Temperley London

Paul Smith

Bora Aksu

PPQ

Georgia Hardinge

Aquascutum

Not content with reporting from the shows this London Fashion Week, I also contributed to a BBC article on history’s most shocking fashion trends, and I was asked to appear on BBC Breakfast News discussing the history of dress sizing. You can read the shocking trends piece in full HERE, and my wild gesticulation is captured for all eternity below.

You can also read my London Fashion Week highlights so far here: Temperley London, PPQ, Bora Aksu, Georgia Hardinge and Aquascutum.

I’m currently researching the disparate areas of sound in silent film, underwater monsters and Bauhaus theatre, so keep checking back for more on all of the above!

This season I’ll be fighting my way to the FROW whilst reporting from London Fashion Week for Fashion156. For constant updates from the Fashion156 team take a look at the Collections page. Happy Fashion Week!

Grimaldi is dead and hath left no peer. We fear with him the spirit of pantomime has disappeared.                        -  Illustrated London News on Grimaldi’s death, 31st May 1837

Let’s get one thing straight: as you may have guessed from my blog header, I love the circus. And I don’t mean Cirque du Soleil-style nouveau-circus-meets-performance-art, I mean traditional circus where a clown wearing oversize shoes and hooped dungarees might squirt water in your face from a giant flower. The circus that you see in Blackpool and Great Yarmouth. I love sideshows and Big Tops; I love ringmasters, strongmen and clowns and have on various occasions dressed as them all (in some cases multiple times).

Circus has always been an influence for us as the Broken Hearts. By Will Anderson for Nylon, Fatsarazzi and Neil Massey

I believe that the ruff is an accessory you shouldn’t live without. Why should it be the preserve of the Tudors alone? People say eyebrows frame the face, but try layer upon layer of stiffened satin or tulle around your neck – then the concept of framing is really brought to life. (When I worked at Beyond Retro I even wrote a blog about the joys of getting ruff and ready.) I’m such a fan of circus imagery – an obsession I share with him indoors - that I haven’t yet broached the subject here as I haven’t known quite where to begin. There’s just so much that’s so good. But when I visited the annual Clown Service at Holy Trinity Church in Dalston on Sunday I figured that was a  pretty good place to start.

Click on images to enlarge

The annual church service in memory of Joseph Grimaldi has been in existence since 1946 and is run by Clowns International (the oldest clown organisation in the world, according to their site). It’s been held at the Holy Trinity since 1959, which has subsequently become known as the ‘Clown’s Church’ complete with Grimaldi corner that includes stained glass in his likeness, marionettes and the Egg Registry.

Grimaldi corner, the church pre-service

Clown Egg Registry – to copyright your make up. The practice is particular to Clowns International, although some Registries in America have since been set up. The collection includes Lulu Adams, one of the first female clowns (middle picture, middle row far right). Read more about her at the National Fairground Archive. Read more about clown eggs here.

Joseph Grimaldi was born in 1778 and has gone down in history as the father of modern clowning. He drew on traditions popularised by Shakespeare (such as the fool) which in turn had developed from Medieval court jesters, Italian Commedia dell’arte and even date back to Ancient Greece. He developed a unique style fusing slapstick with impeccable comic timing, and combined with his signature make up that included red triangles on his cheeks he was the originator of the Whiteface clown we know today. He worked extensively in pantomime on Drury Lane and his character, Joey, began the  audience participation tradition that British audiences have come to know and love. (Oh no he didn’t! I hear you cry. I shan’t rise to it.)

