedding-themed, juxtaposing the cover depicting a wartime nurse. The purpose of the cover was to applaud the work of nurses during World War I, showing the “one veil of greater interest than the bride’s.”

The January 1928 issue of Vogue, largely regarded as Woodruff’s most famous work, was an example of the magazine’s movement towards Art Deco styled covers. It emphasizes a sensuality that was not seen in previous covers and would be continued into the 1930s.

The Gazette du Bon Ton was a short lived Parisian magazine, having only published 12 volumes. The publication was active from November 1912 to summer 1915, and then from January 1920 to December 1925. Pochoir technique, or a stenciling technique utilizing watercolour, was largely popularized by Gazette du Bon Ton.

This collection marked the first endeavor of Galliano as the artistic director of Maison Martin Margiela. Galliano, prior to being appointed as director, was in charge of Dior. When he became director, ‘Martin’ was dropped from the brands title, leaving only Maison Margiela, showing there was a new direction in which the brand was going to follow. Margiela’s artisanal collections are typically displayed during Paris Fashion Week with other haute couture collections, however this was shown in London as an homage to Galliano growing up in and being trained in Gibraltar.

The collection is a mixture of Margiela’s well known unpolished aesthetic with Galliano’s attention to detail. It also shows a departure from Margiela’s softer, more gilded look into something which is much harsher. Galliano has previously been known for his ugly-pretty aesthetic, and this is exhibited well in the vintage and recycled pieces used for this collection. The upcycling helps contribute to grotesque elements shown here, also, especially with the implementation of the motif of the face.

“Song for a Future Generation” was released by the B-52s the third track of the 1983 album Whammy!. This album was seen as a comeback by many, with the band previously releasing what is largely considered a the failure EP of Mesopotamia. This song was written as a way for the band members to introduce themselves. The music video utilized camp aesthetics as a way to show their “gayness”, something the group was known for doing. It also utilized camp as a way to appropriate 1950s and 60s culture, which mirrored Reagan-era nostalgia of the 1980s when the song was released. Inspiration was taken from various rap groups, such as The Floaters and specifically the song “The Jam” by Grand Central Station. 

This painting was created in 1889, over two and a half centuries after the second Defenestration of Prague, by Václav Brožík. Brožík was a leading Czech artist in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was significant for his use of the style of historicism. He studied at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts and gained fame in 1878 after being awarded gold medal at the Salon de Paris for his painting of Czech King Ladislas at the court of Charles VII of France. His work largely replicated the style of historic paintings.

This event depicted is the second of three Defenestrations of Prague. This happened right before the 30 Years War as resistance to the Hapsburgs. The 30 Years War brought the end of the Protestant Reformation and was the last religious war in Europe. Protestant churches in Broumov and Hrob were being shut down by Catholic authorities, which violated rules set in place by the Letter of Majesty, a document allowing various religious freedoms created by Rudolf II. Imperial regents William Slavata and Jaroslav Martinic were tried and found guilty of violating the letter, and both of them, as well as their secretary Fabricius, were thrown out of the window of the Hradčany. Though they were thrown from one of the higher stories, no one was seriously injured.

Thierry Mugler’s Les Cowboys collection premiered in 1992 and was monumental for various reasons. Many of the pieces in this collection were one of the first explorations of rubber in luxury ready-to-wear. The collection was also influential in pop culture, with the famous Harley-Davidson bustier being featured in George Michael’s “Too Funky,” which helped popularize the designer. This season was the one which came before Mulger’s first official haute couture collection, being granted the title of “invited member” by the Chambre syndicale de la Couture.

Thierry Mugler was born in Strasbourg, France in 1948, and began designing for different fashion houses in the 1960s before releasing his own first collection in 1973. By the 1980s he became incredibly influential in the fashion world, pioneering the padded shoulder look of the period, as well as making latex a staple of fetish wear. He is generally known for his campy and vibrant pieces, as well as his pieces impracticality. Even in his ready-to-wear collections are incredibly expensive purely on the basis of how extravagant they are, and are typically given away to friends, family, or fans of his work.

One of Mugler’s most famous pieces is the Harley-Davidson bustier, which was first presented in this collection. It is made of a mixture of plastic, metal, and Plexiglass, an innovative combination. The top featured a ram’s skull centered on a fire pattern, which was meant to make it resemble the edgy biker aesthetic. The piece is currently owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who interpreted it as something both potentially misogynistic and feminist. The idea of equating the body of a motorcycle to the body of a woman, with handles being placed around the waist, can have sexist connotations, implying that a woman is someone to be handled. However, while being modeled by Niki Taylor, the handles were grabbed by the wearer, indicating that the one wearing the top could symbolize the woman steering and remaining in control of herself and her body.

