Sir Hardy Amies - A Century of Couture

He was Britain's most renowned couturier and dressmaker to the Queen for over thirty five years, not to mention a leading Savile Row tailor. Now the life and work of Sir Hardy Amies is to be celebrated with an exhibition on Saville Row. His career offered him an unrivaled insight into the world of the rich and famous. Now the nosy and the aspirational amongst us will also be able to peer into his world. His vast archive will be on show containing unseen photographs of the royal family, letters from Cecil Beaton and Margaret Thatcher, intimate diaries, sketches of his film costumes for 2001: A Space Odyssey and of course clothes will all be unveiled. Timed to coincide with the one hundredth anniversary of his birth, the exhibition, Sir Hardy Amies: A Century of Couture, opened this week and will run throughout November.

Amies' rule that "a man should look as if he has bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care—and then forgotten all about them" is one of his gems of sartorial wisdom which is timeless.

GQ recently declared that 'if there were ever a patron saint of menswear it would have to be the late great Sir Hardy Amies. He is most fondly remembered as the author of the perennials of English style, ABC Of Men's Fashion and The Englishmen's Suit. There are very few books about men’s style worth reading, but Hardy Amies managed to write two of them. Back in 1945, Hardy Amies restored the Blitz hit derelict husk of a Regency house at No 14 Savile Row and opened his doors. Amies was widely admired for his fine tailoring, attention to detail and upper crust style. Throughout the course of his life he became a true Savile Row legend and one of its greatest patrons. It is the first time a British couture house has opened its archive to the public and those who can, should take advantage of it.

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Past. Present. Future

Faced with a weekend without my good friend the Internet, not to mention two tiresome train journeys I made sure I packed a few magazines for my recent trip back home to Kent. As I waited for my train to arrive at the platform, I doubted whether the latest issues of Monocle and Man About Town would provide enough printed entertainment so went on a last minute publication dash to the poorly stocked WH Smith at Victoria Station. After a few minutes of indecision perusing the sorry excuse for a newsagent I plumped for the Inside/Outside issue of i-D. Aside from the odd flick through at Borders or whilst I'm waiting for my turn to sit on the hairdressers chair, I've not read an issue for months. I'm glad I did though because this issue is packed full of features which kept my mind occupied throughout the journey. Highlights include chats with JW Anderson, Patrick Ervell and Thomas Engel-Hart, a Tao editorial and an up close and personal with Karl Lagerfeld. However, it is the feature on Aitor Throup which really captured my imagination and in particular the below image...

Image from Aitor Throup, used in i-D Fall 09. Concept and Styling by Aitor Throup, Photography by Neil Bedford with Styling Assistant Stephen Mann.

The feature focuses on the designers technically advanced reinterpretation of C.P Company's most iconic jackets. Of course, I've already posted about this collaboration (twice in fact) so I won;t rehash the details again but I just wanted to share the image with you. The above image, dreamt up and styled by the designer himself wonderfully illustrates how he approached the collaboration. The image was accompanied by an insightful interview with the publications Deputy Editor, Holly Shackleton and provided the highlight of my train journey. I could quite happily post the interview in its entirety but it might be best to just pick out my favourite question and answer.

What type of man do you envisage wearing the jacket?
I hope that the big followers and collectors of this iconic piece will embrace it and appreciate its integrity. I would love for the rich narrative, which is part of the design, to help introduce C.P. Company to people who perhaps didn't realise just how much integrity and heritage there is in this brand. Stylistically it's a really accessible piece. It can be seen as a really directional statement on one person, whilst on another it can look quite normal. I'd love to see a variety of completely different people wearing it in different ways.

At the exhibition launch on Thursday, I noted the variety of people in attendance. There were C.P Company representatives, next to brand enthusiasts and collectors (a few wearing releases of the iconic jacket) sandwiched between the fashion crowd and frequent exhibition opening attendees. I am quite certain that most people in attendance took something different away with them but all were united in agreement that the exciting design talent had bought the goggle jacket firmly in the twenty first century.