Grimaldi corner

Grimaldi corner

Clown Gallery at Holy Trinity, Dalston

The service. Afterwards the clowns give a free performance (below right)

Organiser and museum manager Mattie Faint (left). The service was presided over by Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin and Hon. Curate and Clowns’ Chaplain Clown Roly (Reverend Roly Bain) as seen in the right-hand picture

The majority of clowns at the service were Whiteface clowns, or their fall-guy cousin the Auguste (recognisable by a flesh-colour base but white around the mouth and eyes and with the classic red nose): essentially the clowns we now associate with the circus. But the Character clown – specifically the American hobo clown – also has a long lasting legacy. The most famous hobo clown was Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp character, immortalised on celluloid and arguably equally as impressive on film as it would be in real life (those in doubt I advise you to watch the roller skating scene in Modern Times or, more obviously, The Circus). Charlie Cairoli subsequently melded the Character clown with the Auguste to create a look not unlike Chaplin in costume, but with the addition of a classic red nose. Born into a travelling circus family, Cairoli began performing at the age of 7. In 1939 he performed in his first summer season in the Tower Circus in Blackpool, where he would play for the next 40 years, also becoming a TV fixture of the 70s.

Chaplin in classic Tramp costume. His daughter, Victoria Chaplin, carries the circus mantle in Le Cirque Invisible; Cairoli’s make up in the Egg Registry; Charlie Cairoli

Galliano S/S 2011 also found here. The cogs at the back of the runway are reminiscent of Modern Times (1936), but the clock is also a nod to another silent clown, Harold Lloyd in Safety Last! (1923)

With its emphasis on spectacle and bright, bold colours and shapes its no surprise that the fashion world often draws on the fantasy and escapism of circus imagery. Commedia dell’arte clowns are the most popular, especially the characters Harlequin and Pierrot. Many entire posts could be written on the influence of each of these characters, and I’m sure it’s an area to which I’ll return. For now, here’s a brief introduction. Time to send in the clowns!

Pierrot costumes

Originally the deadpan Commedia character Pedrolino, with the rise of Romanticism and the popularity of pantomime in the nineteenth century he morphed into Pierrot, the sad clown who mourns for the love of Columbine. In the late 1800s musical Pierrot troupes sprang up at seaside towns, a tradition which is hopefully returning.

Tim Walker for Vogue November 2010 from Harem of Peacocks, L’amour De Pierrot, Tim Walker for Vogue November 2010 from Harem of Peacocks

Broken Hearts by Pavla Kopecna

Dior Couture A/W 2011, Gareth Pugh S/S 2009, Dior Couture A/W 2011

Harlequin is harder to trace. With origins possibly in French Passion Plays or Dante’s Inferno, it’s thought he was originally an aide to the Devil. In Commedia he took on the characteristics of the Zanni archetype – nimble and acrobatic but mischievous and slow-witted. Throughout the eighteenth century he became more of a romantic hero.

Tim Walker for Vogue November 2010 from Harem of Peacocks; Schiaparelli evening coat found at Stylesight; Westwood A/W 1989 Harlequin and Columbine found here

Every politician has to decide how much he or she is prepared to change manner and appearance for the sake of the media. It may sound grittily honourable to refuse to make any concessions, but such an attitude in a public figure is most likely to betray a lack of seriousness about winning power - Thatcher in her autobiography, The Downing Street Years

While The Iron Lady certainly isn’t the only biopic of Margaret Thatcher (she’s been played by both Andrea Riseborough and Lindsay Duncan in the past, amongst others), it’s undoubtedly the most high profile. With Meryl Streep winning a Golden Globe and its Oscar-tipped success, it has revived a contentious era of British politics and at the head of this most acrimonious body politic sits the problematic figure of Thatcher herself. Curiously, in the wake of Phyllida Lloyd’s recent film, Thatcher – icon of individualistic 80s greed, privatisation and anti-union policies – is being reappraised. This is being met with both outrage on the left (Guardian) and a kind of joyful relief on the right (Telegraph). But neither of these reactions is as infuriating as the style coverage on how to get the ‘True Blue’ Thatcher look. Despite the fact that her ‘look’ was anachronistic at the time (as pointed out by Fashion Junior at Large), the idea that British women would blindly appropriate the clothing of one of the most divisive politicians – male or female – of the post-war period is as offensive as it is shortsighted.