“The Art of Parties” was originally released as a single in 1981 before being re-worked and released as the first track of the album Tin Drum in that same year. At its peak, the song was #48 on the British UK singles chart for 5 weeks in 1981. Japan (the band not the country) was different from most, as they were made up entirely of self-taught musicians. Their sound was not immediately crowd pleasing, and many saw them as an outdated glam act. The band stayed true to their aesthetics, with David Sylvian, the lead singer, proclaiming that glam was more authentic than the up-and-coming new romantics, since the way he dressed was his genuine everyday outfits, and they dressed up as a costume.

The song describes growing up, and emulates this awkwardness of this through lyrics which make it seem as though Sylvian is unravelling. More specifically, he describes the process of developing as a person as both burning and building, showing that it is both an emotionally draining period as well as one where a person builds up their personality and character. This ties in to the main theme of performativity, as is alluded by the title of the song being “The Art of Parties.” Sylvian explores how a person’s social life is largely artificial, and is used to hide the actual issues and feelings that person has.

To the modern eye, the 1966 film Daisies appears to be feminine foody nonsense devoid of any plot or nuance. However, from the perspective of Soviet officials, it was a direct attack against their society and communist regime. Largely considered one of the first Czech explorations into New Wave cinema, the film features its under-clothed dual protagonists, Marie I and Marie II, annoying and tricking men so they can eat more food. The way in which these women simply look and act is what led to the film’s censorship, as it went against Soviet ideals of what a woman should be. They were not subservient to a man, nor were they dainty and delicate. They were glutinous and bold, cunning and independent.

The political defiance shown in this film is executed through the sheer silliness of the events in the film. An especially controversial scene comes towards the end, where the Maries are razing an elaborately laid out feast, devouring each item and engaging in a food fight. Soviet officials were enraged by the depiction of wasting food, which led to the film’s banning in 1968. Once the ban on the film was uplifted, the phrase “This film is dedicated to all those whose sole source of indignation is a trampled-on trifle” was pasted on the screen at the end scene, showing the resentment the director, Vera Chytilova, felt at how the regime was more inclined to censor than it was to help it’s own people. Though the film seems to celebrate the Maries gluttony, their sudden death from a falling chandelier shows how their rebellious outlook on life is not sustainable. By suffering from the consequences of their own absurdity, since they were shown swinging on the chandelier before, the Maries demonstrate how an unproductive and destructive life is not the solution to the stagnant, laborious life under communist rule.

Chytilova continued her work as a film maker, even after the ban was placed on Daisies. Her later works, such as Fruit of Paradise (1970) and The Very Late Afternoon of a Faun (1983), continue her signature social rebellion. Many other New Wave directors of this time period who got their works banned would leave their country, however she chose to stay in Czechoslovakia and carry on with her work as a film maker, though in the form of commercials rather than feature-length films. Today, she goes down in film history as a remarkable dissenting and feminist director, though she would refuse to label herself as the latter.

The Tears Dress was made by Elsa Schiaparelli as a part of her Le Cirque (Circus) collection of 1938. The dress was a collaboration between surrealist artist Salvador Dali and Schiaparelli, who admired and owned pieces by the artist. It was inspired specifically by two of Dali’s works, Necrophiliac Springtime and Three Young Surrealistic Women Holding in Their Arms the Skins of an Orchestra, the former being personally owned by the designer. Both of these paintings depict women with a melted clothes and body, a motif which was carried on to the dress. Surrealism itself was a central concept for the garment. The art movement grew as a sort of coping mechanism following World War I, as well as an outlet to show disdain for convention.

The dress itself utilised a trompe-l’oeil (”to decieve the eye”) technique, while the veil was made up of actual rips lined with pink and magenta fabric. The flesh print displayed on the outfit was designed by none other than Dali. The designs coloured a pink and magenta as a way for Schiaparelli to popularise her signature colour, “Shocking Pink”. As both a decorative and practical element of the garment, it was fastened by a white zipper, a new invention at the time. The entirety of the Le Cirque collection was very influential, and this piece in particular marked one of the first official collaborations between a fashion designer and a renowned artist.

