Gareth Pugh Fall Ready-To-Wear 2018. London Fashion Week
You should be at times cynical, not as a sign of getting older, but as an acknowledgment in which one is always learning. Cynicism is to question. Never subscribe to populist leanings, particularly if you are of the creative mind, as it is prudent to steer away from the herd mentality. There is no safety in numbers, nor in its collectivism. Art and fashion must always stand on its own as a self respect to the individual, as it will be his or her efforts which push the boundaries. To stay clear of, or at least maintain an ambiguity, within the realms of politicization and at this point in time – a polarized world. That, in our ad hoc digital age of social ‘media’ dependency, the politicized and ‘outraged’ hashtag tediums, is by its accessible inundation an absurdity not a social ‘movement’. Thus it should be treated no more than a fleeting moment of pointlessness.
Despite Gareth Pugh dedicating his latest collection to “…women who accept zero bullshit.” It was various reviewers who have tried to attach his stalwart and tough representation of the female form, which is more aligned with the Femme Fatale dominatrix than bleeding hearts and current trial-by-media #tag movements, than populist causes in which he reportable denied any association. Let us, the viewers interpret the visualized sentiments and the styles for our own conclusions. As Pugh, who undoubtedly is one of the main driving forces within the Avant-garde criteria of aesthetics, has shown with his very unique vision of fashion and its melding of art and costume design. That has allowed him to hone and craft his skills since his first show in 2006, a dedicated work ethic of endurance and hardship which in turn pushes forward new aesthetics, a true testament to Pugh’s resilience as a fashion designer.
Gareth Pugh’s Fall Ready-To-Wear 2018 is a straight to the point homage of 1980s power suits (women), a raw and unabashed sex appeal with the exaggerated masculine orientated high shoulder pads, leopard skin patterns and pinstripes mixed with plunging neck lines. Futurist vamps, gothic and powerful. Protective vests as layers, sitting above suit pants, with what looks like a mock style of armor. Militarist aesthetics, which are becoming one of the main trends of 2018, does not have to ensure a rigidity. Rather it can be reworked and fused into stylized aspects of fashion, as a type of duality. The inflexibility of protective clothing over the natural flow of the feminine form. Pugh has set this dualistic array with his prior collections, as with this fall RTW 2018 collection it has a more determined movement, less restrained, with an overall sleekness to its representation.
She is battle hardened, smart and tough. Not a victim.
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