#1983 - 1984 autumn winter collection

[morffyne]

[sairish-k]

yves saint laurent autumn/winter 1983-1984 collection

[arianavscouturevault]

Hi ive been searching for a while and cant seem to be able to find out who this model from Thierry Muglers autumn-winter 1983-1984 women's ready-to-wear collection in France, Paris, March 17,1983 is do you know

She is Annie Ferrari x

[aortatheatre]

A Man's Man

Aorta Theatre's Rob Hale, Kim Dambaek and Paul Burgess are collaborating to devise a new solo show with the working title of A Man's Man.

"And to begin .......We will be reunited with ourselves and all we have lost. Bring your fear, bring your loss, bring your dirty secrets and know that summer, winter, spring and autumn will be welcome - perhaps in that order. There might be some shocks and surprises and a dance or two. There will be no need for an answer - only the lifting of ourselves to a full acceptance and celebration, knowing that what is behind us, lets us love in the present. There will be wise horses, fake cowboys and real Native Americans as well as a cat burglar and the beauty of boys and men dressed something like women. We may weep or we may merely nod our head in recognition and all will be welcome, whoever and however we are." 

Rob was a member of both queer radical drag theatre collective Bloolips in the 1980's and Gay Sweatshop Theatre during the period 1984-1994.

This new work of creative non fiction will explore historical attempts to subvert and redefine masculinity through stories centred on his relationship with his Dad growing up in a South Wales coal mining town and charting a both joyous and painful journey of theatre activism and sexual politics through the emerging so called "AIDS Crisis' in the 1980s and beyond.

Colliding sexual compulsion with sexual liberation, whilst exposing narratives of resistance and shame, we seek to challenge the audience to enter a world of contradictions and questions concerning love and loss in the queer community of the 80's and 90's and its relevance for our understanding of gender today. There will be radical drag, a cowboy moon and a tree that changes sex. 

Mining the Bloolips archive from the Bishopsgate Institute. These are images from the tour and London performances of Yum Yum in 1983. (Rob - Sweet Pea - top left).

[80s-fashion-expert]

Garment Analysis – 80s women’s wear: Power Dressing

The 80s was a time of Capitalism as the stock market was at a peak. More women than ever before found themselves in higher positions of power in the workplace. Women were no longer just secretaries. They were managers, directors, and executives. In 1983 women filled 39% of financial and banking management roles, a dramatic increase, compared to 20 years prior when women only filled 9%. (Guilder, 1986) (Hacker, 1984).

The change of demographic of the executive workforce led to a new fashion trend known as ‘Power Dressing’: mainly women wearing the ‘the Power suit’. Worn by professional women, this style of suit has the characteristics being: shoulder pads, large double-breasted collars and a tight sinched waist. The shoulder pads exaggerate the appearance of the shoulders, resembling the silhouette of a man’s figure but waistline remaining feminine. It was still important that women were considered attractive by their male colleagues and women still had to work hard to assert themselves in the workplace. This way of dressing was used to make themselves “publicly visible” and “distinguishable from her secretarial counterparts” (Enwistle 2020).

As seen in figure 1, A medium Grey 2 Piece ‘pant suit’ is seen in figure 1, designed by Calvin Klein for Autumn / Winter his collection. This looks has padded shoulders but has feminine features. For instance, Klein’s suit jacket is cropped so the wearers waistline would be exposed, revealing the feminine body shape. However, there is some debate about whether this suit would be the best option for a woman to be perceived as ‘Powerful’ as according to research for John T Molloy’s ‘Dress for success’ guidebook, grey jackets make a women’s appearance sickly and drained. (Molloy. 1988. P. 37) To stand out in the office more perhaps a better colour would be a bright one.

Margaret Thatcher was a well-known power dresser. An example of an item she wore is an Aquascutum suit (1989) Made in a bright blue, it’s an obvious choice to stand out but also reflects Thatcher’s party – the Conservative party. ( figure 2) This Suit was a staple in thatcher’s wardrobe as she wore it throughout her time in downing street. She wore it when entering the office in 1979 and when she gave her last speech as leader in 1990. (Cruden 2015)

It is clear to see that the power suit was influenced by the military style of the 40s. Designers like Schiaparelli made tailored suits. This was an influence in the effect of the change in gender roles during WW11. This signals that women’s fashion is affected by the change of society just like the 80s.

The large shoulder pads of the 80s may now be considered very dated but we still see the influence from it today. Lady Gaga wore a Marc Jacobs suit with large, padded shoulders in 2018 and claimed that she “wanted to take Power Back” (Hobbs 2020). The power suit may not be commonly seen today but it may be a trend for the future if women decided the want to dress more masculine again.

References

- Cruden, A. 2015. Margery Thatcher’s Aquascutum suit. [Online] ( Accessed 6th Nov 2021] Available from https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5968414

- Enwhistle, J. 2020. Fashion Theory: A Reader. 2nd Edition. Barnard, M. New York: Routledge

- Guilder, G. 1986. Women In The Work Force. The Atlantic. September Issue. [ Accessed 25 October 2021] Available from: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1986/09/women-in-the-work-force/304924/

- Hacker, A. 1984. Women Vs Men In The Work Force. The New York Times Magazine. 9 December, p. 124

- Hobbs, J. 2020. The Evolution of the Power Shoulder. [Online]. [ Accessed 6th Nov 2021] Available from https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5968414

- Reeder, J. 2011. Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. [Online] [ Accessed 6th Nov 2021] https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/elsa/hd_elsa.htm

Image reference list:

Figure 1- Klein, C. 1985. Womens Grey jacket. Available from: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81423.

Figure 2 - AQUASCUTUM 1989. Blue suit worn by Thatcher. Available from: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5968414

[poboh]

菊池武夫 / Takeo Kikuchi Autumn - Winter Collection 1983-1984, 植田正治 / Ueda Shōji. Japanese, (1913 - 2000) Source

[kellycrawford93]

Avant garde fashion and its political role

Caroline Evans is professor of history and fashion theory at the Central Saint Martins School in London and published Fashion at the edge in 2003. She proposes a reflection on the work of designers such as Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela or Viktor&Rolf, whom she defines as “experimental”, opposed to commercial, “conventional or generalist” fashion.If the latter appears as “an ingredient of the process of civilization” (N. Elias), the “avant-garde” fashion would rather reveal a “neurotic symptom”, a resurgence of “repressed desires and anxieties” of the late 20th century. Often also referred to as “conceptual”, “anti-fashion”, or related to the notion of “deconstruction” (see the writings of Y. Kawamura or B. English), the work of Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela, the “Antwerp Six”, or Hussein Chalayan and Helmut Lang, is very important if one chooses to focus on the political role of fashion. Finally, let us look at how their creations take a critical position through a study of the second generation of Japanese designers in Paris (Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto), and Martin Margiela’s work.The Japanese and the questioning of Western conventionsRespectively born in 1942 and 1943, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamomoto both grew up in the context of post-war Japanese austerity, before presenting a joint collection in 1981 in Paris. Worn, torn, with impressive volumes, the clothes are associated by some critics with a “post-Hiroshima” aesthetic, an “aesthetic of poverty” (Harold Koda, American Vogue, April 1983). They specifically target two foundations of Western fashion:1. A reassessment of the notion of perfection

