This one could definitely be filed under 'philosophy and fashion' or 'architecture and fashion' too. Grace Coddington sure loves her editorials steeped in art history, and this one is a bonanza of references. Constructivism, Bauhaus, Cubism, and most of all it seems Futurism - especially since it mentioned "a dash of 1920s utopia".
It is a well known fact for those who know me personally that I really, really don't like Futurism. I dislike this movement so much, a movement carried out by sinister Italian men in the 1920s and focused on machines and movement and, yes, the future, that on a recent trip to the Tate I went out of my way to specifically pose for photos with unimpressed facial expressions beside Boccioni's walking Man Sculpture. I do, however, like Le Corbusier, even though his 1920s utopian plans for the future failed miserably - which is worse than them not ever coming to fruition at all. Since I've brought it up, before we look at the Vogue spread, let's have a wee look at Corbusier-esque "utopias", shall we?
Le Corbusier's original dream, Plan Voisin. Terrifying.
Failure Number One: Unite d'Habitation
Lowdown: Orignially created by Corbusier as an apartment-block community for those left homeless after WWII. Cost too much to build so apartments ended up being sold to yuppies.
Failure Number Two: Pruitt-Igoe
Lowdown: 1950s urban housing development from St Louis, Missouri in the spirit of Le Courbusier's utopian communities. Turned into a slum and was demolished by the 70s (watch this documentary about it!)
Failure Number Three: Cabrini Green
Lowdown: Basically a Chicago version of Pruitt-Igoe. A poster child for a specific strain of American woe. The last building in the complex was demolished only last year!
Of course the architecture we're looking at in this editorial is closer to Bauhaus than to these Corbusier-esque housing complexes, but Vogue mentioned "1920s Utopias", not me. And there are also plenty of high-brow references to things such as Constructivism and Picasso and Cocteau. And the result of all of this? Well it's kind of creepy and off to be honest - but there's something so non-Vogue and generally wrong about it all that I really like it. I loved the colours, have a love/hate relationship with the architecture, thought the clothes were somewhat bad but it all works out. Fassbender doesn't hurt either of course.
Editorial images from vogue.com
It is a well known fact for those who know me personally that I really, really don't like Futurism. I dislike this movement so much, a movement carried out by sinister Italian men in the 1920s and focused on machines and movement and, yes, the future, that on a recent trip to the Tate I went out of my way to specifically pose for photos with unimpressed facial expressions beside Boccioni's walking Man Sculpture. I do, however, like Le Corbusier, even though his 1920s utopian plans for the future failed miserably - which is worse than them not ever coming to fruition at all. Since I've brought it up, before we look at the Vogue spread, let's have a wee look at Corbusier-esque "utopias", shall we?
Le Corbusier's original dream, Plan Voisin. Terrifying.
Failure Number One: Unite d'Habitation
Lowdown: Orignially created by Corbusier as an apartment-block community for those left homeless after WWII. Cost too much to build so apartments ended up being sold to yuppies.
Failure Number Two: Pruitt-Igoe
Lowdown: 1950s urban housing development from St Louis, Missouri in the spirit of Le Courbusier's utopian communities. Turned into a slum and was demolished by the 70s (watch this documentary about it!)
Failure Number Three: Cabrini Green
Lowdown: Basically a Chicago version of Pruitt-Igoe. A poster child for a specific strain of American woe. The last building in the complex was demolished only last year!
Of course the architecture we're looking at in this editorial is closer to Bauhaus than to these Corbusier-esque housing complexes, but Vogue mentioned "1920s Utopias", not me. And there are also plenty of high-brow references to things such as Constructivism and Picasso and Cocteau. And the result of all of this? Well it's kind of creepy and off to be honest - but there's something so non-Vogue and generally wrong about it all that I really like it. I loved the colours, have a love/hate relationship with the architecture, thought the clothes were somewhat bad but it all works out. Fassbender doesn't hurt either of course.
Editorial images from vogue.com
Fassbender AND cabrini green? Wooo!
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