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Yayoi Kusama for Louis Vuitton

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Marc Jacobs is one designer that loves to collaborate with artists.  After becoming creative director for Louis Vuitton, Jacobs has done several collections in collaboration with artists like Stephen Sprouse and Takashi Murakami.  The latest collection will feature designs by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.
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Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.  Image courtesy of  http://blogs.wsj.com
Kusama is 83 and lives in Tokyo.  She has been painting since the 1960s, and gained recognition for her sprawling “Infinity Net” paintings.
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Infinity Net by Yayoi Kusama.  Image courtesy of  dariostyling.com
Her artwork is full of repetitious patterns, focused on geometry and vibrant colors.  Kusuma has been affectionately been named “The Queen of Polka Dots”, which makes sense after you have seen her work.  For the past three decades, Kusuma has    voluntarily lived in a psychiatric hospital.  Her art is said to be inspired by her hallucinations.
Kusuma’s collection for Vuitton feature her iconic polka dots:
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Louis Vuitton’s new collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama includes polka-dotted shoes, purses, watches and jewelry.  Image courtesy of http://blogs.wsj.com

 

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The Polkadot Queen, Yayoi Kusama at work.  Image courtesy of  http://mooiobsession.blog.com
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Image courtesy of  http://luxuryes.com
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Images courtesy of  http://www.patternpeople.com

For more information, please visit:

Louis Vuitton Kusama

The Louis Vuitton Kusuma Collaboration, Facebook Album

 

 

 

Semantically speaking . . .

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From left: Blue dress illustration by Tatiana Aldaco, grey dress illustration by Katherine Chinn, and brown dress by Charles James, 1951. Illustrations courtesy of the artists. Photo courtesy of metmuseum.org

Dearest readers, I’ve not forgotten about you!   When my personal schedule becomes chaotic, I don’t have much time to write.   Recently, I started teaching 2 new courses: fashion forecasting and textiles.   As you can imagine, I’ve been quite busy.   But I have written some new material for Worn Through that I’d love to share.

If you’ve visited my blog before, you know how much I love fashion as a language.   (New to my site?   Please take a moment to see How to Speak Fashion, Part I & How to Speak Fashion, Part II.   Part III is in the making!)   Before I had considered pursuing fashion, I dreamed of becoming an Italian professor.   Aside from the language sounding so beautiful, I was fascinated by learning vocabulary.   I was particularly taken with how Italian words and concepts varied so greatly from English.   One language may have a precise word for a phrase or group of words that exists in another.   (For example, qualunquismo is a word to describe someone who is apathetic about politics.)   Semantics, the study of meaning and interpretation of meaning, adds another layer of interest.   The meaning of words are solidified in the brain by experiences and memories.   This is what can make communication tricky; word meaning can vary slightly from person to person.

Curiously enough, once I started teaching fashion, semantics reappeared.   I was introduced to the work of Roland Barthes (1915-1980) during my first year teaching.   Barthes was a French philosopher that pioneered the study of semiotics, semantics, and also how these linguistic disciplines are replicated in fashion.   The Fashion System is Barthes attempt to “read” clothing and determine its system of meaning.

When I taught in LA, I used semantics to stimulate creativity in my students.   Want to know how?   Please read my posts over at Worn Through:

On Teaching Fashion: The Semantics of Creating Fashion

On Teaching Fashion: More on Semantics

I bet you’re dying to know about the dresses above.   You’ll find out in my posts.

 

Color Semiotics: Unraveling Hidden Meaning of Color

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A Visualization Of XKCD’s Color Name Data by Stephen Von Worley. Image from datapointed.net

A few weeks ago, I participated on a conference on color.  Kaleidoscope: New Perspectives on the Humanities explored how color is interdisciplinary.  Color is used not only in artistic practices, but is a common theme in literature, design, politics, and communication.  While there, I met Maryam Mohammadzadeh Darrodi, an expert and PhD candidate in color semiotics.  Having studied literature, I was familiar with the concept of semiotics.