First of all, they propose a reassessment of the notion of perfection. Yohji Yamomoto wants to report on the effects of time on his clothes. This is how he evokes it:“In his lifetime, a human being ages. Similarly, textiles, which is a living material, is getting older. If they are allowed to age for a year or two, the fibres naturally tighten up and the charm of the fabric increases (…) That’s why vintage clothes sometimes make me feel fiercely jealous (…) This paradox of design is in my opinion an essential question, that I am constantly trying to solve”To do this, he operates various processes of washing, crumpling, raw cutting. The collections of Winter 1981-1982, Summer 1984, or Winter 1984-1985 illustrate the quest for imperfection: while the first one plays with raw wool, rustic knits, the second one is inspired by photographs of August Sander’s anonymous farmers, and the last one features clothes with visible seams, coats resembling blankets, in addition to numerous raw cuts.Rei Kawakubo, on the other hand, is looking for something new in accident. For this reason, she develops a special relationship with the machines that her team disrupts by sometimes removing a nut or computer program to vary the irregularities. But she also tries to mimic the patina on her clothes as she did in the summer of 1983. 
This re-evaluation of the notion of perfection will also take shape in their use of asymmetry. Rei Kawakubo thus diverts the garment from its primary function. Her tunics were transformed into shawls in 1981, the sleeves and buttons removed in March 1983. Yohji Yamamoto extends sleeves, shortens pants, lowers buttons, or moves pockets (Winter 1985-1986).2. Rethinking the relationship between clothing and genderThe two designers rethink the relationship between clothing and gender. The choice of the name “Comme des Garçons” appears here as a desire to free women from clothing conventions. Rei Kawakubo develops a hostility towards the “body conscious”, no more considering clothing as intended to enhance the female forms. The Autumn-Winter 1983-1984 show is an illustration: the woman’s body is cancelled, her hips, waist, buttocks, and hair disappearing under the layers of fabric.

https://youtu.be/oVxAVSwr1ig

Yohji Yamamoto criticizes the virility that he defines as an instrument of control. He aims at deconstructing the Western male costume inherited from Savile Row. To do this, it removes or rounds off traditionally padded shoulders, moves buttons or pockets, exaggerates hems, and shortens the length of trousers. https://youtu.be/9CEbzUsqxcY

Martin Margiela, “the ethics of style” (O. Zahm, 1994)Launching his first collection in 1988, Martin Margiela develops general reflection on the foundations of his discipline, in particular by criticizing the notion of “new” in fashion, as well as its “spectacular” character.1. Rethinking the time of fashionDefined by the Situationist International (SI) as “the reuse in a new unit of pre-existing artistic elements”, the technique of “detournement” is central to capture the first aspect of Martin Margiela’s work. In this way, he introduces a critique of perpetual change by diverting old clothes and reusing some previously used materials in his craft collection. Dozens of old sandals were dedicated to making a top for Summer 2006, several old scarves for a long skirt (Summer 1992), or several military socks for a sweater (Winter 1992).
Similarly, its Replica collections (lines 4 and 14, launched in 2003 and 2004) aim to reproduce anonymous and unscratched old clothes from different historical periods. A doctor’s jacket from the 1920s was resurrected for Summer 2005, like a French costume jacket from the 1970s or an old aviator’s jacket for Winter 2005-2006. 
Martin Margiela therefore rethinks the relationship between fashion and time. It is no longer a question of running away from it in a cyclical and continuous change, but of using it as a language in its own right.2. A critique of “fashion spectacle”Then, the Belgian designer makes a formidable criticism of the spectacular nature of fashion. 
His propensity to dissolve into the collective contrasts radically with the cult of the individual in the 1980s fashion world, magnified by his mentor J.P. Gaultier. Anonymity appears to be the basis of his project. He does not resolve to make any public appearances, limits interviews, and leaves his labels blank until 1997. This relationship to anonymity is also visible during collection presentations. The faces of the models are covered with masks without holes in the AW 1995-1996, Winter 1998, half painted for Winter 1996-1997, or hidden under pure fringes in Winter 2000-2001

https://youtu.be/U0hhCsc4GXQ

Priority is also sometimes given to her team, as in Summer 1998, or 1999, when she is the one who presents herself to the public.As the second generation of Japanese, Martin Margiela is a strong critic of fashion. If the first ones aimed at challenging the Western conception of clothing around a reevaluation of the notion of perfection and a questioning of a gendered conception of the costume, the Belgian designer will defend a clothing archaeology, as well as a criticism of “the fashion spectacle”.By studying these various works, we can clearly see to what extent fashion can also be used as a critical support.

[blackkudos]

James Edward Bowman

James Edward Bowman, MD, FASCP, FCAP (February 5, 1923 – September 28, 2011) was an American physician and specialist in pathology, hematology, and genetics. He was a professor of pathology and genetics at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.

Life and career

James Edward Bowman was born on February 5, 1923, in Washington, D.C., the son of Dorothy (Peterson), a homemaker, and James Edward Bowman, Sr., a dentist. He attended Dunbar High School. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Howard University in 1943 and 1946. He did medical internships at Freedmen's Hospital in Washington D.C. and at Provident Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. His residency in pathology was at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago where he was the first African American resident.

Following residency, Bowman served as chair of pathology at Provident Hospital. He was drafted again and spent 1953 to 1955 as chief of pathology for the Medical Nutrition Laboratory at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. After leaving the military Bowman decided to move overseas. “My wife and I decided that we were not going to go back to anything that smacked of segregation,” he recalled. He became chair of pathology at Nemazee Hospital in Shiraz, Iran. “We were recently married, so we took a chance,” he said. “It changed our lives completely.” Their daughter, Valerie, was born in Iran.

In Iran Bowman saw many diseases for the first time. “I saw smallpox, brucellosis, rabies, all sorts of things,” he said. One of the most common diseases among certain ethnic groups in Iran was favism, a metabolic disease caused by an enzyme deficiency in red blood cells. The mutation, which is the most common human enzyme defect, renders those who have it unable to break down a toxin found in fava beans. Favism fit with Bowman’s lifelong focus on inherited blood diseases and led to a series of important discoveries about the genetics of these diseases and the populations they affect, especially in the Middle East, Africa and America. It enabled him to travel all over the world collecting blood samples for DNA testing. It also led to frequent contacts and collaborations with University of Chicago researchers, who had first described the enzyme deficiency (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, or G6PD) and its connection with antimalarial medications.

