OUGD601: Liv Rough Trade Informal Interview

At Rough trade it was very much about documenting the people and the music of the time, so no fantasy wasn’t a big part in it. We used photos taken by photographers and musicians all over the world, but wouldn’t necessarily go out and orchestrate something on our own because that’s not what we’re about. Like, records by nature are second hand and pre-owned, so there’s no point creating something new and shiny.

I’ve never done a fashion shoot myself but it would be easier to hone it down into one quote, because just saying it’s about Trump is so broad – or you could just be like ‘Yeah it’s that cap’ because that cap symbolises everything about Trump. 

You know those newspaper supplements that you get at the end of each year as a look back of the year, it’s usually one photo with a little caption and it doesn’t have to be a big article, just a little something like ‘This year, Trump has assaulted something like x amount of women’. Say it was 26 women, you could have 26 women featured. Just pick one fact, one, and go with that. Maybe you could find out that Trump only eats one particular thing for lunch, so go off that. It would just make it easier for you because otherwise it’s way too broad. But saying it’s a fashion shoot, does it has to be fashion-fashion, or could it be still life fashion? 

If you needed to do still life you could always boil a big ham and put the hat on top and you could represent it in different ways – so when you say fashion I think of companies who pay magazines to put their clothes on the models and there’s a lot of people involved, stylists, a lot of clothes a lot of time, whereas if you were just in control of the aesthetic and maybe doing still life, you could have more fun with it. It would just be up to you to use a studio, maybe use people if you need them, maybe it’s simpler for you.

So, say the fact was that Trump has abused 26 women, or 26 women have come forward, why not photographing those 26 women with Trump iconography to suggest that? Or even working with a make up artist to make a woman look like Trump? I don’t know I’d just think of ways to cut corners and make it easier for myself.

(26 models in Yeezy style with Trump hats on and tape across their mouths) . Trump mask??)

(Really provocative shoot (mayb with trans person) wearing Trump cutout mask)

You need to give yourself a break – you’re never going to do a big Tim Walker style Vogue shoot so… you need to simplify. You get shoots in old issues of The Face or even Dazed, it use to be a street style magazine, so it was literally just kids on the street doing stuff, it doesn’t have to be mega expensive. There’s a woman called Jamie Warren, she’s almost trying to do a Tim Walker but on a budget and it’s hilarious, do it so it’s obviously abit of parody you can be as cheap as you want and people know you’re taking the piss. 

Don’t you think that most fashion these days comes from the influence of Instagram? Maybe you could, instead of looking at the most prolific political moments, but what was the biggest meme of this year? But then you could recreate the biggest memes of this year but as a high fashion shoot or something.

It would be something which people look at and would be like ‘ah I love that meme!’ and the fact it would be recreated as high fashion would be hilarious. 

*starts looking at memes, Salt Bae to be specific*

At It’s Nice That, this is something we’d look at. You could recreate these memes but as actual photoshoots.

- I asked, how would I actually do that without a huge budget yet again? How can you recreate a meme to be better than the original? 

You get one of your models in a white tshirt with the glasses, and that could be glitter and it could be in the studio. It could be abstract, as long as people know. You’d have to do it so people know instantly though that that is salt bae. The eye would be in the detail.

If you have a project in your portfolio and you say you recreated the biggest memes of 2017 as high fashion shoots, everyone would be like ‘omg let me see, gimme. What would make them even funnier is if you went all out to make them a thing, so they were recreated so excessively and so perfectly it would just be amazing. 

*starts discussing and looking at meme calendar of 2017 so far* 

You could incorporate these memes into shoots, you could make an outfit like that *points to meme*, yet a wig like that, it might also be more accessible than looking at really depressing things which has happened this year. The reason memes are so successful is because they add humour into a world which is so horrible, like, that’s why everyone loves memes, because you need them. They are a necessary thing… 

Just get a studio booked, just get a camera on a tripod, in a room with lights, all you have to do is get the people to come in arranged in there, it will save you running about in the cold, trying to find spaces and the lighting will be consistent. All you need is technicians to help you and a friend who’s a photographer, can you collaborate?? If you leave and you’re showing your portfolio and it it you had a frequent collaborator, it looks much more grown up and professional than just doing it on your own and it looking [awful].