Peacocks – which has recently gone into administration – with their Thatcher-inspired moodboard. Found at Fashion Editor at Large.

Frustratingly, it’s often laziness on the part of fashion editors who have become reliant on film releases to create a hook for weekly style features. It’s not too much of a stretch to find replacements for the items they want to push: if it’s pussy-bows you could try Jane Fonda in 9 to 5  or the queen of flouncy blouses, Prunella Scales in Fawlty Towers. And if you’re really adamant that it’s 80s tailoring and pearls you want then look no further than Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl (1988).

Jane Fonda in 9 to 5, Prunella Scales in Fawlty Towers and Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl

I have written before about the dangers of ignoring politics in favour of aesthetics. But the fashion industry likes to reappropriate subjects as its own, ignoring any overtly political or social issues – remember Steven Meisel’s oil slick shoot for Vogue Italia? Or the poverty/luxury debate sparked by this Vogue India fashion shoot? How about homelessness at Antidote magazine which successfully forged a real-life Derelicte?The lack of social responsibility within the industry is at best misguided and at worst sickening. The issues underlying such images need to be addressed, and ignoring this is unforgivable, no matter how pretty the pictures.

Let them eat Blahniks: The Marie Antoinette of the Phillipines, Imelda Marcos’s shoes are the ultimate modern day symbol of fashion excess and power. Now found at the Footwear Museum of Marikina

Thatcher formed a murky backdrop to my childhood, always looming in the shadows like a Harpy of Greek mythology (which are conveniently also known as ‘that which snatches’). My father was ardently left-wing, to the point where as a teenager I spent certain weekends avoiding the town centre where he was dressed as the ‘Capitalist Fat Cat’ (complete with pointy ears and tail) while selling the Socialist Worker. As you can imagine, Thatcher didn’t go down too well in our household and as a result I’m finding the flurry of opinion pieces, style guides and ‘what she meant to me’ features quite hard to stomach.

But fashion editors aren’t the only group to reclaim female politicians for their own sartorial ends. The politics of bodies denotes that women in power are judged by their looks and appearance far more than their male peers. Thatcher biopics from The Iron Lady to Margaret and The Long Walk to Finchley all feature her image change (losing the hats and adopting more suits) as a pivotal moment in her career. Current male PR-spun politicians of the Blair/Cameron ilk clearly see image as important, but the emphasis on appearance as the defining aspect of this unfortunately remains a female preserve.

Somewhat ironically in this Guardian piece that criticises Mensch’s alleged surgery they’ve commissioned one of the most air-brushed pictures of Mensch in existence

The idea of dressing for success is nothing new, so it continues to surprise me when clothing choices are consistently used to undermine female politicians. Women are chastised on both sides of the political and style spectrums: Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel are both regularly criticised for their dress sense (too dowdy), while Louise Mensch* and former-beauty queen Sarah Palin are condemned for being too image-conscious. (Clearly that’s not the only criticism one could levy at Sarah Palin. But it’s where a lot of people like to start.) Not to mention Theresa May’s animal print shoes which have been stealing headlines for a decade. And it doesn’t help when other women get in on the action. Mary Portas recently called the four women in Cameron’s cabinet ‘an ugly bunch’ in need of a make over. Ann Coulter, the only female in history to be more gun-loving, racially-paranoid and far-right than Sarah Palin credits her success to her cheerleader looks, claiming, ”I am emboldened by my looks to say things Republican men wouldn’t.” While Jane Law, costume designer for The Iron Lady, makes the hideous distinction between intelligence and fashion, claiming Thatcher “had other priorities. She was very cerebral.”