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Goggle Jacket: Past and Future

Back in May we featured the most exciting collaboration of the year. Style Salvage favourite Aitor Throup was asked to design the anniversary edition of C.P. Company's most iconic jackets, the 1000m Goggle Jacket. Last night, I was able to examine it up close and I've still got a smile on my face today. Ever since I encountered his mind blowingly good graduate collection back in 2006 my heart races every time I see or hear his name mentioned. Since graduating, Aitor continues to push the boundaries of technically advanced clothing and utilitarian menswear in to fresh and exciting directions. Back in April, the exciting design talent curated an exhibition to showcase the Goggle Jacket's past and present at the International Furniture Fair in Milan way back in April. Of course I was able to see much of the exhibition virtually, thanks to the wonders of the Internet , but I longed to see the showcase of design innovation up close. Thankfully an even stronger and more impressive exhibition has opened up at the RCA and I was fortunate enough to see it last night. The exhibition is now open to the public for a limited period of two days (today and Saturday, 10am until 4pm both days) so you'll have to be quick!

Exhibition folk enjoying two of the twenty iconic designs on show...

The Mille Miglia Car race, was a one thousand miles open-road endurance race that started in 1927. From 1977 until nowadays, the name was revised in 'Mille Miglia Storica', with all competing cars being pre-1957. In 1988 C.P. Company sponsored the race and for this special occasion Massimo Osti exclusively designed and produced, as a promotional piece for the Mille Miglia competitors, the very first Goggle Jacket. The Past and Future exhibition features twenty archive designs including this very first jacket. A way to celebrate C.P. Company's route through the different steps of this iconic item which, season after season, has been subject to continuous experimentation and evolution. This marvellous exhibition is a story of materials, special treatments and shape research.

One of the exhibition highlights, the evolution of Aitor's designs...

As mentioned every time I jot down the designer's name, I was fortunate enough to listen in to his conversation with Sarah Mower at the V&A last Summer and during this chat Throup's face lit up and his passion took over as soon as he started talking about this iconic jacket. Growing up in Burnley in the 90s, Aitor first became aware of the jacket adorning the backs of the football casuals. Anything connected to Massimo Osti had the most aspirational value for the terraces. As a long term fan and collaborator with C.P Company, Aitor was the natural choice for the brand to approach to redesign the anniversary edition of their cult jacket. For his own innovative design, Throup has analysed all of the original elements of the first Goggle Jacket and has looked deep into the aspects of postural anatomy. He has gone deeper than the aesthetics and functional approaches of previous designs and has created a garment even more focused on the concept of driving. Aitor Throup had this to say on the 1000m Goggle Jacket: "I have taken a literal approach to driving ergonomics and functionality, with the aim of creating a piece which is even further informed by its driving concept than the original." The most distinguishing features are goggles, watch viewer window and detachable driving pouch. Aitor truly has pushed function and ergonomics and this is evident as much in the design process as it is in the finished design. I'm certainly not aware of any other driving jacket whose shape shifts in to a driving position when required!

The look of the past and the future. Two looks used in the recent issue of i-D.

For Aitor Throup the brand has not had the respect and attention that it's iconic designs deserve. This exhibition will surely change a few people's perceptions and understanding of C.P. Company. If you are unable to make it down to the RCA in the next couple of days, hopefully my excited ramblings combined with the below video help. Thanks to James Yeomans, Aitor Throup and the whole crew at C.P. Company, Being Hunted were able to provide us with this great time-lapse video that will show you how the installation was set-up...

C.P. Company Past and Future. from James Yeomans on Vimeo.

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Delving in to Antwerp with Delvaux

I saw so much during my weekend jaunt to Antwerp and apologise for not being able to blog about my experiences as fast as I wanted to but it was a hectic few days with limited blogging time (I know...excuses, excuses). Though the city might be be small in size, there is just so much to see in this beautiful city. As I am back in London now, it makes more sense to start at the end of my travels and work my way back, discussing the real highlights of a trip which was packed full of them. First up...a real suprise for me!