My dad told me on the phone once when I was at Kingston, I didn’t understand the coding class because I just don’t get it, and he said to me ‘it’s fine, you’re going to be the ideas person not the person doing the coding’… and I was just like AHHH yes thats true’. 

If you can’t do it then thats fine, theres no point spending loads of time on something that isn’t going to happen. Just enjoy it! Thats better than learning something you don’t give a shit about.

OUGD601: Practical Development

Physically planning the project will be a lot of work - I will need to consider models, location, styling and photography/photographers, as well as keeping an eye on the audience and purpose of content being generated. I want the quality of production to be high, meaning a lot of interesting and varied work is needed - this will require planning shots and shoot themes so the shoot day will be most efficient. All shoot concepts need to be different and relate to some of the biggest things in 2017, as voted for by the public and the audience.

It would be interesting to have journalists (ideally BA (Hons) Fashion Journalism students) working on the copy for the editorial to enhance the concept of the publication.

How do Dazed create photographic content for their articles?

Narrowing down from the previous mind map and considering the evolution of my essay, I have selected three final ideas to pose in a feedback session to the group.

As I want this to be a piece of work portfolio worthy/produced to a high standard, I need to consider my own availability when finalising the ideas as being too ambitions could result in shoddy work. After my talk with Liv from Rough Trade, I realised that creating a Tim Walker style editorial will not be possible within my time restraints, or within my current budget- so creativity and improvisation is needed.

1) Generate fashion images using aspects fantasy & reality (signifiers & codes discussed in essay)

Take a part of reality and shoot it in a high fashion way, showing that all fashion is loosely based on real life, yet exaggerated as that is the 'nature' of fashion

Tim Walker/Richard Avedon-esq photoshoot using a range of models and locations to convey a narrative. Could be several individual photoshoots focusing on different narratives, or all sticking to the same theme just represented in different ways

2) Still Life photoshoot tackle issue of 2017 

e.g. Trump as a ham. Teresa May out of corn. Would be a lot less in terms of cost and time. Injecting humour in this would also be useful to offset the cheap/kitsch aesthetic. Could also be location or studio based.

3) Use collage/DIY techniques to create narratives addressing the biggest issues of the year (2017)

Would save time and relate to the origins of editorial design, e.g. The Face, iD Magazine. I could incorporate my own images, as well pre-existing images from Vogue through the decades, fairytale images and objects/props out of my reach.

Feedback - 24/11/17

Factors that build up message- narrative- props- designing an experience - is it about social reaction to society? Reappaopriate images to draw into the ideal

Interaction with audience, what they do and how this is perceived, what is the potential to promote in the future?

Build up the argument around the quotes

Semiotics

It is about communication and intentions of. Magazine (communication techniques)

Fashion show backs up editorial, participation and real life experience

WHY DOES IT CREATE FANTASY?? HOW DOES IT CREATE FANTASY??

WHY DOES IT LINK TO THE QUESTION, WHAT IS ITS PLACE?? 

If using my opinion, say why and back it up…

INCLUDE ADVERTISING AND OTHER THINGS IF APPROPRIATE 

Less about the dress and more about the communication of the said dress…

Every new point you make need someone to back it up… doesn’t have to be fashion… mixture of sources…

Pastiching elements of reality and informing the narrative

Platform of editorials in communication- whats the impact??

Zine and fashion editorial is a different form of communication, what is the impact? The platform changes how we perceive it? Will the art direction change??

