Designer References - Flotsam and Jetsam

Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 2003 :

His show, entitled 'Scanners' was inspired by 'the journey of a woman, shipwrecked on an island where she evolves from Pirate to Conquistador and finally Amazonian Goddess'
the show featured soft and elegant looks that captured the washed up and Flotsam and Jetsam aspect to the show with fabrics aged and distressed and although it was intentionally meant to look washed up it translated into a terribly romantic show that captured McQueen's soft side and although provocative, an abundance of see-through dresses looked romantic than Provocative or sluttish.
At the beginning of the show the audience were treated to a short movie, which then played throughout the show as a backdrop, which featured a model fighting for survival in her shipwrecked attire, giving an atmosphere for the show to continue on.
My personal feelings on the show were that I thought it was a stunning presentation and a majority of the looks on the catwalk we're etherial and goddess like but I didn't understand the splashes of color near the end of the presentation, which left me miffed.



Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 2010 :

'Plato's Atlantis'

Inspiration for McQueen came from his love of Deep Sea Diving in the South Pacific where he would regularly take trips to during the summer and on his return back to normality he used Wikipedia to research Plato's theory on Atlantis and he looked into the concept of mutation of the Human Species into sea creatures and life underwater and the Evolution of the Human Species in years to come and that it was also inspired by Myth and Legend, which is where Plato's Atlantis comes into the story

'Atlantis is like a metaphor for Neverland, it can be anywhere in the mind and can be anywhere someone seeks sanctuary in bad times' - Alexander McQueen

He also researched Charles Darwin and his research on the 'Origin of Species' which i think is where the aspect of the Human Species developing into a new creature or species that will live underwater has come from.

Prints in a majority of the looks in the show captured the aspect of Marine life and the Technology in the prints was cutting edge and the construction of the garments from one piece of material shown his never ending desire to be cutting edge.

i saw this show as faultless and the inspiration translated throughout every look in the show, the whole theory of the Human form transforming into new creatures or life forms was spectacular and the construction of each garment, the technology, was as interesting as the show.



Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2008 :

For Haute Couture it is a never ending playground for experimenting, but on borderline with the customers of Haute Couture, Karl Lagerfeld played around with the concept of Sea Nymphs and Coral Reefs, but in a young, fresh and wearable way.
a majority of the collection was draped and the color palette light and fresh reflecting the colors of a Coral Reef and the elegant quality of the Sea Nymphs, but in small doses that still contain the Chanel refined and elegant manner of the clothes.

The elegant and fine tuning to the collections theme was what i liked mostly and the soft color palette with a strong structure and although the collection had a majority of a feminine feel with the injection of masculine pieces.


Chanel Haute Couture Spring Summer 2011 :

Although it doesn't nessasarily touch the theme of Flotsam and Jetsam i looked at the collection for references to Ancient Greece and draping.
But what was a huge disappointment was there wasn't much focus on the draping of Greek gods, but yet another Chanel collection that only whispers on the edge of the theme which was yet another disappointment and the collection only featured cracking effects on the suits which could only been seen with a slight use of imagination.



Giles Fall Winter 2007 :

Not initially inspired by our subject of Flotsam and Jetsam, his collection was linked to Nature, which is linked to his color palette and use of texture, particularly in accessories that resemble an abundance of leaves on a forest floor.
The main reason i researched this collection was his Inventive use of Knitwear, with his own Atelier staff declaring that in production of those creations were testing and it didn't help by the use of Broomstick-like Knitting needles.
The Knitwear was my favorite part of the show, but the bright and bold colors that were dashed here and there didn't make sense with the other subtle color scheme in the rest of the collection.



Proenza Schouler Spring Summer 2010 :

Exotic Aquatic springs to mind when i saw the collection, their inspiration came from Tropical fish, for the part of the collection I'm referencing, with pieces inspired by Diving suits in bright and sometimes garish colors that reflect that of Tropical fish, in portions of the show they produced dying effects such as Tie-Dye, which, although not my cup of tea, fitted for the theme of the collection.
i didn't like the collection in all fairness, it was all over the place with too much of the collection focused on street looks, when the concept was far more out there, their talent could of reached it but i feel they were staying too safe for the sake of commerce.




Givenchy Fall Winter 2010 :

It contained specific things i was trying to link my research to, but what i liked most about this collection was Riccardo Tisci's ability to make something so simple, look amazing, my favorite piece was a dress i linked to my Flotsam and Jetsam work, which was a navy knee length dress completely draped in jersey and it was possible for me to link this between my draping either on the stand and illustrations in my sketchbook and i was also able to link with color schemes, the collection was extremely beautiful on a whole in Riccardo's gothic take on design.