One of the last places we visited was the city's fashion museum, MoMu. Susie was desperate to see the Delvaux exhibition but I have to confess that I was less than keen. I thought the exhibition would be a showcase of luxurious handbags and little else but I'm so pleased we went because I was enthralled by the stylistic evolution of the house's output whilst seeing the often unseen side of the business, the skills of the designers and the artisans that represent the core of the company's values. A year older than the Belgian nation itself, Delvaux can claim to be the most Belgian of all luxury houses. The exhibition follows Delvaux from the maunfacture of travel goods for the local nobility in the nineteenth century, through the rise of the modern handbag in the twentieth century, to the company's vision of a new kind of elegance under its artistic director Veronique Branquinho. The creative process behind each bag has changed very little in the last sixty years, all products are still made by hand, the conpany is still in th family hands and Delvaux's output remains small but exclusive.

The travelling by train space...

Each mode of transport brought its own requirements for the baggage manufacture. founded in an era of when travel was largely horse drawn the company has survived through the revolutions and wars, and adapted to the requirements of ocean liners and railways, to bicycles, cars and jets. It is how the luxury house adapted its offering to the changing world around it which interested most whilst walking through the well curated exhibition space. Train travel assisted the rise of the modern business traveller, for whom Delvaux produced not just attache cases and document wallets, but overnight bags, equipment cases and even bespoke display trunks for travelling salesman.

The Newspaper Bag. Bruno Pieters for Delvaux, AW09-09.

I recently read about Monocle’s latest collaborative effort involves Belgian luxury brand Delvaux. Known for their leather goods, the Newspaper Bag features a woven Toile de Cuir exterior and a Basane Leather liner. The bag is sized appropriately for A4-sized documents and a laptop and I want one!

Monocle x Delvaux Newspaper Bag, available from Monocle

Besides leather-clad maps and holders for the driver's licence and Michelin guides, Delvaux provided the 1950s tourist motorist with gentleman's bags. This bags were capable of holding everything required for that perfect Kodak moment, with of course compartments for camera, pipe, postcards and even a handheld cine camera.

The cruise luggage of my dreams.

For those travelling in grand style on the ocean liners leaving Antwerp, luggage had to be capacious and extremely resistant both to impact and to damp. Delvaux certainly offered beautiful luggage which protected the cruise-wear finery of those first class travellers aboard. This selection of cases inspired the inner traveller in me, oh to travel the seas for months on end...oh, I can but dream.

Celebrating the great Surrealist, Magritte.

In Belgium, surrealism is not part of some wild, exotic dream scape but rather it infuses the everyday. This selection of bags celebrated Belgium's most famous and my favourite surrealist, Rene Magritte's 100rd Birthday and were released in 1998.

Leather working tools belonging to Bernard Gombert.

Delvaux bags are produced by a team of forty five craftsman in the atelier in Brussels and a further sixty working from a dedicated atelier in France. Each bag is immensely complex and such craft goes in to each one. One of the exhibition spaces evokes the atmosphere of the atelier and the leather store room at the Arsenal and focuses on the production of the Brilliant. The leather working tools in the exhibition belong to Bernard Gombert, head of Delvaux's technical department and I spent a good ten minutes staring at them, imagining how each instrument is used to create one of the famous bags. The exhibition was a great way to spend the final hour of my time in Antwerp. The exhibition runs until 21st February 2010 and is well worth the visit even if you aren't the worlds biggest handbag enthusiast like me!

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Fashion East's Menswear Installations

Oh what a day! Yesterday was truly a celebration of menswear design talent in the capital. The eclectic bunch of designers came together beautifully to showcase how diverse menswear can really be. Yesterday, saw the exciting launch of NEW GEN Men with James Long and Carolyn Massey kicking off proceedings and then of course there was MAN later in the day which continues to be a great vehicle for launching and nurturing new talent. I've written show reports for Topman's blog (which are now live) for all of the designers involved in these shows so I don't want to speak about them again just yet. For me, nothing represented the diversity of menswear more than Fashion East's Menswear installations.