Any publications I’m interested ask about this… primary research is super key

Dyers theory link to positives and the impact as a whole (back up with theory)

WHY- WHAT ITS DOING- WHAT DOES IT MEAN- PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Mention 1920’s vogue and society 

THE COMMUNICATION OF THE FASHION IMAGE AND THE IMPACT IT HAS ON SOCIETY - WHAT IS IT

People who work on these fashion editorials -who’s vision 

OUGD601: Vogue by the Decades (1970's)

The 1970’s was the decade that introduced a softer side of tailoring, built around jersey and body skimming knitwear in liue of more restrictive fabrics, which was the start of what we now know as sportswear. Easy on-easy off pieces shot designers like Diane von Furstenberg to fame, giving the modern woman an effortless luxury which kept with the flow of the times. This progression was evident after observing the mental shift which occurred in the 60’s, and opened up a whole new sector of fashion for designers and photographers to experiment with. The 1970’s was also the first era of the day-to-night pant, emphasising the emancipated ‘charley type woman, such as Many Tyler Moore’, according to Vogue. Partying and having a good time topped cooking on the to-do list of women of the day, especially now more integrated and visible in the workplace. Vogue reported the ‘sexy, stylish revellers’ of the time, wearing slinky silk dresses exposing more skin and high strappy heels, adding an assertive provocation to fashion in the day. These women were often wealthy and appeared independent, unrestricted of the male gaze and taking risks by dressing for themselves. This culture of party people were very prominent in the Manhattan scene, with clubs such as Danceteria, The Loft and Studio 54 taking up pages within the magazine due to the influence they were having on style and popular culture. The freedom of these places helped maintain a social fire, possibly ignited by Woodstock in 69, of anti-establishment/ no-cares partying and joy. Designers like Halston catered for the time, creating second skin, figure hugging fashion using comfortable and relatively inexpensive fabrics.

Vogue described its reader in 1972 as ‘a modern liberated woman’, profiling Gloria Steinem and publishing female writers such as Erica Jong and Simone de Beauvoir, giving female creatives a platform similar to a mans. All of this was a symbol of change, signifying the start of a new unified world where both genders could have equal opportunities (many protests and gender rallies in the 70s). 

Fashion photography had moved firmly into colour at this point in time, with new talent such as Helmet Newton creating provocative and riske images for the magazine exposing more skin and sexuality than ever before. Female desire took the spotlight in Newton’s ‘Story of Ohhh…’ was published in 1975, showcasing provocative images of women in both empowering and slightly degrading forms, with the sexualisation of women definitely on Newtons agenda. Despite this, the way images were constructed gave much more freedom to the female to be herself, naturally. Rather than being all poised and synched for the benefit of a man. One famous image shows Lisa Taylor sat legs spread in a relaxed manor, eyeing up the body of her shirtless male companion. This flips traditional gender roles where it would be a man is observing a woman, whereas now the woman becomes the voyeur. 

The forward march of the women’s movement was rapidly taking off in the 1970’s, which also influenced the editorials and pages in Vogue as well. Fashion was more expressive and fluid, with models photographed leaping and dancing through the spreads. Photographers such as Richard Avedon and David Bailey shot models with an assertive confidence, empowering them through their photography for the world to see. 

The 1970’s was a huge time of social change, with working class mentality often still very racist. Beverly Johnson made history as the first women of colour to ever make the cover of US Vogue in 1974 showing how the times were a changing. In an interview after the cover debuted Johnson said, “it wasn’t so much about the grand fashion fantasy it had been in the 60’s, as it was about the girl next door makes good”. Four years after Johnson first cover, critic Clive Barns wrote an essay on the black model, suggesting that she was the product of many new and enriching currents in our culture. Barnes famously said “we all knew black was beautiful, but it took fashion to show us how beautiful”, which itself shows the power of fashion as a tool of visual communication, and the power a magazine has for distributing these messages to ingrain social psyche.

OUGD601: Vogue by the Decades - (1950's)

Fashion photography dominated the magazine covers in the 1950’s, with the 50’s almost being summed up via Jean Patchett’s sweeping eyebrow, photographed by Erwin Bloomenfeld. The 1950’s was the golden decade of haute couture, with corsetry and ‘the new look’ dominating most of the fashion scene with tiny concave waists. This was the time when the fashion legacies/styles we reference today were originally created and established, by then new designers. The ruling designers Vogue reported on was Christian Dior (founded of the post-war New Look), Pierre Balmain, Hubert de Givenchy, Christobal Balenciaga, and Coco Chanel who came back to the world of fashion after closing her Maison in the mist of the French invasion. Fashion photography was also booming; Vogue commissioned Irving Penn in 1950 to photograph the couture collections for the first time. His pictures, graphic and pure, continue to inform how we view and appreciate the art of fashion, as well as documenting the style of the times. Looking objectively, we cannot catergorically say that Penn’s view is the most accurate way of understanding the 1950’s, especially when considering society and the working class, yet his images do contain fantasy and allure in a way it has been hard to follow since.

