Perspective Apparel Spring/Summer 2010/2011 Collection| FACE Fashion Event at CarriageWorks | Sydney | Images | Photos | 2010
Perspective Apparel builds itself on the idea “the difference between style and fashion is perspective.”
This interesting concept came to life of the runways of FACE Fashion to prove that there is more to sexed-up style than sparkles and sleek cuts.
The collections shown could be looked at with the perspective that they are casual and perfect for lazing or that they are an opportunity to express yourself and be eccentric with dressing.
Perspective Apparel is not limited to one sex, and it’s open-for-interpretation concept that can be seen in each stitch demonstrates that this is a brand of clothing that can be fun and exciting to wear
Australian swim brand Vorgee has launched the country’s first polarised swimming goggles – the Osprey – giving Aussie triathletes and open water swimmers the cutting-edge advantage.
18 months in the making, Vorgee’s Osprey goggles use the same type of polarising lenses found in leading sunglass brands. Vorgee first had the idea a couple of years ago when they kept hearing complaints from open water swimmers of the problems they were having with reflective glare off the water and its affect on their vision and performance.
The Vorgee design team ran with the concept and began to research the kinds of polarising lenses worn by other sports people – cyclists, skiers, sailors – who need to perform to a high level in glary, reflective environments. Their findings were then applied to swimming goggle technology and the Vorgee Osprey was born.
Osprey goggles feature polarised, UV protected, anti-fog coated, enlarged lenses that provide zero distortion and optimum viewing clarity, no matter what the conditions. Combine this with an oversized, one piece lens and frame design that enhances comfort and sight lines, plus a quick fit strap system, and you have the perfect goggles for open water swimming.
Vorgee’s Osprey goggles will also be available in tinted and clear lens versions for pool swimming.
The Osprey goes on sale at participating aquatic centres throughout Australia in September 2009.
The pavilion at Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival was standing room only. The crowd had been kept waiting a little under half an hour, and were welcomed by a cheeky television personality grabbing voice pops from the designers seated in the front row. Usually when the lights go out at a catwalk show, the tone in the room is very serious. This was not the case at the Summer Holiday session. Jokes about mankinis and male-kaftans were made and the crowd that had been kept waiting in the claustrophobic pavilion had been brought back down to earth.
Jets By Jessika Allen was the debut parade for the Summer holiday series. It was a surprise to see a shift away from the usual strong cuts and nautical looks of this swimwear label. Usually, Jets By Jessika Allen is famous for the classic nostalgia it brings back to swimwear- but this time on the catwalk, the Modern Muse Collection all but did away with this tradition. The cuts were a lot softer this season, many of the costumes featured frills and (very puzzlingly) some of the models were seen to carry clutches that were traditional to evening wear. After a few minutes of seeing what could be purchased at David Jones the room slid into silent darkness. Clever light-sound technology stimulated the feeling of a aeroplane landing just outside the hangar. This signalled the new arrival of the Jets Menswear collection, which had never been seen on runways before. The Jets Menswear collection was a bipolar opposite to Borat’s Mankini. The Jets Menswear is a collective of boy leg trunks and patterns which complimented this seasons women’s wear. In the end, the Jets range was all about the women. The clutches suddenly made sense when the kaftans were unveiled. The Kaftans of Jets by Jessika Allen could be easily mistaken as glamorous cocktail-wear, reminding the audience that while the label has grown to take monopoly of the hi-fashion swimwear market in Australia it is still focussed on feminine summertime splendour.
Flamingo Sands followed Jets. While Jets can be worn by all ages, Flamingo Sands is definitely a young label because of it’s bright and busy prints. The thin string bikini’s brought about memories of hot, humid days spent on the beach in Surfer’s Paradise.
As always, Camilla was the Kaftan Queen. Models were marched down the catwalk in flowing fabrics, posing just at the end in a flutter of colourful fabric, the likes of which drew a direct parallel to a butterfly. Prints on the fabrics were blended between palm leaves, tropical flowers and animal prints- with every kaftan showing a mixture of all these Summer conventions.