Katherine Langley, a congresswoman in the 1920s whose blue and red dress caused a scandal in the House of Representatives, with a reporter claiming, “she offends the squeamish by her unstinted display of gypsy colors on the floor.” From Power Dressing: First Ladies, Women Politicians & Fashion found at Forbes

The wives of powerful men are also in the firing line; Samantha Cameron and Michelle Obama use their much-lauded fashion credentials to further their husband’s campaigns, whereas the sartorial choices of MPs’ husbands is rarely, if ever, called into question. Where male politicians are concerned, the majority of coverage can be boiled down to the tongue-in-cheek reporting over Rick Santorum’s love of the tank top. And of course there’s nothing like the flamboyance of a dictator to raise eyebrows; the decision of Mobuto (former dictator of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to ban everyone except himself from wearing leopard print hats didn’t get nearly as much coverage as it deserved, while Gaddafi fashion was often just a stone’s throw from the style spotlight. The Arab Spring really has turned international politics into a much greyer world.

Indira Gandhi’s saris were made from khadi, a fabric imbued with political significance in the fight against British rule when workers were encouraged to weave their own cloth as an aid to economic empowerment. From Power Dressing: First Ladies, Women Politicians & Fashion found at Forbes

Robb Young addresses these issues in his book Power Dressing: First Ladies, Women Politicians & Fashion, celebrating the sartorial choices of female leaders throughout history and demonstrating that clothing can be used to uphold beliefs and signify strength and unity, rather than merely becoming tabloid fodder. And I look forward to the day that his statement in Forbes that, “the right fashion on the right politician in the right circumstances can be mighty powerful political currency” gets recognition from male MPs too.

Benazir Bhutto compromised her wardrobe when she became Pakistan’s first female prime minister, trading western-style clothes for the salwar kameez (tunic and trouser suit) with a draped head scarf, instead of the burqa as favoured by her predecessor. From Power Dressing: First Ladies, Women Politicians & Fashion found at Forbes

The problems with Thatcherism and her reign are manifold. High on the list would be Section 28, her refusal (along with Reagan) to boycott the apartheid regime in South Africa, financial deregulation (that has since led to the banking crisis), the rise in childhood poverty and decrease in social mobility; and this was while she was in power (the notorious milk snatching happened 8 years before she even became PM). It’s the nature of humanity to be nostalgic and revel in the retro, which is why 22 years after she left office the time seems ripe (for some) to reappraise Thatcher and all that she stood for. But this will never be an easy transition with someone so divisive, which could be why the campaign against a state funeral is gaining such momentum; as someone who was committed to ‘rolling back the frontiers of the state’ it seems grossly unjust that the taxpayer should foot the bill. For those interested, you can sign a petition here or here.

*On Women’s Hour Louise Mensch derided criticisms of her controversial GQ shoot, condemning the reaction as sexist; arguing that Cameron, Clegg and other male MPs are professionally styled for similar features and it’s unfair that this goes unnoticed. I’m not a huge fan of Mensch but this is a salient point.

I would be lying if I were to say that the news of Pat Butcher’s imminent death didn’t mildly upset me. While I must confess to not having watched EastEnders for years, there was once a time (i.e. the mid-90s) when a gravelly “Roy’s my fam’ly now, Frank” formed the pinnacle of my weekly viewing habits. And surely only some sort of dry lunch would deny that she’s a very stylish lady. However, it appears that said ‘dry lunch’ seems to reside not only, as expected, at The Sun (“famed for her chandelier earrings and garish outfits”), but even worse, at The Guardian: “drag-queen-with-glaucoma-falling-into-Nelson-Mandela’s-wardrobe.” GASP! Not for me, this butchering of Pat’s style credentials. (I’m also fairly partial to drag queens and Nelson Mandela but that’s another story.) I am firmly in the pro-Pat camp; I once tried to out-Pat Pat by wearing a maximum of 7 types of leopard print in one outfit, a personal record that I fully intend to beat someday. And when I was recently asked to undertake some market research for ‘fashion-forward’ consumers (*cough, brush imaginary dust from shoulder*), I surprised myself by quoting La Butcher as a favourite style icon of mine not once or twice, but repeatedly throughout the interview. And who can blame me?