The concave waist was hyper feminine (women were severely repressed and objectified in these days, with their place often being for the gratification of men). The tiny waists were often embellished and created via corsetry, bowing a nod to the earlier days of fashion (1800’s) where this tactic first became socially popular. Two looks reigned supreme in Vogue; the new look hour glass that featured a full skirt and stem-like middle, and a ‘glove fitted’ slim line that emphasised a tiny midriff. Vogue was a strong pioneer of the diet, so much so it had whole sections about dieting tips and top diets printed regularly in the magazine. It christened ‘Diet X’, The cottage cheese diet, the psychological diet, ‘duces wild’ diet and the grape diet. Vogue wanted to be such a heavy influence they even created a panel called ‘The Diet Authority’, naturally consisting of men (as subconsciously women only wanted to please men - Mulveys theory).

After the war ended fashion did boom within society and publishing culture, with Vogue reporting on the first official fashion shows in New York City, Italy and presentations of couture in Paris. As well as this, Vogue documented smaller shows in Spain (Madrid), Belgium and Dublin, enhancing their idea of a fashion community and reporting on more than what was happening on their home soil. Vogue wanted to be the authoritarian voice in fashion, giving a holistic overview of the world of fashion, under its point of view.

OUGD601: Vogue By The Decades (1980's)

Based on a short film created by Laird Borrelli-Presson, Edited by Kevin Tadge and Narrated by SJP for Vogue's 125th Year Anniversary

The 1980’s were about ‘flaunting it’, dressing for power by day and sin by night. “Greed is Good” was the catchphrase of the era according to Vogue and in the fashion capitals this took form in flashy ‘more is more’ fashion, tapping into the excessive luxury of previous times more so than ever before. The trend at the time was big hair, saturated colour and the creation of silhouettes, possibly referencing a postmodernist take of Dior’s New Look with the exassibated shoulder padding detail, as apposed to padding of the rear. This is when fashion shows really started to take off, allowing the designer to capture the same feeling throughout product and presentation; all of this was very theatrical in the 1980’s, highlighting popular culture (music, film, a reaction against the way the world is working/moving).

Fitness was an 80’s obsession and Vogue certainly kept that going by the models they cast- a toned body was more sought after than a good job. To really understand this, we would need to go back and look at the representation of women throughout the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s through Vogue, as well as other magazines to understand the social mentality and the time. Were they heavily influenced by The Gaze or Aspiration theory? (Either way, these kinds of questions are more relevant for an essay regarding gender and identity rather than fantasy and realism).

The start of the supermodels in Vogue, models such as Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford etc were given multi-layered exposure, from advertising for beauty brands to doing runway, as well as being featured in the Vogue spreads, they became house hold names due to their social saturation. What the supermodels represented was the ‘fashion elite’, highlighting that in fashion (and Vogue), there may always need to be high/low status. They were styled in body-con clothes and alethic wear to show off their super toned supermodel bodies, which probably influenced the average woman to get in shape themselves (Laura Mulvey theory about how The Gaze works for women looking at women). 

Japanese designers such as CDG and Issy Miyake came to Paris Fashion Week, showing a whole new perspective on fashion and dress. These alternative points of view naturally warranted different coverage and editorial content to go alongside it when featured in the magazine. Their approach was very subversive, the clothes were deliberately avant garde and body obscuring, often featuring deliberate rips or tatters. When considering this as a reaction to the times, one can only assume this wave of designers were saying goodbye to Dior’s polished ‘New Look’, in favour of a postmodernist playground where clothes and concept met more like art than ever before. 

