Here’s a link to a Suzy Menkes article asking ‘Is a runway show really necessary?’. A couple of posts back I wrote about how designers are starting to reassess how they are presenting their work. It’s always interesting to hear designers like Pugh talk about communicating their work and how they are trying to push the envelope. As soon as you decide to show your work in film (either in a film or image) you loose elements of it, however there are different elements that you can add or subtract. Ultimately it’s always a compromise but there are a lot more options than just the runway to represent the designers concept. Nick Knight suggests that it’s not just the communication of the work that can be changed, but also a ‘click to buy’ concept that could revolutionise how consumers purchase fashion. The most exciting part of this mini revolution is that it is the younger generation of designers who are pushing the boundaries and hopefully changing the fashion landscape.

Last week I spent a lot of time at uni trying to prepare for assessment. Right now I have four weeks to go. Apart from being scary- a lot of work needs to be done in that time. Here’s a list of things I want to present at assessment:
-I want to push the concept a little further and work on the accessories I had developed with Caz. The biggest difficulty that was weighed the collaborative process down was time constraints. There were ideas that had to be let go in order to get the project finished. Going back to some of the original constructions Caz presented to me; I want to develop these ideas more. I built another variation of the knit structure using the laser cutter and 4m cardboard. I have a whole new appreciation for how long the models must have taken Caz to make because even just these two rows were quite tricky. Hopefully this will develop into another shoe model that can be presented at assessment.
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A video by the Australian Fashion Guide featuring the four MSFW exhibitions that were around town. Everyone worked so hard and it was great to see the footage of our work. Thanks to Andrew for putting the video together!

September and March are months when I’m waking up checking my style.com app on my iphone to see the latest runway shows. New York SS 2011 fashion week has been a little lack luster for me. I was disappointed in some of the designer’s shows, but they save the best till last anyway so here’s hoping the next few days pick up.
The reviews of Tom Ford’s show gave me a glimpse into a world pre Style.com. Strictly keeping the guest list for his show to 100, Ford made a comeback to women’s wear that made me realise how homogenised the fashion weeks have become. I expect to wake up and browse my favorite designers collections with my head on the pillow and my thumb flicking through the runway images. I can see who attended the after parties of the designers shows, then watch a podcast that neatly sums up the key looks and the front rows opinions. Then I wake up the next day and see the next round of designers. The way the information is delivered to computer screens and mobiles around the world can’t be controlled by the designer (Gareth Pugh mentioned this in the SHOWstudio interview). Tom Ford is a smart guy, he has taken back the control and at the same time leveled out the playing field for bloggers, buyers, editors and fans alike. Everyone will log on to his site come December (a time that basically guarantee’s everyone’s attention away from the rush of fashion month) to see images he’s selected and make up their own mind- not style.com’s writer. Not every designer can create this kind of interest in their shows, but I think it was a good wake up call to everyone to pick up their game and actually think about the communication of their work. Maybe this will be the start to breakdown Style.com’s strangle hold of the fashion world.

Just added more images from the exhibition and photo shoot. See the link to “link” on the top right hand corner.