Released as a single by the Parisian band La Femme in 2020 and later as the eighth track of the album Paradigme in 2021, Disconnexion is a unique song, both in general and by the standards of the band. The song itself is psychedelic pop, though it strays from the surf rock inspired sound which La Femme had emulated in previous music. It combines the genres of spoken word, disco, and operetta, all while still implementing an iconic banjo solo. The lyrics of the song are brief philosophical ramblings regarding humanity’s purpose and conceptual limits. This section is fairly short:

Je ... je pense que le le plus grand problème de l’homme C’est d’éprouver sans cesse un désir d’expansion Et sans limite, tandis qu’il vit dans un monde rempli lui De limites physiques et cartésiennes Euh Si l’on s’en réfère à la pensée nihiliste et aux philosophes tragiques Nous parvenons mieux à comprendre l’insignifiance vertigineuse De nos existences, et par ce fait Le vide de nos vies nous apparaît alors évident Sans être ni optimiste, ni pessimiste Mais si l'on se positionne en tant que Que philosophes cyniques purs Et c’est, par conséquent Par l’usage d’artifices que nous arrivons à Nous déconnecter de cette réalité pascalienne qui nous effraie tant Mais tout cela reste de l’ordre du concept et demeure incertain

or, in English:

I... I think that the biggest problem of the man It's to always feel a desire of expansion Without limit, while he is living in a world full Of physical and Cartesian limits Hum If we refer to the nihilist thought and to the tragic philosophers We succeed more to understand the vertiginous insignificance Of our existences, and consequently The emptiness of our lives then looks obvious Without being optimistic, nor pessimistic But if we take a position as Pure cynical philosophers And it's, consequently By the use of artifices that we manage to Disconnect from this pascalian reality that scares us so much But all of this stills in the range of the concept and stills unsure

Sacha Got, the lecturer of this song, refers to various philosophers and their beliefs as a way to explain his own personal ideology. Got’s beliefs aline with nihilism, as he describes in the beginning. He holds this idea that humanity has a constant desire to develop and acquire, despite the restrictions placed on mankind both physically and mentally. He specifically describes the realizing of these limits as “vertiginous,” which further explores how humans tend to avoid this nihilistic hard truth. He also combats the common notion that nihilists are simply pessimists by explaining that this is just an observation of the results of the lives of others, removed from pessimism or optimism.

His speech ends with the notion of distracting oneself from their reality, something which the music video for this song delves in to. The music video portrays Sacha, a philosophical author, going in between a beige and serious setting where he is interviewed and a bold and a bold and fantastical club scene. The surrounding change reflects his belief that one can accept the unforgiving truth of their existence while also indulging in pleasure. His final remark contrasts his academic and absolute tone by declaring that all of this is just a theory and shouldn’t be taken too seriously, hence his rationality for giving way to bliss through distraction.

Josef Fenneker was very influential in 1910s and 20s, and well known for incorporated influences from various artistic movements, such as Expressionism, Cubism, and Art Nouveau. His work is often regarded as a visual representation of the atmosphere of the Weimar Republic.

Fenneker was drafted into World War I, but was dismissed in 1917 after being wounded. His dismissal led him to move to Berlin to get his masters and start his career in art. In the first year of him making film posters, he made over 40 for Universum Film AG. These posters were typically reminiscent of charcoal drawings. In that same year he began working for Marmorhaus, and under them his posters began to incorporate macabre and erotic motifs. These posters took a step away from the charcoal look his earlier work had and resembled watercolour. In the six years he worked for the cinema, he made a total of 140 film posters

His time working for them was quickly stopped after Siegbert Goldschmidt, the director of Marmorhaus, fell into economic ruin. Though his career did not end with this, it was significantly halted. He made few posters during the remainder of the 1920s, and attempted avoiding political films during Germany’s Nationalist Socialist period before he began fading out of the film world.

This Schiaparelli collection, displayed at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, was inspired heavily by Christian Lacroix and his interpretation of his French home town, Arles. The collection combined visual influences from Lacroix’s 1987 debut collection, 1980s nostalgia, and the way Elsa Schiaparelli dressed herself. This came together in looks that consisted of meticulous tailoring, pouf silhouettes, and large brimmed hats.

The incorporation of flowers set in to the deep necklines which are prominent in this collection are inspired by Carolyne Roehm’s book A Passion for Flowers, a book which Daniel Roseberry, Schiaparelli’s current artistic director, grew up admiring. The featured flowers are consist of impeccable embroidery sewn onto silk or leather and molded into petal shapes.

The combination of Roseberry and Elsa Schiaparelli’s visions are evident in Look 7, with the dress envoking Roseberry’s artistic vision and the dangling grape earrings being reminiscent of Schiaparelli’s surrealist inspirations.

Roseberry encapsulated the spirit of the show with the question, “What’s wrong with wanting to make beautiful things?”

“The Black Cat” was released under London After Midnight’s first album Selected Scenes from the End of the World in 1991. The band consists of one permanent member, Sean Brennan, who writes and records all the music, and is accompanied by a rotating list of live performers. The album was preceded by a demo version which attracted much attention in the Hollywood indie scene. After the official version was released, the band performed live at various well-known underground clubs, such as Helter Skelter and Zombie Zoo, tending to sell out their performances.