Leopard lovin’

While lacking the gaunt cheekbones of Dot Cotton or the saucepot National Treasure status of the much-missed Peggy Mitchell, Pat has functioned as a stylistic lynchpin of the nation’s favourite soap (soz, Corrie fans) since she entered the show in 1986.

The Holy Trinity of Easties’ ladies past and present. Dot Cotton: surely ripe for a Burberry campaign, Mr. Bailey?

It’s no secret that Pat’s love of leopard is shared with a plethora of oft-called ‘cheeky’ Italian brands of the Moschino/Dolce/Cavalli-ilk. Animal print functions as oxygen for some designers: Dolce & Gabbana have made such a signature of leopard print that it’s entered the brand’s DNA, and and having been to the Cavalli press showroom in Milan I can guarantee you that leopard pheromones are liberally pumped through the air-conditioning to encourage just that right amount of savagery and sex.* And what more would you expect from the man who can get an A-lister into animal print faster than Frank can accuse us of taking him for some kind of pilchard?

*This is not strictly true. But there was A LOT of leopard print.

Dolce & Gabbana; Moschino Cheap and Chic

Roberto Cavalli;Dolce & Gabbana

Can’t afford the clothes? Go for the accessories: Prada bag and hi-tops; Leopard tassel loafers from Office

Can’t afford the accessories? Go for the nails: My own leopard manicure; minx found here; nails by Illustrated Nail

As an early homage to Pat, I’ve taken the liberty of compiling a compendium of the best in big cat fashions. Let’s be thankful these leopards never lost their spots.

Whose feline is it anyway? Josephine Baker avec cheetah; Joan Blondell found here; Marian Nixon in 1925

Leopard Ladies: Veruschka from Fashion’s Most Wanted; Jacqueline Logan found at Ethers Tragic; Gene Tierney from Vintage Gal

The original Walk on the Wild Side: the ever-charming Cary ‘nobody tawks like that’ Grant and Katharine Hepburn star in Bringing Up Baby (1938)

The cat’s whiskers: 1920s leopard girl from Vintage Marlene; Dolores del Rio found here; Carole Lombard  found here

Cat who got the cream: Dior in the 50s; Anne Bancroft in The Graduate found at Sally Lou Vintage

Paws for thought: Rene Gruau illustration; Suzy Parker on cover of Life in 1951 found at Villainously Vintage; Rene Gruau illustration

Welcome to the Jungle: Peggy Moffitt and other models; Carole Lombard at Golden Girl of the West; Balmain capri pants from 1951

Cave Man chic: Ava Gardner; Raquel Welch; ‘Vogue’ outfit  by Ziad Ghanem modelled by Naomi Campbell

And if that’s not enough, check out some wildly synthetic looks from 1959 at the beginning of this Pathé newsreel. Roar.

You askin’ for a dry slap?

On that bombshell, as with Pat, this is my goodbye to 2011. Happy Holidays!

Issue 9 of Fire and Knives Food Quarterly is out now! Among other things you can find an article I wrote on one of my favourite subjects: FRUIT in film and fashion. There’s no better way to get your five a day! Purchase a copy pronto if you want to read about the following…

Apples at Miu Miu Resort 2011; Victorian majolica pottery found at antiques.com; apples at Moschino Cheap and Chic S/S 2012

Dunmore Pineapple found here; read a history of pineapples and architecture in London at Georgian London

 Dolce and Gabbana S/S 2012; Victorian majolica pottery found at antiques.com; Stella McCartney S/S 2011 from Elle Decor

Prada S/S 2011; Wah Nails ‘Prada Banana’ design; Josephine Baker

Dolce and Gabbana S/S 2012; Whistles pineapple print found at Fur Coat No Knickers and again here; Dolce and Gabbana S/S 2012