Just a few of the many highlights on show as part of Fashion East's Installations

To walk around the East Wing of Somerset House and the Vaults uncovering the beautiful alongside the weird and wonderful made me feel like a rotund little kid in a sweet shop once again. Instead of ordering quarters of Toffee Crumble and bottles of Panda Pops to wash it at down, I was salivating over Mr. Hare's hot steppers, HbyHarris' H Jacket, the Afropunk of Casely-Hayford, the spiked fetishwear of Jaiden rVa James, Sibling's skull print Breton jumpers and the list goes on and on...Here are just a few of my favourite installations...

The above slip on hot steppers are on my Spring/Summer want/need list. From left to right, Sir Jablonsky and my current favourite, the Victor Boa.

After my first mad dash round armed with my camera and notepad I decided to take a breather and headed to Mr. Hare's room where I could talk shoes and listen to to his dancehall mixtape. For his showcase room, Mr Hare created a little jungle and those inside were certainly getting a little primal over the soft leathers and cutaways...

The King Tubbys! These suede numbers are certainly going to cause a stir on the blogosphere...

As mentioned previously each shoe is named after one of his favourite dancehall generals, Cachao, King Tubby, J.Dilla, Jerry Lee Lewis and even Phil Spector all feature. As well as the introduction of these new models, Mr Hare reworked a number of highlight models from his debut collection. The below tanned version of the Kerouac's are just beautiful.

The Levan and the reworked Kerouac.

We got an exclusive look of Casely-Hayford's SS10 collection yesterday with their leading look book image but this taste only intensified my hunger to see the collection in full. Regular readers will know just how much I loved their AW09 collection and I was eager to see what they had in store for us next.

Casely-Hayford's Kings of the Kings Land.

For SS10 the design duo took inspiration from the Kingland Road area of London, a seemingly unique and uncoventional corner of the city where original EastEnders co-exist with the more recently landed public school boys. For me, when I think of the area my stomach begins to rumble as I think about the abundance of tasty yet cheap Vietnamese restaurants. For the Casely-Hayford's the incongruous social mix conjures up a rich sartorial vocabulary. The area is home to more artists than any other part of London and these creators have spawned a plethora of contemporary visual statements which have collectively forged a template for a new English style.

The pattered trousers of 80s style body builders originate from King's Gym. Chic, streamlined sportswear of the area has become something of a uniform of the modern day Rude Boys. As embroidered brogues and printed garments fuse elements of traditional English tailoring with the ornate embellishment of Turkish handwork and craft.

The palette is understated and somewhat subdued using their signature colours of mushroom, navy and cream but vibrant colours burst through the collection with accessories inspired by African textiles.

The emphasis is on lightweight tailoring, super light outerwear, transparency and print. For Casely-Hayford SS10 is about a dangerous elegance and I'm not frightened of a little danger now and then.

The last area which I'd like to quickly mention before I bore you all is H by Harris's padded cell which was located deep in the vaults and showed off his quilted accessories. We interviewed former stylist Harris Elliott back in August but this was the first real chance I had to inspect the collection up close. As mentioned previously, the debut H by Harris collection comprises of two lines, the Q hand quilted nappa leather and the SH wax hide leather collection. Styles include rucksacks, totes, weekend bags, satchels and laptop skins and of course the H jacket which I've been drooling over for some time and even more so now I've seen it.

H by Harris' H Jacket.

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A wardrobe staple reimagined...

After a quiet weekend enjoying the sunshine by the coast I have spent the morning procrastinating slightly by catching up on all of the things I've missed on the t'internet. After a few quick scans of my favourite sites and blogs I was stopped in my tracks by a post on Fashion156's daily blog. Images from the T-Shirt Issue project made me do a double take at the screen as I saw one of my favourite wardrobe staples transformed in to art. For the T-Shirt Issue, Berlin based Linda Kostowski and Mashallah Design experimented and manipulated grey jersey sweatshirts to create three digital portraits.