Bowman joined the faculty of the University of Chicago in 1962 as an assistant professor of medicine and pathology and director of the hospital’s blood bank. He was promoted to full professor and director of laboratories in 1971. From 1973 to 1984, he directed the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center of the University of Chicago, funded by the National Institutes of Health. He was a member of the national advisory group that urged the Nixon administration to initiate the inception of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, which served as a model of patient-centered disease management and research. He also served as assistant dean of students for minority affairs for the Pritzker School of Medicine from 1986 to 1990.

In 1972 Bowman declared that mandatory sickle cell screening laws were “more harmful than beneficial.” These laws could “revive many of the past misadventures and racism of eugenics movements,” he argued at the time, adding that adult screening programs create “inaccurate, misleading, politically motivated propaganda which has left mothers frantic.” In 1973, he was named to two federal review committees designed to oversee sickle cell screening and education and to evaluate laboratory diagnostic techniques.

Bowman was certified by the American Board of Pathology in pathologic anatomy (1951) and clinical pathology (1952).

He was the first tenured African-American professor in the University of Chicago's Biological Sciences Division. He served as the medical school's Assistant Dean of Students for Minority Affairs from 1986 to 1990. He was a fellow of the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institution.

He was married to educator Barbara Bowman and they had one daughter, Valerie Bowman Jarrett, who is a Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama.

Dr. Bowman died of cancer on September 28, 2011, at the University of Chicago Medical Center, at the age of 88.

Selected publications

Bowman published numerous articles and books, including:

Books

Bowman, James E.; Robert F. Murray (1998). Genetic Variation and Disorders in Peoples of African Origin. Hopkins. ISBN 978-0-8018-5884-0. 

Bowman, James E. (1983). Distribution and Evolution of Hemoglobin and Globin Loci. Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center Symposium on the Distribution and Evolution of Hemoglobin and Globin Loci at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., October 10–12, 1982. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-444-00793-3. 

Journal articles

Bowman, James E.; Robert R. Brubaker; Henri Frischer; Paul E. Carson (September 1967). "Characterization of Enterobacteria by Starch-Gel Electrophoresis of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase and Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenase". Journal of Bacteriology. American Society for Microbiology. 94 (3): 544–551. PMC 251920. PMID 5340676. 

Shaw, Richard F.; Ruth Winter Bloom; James E. Bowman (September 1977). "Hemoglobin and the genetic code: Evolution of Protection against Somatic Mutation". Journal of Molecular Evolution. Springer New York. 9 (3): 225–230. doi:10.1007/BF01796111. PMID 864725. 

Bowman, James E. (May 1989). "Legal and Ethical Issues in Newborn Screening". Pediatrics. 83 (5): 894–896. 

Bowman, James E. (March 1991). "Prenatal screening for hemoglobinopathies". American Journal of Human Genetics. 48 (3): 433–438. PMC 1682982. PMID 1998329. 

Bowman, James E. (1998). "Minority Health Issues and Genetics" (Proceedings of The National Dialogue on Genetics, College Park, Maryland, March 21–22, 1998). Community Genetics — Public Health Genomics. 1 (3): 142–144. doi:10.1159/000016152. PMID 11657303. 

Bowman, James E.; Giselle Corbie-Smith; Peter Lurie; Sidney M. Wolfe; Arthur L. Caplan; George J. Annas; Amy L. Fairchild; Ronald Bayer (2 July 1999). "Tuskegee as a Metaphor". Science. 285 (5424): 47–8; author reply 49–50. doi:10.1126/science.285.5424.47b. PMID 10428701. 

Bowman, James E. (June 2000). "Technical, Genetic, and Ethical Issues in Screening and Testing of African-Americans for Hemochromatosis". Genetic Testing. 4 (2): 207–212. doi:10.1089/10906570050114920. PMID 10953961. 

Bowman, James E. (Autumn 2001). "Genetic Medicine: A Logic of Disease (review)". Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. The Johns Hopkins University Press. 44 (4): 617–618. doi:10.1353/pbm.2001.0061. 

Wikipedia

[classic-rock-roller]

The Van Halen Timeline

Mostly Taken from Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga by Ian Christe, everything after March 2007 is from my own research  

October 13th, 1947: Sammy Hagar born in Monterey, California 

May 8th, 1953: Alexander Arthur van Halen born in Holland

October 10th, 1953: David Lee Roth born in Bloomington, Indiana 

June 20th, 1954: Michael Anthony Sobolewski born in Chicago, Illinois

January 26th, 1955: Edward Lodwijk van Halen born in Holland 

July 26th, 1961: Gary Cherone born in Malden, Massachusetts 

Winter 1962: Jan van Halen emigrates with his family to California 

1967: Edward gets $100 Teisco Del Ray guitar from Sears 

1971: Alex and Eddie Van Halen form the Trojan Rubber Company 

Autumn 1973: David Lee Roth joins the Van Halen brothers in Mammoth

1973: Sammy Hagar joins Montrose, records two albums, and tours heavily 

Spring 1974: Mike Sobolewski joins Van Halen, becomes Michael Anthony 

May 1976: Gene Simmons “discovers” Van Halen at the Starwood, finances unsuccessful demo tape 

1976: Sammy Hagar leaves Montrose, launches solo career 

May 1977: Ted Templeton rediscovers Van Halen, signs band to Warner Bros.

February 10th, 1978: Release of Van Halen; leading to tours with Journey, then Black Sabbath 

October 10th, 1978: Van Halen goes platinum

March 23rd, 1979: Release of Van Halen II; first headlining tour runs through October 

March 26th, 1980: Release of Women and Children First 

August 29th, 1980: Eddie Van Halen meets Valerie Bertinelli

April 11th, 1981: Eddie marries Valerie 

April 29th, 1981: Release of Fair Warning 

April 14th, 1982: Release of Diver Down

May 29th, 1983: Van Halen paid $1.5 million to play for four hundred thousand people at US Festival ‘83

January 4th, 1984: Release of 1984, featuring band’s first number 1 singe, “Jump”

September 2nd, 1984: Final show by classic lineup in Nuremberg, Germany 

December 31st, 1984: David Lee Roth releases Crazy from the Heat

1985: Cherone’s band the Dream wins MTV’s Basement Tapes

April 1985: David Lee Roth exits Van Halen 

September 1985: Eddie Van Halen announces at Farm Aid that Sammy Hagar is Van Halen’s new lead singer 

