the Goddess alive and well at Paco Rabanne Spring 2012

Manish Arora says he found something about himself when he explored the Paco Rabanne

archives for his wonderful futuristic Spring 2012 in Paris a few days ago. I think he found something about the female body, such sensuality, power and beauty, even

though there was so much structure, which is not what I would normally associate with femininity.

The above ensembles were the ones which got to me most, but his ending of frill-necked lizard cup-cake style constructions were full of life and humour, and reminded me of the early eighties when Issy Miyake's sculptural ensembles looked like they might take flight.

Mickalene Thomas

Another artist I discovered by looking into the exhibition at the International Center of Photography called 'Dress Codes'. These works remind me of the Eighties (again!). I can't help thinking about Grace Jones, and Jean Paul Goude, in this marriage of art, black woman, big cat and graphics. Somehow there I sense a subtext of movement and dance too. They are almost caricatures of those previously mentioned qualities, which I attribute to a particular 'thing' going on in my world, at least, in the early Eighties.

Natalie Portman as seen in V Magazine, by Mario Testino

Natalie Portman absolutely gorgeous and talented. Here she is in a shoot by Mario Testino for V Magazine.

Jean-Paul Goude inspires

I think this photo is by Jean-Paul Goude, I tried to download some of his other images but they all seem to have strict licensing thingo's attached. However, if you feel like checking some of his more esoteric works out, go to 'Hasted Hunt', where they have an excellent collection. Otherwise, you can see a lot of his better known works if you just put his name in google images.
I was reminded about him, when I started to look through the Guy Bourdin images, both of them were around a lot in the seventies and eighties. Jean-Paul is still very active in the advertising world. In my opinion he was the creator of Grace Jones's mystique, with his wild images of her in his book: 'Jungle Fever'. (she was his muse, and mother of a son, Paulo). My dog-eared copy still has an important place on the book shelf.

Guy Bourdin at The Wapping Project

Unfortunately, this exhibition is no longer on! Finished a few days ago, but still interesting to check out some of the images and to quote from Maison Chaplin: 'The legendary photographer Guy Bourdin has just had a show "unseen Guy Bourdin" exhibition, in London's gallery The Wapping Project. The exhibition included pictures of Bourdin never exposed to the public before, including 32 works of his last Parisian stage.
Bio: Guy Bourdin (1928-1991) was one of the most famous fashion and advertising photographers during the second half of the twentieth century. He shared his taste for controversy and style with his colleague Helmut Newton, but the audacity and narrative power of his images exceed the limits of conventional advertising photography.'

Louis Vuitton fall 09

Marc Jacobs has re-worked the eighties to the extreme, and introduced this era's multi-layered-ethno tribe (which is also quite eighties I think). Check out the rest of the cat-walk, it will be very familiar to those of us who were flying our feromones back then in the eighties!!

whatever happened to Rebecca Patterson?

I found this picture in a book I have from 1985, called: 'Australian Fashion Design' by Elina Mackay. Someone gave it to me a few years ago. I am amazed at how few of the designers seem to be around anymore..And yet there was/is great talent. The above picture comes under the title Di Marzio Line. Rebecca Patterson came from Perth to Sydney to create this label along with Nicolas Pando. I love this, because it stretches its big wings between art and fashion. She said: "My clothes are full of symbols, contrasting images and statements expressing a certain uninhibited style."

Thierry Mugler photo

aaahhh...yes, this somehow evokes a universal beach dreaming state I think. It is from a book I have of Thierry Mugler's photographs from the late eighties. He has been a big influence on me.
And I like this image so much because it brings Africa into the picture. It does really bring back something about the essence of that time, other than the caricature padded shoulders and brash trash jewellery from the eighties...