The 1980’s also saw a time of gender rules being turned upside down, androgeny was born (as was the power suit for women) positioning women firmly in the work place, yet still often with a lucid sex appeal. Icons of the day such as David Bowie “ended gender”.  Anna Wintour also shook up publishing with her first Vogue cover of model Michaela Bercu wearing a haute couture Christian Lacouirx jumper and acid wash Guess jeans. Anna commented saying it was all “very like a prayer”, referencing the iconic Madonna Video/Promotion aesthetic and ‘girl next door’ vibes. There are also suggestions that haute couture is applicable everywhere as well as bringing fashion to the streets. This high/low sartorial mix reflected the larger changes in New York society and mentality, with the magazine becoming a place for everyone than just the bourgeoise. At the time, the city was invigorated by artists, musicians, poets and designers and the ‘downtown’ state of mind. The anti-establishment energy, new founded art movements and taste makers of the day were a huge inspiration for Vogue (and other magazines), showcasing the obscure, wonderful and all-night dance parties of the time. The editorial content was wild and excessive as well as playfully conceptual, highlighting contemporary society of the day. This would not be restricted to image based communication, but also many aspects of graphic design including typography, advertising, runway design and curation.

OUGD601: Vogue by the Decade (1940's)

The 1940’s in Vogue Mini Documentary - narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker 

Elsa Schipperlli wrote ‘needles and guns’ for US Vogue after fleeing from the invasion of France in 1940 and touched on all the magazines wartime preoccupations. It wad the US government that extended the look of the decade, the restrictions on materials (specifically valuable materials) lead to a ‘new fashion credo’ for women of few, simpler and better. Ultimately, quality as a philosophy lasts. This was also a way to not be surpressed by the implications of war, or the government in terms of fashion, dress and lifestyle. 

The magazine became one small part of a global network, all looking to each other for information on whats happening overseas. American Vogue at this point focused outside the world of fashion, highlighting the issues at the times effecting everyone. Creatives would go and get first hand accounts/ experiences/ representations of the war. Irvin Penn was a prioner of war and spoke to the magazine about his experiences. Lee and Carl Erickon sketched and recounted the exodus of refugees from Senlis, France to Paris. The magazine was just a platform for people to speak/input work to allowing the viewer to get a cohesive understanding of the time they’re living in.

The magazine did put the spotlight on the changing role of women, encouraging women to work during the war and visually showing how a womans work can be everywhere. However, this was short lived in war time as an article titled the ‘warriors return’ showed the men returning from war and returning to their higher position of power, and women back being demoted to house wives. 

Germans suspended publication of French Vogue in 1940 and the void was filled by American Designers, rather than the couturiers that Paris was most known for producing- even Chanel closed her Maison temporarily in 1939. 

(Claire McCardell - the mother of American Sportswear)

A soft curvy line was already forming in fashion prior to the conflict in Europe, however Dior chose to pioneer this and ‘the New Look’ was introduced as a way to celebrate emancipation from war and set the world off into the new style of ‘look’, especially regarding womens shillouette. The collection was one of the most influential in fashion history and has contributed to Christian Dior’s status within the world of fashion. (Forward thinking and fresh, echoing what society needed at this point in time- A CHANGE). Rich symbolism within the new look, despite being influenced from the shapes of Dior’s mothers time, he was saying what the world needed was love and Dior delivered it in the form of the dress, and Vogue captured it through their images informing the world of the newness (informing of trends) with a radiant positivity surrounding it. This is for the people and for emancipation, not necessarily to sell the dress, Vogue at this point used Dior’s New Look as a tool of communication informing society of the possibilities of this new age, away from oppression, restriction and war. 

OUGD601: Vogue by the Decades (1960s)

(Vogue by the Decades) the 1960’s 

Youth culture erupted in the 1960’s, starting an anti-establishment, often working class movement, expressed through protest and fashion. This societal influence also overturned the predefined conventions of fashion, as well as how we should represent dress in a magazine. The intention of the clothes were to create maximum impact, within miniature proportions and by using photography as an aid showcase the vitality of the underground culture shift. 