November 19th, 1985: Sammy Hagar’s ninth studio album, VOA, becomes his first platinum-selling disc

March 24th, 1986: Release date of 5150; first “Van Hagar” album sells triple platinum by October 

July 4th, 1986: Release of David Lee Roth’s platinum solo debut, Eat ‘Em and Smile 

December 1986: Jan Van Halen dies  

May 24th, 1988: Release of OU812, followed shortly by Roth’s Skyscraper 

Summer 1988: Eddie attempts sobriety while Van Halen tours with Metallica, Scorpions, and Dokken 

February 1989: Tone Lōc;s “Wild Thing” reaches number 2, a rap single that samples Van Halen’s “Jamie’s Cryin”

April 22nd, 1990: Van Halen performs at opening of Cabo Wabo Cantina in Mexico

June 8th, 1990: Extreme’s “More than Words” single hits number 1

February 2nd, 1991: Release of David Lee Roth’s A Little Ain’t Enough, his last gold record as a solo artist

March 16th, 1991: Eddie’s son Wolfgang Van Halen born

June 17th, 1991: Release of For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, Van Halen’s third-straight number 1 album 

January 1991: Eddie debuts the EVH Music Man guitar and the Peavey 5150 amplifier line 

April 20th, 1992: Gary Cherone joins surviving members of Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in London

February 23rd, 1993: Release of first official live album, Right Here, Right Now

October 16th, 1993: Van Halen’s manager since 1985, Ed Leffler, dies 

March 14th, 1994: Sammy Hagar releases solo collection, Unboxed 

October 2nd, 1994: Fresh from rehab, Eddie Van Halen announces he will never drink again

January 24th, 1995: Release of Balance, the fourth consecutive number 1 studio album 

April 7th, 1995: Eddie arrested at Burbank Airport carrying a loaded gun 

April 26th, 1995: Van Halen returns to Europe after eleven years, as an opening act for Bon Jovi

Fall 1995: David Lee Roth appears in Reno and Las Vegas with a fourteen-piece band 

November 29th, 1995: Sammy Hagar marries second wife, Kari 

June 1996: Eddie and Sammy fight during a phone call; Sammy Hagar leaves Van Halen 

August 7th, 1996: Van Halen certified diamond for ten million sold

September 4th, 1996: Original members of Van Halen appear together at MTV Video Music Awards, leading to renewed quarrels 

October 4th, 1996: Alex and Eddie announce that Van Halen’s new singer will be Gary Cherone 

October 22nd, 1996: Release of Best of Volume I, with two new songs featuring Roth; despite the recent split with the band, it is his first number 1 album 

March 17th, 1998: Release of Van Halen III, the first VH . studio album not to go platinum 

November 5th, 1999: Gary Cherone leaves Van Halen

May 2000: Texas hospital confirms Eddie in outpatient cancer prevention  

Summer 2001: Van Halen completes at least three new songs with David Lee Roth

January 2002: Van Halen’s partnership with Warner Bros. ends after twenty-three years 

April 15th, 2002: David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar announce joint forty-date summer concert tour 

May 2002: Doctors declare Eddie Van Halen cancer free 

July 2002: Eddie and Valerie Van Halen announce separation 

April 2004: Sammy’s Cabo Wabo Cantina opens a branch in basement of a Lake Tahoe casino; Cabo Wabo tequila ships over 110,000 cases for the year

June 11th, 2004: Van Halen launches reunion tour with Sammy Hagar; relations sour by the end of the summer 

November 19th, 2004: Eddie smashes two Peavey Wolfgang guitars, ending his thirteen-year partnership 

December 6th, 2005: Eddie and Valerie officially file for divorce 

January 2006: David Lee Roth replaces Howard Stern as morning radio DJ; lasts through April 

September 2006: Eddie Van Halen announces that Van Halen will tour in 2007 with his son, Wolfgang, playing bass

December 2006: Roth rehearses with a new all-Van Halen lineup

March 2007: Van Halen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

September 27th, 2007: Van Halen started their new tour in Charlotte, North Carolina 

March 5th, 2008: World Weekly Entertainment to CBS News reported that the reason the tour had been interrupted was Eddie Van Halen’s needing to reenter rehab

June 2nd, 2008: The tour ended at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan       

July 3rd, 2008: Van Halen headlined the Quebec City Summer Festival 

August 2010: Warner/Chappell Music extends its administration agreements with Van Halen 

January 17th, 2011: Van Halen enters the Hensen Studio C with Producer Jon Shanks 

December 26th, 2011: Their official website is updated, announcing that tickets for their 2012 tour will be available beginning January 10th, 2012 

January 5th, 2012: Van Halen plays an intimate gig at Café Wha? in New York City

January 10th, 2012: Van Halen’s single “Tattoo” makes it’s premier on radio stations 

February 7th, 2012: A Different Kind of Truth is released 

August 30th, 2012: Eddie Van Halen is diagnosed with diverticulitis and undergoes surgery, which postpones the shows in Japan 

April 20th, 2013: Van Halen performs it’s first show outside North American with Roth since 1984

February 2015: Van Halen fansite, VHND.com, announces that Van Halen is releasing their first every live album with David Lee Roth, Tokyo Dome Live in Concert 

March 24th, 2015: Van Halen announces a 39 date tour with Roth that will take place between July and October across North America   

March 31st, 2015: Tokyo Dome Live in Concert is released 

April 2015: Eddie Van Halen tells Rolling Stone that the band “will probably hunker down and do a studio album” after their tour 

January 16th, 2016: Michael Anthony clears up the rumor that he might be rejoining Van Halen 

February 26th, 2016: David Lee Roth clears up some rumors about his recently released song “Ain’t No Christmas”, saying that it has nothing to do with Van Halen 

May 25th, 2016: David Lee Roth says he believes he’ll be back with Van Halen 

August 17th, 2016: Sammy Hagar apologizes to Van Halen  

December 23rd, 2016: Rumors start to fly about Van Halen reuniting for album and 2018 tour 

March 12th, 2017: Michael Anthony says that it’s time for Roth/Hagar Van Halen tour 

June 22nd, 2017: Michael Anthony says that now is a perfect time for a reunion of the classic lineup of Van Halen 

November 2nd, 2017: Sammy Hagar says that there is no chance of a Van Halen reunion 

January 5th, 2018: Michael Anthony is interviewed for upcoming Van Halen documentary 

January 20th, 2018: Van Halen is rumored to have new music and 2018 tour 

January 29th, 2018: Eddie Van Halen sues to stop release of “5150 Vault” documentary  

[1962dude420-blog]

Today we remember the passing of Richard Manuel who Died: March 4, 1986, Winter Park, Florida

Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a pianist and lead singer of The Band. The five members existed from December 1961 as The Hawks, becoming The Band in 1967, effectively breaking up in 1976, then re-formed in 1983. Manuel was with them until his 1986 suicide, a few hours after The Band performed a show.

