Vogue Chaos Issue 2: Daddy and Father
Daddy Daniel caused drama and Father Anderson left me confused
The lion is a universal symbol of pride and a ubiquitous motif in all forms of art, be it sculpture, architecture, jewellery, painting, or fashion. So I was rather amused to see people being so shocked and believing whole-heartedly that it is actual taxidermy, when all they had to do was read the caption to know that infact, it was not.
To be honest, not having read La Divina Commedia, it would not have occurred to me that this was the original reference behind the Lion, Leopard, and She-Wolf looks. I enjoyed Daniel Roseberry’s foray into nature and wildlife which was a different direction from the ornate human body parts of the previous seasons. Literal Elsa references were getting a bit stale for my liking so this hyper-realistic display renewed my interest in his work. He has started to insert himself into the lore of Schiaparelli instead of simply reminiscing in Elsa’s work. Kind of like how Dante inserts himself into what I would call a fanfiction scenario where he meets all his rivals, heroes, historical legends and mythical creatures. About time! We have become re-acquainted with the legacy of the house and now need to bring surrealism into the modern era. And it makes complete sense for this to be represented in a couture show – pride, lust, and avarice.
What captures me is the concept of the allegory of doubt that Daniel talks about. You cannot imagine how nervous writing this newsletter makes me – I can’t fathom what Daniel must be going through presenting a couture collection in front of the entire world, and having the world’s most powerful and affluent people as guests. If he had succumbed to doubt, afraid of the dietprada culture of faux-outrage, we probably would only see reproductions of what already exists instead of moving forward and creating something entirely new.
On this note I would introduce father Jonathan Anderson who also presented a menswear collection full of excellent tailoring and high concept – being the suspension of time. (Was it what he intended? Who knows - I don’t have access to shownotes and Julien Nguyen, the artist who collaborated on this collection would not answer my DM – but I won’t let no allegory of doubt stop me from sharing my made up meanings with a captive audience).
Instead of the traditional preference for clothes moving in harmony with the body, Anderson keeps his clothes stationery and suspended in time and motion, as the bodies wearing them moves. His exploration of surrealism and time travel are also reflected in the artist he chooses to collaborate with. Julien Nguyen created 3 artworks that combine elements of biblical and classical themes along with science fiction, as he paints his muse Niko. It is titled Ubi amor, ibi oculus which means – where there is love, there is insight. This simple ancient Latin phrase serves to reserve the enjoyment of this collection to a true lover of fashion – aka me 👸
The collection contains pieces that are a testament to craftsmanship such as a beaten copper jacket, a coat with no seams, tshirts tailored to reflect movement but which remain immobile upon movement, shoes that seem to flow out of bunched up pant legs, and leather permanently moulded in layers as if piled on top of each other on that one chair of shame we all have. Yet, they had playful elements like cute little angel wings – che adoro! JW Anderson is just like me, breaking up the seriousness with stupid humour – which is perhaps why I love him so much.
Seeing these two collections was kind of depressing because I realise I will never read all the books I want to read or see all the paintings I want to see. So when people ridicule these designers who are trying to open a dialogue and initiate these conversations, I don’t understand how they dismiss and fail to read a few paragraphs before getting angry. This wave of anti-intellectualism keeps raising its ugly head, denying us the enjoyment of art. The political and economic climate has become hugely practical – reducing everything to function. There is no place for couture and probably Maria Grazia Chiuri’s understated RTWesque collection is all we deserve.