Kooey is a very Australian name for a swimwear label and the didgeridoo instrumental that started the display made it clear that they are damn proud of it. The Australian pride was carried strongly in the colours of the one-piece costumes which reflected the desert climate. A closer look on their website showed that they also stock the all-aussie rashie and female boardies. However, what was seen tonight on the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival was definitely glamorous and with the frills and hugging cuts, showed an influence taken from the Jets design.
For all of the five minutes White Sands were on the catwalk, the label showed that they were
able to re-invent themselves and the typical expectancies of swimwear to create a delightful collection for Summer 2009. The highlight of the White Sands show was the Southern Summer bikini print which displayed an embossed palm leaf against a solid-cut bikini and one-piece design. When palm leafs are thought of in the world of swimwear, they resemble a tacky plastic image that people try to look away from. White Sands managed to recreate this symbol to be something of intrigue and style.
Lenny was the last swimwear designer to showcase their wears on the Summer Holiday runway. It could be said that they were the most original. Instead of drawing inspiration from Goddess-like forms and divine Summer settings, the Lenny designers decided to focus on the Serpent and the colours of the earth and the water. Soft browns and cool blues showed the meeting of the water and the earth, while the scattered scales of the prints kept the serpent motif slithering strongly.
The Summer Holiday Display finished in a confusing manner. Models plodded to the end of the catwalk, to brief applause and then a Rosemount advertisement began to flood the aural atmosphere- but it was cut- the houselights then turned on and the crowed tent was left unsure whether to stand and leave the pavilion or whether each designer would send models out to gain a round of applause. Perhaps there was some kind of technical difficulty with the audio-visual order of things or perhaps the one-time showcases of each designer was all that was needed to leave the spectators in awe.
There was plenty of drama in the world of swimming this week, resulting in a number of bans being imposed on various people and swim wear. First and foremost, Canadian swimming coach Cecil Russell has had his application for reinstatement rejected for a second time. Russell received a life time ban in 1997 for a doping infraction and initially was accepted. However under closer scrutiny by the CCES, it was found that Russell was convicted of conspiracy to possess ecstasy with intent to distribute and was sentenced to 4 years in prison in Arizona in March 2004, and as a result had the decision overturned. To the shock of many in the swimming world, some parents are still allowing Russell to coach their children.
The debate surrounding the new high tech performance enhancing swimsuits has finally been settled, well at the high school level anyway. The National Federation of State High Schools Association has officially banned the use of these super suits, effective immediately. They have also imposed tough restrictions on what swimmers can wear during competitions. Swimmers are now limited to one suit which must be permeable to both air and water and may not contain any zips or fasteners. For the boys they must not go above the waist or below the knee and for the girls it cannot go beyond the shoulders or below the knees, necks must remain bare. “The committee knew that in order to preserve the integrity, tradition and heritage of the sport, as well as protect and enhance the interscholastic swimming program, these new requirements were necessary to promote fair play and the educational values of high school and could not wait another year,” Becky Oakes, NFHS assistant director and liaison to the swimming and Diving rules committee, said in a statement.
On a far more personal note, Speedos or the beloved ‘budgie smugglers’, an Australian icon since their introduction in 1914, has recently been banned at popular European water park Alton Towers. In a statement from management, the reason behind this ban was to help avoid embarrassment among patrons and to promote a more family friendly environment with more aesthetically pleasing and less revealing swim wear on display.
On the topic of teensy weensy swim wear, ex bay watch star Pam Anderson will be in New Zealand strutting her stuff on the catwalk to promote her new line of enviro / animal friendly swimwear during New Zealand fashion week. But the question on everyone’s lips (including her publicist) is…. will the suits be too skimpy for the casually renowned kiwis?