Manuel's singing alternated between a soul-influenced baritone that drew frequent comparisons to Ray Charles and a delicate falsetto. Though The Band had three vocalists sharing lead and harmony parts, Manuel was often seen as the group's primary vocalist

Manuel was born in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. His father, Ed, was a mechanic employed at a Chrysler dealership, and his mother was a schoolteacher. He was raised with his three brothers, and the four sang in the church choir. Manuel took piano lessons beginning when he was nine, and enjoyed playing piano and rehearsing with friends at home. Some of his childhood influences were Ray Charles, Bobby Bland, Jimmy Reed and Otis Rush.

In early 1959, when he was fifteen, Manuel joined The Rebels, a local Stratford band featuring guitarist John Till (later of the Full Tilt Boogie Band). With Manuel on piano and vocals and his friend Jimmy Winkler on drums, the band was rounded out by bass player Ken Kalmusky (later a founding member of Great Speckled Bird). In short order, the group changed to its name to the Revols, in deference to Duane Eddy and the Rebels. Although Richard was the primary vocalist, the line up expanded to include original singer Doug 'Bo' Rhodes. Guitarist Till would later be replaced by Garth Pictot.

Manuel first became acquainted with Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks in the summer of 1960 when the Revols opened for them at Pop Ivy's in Port Dover, Ontario. According to Levon Helm, Hawkins remarked to him about Manuel: "See that kid playing piano? He's got more talent than Van Cliburn."  The following spring, Hawkins found himself opening for The Revols at Stratford Coliseum. After the show, he offered to manage the band, and sent them to play at one of his clubs, The Rockwood, in Fayetteville. In mid-September of 1961, after the Revols returned from their southern journey, Hawkins recruited Manuel to his backing band The Hawks, replacing piano player Stan Szelest.

In 1967, while Dylan recovered from a motorcycle accident in Woodstock, New York, the group moved there also, renting a house clad in asbestos siding painted pink, which became known as "Big Pink", located on 100 acres (0.40 km2) at 2188 Stoll Road (later 56 Parnassus Lane) in nearby West Saugerties, New York. Supported by a retainer from Dylan, they were able to experiment with a new sound garnered from the country, soul, rhythm and blues, gospel and rockabilly music that they loved. As Helm (who was disheartened by the reaction to Dylan's new sound) had been temporarily absent from the group since late 1965, Manuel taught himself to play drums during the hiatus. In the Band era he would occasionally assume the drummer's stool when Helm played mandolin or guitar. His drum style is notably different from Helm's, as exemplified by his performances on "Rag Mama Rag" and "Evangeline".

The early months in Woodstock also allowed Manuel and Robertson to develop as songwriters. After recording numerous demos and signing with Albert Grossman, they secured a 10-album contract with Capitol Records in early 1968. They originally signed as "The Crackers" (although "The Honkies" had also been considered). Helm rejoined the fold as sessions got under way for the recording of their debut album, Music from Big Pink. The group proceeded to take what they had learned with Dylan and used one of his songs in the process. They combined it with their idea of the perfect album, switching solos, and singing harmonies modeled after the gospel sound of their musical heroes The Staple Singers.

In 1970, Manuel acted in the Warner Bros. film Eliza's Horoscope, an independently distributed Canadian drama written and directed by Gordon Sheppard. He portrayed "the bearded composer," performing alongside Tommy Lee Jones, former Playboy Bunny Elizabeth Moorman, and Lila Kedrova; Robertson appeared as an extra. Taking four years to complete, it was not released until 1975.

Throughout 1972, Manuel's alcoholism was one of a variety of factors (including Robertson's own writer's block) that began to impede The Band's recording and performance schedule. In 1973, the group once again followed the lead of Dylan by relocating to Malibu, California. Before leaving the Hudson Valley, they convened at Bearsville Studios to record an album of vintage rock and roll cover songs entitled Moondog Matinee, in homage to Alan Freed's radio show. Although Manuel was initially reluctant to perform, the album elicited some of his finest vocal performances, including renditions of the Bobby "Blue" Bland R&B standard "Share Your Love with Me," The Platters's "The Great Pretender," and a tongue-in-cheek version of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's obscure "Saved".

The Band continued performing throughout 1974, supporting Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young alongside Joni Mitchell, Jesse Colin Young and The Beach Boys on select dates of a summer stadium tour. But with the long-germinating, Robertson-penned follow-up to Cahoots (Northern Lights – Southern Cross) still more than a year from release, the group struggled to attract audiences in certain markets, as evinced by a proposed August 1974 headlining performance at Boston Garden that was ultimately cancelled due to poor ticket sales. By 1975, Robertson had expressed his dissatisfaction with touring and was acting in an increasingly parental capacity, since the move to Malibu and his refusal to allow the group to join Bearsville Records had seen him take the managerial reins on a de facto basis from an increasingly diffident Grossman. According to Helm, Manuel (who lived in a variety of rented houses throughout the period, including properties owned by Goldie Hawn and Keith Moon) was now consuming eight bottles of Grand Marnier every day on top of a prodigious cocaine addiction, factors that ultimately precipitated his divorce from Jane Manuel in 1976. While living in the Hawn house, Manuel attempted to commit suicide on at least two occasions.

During this period, he developed a kinship with the similarly despondent Eric Clapton and emerged as a driving force behind the sessions that make up the guitarist's No Reason to Cry (1976). The album was recorded at The Band's new Shangri-La Studios, where Manuel lived for about a year in a bungalow that had once served as the stable for Bamboo Harvester, the horse that portrayed the titular character on the 1960s sitcom Mister Ed. Manuel gave Clapton the song "Beautiful Thing" (a 1967 Band demo that Danko helped him finish) and provided vocals for "Last Night."

On the group's final full-fledged tour in the summer of 1976, Manuel was still recovering from a car accident earlier in the year; several tour dates were subsequently canceled after a power-boating accident near Austin, Texas that necessitated the hiring of Tibetan healers in a scenario reminiscent of Robertson's pre-show hypnosis before their first concert as The Band at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom in April 1969. As Northern Lights – Southern Cross had stalled at No. 26 in the autumn of 1975, many of the performances were confined to theaters and smaller arenas, culminating in an opening slot for the ascendant Z.Z. Top at the Nashville Fairgrounds in September. The quality of the shows was frequently contingent upon Manuel's relative sobriety. Throughout the tour, he struggled with the high vocal registers of "Tears of Rage," "In a Station" and "I Shall Be Released" but offered impassioned, raging versions of the prophetic "The Shape I'm In" and "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)."

