AM Photography- Alexandra Mantoura @amphotographysblog - Tumblr Blog

DIOR'S PAYS TRIBUTE SWINGIN' 60S PAST

Of course, its Christian Dior who is heralding the ''A new Era'' 'which calls for ''a new look'' for the fashion house in 2022 . After a decade when below-the-knee hemlines have ruled fashion, Christian Dior kicked off the first post-pandemic Paris catwalk , by bringing back the miniskirt earlier in 2021. Now with - fully underway into another brave new year , thus the brave world looks back on the precious & melancholic nostalgia of feminine baby dolls 60's fashion. Dreamy whimsy has been brought to the forefront of our minds , as the pandemic has made us crave what has gone before - to make sure we have familiar as well as comforting memories to inspire us and our new fashion journeys

When discussing the rich history of Christian Dior, many start with the iconic 1947's ''New Look'' moment & YSL’s brief spot at the top before skipping ahead to the Gallino years. But there are several decades between those monumental periods, most of which happened under the quiet helm of Marc Bohan. Having held the position of creative director for 30 years, Bohan is by far the longest-lasting head of Dior, making it all the more surprising his work isn't more often referenced at the French house. That makes Maria Grazia Chiuris’s designs for the Spring 2022 collection, which look back to Bohan's early designs, all that more refreshing!

This season, Chiuri turned to Bohan's 1961 "Slim Look" collection for inspiration & benefited greatly from its perspective. The collection's 60s vibes are stripped of much of the froth that's often been ever-present in so many Dior collections under Chiuri. Think! voluminous tulle skirts & pleated, siolutte gowns , NOW in favor of clean lines & boxy cuts! There are kicky mini dresses, caged Mary Jane flats ( my clarkes pictures below) , color-blocked swing coats & interesting suiting , in eye-searing shades of orange & yellow. Of course, she doesn't abandon Monsieur Dior's own codes altogether, proposing several new, relaxed takes on the Bar jacket & putting the brand's signature Cannage quilting on lightweight coats. In fact, the expansive collection could have used some editing; the middle sags under the weight of a suite of boxing-inspired sets which, unfortunately, look a little cheap. Still, this may be one of Chiuri's strongest collections at Dior to date. The best looks were some of the simplest, proving that she doesn't need all that pomp & circumstance to make a statement on the runway AND NEITHER DO YOU.

For all the NOSTAGALIA vibes this week - we got into the studio on a balmy Monday morning to pay homage to the legend and the myth that is Christian Dior ( The dress s also for sale on our ETSY! , link below).

Pictured BELOW a mid 1960's Christian Dior wedding '' mini '' dress , that I luckily & miraculously snagged from a vintage store in Bondi Beach in Sydney. If you keep your eyes peeled right now , the vintage stores are quiet , people are giving away recycled gems , almost looking brand new

YOU CAN BUY THIS GARMENT to experience Christian Dior & get your very own baby doll dress SHOP HERE :

Licking Honey From A Razors Edge.

Forming you like red clay,

You were just mud in my way ,

I know that’s a rip off from a song ,

But it came into my midst at the very moment ,

You feel away from me.

Im not being mean , but it was all me ,

Im not being coy , but it wasn’t you

You had/have no control over your life

Only the floaty idea and whims of others consume you

Which way do you turn when you do not know who you are

Or what you believe in?

Sitting home alone , reading your diary , writing furious nothings

Sweet everythings , that all mean little

Anyone , could have easily pointed it out

But I was blinded by RED

I saw with ROSE coloured glasses

My melancholy was a deep shade of BURGANDY

Drank you down like MAHOGNONY WINE

Next day my eyes were BLOODSHOT like SCARLETT

It was always too good to be true ,

Fake you could call it

Inauthentic like CANDY

A rush of OXBLOOD to the head

Stubborn enough to be blinded by RED

GARNET jewels, in your eyes always for strangers

You always loved more than my VIOLET

Love was always a competition

No fun like RASPBERRY

No understanding BLUES

No inclusive & calm GREENS

No practical and creative YELLOWS

No enthusiastic and passionate ORANGES

Only rough RED , blood RED

Faded now to BROWN – almost dead

Not the centre of anyone universe

Much less your own

That’s what I know now

By being with a person like you,

Alas , Selfish like MAROON , setting the sombre mood

But Hazar! Changing to fire engine RED a, with energy from your head

Switching, but always,

Always,

In Red.

Too absolute for my compoletixites of colour

You don’t know anything about the earth and mother

Your Seeing RED, made you lonely

Because you don’t understand a woman is holy.

Her Story’s Tragic.

- L O V E I S T H E A N S W E R -

AM I NATURAL OR MAN MADE?

- F R U I T -

- A L L I N A D A Y S W O R K -

- DON’T YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES -

ALYCE SCHULTE-

Growing up in Adelaide, I felt I was always too something. Too loud, too dramatic, too energetic, too intense, just too much. I was often told to calm down, turn down, shut up. Teased for my dress sense, my love of wigs and always just going with what I felt like wearing/being that day rather than what was 'in' at the time. I was bullied and ostracised from the 'cool' group in primary school and spent most of my last year there alone. I learnt to be ashamed of my 'ness'. I felt like I had to dull my self to make other people comfortable, whilst still trying to be me. That was, until I moved to Sydney; my whole world was blown wide open. This sparkly amazing place full of taste markers and dreamers, I was encouraged to go further and fully give-in to my weird ness, my extraness.. my ness.. ness. Not caring what other people think has been a very hard concept for me to embrace and continues to be something I struggle with daily. -Confidence is easy to mimic yet hard to embody.

Encourage your daughters, granddaughters and nieces to do what feels right. Don't tell them how silly they look when they spent ages trying to pick the right rainbow tights to wear with her dinosaur gumboots, snow white dress and fluffy beanie. Self deprecation is learned early and is extremely hard to unlearn. Tell them how much you love their enthusiasm and creativity, embrace the weird and see just what she can achieve growing up with confidence.

- O R A N G E -

I feel like I’m in Cameo roles , just visiting in peoples dreams.

- R E D H E R R I N G - #colour#colorist#popism#popart#artoftheday#photooftheday#likesforlikes#original#noedits#allincamera#studio#lighting#painting#chic#hipster#onfleek#love#dreamy#surreal#desire#davidlynch#inspired#80's#retro#neon#california#spring#goodvibes

AN ARTICLE FOR MY STREET ART & PHOTOGRAPHY CAMPAIGN. MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD SYDNEY!

“What if you called up a plumber asking if they could fix a leaky pipe but you didn’t have the budget to pay for their services? AHA! You come up with an ingenious plan; just pay the plumber through exposure. Post a photograph of him fixing your pipe (linked with his business name, of course!) onto your website, Instagram and Facebook. Problem solved, right?

This exact situation is all too familiar to me as an artist. Young creatives are being exploited and undervalued. Businesses sugarcoat unpaid work with promises of exposure and experience. They know that the arts are a competitive playground where jobs are scarce and paid jobs are even rarer, so they take advantage for their own financial gain.

In Sydney, the unattainable cost of living makes budding creative even more desperate to succeed. The desire for the dollar ironically pushes us to work for nothing. Accepting these unpaid roles hurts everyone else in the creative community, and those most affected are the youth.”