Naturally, Vogue has deep routes in high society and has kept that part of their heritage as the magazine has matured. The wealthy and well-married with deep routes in ‘society’ (e.g.: from America’s ‘top’ families, the elite) were featured in the pages with images of their real life fairytale lives. The daughters of the elite were brought up with refinery and money, so could afford the trends presented to them in a magazine which was intended to appeal, just for them.  (When considering a target audience, something so far from that target audience fantasy/idealism must be a factor???) Wearing designer clothes and vacationing to exotic places they reinforce the aspiration of the fashion images also being produced at the time, yet they are living in the fantasy and reinforcing how we are only aspiring. Naturally this offspring has remarkable taste so Vogue documents their creative lifestyle in their issues, showcasing ‘real style’ and introducing living examples of the looks they are showcasing. ’Socialites’ or then known ‘beautiful people’ are still mentioned by Vogue even in 2017. 

’The Youth Quakers’ as reported by Vogue (baby boomer generation) were reportedly 9million people in the US alone under 24 reported Vogue in 1965, whom most of which shared a common mentality and new way in how to dress identifiably. That kind of energy fed into the fashion and influenced further ‘style icons’ such as Brigtte Bardot, Jane Birkinn, Catherine Deneuve, Fancoise Hardy and Penelope Tree. 

Designers were obsessed with perfecting their work, influenced by other icons such as Coco Chanel so eventually became masters of one particular trade mark. Courreges who’s ‘cookie cutter A-line skirt’ influenced the era, with documentary photography confirming that the A-line was a definable look of the 1960’s working class and subcultures. As the 1960’s went on the shape moved get again to more swinging designs, embracing popular activities such as dancing, which would benefit from movement in fabric and details.

The US Space launch was a huge moment of history in the 1960’s, with Vogue declaring it ‘Space Age’ in 1961 by creating space age inspired editorials and full magazines. The space age look many now possibly reflect nostalgia however, at the time the use of neon over-aggregated makeup and mirroring had never been done before in history so helped define the look of the time for todays generations. (We can see how they perceived the future back then).  Designers were influenced by architecture, showing off the body and creating living art with the images they create. Pierre Cardin says “We are entering the world of tomorrow. The obsession with the future and creating these fantasy lands was identifiable in the fashion photography and editorials of the time, using increased budget and artistic concept to creatively direct an enchanting story. Dianna Vreeland had an eye for the exotic and was inspired between the cross over between reality and fantasy. After becoming editor in 1963 she hired pools of young photographic talent, and sent them across the globe for her exotic editorials. “She would send them to all corners of the globe with a suitcase packed full of fashion, and a poetic brief’ says Vogue when discussing Vreeland (note: Vogue fired Vreeland for exactly this). Vreeland’s obsession was creating other-worldy experiences demanded a high budget, but was a gateway for young girls wanting to experience utopia and explore fantasy. The unrealistic combinations of fashion and location haven’t been seen since the early illustrations.

The hippy mentality didn’t always wash in fashion, but its bohemian and folklore aesthetic did and appeared in countless editorials. (It is interesting to consider what the real aesthetic of the 1960’s was by someone who was 24 or under in that era?) The mentality at the time was all about love and freedom of expression. A real social uprising, especially when fuelled with drugs and events such as Woodstock, which itself has become a stereotype now when referring to the 1960’s aesthetic. Not everyone in the 1960’s went to Woodstock…

OUGD601: Vogue by the decades (1920s)

Short film created by Laird Borrelli-Presson, edited by Jesse Threatt and narrated by SJP.