The Band played its final show as its original configuration at Winterland on Thanksgiving Day of 1976. The concert was filmed in 35 mm by Robertson confidant and longtime Band fan Martin Scorsese for the documentary The Last Waltz. Manuel sings "The Shape I'm In" as well as contributing piano and backing vocals. Initially the group intended to end only live performances as The Band, and each member was initially kept on a retainer of $2,500 per week under a new contract with Warner Brothers. However, by 1978, the group had drifted apart.

The Band reformed in 1983 without Robertson, who permanently stopped touring after The Last Waltz. Instead, guitarist and Helm protege Jim Weider augmented the returning four members along with a variety of irregular additional musicians, including the Cate Brothers. Having reclaimed some of his vocal range lost in the years of drug abuse, Manuel performed old hits such as "The Shape I'm In", "Chest Fever" and "I Shall Be Released" with new conviction alongside personal favorites such as Cindy Walker and Eddy Arnold's "You Don't Know Me" and James Griffin and Robb Royer's "She Knows."

By the time of the reunion, Danko, Helm and their families had moved back to the Woodstock area from Malibu. Manuel returned with his wife in the spring of 1984. In poor health and fearing that he had contracted AIDS from decades of promiscuity and drug abuse, he contemplated making a Robertson-produced solo album and resumed using cocaine, heroin and alcohol. On one occasion, Manuel absconded with journalist and old friend Al Aronowitz's record collection in a midnight burglary to fund his addictions. Following a detox stint at the behest of Albert Grossman, Manuel enjoyed several months of sobriety. He undertook a successful solo residency (centered around "his favorite Ray Charles songs" and "Tin Pan Alley classics") at The Getaway, a club midway between Woodstock and nearby Saugerties, New York. Guests such as Danko and Weider frequently sat in. During this period, Manuel also co-wrote a new song, "Breaking New Ground," with Gerry Goffin and Carole King. However, he ultimately "fell off the wagon with a thud" in the spring of 1985.

On March 4, 1986, after a gig by The Band at the Cheek to Cheek Lounge in Winter Park, Florida (a suburb of Orlando, Florida), Manuel died by suicide. He had appeared to be in relatively good spirits at the concert but ominously "thanked [Hudson] profusely for twenty-five years of good music and appreciation" as the latter musician packed his keyboards and synthesizers to be shipped to the next venue after the show. Danko, who also struggled with substance abuse, confronted Manuel about his alcohol use after the show. The Band eventually returned to the Langford Hotel, down the block from the Cheek to Cheek Lounge, and Manuel talked with Helm about music, people, and film in Helm's room. According to Helm, at around 2:30 in the morning, Manuel said he needed to get something from his room. Upon returning to his room, he woke his wife, Arlie, who observed that Manuel "was all pissed off about something"; Manuel claimed that his frustration stemmed from the quality of the piano at the venue. When Arlie enjoined him to come to bed, he lay down with his clothes on. After she resumed sleeping, it is believed that he finished one last bottle of Grand Marnier before hanging himself in the bathroom sometime before 3:30. She discovered her husband's body along with the depleted bottle of liqueur and a small amount of cocaine the following morning. He was buried a week later at the Avondale Cemetery in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario.

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/kenzo-takada-japanese-designer-dies-from-covid-19/

Kenzo Takada: Japanese designer dies from Covid-19

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Kenzo was known for his love of graphics and bright colours

The Japanese founder of popular fashion brand Kenzo has died aged 81, from complications linked to coronavirus.

Tributes have poured in from all across the world for Kenzo Takada who died at the American Hospital in Paris.

Known for his bright graphics, jungle inspired prints and eclectic use of colour, he was the first Japanese designer to gain prominence on the Paris fashion scene.

He settled in France in the 1960s and spent the rest of his career there.

With his “nearly 8,000 designs”, the Japanese designer “never stopped celebrating fashion and the art of living”, his spokesman said.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo paid tribute to him on Twitter: “Designer of immense talent, he had given colour and light their place in fashion. Paris is now mourning one of its sons.”

“I was a fan of the brand in the 1970s when he started. I think he was a great designer,” fashion news website WWD.com quoted Sidney Toledano, CEO of luxury conglomerate LVMH which owns the Kenzo brand, as saying.

The rebirth of Japanese design

Many Japanese Twitter users posted their condolences on the platform, some of whom shared that their first ever luxury product was one from Kenzo.

“The first wallet I ever owned was from Kenzo,” said one Twitter user. “Even though it’s a small thing – I’ll always remember it. Rest in Peace.”

“I have a Kenzo [outfit] passed down from my mum,” said another. “I still wear it.”

Many others said they owned Kenzo handkerchiefs – an accessory which is still popular in Japan.

‘Ahead of his time’

Born in 1939 in Himeji, near the city of Osaka, Kenzo Takada decided to make his way by boat to Paris in 1965, despite hardly speaking any French.

At first he sold sketches to fashion houses but later decided to strike it out on his own, with a small store called Jungle Jap.

“I decorated the shop myself with little money,” Takada told the South China Morning Post newspaper recently, in what was one of his last media interviews. “One of the first paintings I saw in Paris and fell in love with was a jungle painting… and that was the inspiration for the shop.”

His clothes were heavily influenced by Japanese designs, with Takada himself saying he didn’t want to “do what French designers were doing”.

“His native Japan remained [the] source of inspiration for every collection he did. He kept the use of vibrant colours and volumes present at all times,” said Circe Henestrosa, head of the school of fashion at Singapore’s Lasalle College of the Arts.

“I think he was ahead of his time and was one of the first designers to experiment with the idea of genderless fashion. He would never conform to the stereotypical idea of masculine and feminine fashion,” said Ms Henestrosa.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Kenzo Takada during his autumn-winter 1983-1984 fashion show in Paris

Takada’s “big break” finally came when fashion magazine Elle put one of his looks on their cover, and when international fashion magazine editors attended his fashion show in 1971, he told SCMP.

Controversial name

There was controversy over the brand initially, as Takada had called himself and his label “Jap” – a term that some in the United States found offensive, which he discovered when he started reaching out to the American market.

“I knew it had a pejorative meaning,” he told the New York Times in a 1972 interview. “But I thought if I did something good, I would change the meaning.”

Takada renamed the label with his first name – and thus Kenzo the brand was born.

It flourished and became an internationally known label, adding a menswear line in 1983 and then more casual sportswear lines Kenzo Jeans and Kenzo Jungle. Kenzo fragrances and eyewear soon followed.