Piers Atkinson’s ‘Sex on the Brain’ collection S/S 2010; Sonia Rykiel cherry print t-shirt; D&G cherry cardigan found here; Piers Atkinson’s ‘Sex on the Brain’ collection S/S 2010

Strawberries at Moschino Cheap and Chic S/S 2012; Charlotte Olympia fruit pumps at Elle Decor; Dolce and Gabbana S/S 2012

Josephine Baker found here; Piers Atkinson’s ‘Sex on the Brain’ collection S/S 2010; Prada S/S 2011

Carmen Miranda’s ‘Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat’ from The Gang’s All Here (1943)

Josephine Baker’s ‘Danse Sauvage’

Carmen Miranda in Slick Hare (1947) – see the whole cartoon here.

STOP PRESS! Those of you who know me IRL (or indeed, follow me on Twitter) will understand I have a mild (read: major) obsession with nail art. I go some way towards sating my hunger for coloured keratin in this piece on the history of nail art that I wrote for the Winter Issue of Fashion156. Enjoy!

Karl Lagerfeld with Elena Glurdjidze of the English National Ballet in the Dying Swan costume he created for her. From Coco Chanel blog

As noted in my recent interview with Jayne Pierson, ballet is enjoying a moment in the style spotlight. The Pierson/Lawlor collaboration with the Royal Ballet is the latest love affair in the long, intermingled history of the two art forms that stretches back to Catherine de’Medici, who took the fledgling art form from Italy to France, and the Sun King himself who established the couturieres’ trade guild and the French ballet in the 17th century. Here are more highlights of the cross-pollination between ballet, fashion and art.

Edgar Degas, ‘Two Dancers on the Stage‘ (1874); ‘Green Dancer’; and ‘Yellow Ballerina’

The recent Degas exhibition at the Royal Academy focused on the interplay between film, photography and painting during the late 19th century. Degas’ work was pivotal at this time, being able to capture the moments that eluded photographers due to long exposure times. Contemporary photographs of ballerinas would even use cords to hold the dancer’s arms in position for the time needed to expose the film. Degas’ obsession with capturing motion has strong resonance with fashion images – and especially the catwalk - as fabric and cut is best judged through movement; in his use of light and kinetics was Degas the first fashion photographer? His work remains a perennial inspiration to designers, from the Givenchy Spring 2008 Couture collection to Princess Diana’s wedding dress.

Pas de Deux – 1902 Royal Danish Ballet filmed by Peter Elfelt

Throughout the nineteenth century the evolution of the dance succeeded in shaping ballet into the form we recognise today. Pointework and the corresponding shoes were developed and later in the century the iconic tutu appeared. In the early 20th century the avant-garde Ballets Russes took Parisian society by riotous storm, as outlined in the successful V&A exhibition that ended last year and immortalised in the film Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (2009).

Ballets Russes dancer Ida Rubinstein in Scheherazade (1910) from Diamond Dolls Couture and Billy Jane.

A huge inspiration for contemporary artists, Ida Rubinstein was painted by Valentin Serov and Antonio de la Gandara, and a Rubinstein figurine was sculpted by Demetre Chiparus.

Tamara Karsavina in Scheherazade; in Le Dieu Bleu (1912) from Not Sweating the Small Stuff and in Swan Lake.

Dancer Tamara Karsavina performed for both the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes. Born in St Petersburg she is recognised as one of the founders of British ballet as she was instrumental in setting up the Royal Ballet and was a founder member of the Royal Academy of Dance.

Leon Bakst design for ‘Daphnis and Chloë’ (1912) from Not Sweating the Small Stuff; Bakst Cleopatra costume for Ida Rubinstein (1909); Bakst design for ‘Le Dieu Bleu’ costume (1912) rom Not Sweating the Small Stuff

Leon Bakst worked as both set and costume designer during the formative years of the Ballets Russes, creating opulent Orientalist fantasies that have consistently inspired designers, from the harem pants of his contemporary Poiret (which Poiret refuted throughout his lifetime) to Yves Saint Laurent’s Russian collection in the 1970s and Erdem for S/S 2011.