I am a devoted, borderline obsessive, disciple of grey jersey but I have never seen this comfortable, safe and reliable staple used in such an architectural and imagination capturing way before. Regular readers will know that I am a huge fan of Aitor Throup and this project certainly bears some resemblance to his design process. Here, three people are portrayed digitally by scanning their bodies to create a 3D file, which resolution is defined by the number of polygons depicted. The 3D data is turned into 2D sewing patterns by the use of the unfolding function (a common tool in industrial design process to make paper models with) with the help of a laser cutter. Making a clothes pattern in this way changes the aesthetics of the garment fundamentally and frees the designers imagination. A little research has shown that this project was shown at Create Berlin in September 2008 which I missed out on but it is currently on show in California at WoW. Below is a closer look at the designs along with quotes from the individuals involved...

Linda..

"She changed my life from the first moment I was fitting her, when she slipped through my drapery purring. The sounds she made, unerring and self-confident. She fills my design with ease, making me believe in her more then ever."

Markus...

"After hearing a story about a boy brought up by a wolf i wanted this more than anything else. The wolf would have accompanied my nocturnal wanderings, would have eagerly shared my reconnaissances and sometimes my thunderous sighs."

Paul...
"When I was small and just about to learn swimming I was petrified that my swimmies would leak. I squeezed them constantly to check the air level. Surprisingly the swimmies had a different effect outside the water, they gave me tremendous self assurance. In default of that I just left them on all the time."

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An afternoon flicking through 'When you're a boy'

(When you're a boy) You can wear a uniform (When you're a boy) Other boys check you out (You get a girl) These are you favourite things (When you're a boy)
David Bowie and Brian Eno, Boys Keep Swinging (1979)

Two weeks have passed since the opening of Simon Foxton's When you're a boy exhibition at the Photographer's Gallery and the closest I've got to the images is the Gallery Shop whilst seeking shelter from (one of many) Summer downpours. Alas, we just didn't have enough time to explore the exhibition space fully so rather than trudge my sodden hi tops around I just picked up the exhibition catalogue. For those of you who have not been to able to see the exhibition yet, why not make yourself a cup of tea, sit in a comfy chair and pour over the pages as I have done this afternoon and marvel at Foxton's amazing body of work...

From 'Punk', photographed by Nick Knight. Published in The Face, Feb 1986

The exhibition explores exactly what a great stylist contributes to a fashion photograph beyond selecting clothes and dressing models. Through the impressive body of work of pre-eminent menswear stylist, the exhibition traces the growth and development of men's fashion over the past three decades. Foxton has deservedly built himself a reputation as one of the leading image-makers of men’s fashion; anticipating and defining key shifts in menswear design throughout. the 80s, 90s and 00s. Foxton's interest in masculinity, ethnicity and sexuality are captured in images shot by photographers and longtime collaborators Alistair McLellan, Nick Knight and Jason Evans. Foxton's contribution to fashion photography goes way beyond the production process that precede a shoot, and towards offering a benchmark of taste; it is a singular world view. In combination with longstanding photographic partners (Knight, Evans, McLellan) who each bring their own specific perspectives to bear on the work produced, Foxton's unique perspective inspires discrete and different bodies of work.

Left: From 'Punk', photographed by Nick Knight. Published in The Face, Feb 1986. Right: From 'War' photographed by Nick Knight. Version published in Big, No.18, 1987

Elements of the styling practice that Foxton had been responsible for popularising in the 1980s - street casting, customisation, inveigling non-fashion accessories into shoots, using 'model's' own clothing - were crucial in shaping the identity of my favourite magazines whilst growing up and beyond. Foxton began styling for i-D in 1984, at a time when the visual language of fashion photography was still being established. Since then he has contributed to my favourite magazines and more including The Face, Arena, Arena Homme Plus, Vogue Hommes International, Details, W, GQ Style and Big Magazine. Without his work, the magazines that we know and love would certainly not be the same.

From 'Strictly', photgrpahed by Jason Evans. Published in i-D, July 1991

There is a great Penny Martin interview with Simon Foxton in his garden shed featured inside the catalogue, below are a few of my favourite questions and answers...

Penny Martin: How did you make the shift from designing to styling?