Then, at the height of the brand’s success in the 1990s, Takada sold it to LVMH.

“The hardest year of my life was 1990, when my life partner Xavier died and my business partner had a stroke,” he told SCMP. “That’s why I sold the company to LVMH [in 1993]. I felt I couldn’t do it on my own.”

He stayed at the label for a few years and retired from fashion in 1999 at the age of 60.

But even in his retirement he remained active creatively, designing costumes for opera productions and taking up painting.

“He was supposed to be in Paris only for two years [but] spent the rest of his life there. He took Paris by storm,” said Ms Henestrosa.

“As [fashion journalist] Suzy Menkes said, ‘he wanted to make happy clothes’. His work was avant-garde… it is sad when creative minds like Kenzo leave this world.”

[briefninjastudent]

David TRESS (1955-), British landscape artist working in watercolour and mixed media. Born in London, but living in Pembrokeshier, Wales, since 1975, the landscape of which provided him with early and continuing inspiration. His work is well documented and widely exhibited, moving from a dreamy neo-romantic realism to what has been called ‘abstract expressionism’. What emerges above all is an absolute involvement with the land in all its moods and forms. All the work depicted here is either in private collections or still in galleries or Tress’s studio. (1) Winter Sun, 1983, watercolour, gouache, on paper. (2) First Sun, Preseli, 1984, watercolour, gouache with scratching out, on paper. (3) Snowdonia landscape, towards Crib Goch, 1988, watercolour, gouache, on paper. (4) Old Fence and Wild Flowers, 1987, watercolour on paper. (5) Gift in Late Summer, 2006, mixed media on paper. (6) Castle Acre Priory, Norfolk, 2006, graphite on paper. (7) Road Narrows (Byland Abbey), 2008, mixed media on paper. Note the emerging use of torn paper, etc. (8) Sun Low from the West (Bein Shann), 2012, mixed media on paper. (9)  Sudden Sun (Meall Gorm), 2014, mixed media on paper. (10) Damp Autumn II, 2013, mixed media on paper.

[charisella]

Quebec City Canada a place to visit

Quebec City was founded in 1608 and now contains a population of 542,298 (2017) Quebec City is that the capital of the province of Quebec, it’s located on the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River. The name “ Quebec “ probably comes from an Algonquian signified “ narrowing of the river “.

Settlement

Several thousand years before the arrival of the Europeans, the provincial capital was occupied by Indigenous fishermen and hunters. Between 1960 and 1980, the expansion of the provincial government accelerated the expansion of the town and its suburbs and gave emphasis to the relative importance of its an administrative function. However, since the 1980s and 1990s, this trend leveled off to somewhat because of cuts in government services. the town has continued to develop as a cultural center and tourist destination.

Cityscape

In the 17th century, the inhabitants of provincial capital first occupied the land between the promontory and therefore the port, so the promontory itself, following within the wake of the religious institutions and colonial administration that occupied Upper Town. This expansion was influenced by the development of and enhancements to the town’s fortifications, which were established within the Upper Town but also on the banks of the river. During the 19th century, the town broke out of its fortified confines and stretched westward on the promontory along the banks of the Riviere Saint-Charles and to the foot of the north face of the promontory. These new parts of town were built hastily and of wood, and fell victim to a variety of major fires. The result was major reconstruction and improved protective infrastructures.

READ ALSO, Laura Bassi Scholarship – Canada 2020

Population

Quebec was the capital of the French empire in North America for several years, it had been little quite an oversized village. In 1608 it had 28 inhabitants, and by the time of the conquest in 1759, its population exceeded 8,000. the expansion was fast within the half of the 19th century, and by 1861 it had nearly 60,000 inhabitants. the expansion resulted from the economic expansion related to the timber trade and also the important political and administrative activities centered within the city. The old city lacked residential space. Only with the amalgamation of small outlying municipalities did its population begin to grow at the start of the 20th century. Metropolitan Québec grew faster from the 1950s until the tip of the 1970s, especially within the new suburbs. within the early 1980s, this growth again slowed, partly as a result of the stabilization of growth within the province overall. in step with the 2011 census, the population of the town itself was 516,622. If we increase this to the populations of the suburbs of Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures (18,141) and L’Ancienne-Lorette (16,745), the whole population in 2011 was 551,508. this suggests that the population had grown by 25,000 over a five-year period, reflecting significant job market growth.

READ ABOUT QUEBEC CITY

Economy, Transportation and Labour Force

The early economy of Quebec city was directly dependent upon its activities as a transit port for basic products exported to Europe (furs, cereals and lumber) and for imported manufactured products. The expansion of this trade enabled Quebec to keep up a competitive position with Montreal because the major trading centre of the province until the mid-19th century. within the middle of the 19th century, the town went through a technological revolution, particularly within the footwear industry, which gradually became the biggest source of employment for the region. the town was unable to keep up growth in its manufacturing sector, and also the footwear industry declined within the 1920s. although various other concerns appeared and disappeared, and offered employment to a big number of individuals, they failed to manage to diversify the city’s industrial base. The industries concerned included shipbuilding, breweries, corsetry, tobacco products, munitions, pulp and paper. Most jobs in the provincial capital are concentrated publicly administration, defence, the industry, insurance, commerce, and transport. Around 10 percent of jobs are in manufacturing. the town benefits from its status because of the city and therefore the regional administrative and services centre. It also attracts an increasing number of tourists.

Government And Politics

From 1765 to 1833, and from 1835 to 1840, the town was administered by a commission of justices of the peace appointed by the governor and composed largely of landowners, Canadian professionals, and British merchants. From 1833 to 1856, and 1870 to 1908, the mayor was elected by the reeves and councilors, and so directly by citizens by ballot from 1856 to 1870 and after 1908. the number of reeves, councilors, and districts changed on many occasions as a result of annexations, particularly those of annexations, particularly those of Saint-Sauveur (1889), Saint-Melo (1908), Limoilou (1909), Montcalm (1913), Notre-Dame-des-Anges (1924), Les Saules (1969), Duberger (1970), Neufchatel (1971) and Charlesbourg Ouest (1973).

Cultural Life of Quebec City

The city remains a significant center of French culture and therefore the seat of the sole francophone government in North America. additionally, to conserving these traditions, it’s managed to keep up a greater cultural homogeneity than Montréal, the opposite major pole of French culture. Its teaching institutions include the Séminaire de Québec and Université Laval. The historical character of Quebec City is reflected within the architecture of the old city, which has been the topic of major restorations and has become the positioning of outstanding museums. In 1985, this a part of town was recognized as a global organization World Heritage Site. The Musée du Québec was renamed the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in 2002. it’s collections of ancient and modern works and is an element of an outsized urban park, the Plains of Abraham, or Parc des Champs-de-Bataille, which commemorates the battle resulting in the autumn of the town in 1759. A variety of downhill and cross-country ski centers, including Mont Sainte-Anne, Stoneham, and Lac-Beauport, are located within some minutes of town.