Poiret costume (1911) from the Met Museum for the ‘Thousand and Second Night’ party; George Lapape illustration of Denise Poiret at ‘Thousand and Second Night’ party in a costume by Poiret from On This Day in Fashion; black and white ‘Sorbet’ gown (1913) from Ornamented Being

As outlined above, the year following the debut of Scheherazade the couturier Poiret hosted an orientalist explosion of a party in Paris entitled ‘Thousand and Second Night.’ Strictly themed, Poiret re-clothed guests that he felt didn’t quite cut the sartorial mustard with his own lavish creations, and thus launched his harem pants and lampshade dress on to the trendsetters of Parisian nightlife.

Chanel’s costumes for Le Train bleu (V&A); Le Train bleu, with Cubist sets by sculptor Henri Laurens. From The World of Coco Chanel.

Bakst wasn’t the only designer for the Ballets Russes and in 1924 they called in Coco Chanel to costume Le Train Bleu. This ballet reads like a ‘who’s who’ of Modernism: masterminded by Diaghilev, written by Jean Cocteau, costumed by Chanel with a stage curtain painted by Picasso. The ‘blue train’ was the colloquial term for the train that rushed rich English tourists to the Cote d’Azur for the season, and the ballet gently mocks the superficiality of Riviera culture. Cocteau’s idea was to recreate a series of living picture postcards, so contemporary crazes like sunbathing and snapshots mix with gymnastics and Cubist-inspired sets to provide a perfectly stylized look at 1920s beach life (read more here).

Giles Deacon dress, Christian Louboutin shoes and Moschino dress from StyleBistro blog all designed for the English National Ballet fundraiser

Last summer saw the English National Ballet commission designers to create their own take on the tutu which were subsequently auctioned off at a lavish fundraiser. Designers from the edgy (Giles Deacon, Roksanda Ilincic) to the obvious (Julien Macdonald, Agent Provocateur) pooled their resources to raise money for the ENB to sustain its outreach work.

Christian Lacroix designs for Paris Opera Ballet’s rendition of La Source (November 2011) – from Downright Red and Gramilano

La Source is a tale set in Persia that takes us back to the Orientalism of Poiret, Bakst and the Ballets Russes. Christian Lacroix was the perfect choice to costume the ballet with the required level of decadent opulence.

Giles Deacon S/S 2012; baby ballerinas at Meadham Kirchhoff from Grazia Daily; Rodarte: States of Matter exhibition at MOCA, March-June 2011 found at Divalocity

Next season sees a resounding swan influence at Giles Deacon, while the Meadham Kirchhoff show climaxed with a ballerina twirling on top of a cake. It’s exactly this strain of escapism, elegance and extravagance that fuels the fire between fashion and ballet, proving that the one can be a constant source of inspiration for the other stretching as far back as the 16th century.

Jayne Pierson and Derek Lawlor S/S 2012, ‘Mobius Strip’ from Planet Notion

There’s a way to express a concept really clearly through visuals, through film, through performing arts, through theatre... in a way that wholly encapsulates the concept as opposed to just garments going down a catwalk. – Jayne Pierson

You don’t have to be an ardent balletomane to realise that ballet is enjoying a moment in the spotlight. From the furore surrounding Black Swan, to the highly successful Degas exhibition at the Royal Academy (not to mention Kanye West music videos), the links between pop culture, fashion and ballet have never been stronger. With its beginnings in the court pageantry of Renaissance Italy, ballet was taken to France by the extravagant Catherine de’Medici in the 16th century when the ballet de cour became part of her lavish festivities; cultural spectacles so flamboyant in their excess that they mimicked the ostentation of Roman emperors. In more recent years designers from Jasper Conran to Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld and the late Alexander McQueen have designed costumes for ballet, continuing the dialogue between the two art forms. The stand out show for me at this season’s London Fashion Week was a collaboration between designer Jayne Pierson, knitwear maestro Derek Lawlor and the Royal Ballet that resulted in a breathtaking show that used principal dancers as runway models. I was lucky enough to speak to Jayne Pierson about the collaboration, her interest in historical fashion and her passion for performing arts.