The meaning behind the song “The Black Cat” is much debated, with some considering it a song about rape and others believing it to be a romantic metaphor utilizing shapeshifting imagery. A lot of the discourse revolves around the first verse:

Oh little girl Don't go away Just come to bed And there we'll stay

The use of the phrase “little girl” can be considered to be either a term of endearment or a predatory label. The phrase, as well as the scene of being in bed with the girl, is repeated at the very end of the song, though it is intertwined with shapeshifting imagery, with Brennan describing the two of them becoming a singular entity in body and mind. The meaning behind the black cat, who’s mentioned in the chorus of the song, is vague. It could be used as a way to show a ritual happening at the end of the song which allows the two characters to combine, as the animal is commonly used as a metaphor for the occult. It could also serve as a metaphor for the unknown, adding more mystery to the events describing in the song. Either way, the full meaning behind the lyrics remains an enigma.

It’s now become commonplace for a movie poster to be made as marketable and predictable as humanly possible. However, there was a phase in Polish history that strayed far from this modern expectation. This artistic movement in film posters was one which looked less towards making a poster the gateway for commercial success, but rather one which was much more individualistic and connected to Polish cultural identities.

For centuries, Poland had been under constant attack by neighboring countries. Despite this persistent violence, a large artistic community in Krakow grew. After World War II, Poland was liberated from one dictator and placed under the rule of another dictator. Now under communist rule, fine art was essentially banned. However, advertisements, such as film posters, were still allowed. These would become the medium through which many Polish artists expressed themselves. State-owned film industries didn’t care what the posters looked like, only that they were completed. This allowed for very unique designs which embodied the impacts of war, as well as themes pertaining to loss and resilience.

Jakub Erol was born in 1941 in Zamość, Poland. He began to gain recognition for his work in movie posters in the 1960s. He was known for his expressive and unique style, utilizing bold colours and dynamic compositions, as well as an emotional intensity inspired by his own experience as a Polish artist. He practiced multiple mediums, such as painting, drawing, and printmaking.

Anglomania marked a movement away from Westwood’s established punk look and a step towards a contrasting aesthetic that mirrors British institutions. Despite the two looks having dissimilar connotations, she was able to combine everything together into a comprehensive look. Showcased in Paris in March of 1993, the collection was inspired by Dior’s French elegance, traditional British craftsmanship, and eighteenth-century art.

Through this collection, Westwood created her own clan, “MacAndreas”, which was officially recognized by the Lochcarron of Scotland in the same year in which it was founded. The recognition of a clan usually takes 200 years, which makes this such a pivotal moment in Scottish clan history. It was named after a special tartan she designed specifically for this collection, and the tartan itself was named after her second husband, Andreas Kronthaler. The specific use of tartan, though derived from British tradition, was also a callback to historical rebellion. It was specifically a reference to the Jacobites and how supporters of the cause were often associated with tartan.

The collection was also made famous because of Naomi Campbell stumbling on the catwalk. The outfit that Campbell was wearing is currently stored in the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Johann Hölzel was an Austrian singer who began releasing music under the name Falco in 1981. Born in 1957, he was the only surviving child in a set of triplets, with the other two having been miscarried. He went to the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna to fulfill a childhood dream of being a “real musician.” He began as a bassist for various local artists before releasing music as Falco, the name being derived from the ski jumper Falko Weißpflog.

Falco’s music was largely praised for combining pop, rock, and rap. His song “Rock Me Amadeus” became the first song in German to reach the #1 spot on the U.S. Billboard charts. “Männer Des Westens” was the seventh track of his third studio album Falco 3, the same album which “Rock Me Amadeus” is also in. The song title directly translates to “Men of the West,” though the title is commonly referred to in English as “Any Kind of Land.” As the name suggests, the song tackles and critiques Western culture. The first verse states very clearly what the message of the song is:

Es ist Tatbestand Daß dieses Abendland Die Geschichte immer hat bestimmt Es ist angesagt Auch immer mehr gefragt Wer die Männer dieses Westens sind Daß die guten Kräfte dieser Welt sich sammeln Jener, der daran noch glaubt, der irrt

or, in English:

It's a fact That this occident Has always been controlling history It's topical and increasingly interesting Who the men of this West are Anyone who still believes That the powers of good in this world are assembling is wrong

The song also goes on to call out various figures and celebrities by saying that the West “has” them.

An interesting line of the song, especially within modern contexts and events, is “you got the holy land,” located in the chorus. When looking at it metaphorically, this may refer to how Western history is often taught with a “chosen one” narrative, since many societal and technological innovations are derived from Western nations. This stance is remarkably progressive, especially given that the song was released in 1985. However, when looking at the reference to the Holy Land as literal, it could be interpreted as a reference to Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Israel is typically seen as a Western country, as the majority of Israelis are descendants of Europeans. Palestinian displacement is a direct result of the West’s occupation of the Holy Land