 

Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior – including language, gestures, and fashion.  But I had never really considered that colors have encoded, semiotic meanings.  Maryam is conducting a fascinating study on how we respond to color.  She graciously allowed me to interview her on color semiotics and her study.  (Please take 30 seconds to participate in Maryam’s study.  Visit Colour Semiotics)

 

Survey of color

 

 

Q) What is color semiotics?

I have to say using the word “colour semiotics” is just a more efficient way of describing colour emotions. As semiotics includes the concept of symbolization.  Colour has certain properties, which I would like to categories as colour preference, colour harmony and colour semiotics.  So it is clear that colour semiotics is not about liking a colour or not (colour preference), and not about finding its combination pleasant or not (colour harmony), but rather; how we feel about it.  Do we  feel that the certain colour is heavy or light, soft or hard and etc.

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Q) What are some of the ways color semiotics are used today?

Nature has been the first to teach us about colour semiotics: we know that a green tomato is not as ripe as a red one. So instantly, different meanings are communicated through colours. Nowadays, successful marketing has a crucial role in selling goods, on the other hand people make decisions about purchasing a product in less than 90 seconds which 60% of their decision is based upon colour. So there we go, it is very important to be able to build the right impression through colour semiotics.

Color indicates which tomato is ripe and which one isn’t.

Q) Is color and the ways we respond to colors constructed by culture and society?  Or is it innate to the human experience?

Unfortunately it is both and even more, gender, age, culture, geographical location, season and many more parameters which are directly involved in the human psychology affect individual’s decisions about colour. This makes it more and more challenging for colour researchers which is why they often try to restrict the parameters to one or two.

 

Q) How did you become interested in color semiotics?

Well, I have a statistical background!  In the lectures they use to say that statistics is a science which has the ability to work in “All aspects”. I use to wonder how I can challenge my statistical skills towards a notion that nobody has ever done before.  Of course, with all the interest I had in colour, I thought colour semiotics, which is all about emotions; can be the best to become my subject or in other words a weapon for my battle with statistics.  And I must admit, up to now statistics has truly proved its effectiveness to me, by building a beautiful model that relates colours and emotions together.

 

A Visualization Of XKCD’s Color Name Data by Stephen Von Worley. Image from datapointed.net

Q) Tell us about your survey – what is it, what are you hoping to achieve?
So for my research, I am carrying out an experiment which I wana see how all parameters effect the human response to colour semiotics.  But the thing is all the experiments up to now have been carried out in controlled conditions with few people but this experiment is novel in the sense that it involves all possible conditions which can be effective, such as cultural, age and gender differences. People around the world communicate and understand their emotions in different terms so that’s why I have also made this survey multi-lingual so people can be more comfortable.

 

The survey takes about 30 seconds to complete.  It will ask your primary language, age, gender, and a few other questions.  You will then be giving a color and asked to respond.  Screen shots of the survey are below.  Please take a few moments to participate.

How to Speak Fashion: Part I

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Looking through fashion periodicals and books is exhilarating.  Finding that perfect accessory or dress is a magic moment.  You see it, you read the text.  You have to have it.  Now, you are on a mission to make it yours.  After a little internet research, you make a phone call.  Maybe you call a friend to tell them about your newly coveted item.  Perhaps you are researching something for a major presentation.  Or you could just be calling Neiman Marcus to place an order.  But the inevitable moment happens.  Your elation turns to panic.  How do you pronounce the designer?  Fumbling, your confidence goes down.

“Do I sound like a complete idiot?”; you think to yourself.

Guess what!  You are not alone.  I came across a book that had a pronunciation guide and wondered:

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?  YOU COULD HAVE SAVED ME FROM A MILLION EMBARRASSING MOMENTS!!“

The next few posts will be dedicated on how to pronounce those beautiful, and tricky, French designer names.  Also included are brief snippets about the designers/design houses to help you feel polished and confident when talking about your latest fashion obsession.

Albouy (al-boo-EE):

Gerard Albouy (1912 1985) often known by the name Ouy, was a French milliner . Between 1938 and 1964 he operated a Parisian hat shop called Albouy that was known for its decorative baroque-style hats.