Simon Foxton: When I had my own little design company, I found the whole process of from imagining the clothing to the realisation and production such a long, laborious and tedious journey. The idea that I could come up with ways of dressing people to make them look different and for it to happen almost immediately was like a big light going on in my head. I thought "I don't have to deal with factories in the East End, or order buttons. I can actually come up with ideas and make them happen within a week."

From 'Hey there fancy pants', photographed by Jason Evans. Published in i-D, May 2004

Penny Martin: If not money, what do you think still motivates you after twenty five years?

Simon Foxton: It is only when you stop and look at it, like now, with doing an exhibition, that you think "God, I have been doing this for twenty five years! Why?" I don't know. It is partly because it is fun. The commercial things can be tough but the editorial is usually great: having a freehand to make images. Once that whole character is there, it's almost like giving birth. I've created this thing and it's like "wow, I've not seen that before, a person dressed in that way." That is enough for me.

From 'Atlas', photographed by Alasdair McLellan. Published in Arena Homme Plus, AW 2003/04

With wit, sophistication and irreverence, Foxton continues to redefine perceptions of masculinity with his uniquely thrilling and fantastical portrayals of men. During his twenty five year career, Foxton has evolved a highly recognisable and much emulated approach to creating fashion photography. An approach which sees him balance a deep respect for traditional men’s fashion design with an injection of street culture, popular imagery and much needed humour. He is quite simply the quintessential menswear stylist, consistently progressing men’s fashion and truly deserves this exhibition. If you are in town anytime from today until October 17th, you have to make a trip to this exhibition...if you've already been, please let us know what you thought.

Selection of shots published in i-D, unpublished work and webcasts on SHOWstudio.com

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Why and what next in London Fashion?

"Why and What Next in London Fashion?" is a panel discussion at the Design Museum this Friday, June 12, 7-8PM. I will be part of this informal seminar where we will discuss what directions London fashion might be headed for in the future and it would be great if some of you could come down. Thankfully I will not be on my own (so you won't be forced to merely listen to the ramblings of a persistant mumbler) and I might just hide behind an impressive list of fellow bloggers including Alex Fury from SHOWstudio, Elaine Robertson of YouWereNeverLovelier, Jeanie Annan-Lewin of FatFashionAssistant, Leon Bailey-Green, Rebekah Roy of Stylist Stuff, Vicki Loomes from Fashion156 and I've even managed to drag a certain Susie along with me as well. The talk is part of the Super Contemporary exhibition which aims to celebrate the fearlessly progressive spirit of London's greatest creative minds, past and present. If you are in London tomorrow night then please do come down to the Design Museum as we explore the why and what next in London fashion?

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RCA's Class of 2008 at the V&A

Katie Eary's work shot by Fashion156

The Royal College of Art’s MA show is always packed with spectacular, individual work. Last year was no exception so why not spend a little time this weekend marvelling at the previous graduates' handiwork before the next class get their chance to showcase their talents!? Today the V&A opens a free exhibition which showcases work by a selection of graduates from the class of 2008 from Royal College of Art. This display features highlights from the selection fashion MA graduates' final collections and will reveal aspects of the design process. The exhibition will feature highlights from the graduates’ final collections and ranges from an oversize handbag to a leopard print suit (Katie Eary). It will also reveal aspects of their design process through preliminary sketches, illustrations, models and the finished garment.

Fifty five outfits and accessories from twenty seven designers are displayed in four sections - Concept, Form, Technique and Detail. Each section will explore the design stages the students go through to create their final collection from their inspiration to the finished garment, and will include preparatory drawings, design boards and photographs. It is worth repeating that this is a free exhibition and will be run in the Fashion Room right through to January 31st 2010.

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C.P. Company / Aitor Throup: The evolution of an icon

April absolutely flew by for me. I am quite sure that someone had their finger firmly pressed on the fast forward button throughout those supposedly thirty days because I was little more than a voyeur as everything passed me by. With this in mind I need a little time in May to catch up on everything that I missed. One such missed event was the exhibition to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of C.P. Company's most iconic piece, the Mille Miglia Jacket which saw Aitor Throup design the latest incarnation.