The temp of the 20’s was set by the first world war and the need for release and light within society. The modern aesthetic was all centred around machinery and the industrial revolution, the introduction of the printing press and the automobile helped transform the world at the time, making travel easier and production quicker. The shillouette of a woman changed to the flapper style dress, showing a bit of leg but generally hanging romantically following the shape of the body, unlike all of the exaggerated and uncomfortable shillouettes which predated this; there was even a sense of romance in the fuller skirts which were popular within most of society. The war had created jobs (for women or just men??)  and the opportunity of an active life for ‘former women of leisure’.  The designers of the time were Chanel, Lanvin and Collot Soeurs who embraced modernity and the changing roles of gender, creating more functional clothes for women than ever before. “Speed, movement and escapism defined the Jazz Age” says Vogue, however I can’t help but wonder if this only applies to the class in which Vogue was aware? Was life this optimistic for others outside of the Vogue bubble? Wealthy American ex-pats such as Ernest Hemmingway and Gerald Murphies were drawn to Paris and the French Riviera, the newest playground of the post-war rich. Vogue described the smart world as a ‘nomadic tribe’ who’s migrations followed the sun, booze and positivity of the time. Naturally prohibition was a big complication for revellers in the 1920’s and Vogue advertised ‘Bimini Bay’ a resort in the Bahamas as “Just 45 Minutes from Prohibition”. Furthermore, prior to this era being sunkissed or tanned was a taboo, however Coco Chanel made tanning a trend which was heavily backed by Vogue, so became a status symbol in a similar way to paleness in the 18th century monarchy. The hair cut of the 1920’s was practical, elegant and fitted the flapper silouhette to perfectly show off the modern, light weight feminine form; this cut was actually inspired by Irene Castle, famous dancer of the times, who debuted the trim 9 years prior to Vogue dubbing it the “cut of the decade”.  The topic of hair (like most things) filtered into popular culture, with a short story being written about it by F. Scott Fitzgerald called ‘Bernice Bobs Her Hair’, as well as influencing many editorials in Vogue (and other magazines) throughout the decade. Vogue aligned the short contemporary cut with ‘the new craze’ for hats- “the cloche hat and the bob did seem to be made for each other”, yet looking back on this objectively, was this just a subconscious marketing act? The magazine was very critical on how a woman should look and present themselves, even giving ‘Don’t…’ lists to ‘educate’ viewers about how they should be looking or working this look. Ultimately, this is all contributing to Vogue’s authoritarian voice within the female fashion market, establishing them as trend setters as the magazine gained post-war traction and wider household recognition. It was aligning society with ‘vogue girls’ and possibly even enhancing the social divides of the time, especially between women.

Covers

Vogue covers of the 1920s were more resembellant of art than a magazine cover, combining illustration and typography to uniquely place their unique stamp on the news stands of the day. (Harpers Bazaar also featured illustrated covers, as did the New Yorker, what I need to find out is who was first…). Vogue says the intention of the covers were to convey “charm, chic and luxury”, yet considering the rest of society could not afford this elegance we must question if onlookers saw this as utopianism, which would actually enhance Vogue’s intentions at the time (?). The covers always featured beautifully detailed couture gowns or symbols of 1920’s idealism, such as the cropped hair cut and in staged in exotic or unusual settings. Many of the covers were created by young Parisian illustrators who Conde Nast had first admired in the Gazette du Bon Ton, a small but influential French fashion journal. George Lepape, Charles Martin, Paul Ribe and Pierre Brissaud were employed and breaking even Vogue set conventions, moving away from the look of the 1910’s covers. Collectively, they were promoting fashion as art, narrating a story through imagery and promoting the desire of the magazine, which was ‘to promote all things art’.

Also, the suggestion that the magazine wanted to pursue this direction highlighted three things about the magazine: a desire to promote couture (Paris is the home of couture and all Parisian illustrators), admiration/influence for the pre-dating and influential (Conde Nasts inspiration in the Gazette Du Bon Ton) and support for a global connection of collaborative success, giving young artists a wider platform to showcase their work. Looking at newer editions of Vogue, we can see this became a huge influence to the content featured as photographers were given the same creative platform (to convey their fantasy and feelings about fashion to the world.)

The illustrated covers of the 1920’s conjured fairy-tale like fantasies and ideal world for people to escape to (or even just take pleasure in); Edward Steichen was utilising the new technology of the time and started experimenting with the early stages of fashion photography, shooting black and white film (which format film?). According to Vogue, in the words of one critic his job was “to enhance the look of the clothes, while retaining a sense of real life”, or as Conde Nast requested to Steichen “every woman [photographed should look] like a model. You make every model look like a woman”.