After having great minor league hockey teams for many years, Québec City entered the realm of major league hockey with the Québec Nordiques who were members of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to 1995. Tourists and residents are attracted by a lot of popular events: the Québec Winter Carnival, the Québec City International Summer Festival and a number of major anniversaries, including the 300th anniversary of the founding of Québec City in 1908, the 375th in 1983, the 400th in 2008, and the 450th anniversary of Jacques Cartier’s arrival in 1984.

[kellycrawford93]

Avant garde fashion and its political role

Caroline Evans is professor of history and fashion theory at the Central Saint Martins School in London and published Fashion at the edge in 2003. She proposes a reflection on the work of designers such as Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela or Viktor&Rolf, whom she defines as “experimental”, opposed to commercial, “conventional or generalist” fashion.If the latter appears as “an ingredient of the process of civilization” (N. Elias), the “avant-garde” fashion would rather reveal a “neurotic symptom”, a resurgence of “repressed desires and anxieties” of the late 20th century. Often also referred to as “conceptual”, “anti-fashion”, or related to the notion of “deconstruction” (see the writings of Y. Kawamura or B. English), the work of Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela, the “Antwerp Six”, or Hussein Chalayan and Helmut Lang, is very important if one chooses to focus on the political role of fashion. Finally, let us look at how their creations take a critical position through a study of the second generation of Japanese designers in Paris (Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto), and Martin Margiela’s work.The Japanese and the questioning of Western conventionsRespectively born in 1942 and 1943, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamomoto both grew up in the context of post-war Japanese austerity, before presenting a joint collection in 1981 in Paris. Worn, torn, with impressive volumes, the clothes are associated by some critics with a “post-Hiroshima” aesthetic, an “aesthetic of poverty” (Harold Koda, American Vogue, April 1983). They specifically target two foundations of Western fashion:1. A reassessment of the notion of perfection

First of all, they propose a reassessment of the notion of perfection. Yohji Yamomoto wants to report on the effects of time on his clothes. This is how he evokes it:“In his lifetime, a human being ages. Similarly, textiles, which is a living material, is getting older. If they are allowed to age for a year or two, the fibres naturally tighten up and the charm of the fabric increases (…) That’s why vintage clothes sometimes make me feel fiercely jealous (…) This paradox of design is in my opinion an essential question, that I am constantly trying to solve”To do this, he operates various processes of washing, crumpling, raw cutting. The collections of Winter 1981-1982, Summer 1984, or Winter 1984-1985 illustrate the quest for imperfection: while the first one plays with raw wool, rustic knits, the second one is inspired by photographs of August Sander’s anonymous farmers, and the last one features clothes with visible seams, coats resembling blankets, in addition to numerous raw cuts.Rei Kawakubo, on the other hand, is looking for something new in accident. For this reason, she develops a special relationship with the machines that her team disrupts by sometimes removing a nut or computer program to vary the irregularities. But she also tries to mimic the patina on her clothes as she did in the summer of 1983. 
This re-evaluation of the notion of perfection will also take shape in their use of asymmetry. Rei Kawakubo thus diverts the garment from its primary function. Her tunics were transformed into shawls in 1981, the sleeves and buttons removed in March 1983. Yohji Yamamoto extends sleeves, shortens pants, lowers buttons, or moves pockets (Winter 1985-1986).2. Rethinking the relationship between clothing and genderThe two designers rethink the relationship between clothing and gender. The choice of the name “Comme des Garçons” appears here as a desire to free women from clothing conventions. Rei Kawakubo develops a hostility towards the “body conscious”, no more considering clothing as intended to enhance the female forms. The Autumn-Winter 1983-1984 show is an illustration: the woman’s body is cancelled, her hips, waist, buttocks, and hair disappearing under the layers of fabric.https://youtu.be/oVxAVSwr1igYohji Yamamoto criticizes the virility that he defines as an instrument of control. He aims at deconstructing the Western male costume inherited from Savile Row. To do this, it removes or rounds off traditionally padded shoulders, moves buttons or pockets, exaggerates hems, and shortens the length of trousers. https://youtu.be/9CEbzUsqxcYMartin Margiela, “the ethics of style” (O. Zahm, 1994)Launching his first collection in 1988, Martin Margiela develops general reflection on the foundations of his discipline, in particular by criticizing the notion of “new” in fashion, as well as its “spectacular” character.1. Rethinking the time of fashionDefined by the Situationist International (SI) as “the reuse in a new unit of pre-existing artistic elements”, the technique of “detournement” is central to capture the first aspect of Martin Margiela’s work. In this way, he introduces a critique of perpetual change by diverting old clothes and reusing some previously used materials in his craft collection. Dozens of old sandals were dedicated to making a top for Summer 2006, several old scarves for a long skirt (Summer 1992), or several military socks for a sweater (Winter 1992).
Similarly, its Replica collections (lines 4 and 14, launched in 2003 and 2004) aim to reproduce anonymous and unscratched old clothes from different historical periods. A doctor’s jacket from the 1920s was resurrected for Summer 2005, like a French costume jacket from the 1970s or an old aviator’s jacket for Winter 2005-2006. 
Martin Margiela therefore rethinks the relationship between fashion and time. It is no longer a question of running away from it in a cyclical and continuous change, but of using it as a language in its own right.2. A critique of “fashion spectacle”Then, the Belgian designer makes a formidable criticism of the spectacular nature of fashion. 
His propensity to dissolve into the collective contrasts radically with the cult of the individual in the 1980s fashion world, magnified by his mentor J.P. Gaultier. Anonymity appears to be the basis of his project. He does not resolve to make any public appearances, limits interviews, and leaves his labels blank until 1997. This relationship to anonymity is also visible during collection presentations. The faces of the models are covered with masks without holes in the AW 1995-1996, Winter 1998, half painted for Winter 1996-1997, or hidden under pure fringes in Winter 2000-2001.https://youtu.be/U0hhCsc4GXQ Priority is also sometimes given to her team, as in Summer 1998, or 1999, when she is the one who presents herself to the public.As the second generation of Japanese, Martin Margiela is a strong critic of fashion. If the first ones aimed at challenging the Western conception of clothing around a reevaluation of the notion of perfection and a questioning of a gendered conception of the costume, the Belgian designer will defend a clothing archaeology, as well as a criticism of “the fashion spectacle”.By studying these various works, we can clearly see to what extent fashion can also be used as a critical support.