Monday, April 28, 2014

expression versus expectation: what is festival fashion all about?.......







































Is festival fashion less about expression and more about expectations?

I missed Coachella this year (and every year previous to this one) due to being on the other side of the world. Of course, just because I was a few thousand km's away doesn't mean I missed out on the plethora of festival fashion the inundated every social media stream and a big chunk of the world wide web.

But what struck me most about the pictures and selfies emanating from Palm Springs was not their sheer number - that wasn't surprising at all, I mean pictures or it didn't happen right?

No, what caught my eye, and thus my attention, was the sameness of this breed of festival fashion that is now almost expected of those hitting up Coachella - or any major music festival for that matter.



Floaty florals, lots of white (which is incredibly impracticable I might add - mud and dust etc, etc,) boots, cutoff denim, hats - lots of hats, see through everything, copious amounts of jewellery and temporary face adornments, frayed everything and washed out band tees, among others.

Attendance at any major music festival almost necessitates this hippy, bohemian, rocker style of dress that could find it's roots in Woodstock, but probably feels more comfortable in the 'What to wear to Coachella' posts that littered the internet before the festival had even rung out one tune.

And sure, music festivals are a place to express yourself, but I have to wonder if festival fashion has become less about expression and more about expectations.

The idea of festival fashion seems so ingrained in our collective fashion conscious that we appear happy to forgo our personal style in favour of following the sartorial expectations associated with major music festivals like Coachella.

We'll ditch our slouchy tweed trousers, oversized man shirts and Celine everything in favour of a style of dress so far removed from our own that it almost seems comical.

And I have to wonder why?

What's behind the idea that to truly experience a festival one must be clothed a certain way, must fit a certain mould, must meet a certain level of sartorial expectation?

Any thoughts?

kb xx

Thursday, April 24, 2014

turn it inside out and check yo labels.......

fashion revolution day on Make A Gif

In honour of today, Fashion Revolution Day, I made a gif. 

After I turned my threads inside out and asked myself Who Made My Clothes?

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

asking the questions.......



What do broken records really sound like? I tried to Google that, but all I found was a bunch of wannabe etymologists debating words and this one youtube video.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

eight storeys......


Eight Storeys from Emily Yeung on Vimeo.

In light of Fashion Revolution Day this Thursday and my increasing awareness of how opaque supply chains are in the fashion industry, my focus on issues surrounding the ethical sourcing of the clothes we wear is no surprise.

Monday, April 21, 2014

who made your clothes?.......


This Thursday, April 24th, is the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh that claimed the lives of more than 1100 people, injuring twice that many again. The collapse of the eight storey building in Dhaka generated worldwide news coverage and sparked a conversation about our clothes, where they come from and who makes them. It was a turning point in a part of the fashion industry that many - both consumers, brands and retailers - have preferred to ignore.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

collaboration nation.......



In the past week two major fashion collaborations have launched, Kate Moss's second collection for Topshop and the much social media hyped Alexander Wang for H&M.

Monday, April 07, 2014

building castles in the sky.......



I’m a day dreamer. I build castles in the sky and find expansive landscapes filled with rabbits and old ladies with walking sticks in the clouds. I create, often elaborate, fantasies about the future - next week, next month, next year. Sometimes I play these scenarios over and over in my mind, tweaking them and attempting to create the ultimate game of make believe.