Wednesday 26 November 2014

The Trends on Wednesday - leather heads







My animalistic urges to emulate Fendi fashion have taken me from cuddly monster fur to leather, in this instance, adding a rebellious edge to the delicate beauty of the hibiscus flower. Flowers have always been worn to denote a quintessentially feminine elegance and sensitivity. Their sweet scent, individual beauty and fragility made slipping them into hair a form of wearing one's heart on one's sleeve, denoting different moods through the paradigms of different flowers (for instance, jasmine for sensuality and a spider flower to say "run away with me!"). Also, in Hawaii and the south Pacific, the positioning of the hibiscus flower is used to denote relationship status ('taken' when worn on the left and single when worn on the right. Instagram pictures always come out in reverse and I'm saying nothing).

My Cleopatra-eyed take on Fendi's leather eyelid strips, coupled with the Hawaiian side-flower styling with my DIY hair slide was, in part down to the fact that my hair's too short to wear in a loose ponytail but more so to do with associations. The vibrant colours of the corsage reminded me of the exoticism of Paul Gauguin's Tahitian paintings, while the drama of the leather streaks, which are dead easy to apply with a generous slathering of eyelash glue, harked back to the tour-de-force make-up artistry of Pat McGrath, especially at John Galliano's shows. Adding drama with fabric and glue is a surprisingly easy trick and a must for standing out in any crowd.

Flowers are always on trend yet always in flux in terms of interpretations, whether they're dark oversized or acid bright. I suppose I'd be expected to make some sort of profound and witty observation about the juxtaposition of 'girly' flowers in hair conveyed in a typically 'tough fabric: leather. To be honest, it's a bit late at night for that so I'm going to be simple in my interpretation and see it as striking a balance of feminine elegance in strong leather fabric, packing an equally dramatic punch  - or maybe just a fun-loving personality - in the vibrant colour scheme. Think of it: beautiful and feminine, but not timid or fragile; strong and bold, without brashness or aggression. How very feminist - how very now.

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