Hats, Albouy, Pierre Simon, Milinary

Albouy design by Pierre Simon, 1945. Image Courtesy of HP Prints.

Hats, Milinary, Albouy sketch by Pierre Simon, 1945

Albouy sketch by Pierre Simon, 1945. Image courtesy of HP Prints.

Albouy Hat, 1949. Image courtesy of HP Prints.

Albouy Hat, 1949. Image courtesy of HP Prints.

 

 

Balenciaga (bal-len-see-AH-ga):

Fashion house, established by Cristobal Balenciaga (1895-1972).  Balenciaga was Spanish, and opened up several ateliers in Madrid, San Sebastian, and the Basque  region (c.1919) before moving on to Paris in 1937.  The move was prompted by the Spanish Civil War.   Balenciaga created immaculately constructed clothing that was as feminine as it was avant-guard.

Cristobal Balenciaga

Balenciaga, 1941.

 

 

Evening Dress by Balenciaga, 1954. Image courtesy of V&A.

Currently, there is a Balenciaga retrospective at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.   A must see!   Click here for details: Balenciaga and Spain

Nicolas Ghesquière (guess-key-AIR) is the current designer for Balenciaga.   He has been the lead designer since 1997.   Ghesquière enjoys referencing the legacy of the house by visiting the archives frequently.

Nicholas Ghesquiere

Original 1967 Balenciaga Design (left) and Ghesquiere’s Contemporary Rendition (right)

Balmain (bahl-MAN):

Fashion house created by Pierre Balmain (1914-1982).   Balmain trained with couturiers (coo-tour-e-yay) Molyneux and Lelong before going solo in 1945.   During WWII, Balmain was noted for his long, bell-shaped skirts.   He continued to make elegant evening clothes.

Balmain at WorkEvening Dress, detail, by Pierre Balmain. 1946.

Evening Dress by Pierre Balmain. 1957

 

Evening dress by Pierre Balmain, 1957. Image courtesy of V&A.

Evening dress by Pierre Balmain, 1957. Image courtesy of V&A.

Christophe Decarnin (1964) was the chief designer for Balmain until this this month.   Decarnin announced his departure from Balmain on April 6, 2011.   Stay tuned to hear who is next . . .

Christophe Decarnin

 

 

Balmain illustration by Rene Gruau, 1946.

Bruyere (bru-YEHR):

Established by Marie-Louise Bruyere in 1928.   Bruyere worked at Callot Soeurs (Kah-low SOOR) and Lanvin (Lawn- VAN) before opening her own salon on the Place Vendome (plas van-DOM).

Bruyere created haute couture (oat koo-toor) collections until the 1950s, after which the label switched to ready-to-wear.

Bruyere, 1939.

Bruyere, 1945.

Bruyere. Illustration by Andre Delfau, 1947.

 

Bruyere. Illustration by Rene Gruau, 1945.

Bruyere. Illustration by Rene Gruau, 1945.

 

 

Callot Soeurs (Kah-low SOOR)

Couture house from 1895-1937, launched by 4 sisters.   Hallmarks of garments produced by Callot Soeurs are lace, embroideries, and delicate handwork.   The sisters were Japanese enthusiasts, and often incorporated oriental motifs and themes into their collections.

Callot Soeurs. Wedding Dress, 1916.

 

Comtess de Zogheb in Callot Soeurs, 1923.

 

 

Callot Soeurs, 1938.

 

 

Jean Desses (zhawn dess-SEZ)

Jean Desses (1906-1970) was Greek (real name was Jean Dimitre Verginie).   He studied law before turning to fashion design in the 1930s.   In 1936, he founded his own salon.   Desses created gowns for European royalty and wealthy clients.   He was fascinated with draping, and often made gowns that referenced classical Greek sculptures.   He also favored an architectural silhouette for his garments.

Jean Dessès Evening Gown. Illustration by Pierre Mourgue, 1949.

Jean Desses Evening Gown, 1953.

 

Evening Dress by Jean Desses, 1951.

Evening Dress by Jean Desses, 1951.

 

Enjoy the illustrations from this post?   Please visit HPrints.com to see more and order some for yourself!