OUGD601: The Early Days of Vogue

VOGUE IN THE EARLY DAYS, a short film by Laird Borrello-Presson, edited by Jesse Threatt for 125 Years of Vogue

• Started by Arthur Baldwin Turner in 1892 as a weekly journal of fashion and society
• Ivy league educated club man, born into money and upmarket society (Princeton grad & founded of the Grolier Club)
• Wanted to celebrate the ‘ceremonial side of life’, as well as society and fashion for both men and women
• Predominantly created for the leisure class, by the leisure class
• Vogue got purchased in 1909 by Conde Nast due to its allure and appeal
• Conde Nast were the first publishing house to tap into the ‘special interest publication’, paving a way for contemporary magazines to be founded on this principle. Nast valued reader engagement over circulation, so from a business perspective wanted to keep lifelong consumers, as well as naturally growing to the right interest demographic
• The look of the magazine from conception was all illustrated and hand painted. It took a long time for photographic techniques to come into the pages Vogue, or even when it did, make the cover.
• The significance of illustration is not only more in tune with the times (as in there were few other options) but also places beauty and aesthetic high up Vogue’s intention list, wanting to instantly convey beauty and ‘art’ to the reader. The details, colour ways and subject content of the illustrations demonstrated a high level of skill, concept and opportunity 
• Despite Vogue being created by the upper class of society, the first editor in Chief Josephine Reading did contest to societies expectations of gender, her station in life and the restrictions of dress. Sports were an important part of Reading’s life so she inputted her own passions into the magazine, defining the ‘Vogue woman’ as modern and addicted to speed (in any context). Designers were creating ‘sports wear’ for women at the time which Reading often chose to feature over more restrictive attire (corsets etc) - almost foreshadowing the modern woman
• Vogue’s conception coincided with the invention of the bicycle which was featured heavily by Reading
• ‘As seen by him’ and ‘the well dressed man’ were advertised as a point of destinction, so the early editions were definitely not just for women
• The cover of the second issue was the first of many to feature a ‘dapper man and woman’, dressed as taste-makers for the times

OUGD601: Communication Theories

Uses & gratification theory

Uses and gratification theory (UGT) is an audience-centered approach that focuses on what people do with media, as opposed to what media does to people.

Criticism of Uses and gratification theory :

• The uses and gratification theory does not consider the power of media
• More audience-centered
• Positive point of the uses and gratification theory is it focuses attention on individuals in the mass communication process.

Self Fulfilling Prophecy Theory

The term “self-fulfilling prophecy” (SFP) was coined in 1948 by Robert Merton to describe “a false definition of the situation evoking a new behavior which makes the originally false conception come true” (Merton 1968: 477).  

The self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person's expectation of an event affects his or her behavior and therefore makes the predicted outcome more likely to occur than would have otherwise been true; the belief about the outcome affects communication.

There are two types of self-fulfilling prophecies... self-imposed prophecies occur when your own expectations influence your behavior, or, other-imposed prophecies occur when one person's expectations govern another's actions, as demonstrated in the study "Pygmalion in the Classroom." - information sourced from The Oxford University Press (http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199827428/student/chapt3/outline/)

OUGD601: Methods of Production (The Studio)

Methods in production have meant the photographic image has been implemented into cotemporary publications, and a shift away from illustrations. Line methods were used from the 1870s, composed of metal plates, etching and halftone photo relief processes. This was refined in the 1880s so photographs and paintings could be duplicated- something discussed heavily by Walter Benjamin. – ‘The Studio: Photomechanical reproduction and the changing status of design’ (JSTOR)(2007)

The above essay also examines ‘The Studio’, which Clive Ashwin considers the first ‘visually modern’ arts & culture (monthly) magazine, which later influenced the next century of publishing. Established in London just before the turn of the century. The Studio were the first magazine to use the ‘new method’ of photo relief processing, using a mixture of half tone plates to replicate photographs.  The Sketch was the first middle class photographic magazine to capitalise on the new reproductive techniques, combining design and editorial considerations and established in 1893, just before The Studio. The essay also looks at Walter Benjamins critique of reproduced images, which he says the ‘aura’ of the images are lost through reproduction, however this disagrees saying reproduction “heightened the standing of the original”.

 “In other art magazines, status was inscribed within the printed image by the reproduction method that was used. The more important the artwork, the more elaborate the reproduction techniques which were employed to produce a printable matrix.”

(Vogue capitalised on these printing techniques to reproduce illustrative communication, debut some of fashions most prolific photographers and give fashion culture a world wide platform)