But it’s not all bad news this week, at the Hobart veterans swim titles some fantastic and nail biting new commonwealth records were set. New South Welshman Adam Pine carried his good form into the final of the 100m butterfly, producing a powerful finish to win in a new Commonwealth record time of 49.71 seconds and taking nearly half a second
off his own record set last year. Earlier, 30-year-old Ashley Callus set an Australian record to finish the fastest qualifier in the 50m freestyle semis, clocking in at 21.06 seconds. Queenslander Emily Seebohm won the 100m backstroke with a time of 57.47 seconds, setting a new commonwealth record, and then moments later went on to set the fastest personal time in the 100m medley and was the only swimmer to break the minute mark. Victorian Sarah Katsoulis set a new commonwealth record of 29.61 seconds in the 50m breast stroke, beating club mate Leisel Jones. Thomas Fraser-Holmes put in a mammoth effort in the 400m individual medley, prevailing over fellow competitor Leith Brodie by 3 seconds. And finally Libbie Trickett qualified fastest for the final of the 100m freestyle.
Elements from the outskirts of Africa and Brazilian beaches were the key inspiration for the Italian designers at the Milan Fashion Week spring/summer 2010 show.
Big designer names such as Dolce and Gabbana, Versace, Gucci and Giorgio Armani showcased their creative craftsmanship that presented ideas about the meaning of freedom, beauty and luxury casuals.
Dolce and Gabbana opened their show flamboyantly with rich sequined pieces and distressed jeans with a heavy focus on embroidery.
The famous designer duo accessorized the look with square-shaped bags and sunglasses to further highlight the “extreme beauty” of the collection.
“Everything is about beauty and elegance” said Stefano Gabbana.
Gucci’s designer Frida Giannini’s collection took up manly pursuits which features featherweight leather jackets, printed shirts, hooded anoraks and glossy suits.
Inspired by Brazilian beaches, Giannini said the collection signified “a desire of escapism, of lightness and freedom with the sporty and super chic attitude of someone who can take long holidays on the Brazilian beaches.”
Donatella Versace offered unbuttoned tunics in neutral hues, leather sandals, light trousers, work bags, silver and leather plaited jewellery. The designer also used prints with neutral palettes such as sand, khaki and white to emphasize her outback desert look with flashes of violet, orange and green for a romantic touch.
Cold weather and rainy days wasn’t forgotten with big parkas in bold colours of yellow, blue and red and finely quilted coats can be seen at Burberry Prorsums’ rainwear collection. Chelsea boots and sweaters with cross straps accentuated the cool factor and ready-to-wear in the dampened times.
Other trends include printed patterns from graphic checks and stripes, reptilian- like leather bags and shoes, silky shirts and knitted patchworks with colours of green, blue, red, orange, earthy tones and purple are sure to be a hit for the spring and summer season.
BLK1 Model. BLK1 Swimsuit photo shoot. Photographer: Peter Sollner
A luxurious Roman villa dating back to 320 CE, The Villa Romana del Casale is adorned with statutes, wall paintings and beautiful mosaics. Between the Corridor of the Great Hunt and the Hall of Orpheus and through the ante-chamber, there is a room featuring mosaics of ten young women. The woman on the far left of the room is holding hand-weights, another young woman is about to swing a discus and two young women are embraced in a heated running competition. In the centre of the mosaic is the winner clad in golden mantle, with a palm leaf in her left hand and a rose crown adorning her temple. The geometric mosaic derives its fame not from the decorative lining of the coloured guilloches or the athletic motifs of the early Roman era but from the bikini-style costumes framing the girls’ lithe bodies. Part early-eroticism, part-historical ornamentation, the bikini-clad girls pay homage to a bygone era, whilst reminding us that this era may nevertheless have been a tad ahead of our time.
Much has been written about the swimsuit, whether in the style of the bikini or one-piece, as this simple piece of fabric holds up a mirror to the society that we have moulded. What distinguishes the swimsuit from other garments is that it represents a direct measure of what society is willing to tolerate in terms of exposure of the body. The evolution of swimwear represents more than just shifting expectations. It stands as somewhat of a cultural zeitgeist, representing the ethical and political climate of an era.
The 19th Century represented an era of reserved dignity, with women often wearing dresses for bathing, accompanied by knee length pants underneath. It was also common for women to wear tights and boots in the water. Swimwear at this time was characterised largely by conservatism and modesty, with a focus away from the body, with loose fitting and covered garments. The removal of boots to reveal the knee is one of the first signs of a more relaxed attitude to swimwear.
