Fashion & Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis in fashion is something I never thought about, but the more I am learning the more I feel like I am analysing everything around me. It is also quite interesting to see how designers adapt to this and what is happening around the industry and trends in fashion at all times in relation to this.

This topic links pretty well with my last blog post on Chanel's new collection for their show inspired by Salzburg, Austria. Chanel had made a short film linking to that collection that showed a dream where a young woman and man (Pharrell Williams and Cara Delevigne) were reincarnated into what they wanted to be. It was a dream-like short film that had many references to Chanel itself.

It portrays dreams with beauty and desire. The CC is constantly chanted throughout the dance. It ties in the brand and the fact that there is desire in design and this then evokes beauty. Clothing provides allure, knowing that you can get judged on what you wear has huge impact on why people buy so much or get anxiety about what they are going to wear.

There are also more male designers in the industry than female designers. In particular majority of designers are homosexual, while majority of the company runners are hetrosextual. There is a lack of women but it could be that these men make a woman feel better or show what they want women to be wearing.

Female designers include:

• Frida Giannini at Gucci
• Miuccia Prada at Prada
• Maria Grazia Chiuri at Valentino with Male director Pier Paolo Piccioli
• Carol Lim at Kenzo
• Mary Katrantzou
• Rebecca Minkoff

There are many more but the list for male designer's is truly endless. By there being many more gay successful designers as well it could be how women may get on better or feel more comfortable with those designers as well. But maybe men sell passion through fashion.

Fashion has developed its own narrative around the individual couturier such as Chanel and John Galliano. Chanel have many shows inspired by different things. Things almost out of dreams and scenarios that are unique. It reminds me of many of John Galliano's shows for Dior.

Although the great side of fashion can be the dream, allure, desire and beauty. The other side can be perceived as superficial, materialistic, narcissistic and wasteful. 

James Laver in 1969 said that "Change and novelty are 2 of the characteristics that fashion compasses." He also talked about the erogenous zone (skin that creates desire sexually). This in the past used to be the ankle, then the leg and even the back. He talked about how this has to be changed because the female body is emphasised by changes in style and fashion.

I think this is interesting because the erogenous zone is always changing and so is fashion. For example is crop tops are in fashion, this zone would be the midriff and it goes on like that. 

Celebrities are an important asset to the industry because they promote, designers, clothes and style. Without them many designers would find it harder to showcase their work. 

Flugel said that clothes are covering the body only for modesty. And that when children grow, clothes become important and that leads those children into fashion. Clothes both hide and protect the body. As mentioned above clothing can give anxiety. For example if you have the same dress as someone else and this leads to how an outfit can be customised to be unique. Leading into the would of one-offs and Haute Couture. Couture is the fine art of fashion 

Construction allows to manipulate the silhouette and move away from the natural shape of the body. 

But the industry is full of pain all the way around. There is anxiety just to look good, grief if you haven't bought anything in a while and this is just the nature of the industry. 

Beaudrillard in 1981 said that truly beautiful clothing would put an end to fashion and that fashion fabricated beautiful, this links to the designer Gareth Pugh. An example of this can also be Show studio and Nick Knight.

Frida Pinto in a John Galliano dress from the 2008 Oscars is a great example of fashion and Psychoanalysis. Which one is better?

On one side the right hand side image of the catwalk dress shows great detail but also a lot of skin. On the other side is a glamorous actress covered in certain areas and detail of the original lost. One seems more elegant, the other seems more provocative.

Alexander McQueen's Spring 2010 Plato Atlantis show was stunning! It showed incredibly well made clothes and craftsmanship in a range of silhouettes, prints colours and fabrics. Lady Gaga was an inspiration for this collection and she even wore a piece in her music video for 'Bad Romance.' As well as this, she tweeted the live show to her millions of fans and the whole show appeared to be robotic with the models in the highest heels I've seen in my life!