Contemporary art Happening? No. Fashion week. From February 26 to March 5, it fell on Paris, sending images of catwalks, collections, creators, muses, influencers and front rows reeling, for better and especially for worse. (“front rows”)… This one, almost by chance, was immortalized on March 2 during the Vivienne Westwood fashion show. The composition ? From left, designer Jeffrey C. Williams, singer Lucky Love, rapper Brooke Candy, singer Celeste Epiphany Waite and model Barbara Palvin.
In this improbable sartorial tangle, what can we hold on to so as not to lose our reason? Perhaps to the perfectly rational presence of three pairs of platform shoes. The contemporary destiny of this type of shoe is in fact closely linked to that of Vivienne Westwood, who never stopped reworking and redesigning them. The spectacular fall of Naomi Campbell, wearing a dizzying pair of electric blue crocodile leather, during a fashion show by the English designer in 1993, belongs to the annals of fashion.
Since we’re hitting below the belt, let’s also note that rapper Brooke Candy, wearing heels, wears fishnet stockings harkening back directly to the early 20th century. At the time, French cancan dancers and burlesque artists were looking for an alternative to fragile silk stockings. Fishnet quickly became popular for its resistance, but also its ability to hide as much as to show, or the opposite. The leading figure of the trend is the American Gypsy Rose Lee (1911-1970). She doesn’t go easy on herself: she wears fishnet stockings from her feet to her chest.
To accompany her fishnet stockings, Mrs. Candy had not really been sober from a hair point of view, opting for a cut made up of multiple spikes called “liberty spikes”, because of their resemblance to those of the statue of freedom. Ugly ? Don’t count on us to openly say bad things about it. In the Middle Ages, in Celtic countries, this cup, a symbol of strength and honor, was exclusively reserved for warriors who had already killed in combat.
Let’s finally focus on the jacket worn by model Barbara Palvin. Do you think you see an oversized double-breasted jacket made from a beige-colored wool and silk blend? You were right. But be aware that costume lovers will notice above all, here, that the lapels of the garment in question have belly, that is to say that their line is not straight, but slightly swollen and rounded… In the tradition of English tailoring, this detail gives a double-breasted jacket an imperceptible relaxation and delicate elegance. The opposite of fashion week? So.