Throup's sketch of his design for the 1000m Goggle Jacket

From the very first jacket made for the sponsoring of the Mille Miglia car race to the special edition created in collaboration with Aitor Throup, C.P. Company’s journey is told through the different steps of this iconic item which, season after season, has been subject to continuous transformation and experimentation. As always with Throup the exhibition tells a story of materials, special treatments and shape research.


For the benefit of those of you who are unfamiliar with the Mille Miglia and the role of C.P Company in its history...the Mille Miglia Car race, was a one thousand miles open-road endurance race that started in 1927. In 1988 C.P. Company sponsored the race and for this special occasion Massimo Osti exclusively designed and produced, as a promotional piece for the Mille Miglia competitors, the very first Goggle Jacket.

To celebrate both the past and future of this jacket the company hosted a special exhibition at their showroom in Milan during the 2009 International Furniture Fair. The exhibition, curated by Aitor Throup, featured the new design as well as 20 Mille Miglia jackets selected from the C.P. Company archive. Of course I was unable to visit myself but through the wonders of the Internet we can all live vicariously through thenonplace who was fortunate enough to see Throup's interpretation of the iconic Osti design first hand.

Aitor Throup had this to say on the 1000m Goggle Jacket: "I have taken a literal approach to driving ergonomics and functionality, with the aim of creating a piece which is even further informed by its driving concept than the original."

As mentioned every time I jot down the designer's name, I was fortunate enough to listen in to his conversation with Sarah Mower at the V&A last Summer and during this chat Throup's face lit up and his passion took over as soon as he started talking about this iconic jacket. Both the label and the jacket mean so much to him. During the 80s the C.P. Company was a label of choice for the football 'casual' and has ultimately become something of a taboo here despite being held in high regard throughout the rest of Europe. For Throup the brand has not had the respect and attention that the designs deserve and this exhibition will hopefully change a few people's perceptions and understanding of C.P. Company. For more information on the exhibition and Throup's design please visit Being Hunted's Youtube page because they have recently uploaded three videos shot in Milan during the exhibition (including the Twenty Jackets installation, an interview with Aitor, as well as a closer peek at his 20th anniversary Goggle Jacket).

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Paper Cut Tailoring

Our recent trip to Antwerp saw us take in some culture as well as just the over eating and stock sale hunting. One of the highlights for me, was the trip to the MOMU to marvel at the Paper Fashion exhibition. The exhibition brings together the most remarkable collection of paper fashion creations. In addition to the historic objects from Ancient China and Japan, the exhibition includes designs by Hussein Chalayan, A.F. Vandevorst, John Galliano, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Issey Miyake to name just a few. Although there has been no real question of paper fashion as such since 1968 (previously anything was possible with paper fashion from pop art to political campaign slogans), countless important fashion houses and designers have experimented with paper or with materials that resemble paper.

Of course the exhibition had a heavy womenswear slant but their were still the odd nugget of menswear to savour. Namely James Rosenquist's famous paper suit for Hugo Boss that he wore to Pop art openings and parties in the 1960s. Rosenquist in his paper suit transcended mere fashion and became the perfect embodiment of the era.

Recently remade of Tyvek(r) (a nonwoven fabric made from spun-bonded olefin) brings Rosenquist's paper suit into the new millenium. This extraordinary garment represents the increasingly explicit link between art and fashion and marries the most enduring form of menswear with the "throwaway" nature of paper.

The fragility of paper stimulated the textiles industry to seek out alternative materials that looked like paper, but which offered more possibilities. Ultimately, Tyvek proved to be the only one of these materials that would continue to be used in the textiles industry to the present day. When I posted about Saskia Diez's use of the fabric I was most intrigued by it and meant to explore its use further (Miuccia used it expertly to provide monochromatic colour blocks for MiuMiu SS07 collection - it became the outerwear of choice from the bomber jackets to the boxy plebian coats with micro collars) and was even pointed in the direction of Cloth House where the fabric is available. Following a great deal of papier inspiration at the exhibition I will make that trip to Berwick Street this weekend for a closer look.

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