Jayne Pierson and Derek Lawlor S/S 2012, ’Mobius Strip’

My attention was first drawn to Jayne Pierson when I fell in love with the leg of mutton sleeves in her S/S 2011 collection (whose film, Twin Parallel, subsequently won the Best Styling award at A Shaded View of Fashion Film Festival). Pierson’s background has been hugely influential in her approach. She studied drama and performing arts then joined a band in which she acted as the stylist before the concept of other people dressing bands or achieving a ‘total look’ was really acknowledged. She retrained in fashion after the birth of her twins and found the contextual aspect really inspiring, realising, ”there’s a deeper meaning to fashion, the underpinning of a story.” Internships at Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood quickly led to increased responsibility, trips to Paris to help with the shows, and eventually job offers. It’s not hard to see that Westwood’s love of history and McQueen’s theatrics have left a deep impression on Pierson’s perspective. And history, or ”looking backwards to go forwards” as she terms it, has been a resounding influence ever since.

It’s such a beautiful art form that you’re mesmerised by it - Jayne Pierson

The collaboration with the Royal Ballet was sparked by a shoot Pierson and Lawlor put together for 125 Magazine, using ballerinas in place of models. Formed in 1931 the Royal Ballet has a rich heritage, growing out of the Ballets Russes and including the Margot Fonteyn/Rudolph Nureyev partnership of the 60s. My interest was piqued over the logistical contrasts between using models and dancers: both industries are awash with rumours of eating disorders and both have been accused of promoting an unhealthy body image to women. It’s easy to imagine that the jutting bones of a model is little different from the body of a ballerina, especially in light of Natalie Portman’s depiction in Black Swan. But Pierson was amazed at the contrast and vehemently defended the agility of the dancers, enthusing, ”it’s so empowering for women to see this athletic form that’s still very graceful and very feminine.” Power being the operative word, and one Pierson repeatedly returned to in describing the dancers. It’s clear from the pictures that the musculature required for performing is a world away from the anorexia debates that surround the modelling industry, and Pierson didn’t adjust any of her size 8-10 collection to fit the dancers, whereas she regularly has to alter pieces to make them smaller for traditional models. Not to mention that the sight of dancers gliding en pointe down the catwalk was a far cry from the sullen traipsing that has become the model strut du jour.

The dancers were amazingly athletically built, and I loved the way they had such powerful limbs - Jayne Pierson

The process of collaboration comes easy to Pierson from her days of being in a band, and music remains central to her presentations. She worked with composer Nick Wollage on the soundtrack to the catwalk show and a big part of the collection was, in Pierson’s words, ”inspired by the movement and fluidity, organic shapes and forms” of the dancers performing to the music. The symbiotic relationship between sound, design and performance pushed the boundaries of a traditional runway show beyond contemporary concerns over celebrity attendance and FROW anxiety. Pierson is constantly searching for new narratives and new ways to communicate them; she argues defiantly, ”I see [the catwalk] as quite stifling, quite limiting in how you can convey your concept. I’d rather use all these other ways to try and push the story forward.” Her collaboration with the Royal Ballet proved this, adding an additional layer of theatre to the show and shifting the frontiers of art, fashion and dance. I look forward to seeing what she’s planning next.

The way that they could interpret and move their bodies was amazing – as soon as they put those pointe shoes on and walked the clothes just came to life.  I could have watched them the entire day… I was amazed by how wonderful they looked – Jayne Pierson.

You can see more pictures of Mobius Strip at Vogue.com, and stay tuned to Theatre of Fashion for a ballet-focussed Track the Trend that will be published next week.