The 1920s represented somewhat of a cultural shift in terms of liberating the woman’s body. The long dresses were replaced with figure-hugging wool jersey tank suits. The bathing suits were cut off mid-thigh, inching the wandering eye just a tad higher, and the swimsuit was fitted with built-in modesty pants. A bathing cap in the style of a cloche hat was a popular accompaniment to the latest swimsuit.
The 1930s represented a departure from the somewhat androgynous silhouette of the 1920s. Cotton printed bathing suits with over-skirts were the new style and the 1930s garnered a greater focus on the commercialisation of swimwear as a reflection of popular fashion and style. Musical films of the era featuring synchronised swimming and stars like Esther Williams propelled a risk-pushing new suit, with bikini up top but a longer and more covered bottom. There was a noticeable shift toward a more liberal interpretation of the one-piece, although certain social sectors such as the Catholic Women’s League continued to advocate for modesty, with a one-piece bathing suit covering the top of the knees. Nevertheless, the new risqué swimsuit paved the way for a lingerie-styled one-piece – the 1940s corset swimsuit.
The 1940s corset swimsuit, which largely continued in prominence throughout the 1950s and 1960s, incorporated a greater variety of swimwear fabrics, such as lined cotton, stretch latex and nylon. The new swimsuits were designed to flatter the female figure with tummy control panels, bra cups for additional support and extra side boning to contour an hourglass physique and to hide flaws.
2008 Black one-piece swimsuit
Unbeknownst to French engineer Louis Réard in 1946, the bikini, which has existed in some form since 320 CE, was at the time heralded as a ground-breaking invention that would shape and shift cultural expectations of modesty and revive the sexuality of the modern female. The invention of the bikini caused such a stir that it was compared with the gravity of the first atomic bomb test the same year on the Bikini Atoll – an atoll consisting of 36 Micronesian Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is from this historical source that the bikini derives its name.
The 1960s saw the introduction of Lycra women’s swimwear and an increased focus on fabric texture, in particular a focus on swimwear that provides for stretch and pull. Although pleated over-skirts remained in style, the one-piece had to be continually revived to compete with its two-piece competitor. The legs of the swimsuit were often cut higher and straight across to make for a more attractive figure. The 1960s one-piece was heralded as the swimsuit for all shapes and sizes for its comfort and modesty. A later version, such as the Gottex one-piece, accommodates for individual cup sizes and includes control tummy panels to provide maximum support and coverage. The Gottex V-Neck one-piece is particularly flattering for apple-shaped women with a larger bust and thicker waistline and is high-cut to accentuate leaner and longer legs. Gottex showcased its 2007 50th Anniversary Couture collection at ECQ Terrace in Sydney, with a stunning exhibition of custom-made swim corsets, bejeweled detailing and even a bridal piece set. The extravagant collection had catapulted the one-piece swimsuit well into the realm of hi-fashion couture.
1973 saw the introduction of the World Championships for swimming and competitive swimming finally got a firm-fitting one-piece that provided for greater agility in the swimming pool. Competitive swimwear has continued to develop over the years, with the latest invention of the Speedo LZR skin suit acting as a full-bodied water repellent. Some celebrate the LZR suit as innovative design technology; whilst others deride it as “tech doping” and complain that since national teams are often sponsored by manufacturers, nations sponsored by Speedo are gaining an unfair advantage. Representatives for Speedo have acknowledged that the suit improves drag resistance by up to 10% and increases oxygen efficiency by 5%. There appears to be some validity to the “tech doping” accusations, since at the 2008 World Championships in Manchester, 8 of the 9 world record breakers were wearing the latest hi-tech Speedo suits.
Whatever your opinion on the latest design technology, one thing is for certain – the swimsuit has moved well beyond its humble beginnings and stands today not only as a measure of sexual revolution but as a measure of human progress.
BLK1 Model. BLK1 Swimsuit photo shoot. Photographer: Peter Sollner
On a far more personal note, Speedos or the beloved ‘budgie smugglers’, an Australian icon since their introduction in 1914, has recently been banned at popular European water park Alton Towers. In a statement from management, the reason behind this ban was to help avoid embarrassment among patrons and to promote a more family friendly environment with more aesthetically pleasing and less revealing swim wear on display.
