Referencing 參考

各大著名鞋匠之中我覺得Christian Louboutin先生傲氣，Jimmy Choo先生內斂，而Manolo Blahnik就最幽默，這些特質其實都可以從他們鞋履設計中看得到。這雙Manolo Arleti高跟鞋就是讓我想起超現實主義Surrealism，感覺天馬行空。

我對時裝和藝術的關係很感興趣，這倆一直有著不解之緣，而且是很有歷史的關係。我尤其喜歡Surrealism超現實主義。時裝設計師和超現實主義藝術家互相影響，互相參考，各種創作把現實扭曲，卻用在人每天都接觸到的衣服上是我覺得極有趣的地方。Elsa Schiaparelli可以說是這種唇齒關係表表者之一，她跟Leonor Fini，Jean Cocteau，Meret Oppenheim，Alberto Giacometti等藝術家非常友好，其中跟好友Salvador Dalí的Lobster Dress和Shoe Hat相信不少人都熟悉。這種referencing讓Elsa Schiaparelli的時裝設計天馬行空，她的大部分作品現在出現於個大博物館藝術館展出及保存。Schiaparelli的膽創意程度及風格當今大概只有Miuccia Prada可以媲美，上年在Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute展出的Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations的確很有意思，兩位跨時代女設計師其實很有默契，對於女性服裝有著獨特見解。

時裝界名人很多都有歷史背景，不是說他們老得像千年老妖，而我認為有歷練或修讀歷史的人在時裝行業都特別得心應手。時裝是虛無飄渺的嗎？是設計師無意中想出來的念頭嗎？這個行業從設計到時裝秀到雜誌時裝大片都是有根有據。懂得越多歷史、藝術，有越多藝術家朋友靈感就越多，如Grace Coddington為美國Vogue拍攝的著名二十年代時裝大片，試問不了解那時期豈能造出最真實的極盡奢華呢？

Out of all the men behind shoemaking mega brands – well, I might have been blessed to appear in the same occasion with them but obviously I don’t know any of them personally – I think Mr. Christian Louboutin is a proud man, Mr. Jimmy Choo is reserved and Mr. Manolo Blahnik the most whimsical and humorous of all. All observations are deduced from shoe designs of their namesake brands. This pair of Manolo Arleti heels reminds me so much of surrealism, maybe it’s the colourway, maybe it’s just me, but there’s just this abstract and fanciful vibe about it.

The relation between fashion and art is one of the many intellectual topics that fascinates me. Fashion and art can go way back, but let’s just go back to surrealism this time. Fashion designers and surrealist artists work together and reference each other, distorting reality and creating something completely new. What I love about it is the ingenious notion of distorting reality but creating reality at the same time, that is, clothes. Elsa Schiaparelli might well be the epitome of fashion and surrealism. Her Lobster Dress and Shoe Hat with good friend Salvador Dalí were most famed. Friends with surrealism artists such as Leonor Fini, Jean Cocteau, Maret Oppenheim and Alberto Giacometti, Schiaparelli’s pieces were full of imagination. A lot of her pieces are exhibited and stored in renowned museums to date.

Miuccia Prada might be one of the few fashion designers with comparable artistic, uncompromising and imaginative vision of Schiaparelli’s. Last year the Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute was a rare occasion that brought these two heroines of fashion together. Two epochal female designers with tacit understanding, both enthusing the world with beautiful and visionary insights.

Influential people in fashion usually have a lot of background, I’m not talking about their age, but usually a history background or life experiences are particularly handy in the industry. If you think fashion is shallow, empty and illusory then you are wrong. From fashion design, fashion shows to magazine editorials, every bit of detail comes with excellent reasoning and referencing is an integral part. Inspiration comes from history, art and maybe friends who are artists in a completely different realm. Without in-depth historical knowledge of a particular era, how could the infamous Grace Coddington Twenties shoot come to life with same decadence?