Dropped shoulders / Cocoon shapes F/W 11.12

ultramarine · 24-02-2011

So as the Fashion Weeks progress for the season, we see more and more of this trend first shown on SS 11 by Prada and Jacobs: Here there are the rest!

Prada F/W 11.12

Burberry Prorsum F/W 11.12

Fendi F/W 11.12

Jonathan Saunders F/W FW 11.12

Marc Jacobs F/W 11.12

Mary Katrantzou F/W 11.12

Pringle of Scotland F/W 11.12

all images from style.com

mackos · 27-02-2011

Cristóbal Balenciaga's cocoon shape is one of the loveliest trends all the time, I'm so happy it's everywhere this season.

Jil Sander

Also, I need to add the outfit Iselin wore at Marc Jacobs, it's just wonderful.

all from style.com

Crying Diamonds · 28-02-2011

That beautiful rounded shape comes a lot from the softness of the seamless kimono sleeve, which I remember starting at Chanel Haute Couture F/W 10/11 and Marc Jacobs using it etc, and is still being used a lot, like at Jil Sander this season.
Prada then made the drop sleevehead popular which creates this strange illusion as the shoulder is seen supporting the clothing but the shoulder seam is a quarter-way down the arm.
It's a very organic and casual look, I feel.

ultramarine · 28-02-2011

I know! The interesting part is that I so want to know how this trend will translate on the streets with people wearing it!!

mackos · 07-03-2011

Stella McCartney

vogue.it

mackos · 07-03-2011

Yves Saint Laurent

catwalking

Georgi · 07-03-2011

Love the kimono look, its timeless and with a wide belt/sash is always flattering.
The coccoon look - how can that look good on anyone IRL?

msalicia · 07-03-2011

I absolutely love the shapes, but I have to agree with Georgi. While they may look beautiful on the runway, I'm afraid that they may overwhelm the average women. I know that I wouldn't be able to handle some of those specific designs. Still, I am excited to see how it is incorporated in the future. I hope someone will be able to rock it.

ultramarine · 08-03-2011

Honestly, I think only tall, skinny ladies can pull this off :s

mackos · 08-03-2011

Junya Watanabe

style.com

mackos · 09-03-2011

Louis Vuitton

daylife

Lena · 10-04-2011

simply love this shape! great trendspotting -as usual- by ultramarine
it's been a bit around since winter '10 and spring '11,
girls are catching up real quick

Tentacl Ventricl · 11-04-2011

In passing I recently came across an article in the journal Fashion Theory about the 'fashion victim'. It is a terrible article. Characterising the fashion victim is very straightforward. It is someone who wears a garment, or designs one (or works with one creatively as editor, stylist or photographer) without knowing why.

Let's be clear though, fashion should never get too serious. Fashion has a function in engaging the id (the imaginary realm), in speaking to collective fantasy and therefore inspiring, motivating.

It may not 'matter' whether one is a fashion victim or not; but understanding may well form the contingent bridge between neurosis (an unhinged shopping addiction) and catharsis (the meaningful, knowing, construction and reconstruction of identity).

This 'gorilla' silhouette is attended by a fascinating weirdness. Before one wears it, or works with it, one might want to consider wtf it's about.

It's by now well rehearsed that it finds it's fashion history genesis in mid century Balenciaga couture shapes. But this isn't just some unreconstructed, retrograde call to return to some sort of 50's/60's costume and lifestyle.

The moniker 'gorilla' is apt. The foreshortened and puffed up tricep of the dolman sleeve/arm; the rounded muscular shoulders; the raised clavicle/traps. In that sense it ties in with the plentiful bestial references of what is a very animalistic season. Grrr.

Commonly, on the frontal plane, the shape is rendered with a 2D flatness. The close frontedness of minimalism but stretched into a cartoon-like fantasy where the image is the reality, the surface is all. A body without organs.

Some of the 'gorilla' pieces are also characterised by a humped back. The visual representation of the body this silhouette conveys is similar to the edtorial pose where the model pushes her chest back, arches her upper back and juts the shoulders and elbows forward. It's similar to the 'most-muscular' pose in bodybuilding. The opposite of thrusting the bust forward, it's a denial of the hour glass silhouette. In that sense it is connected to a certain androgyny although attended also by an animalistic fierceness.

But this is a different 2D flatness to the drop waisted flatness of the 20's flapper or the flat spacey tunic of the 60's mod (both of which designers are riffing on also in the particular fashion moment). Indeed, the 'gorilla' silhouette deconstructs both those forms. Via it's lateral muscularity. And ultimately there's an evocation of a comic book heroine, a female superhero.

Lena ^ is right, we can trace this back to AW10/11. What a muscular, meaning business, woman Raf Simons evoked for that season. Channeling Lara Croft was the call.

The 'challenge' Miucca wants to set women is one of heroic deeds. There is a new body consciousness waiting to break out. There's a call to the gym, to hard-bodied discipline, to sports and fitness, to becoming Amazonian superwoman. Heroic deeds of the body, heroic deeds in the economy.

AW11/12 is characterised then by 2D flatscreen surfaces - cartoon and film referencing aplenty. There's also, via the hybrid animal forms (and there are more of those than we might realise), an evocation of mythology. It isn't necessarily 'Greek' mythology but if we take it to be so there's a dialogue with the roots of Western civilisation. (Tying in with the post crash inteligensia dialogue about is the West history?). Lying behind all this is a notion of the fictional, filmic, quest. From Homer's Iliad to contemporary Hollywood blockbuster.

But you can see, lying not far behind the surface of the muscular 2D flatness of the gorilla silhouette, another form waiting to be birthed (again). The comic book heroine is Lara, Xena, Wonderwoman, Pammy in Baywatch, the JPG conical breasted Madonna of the Blonde Ambition tour etc, etc. It's a Muglerian superwoman fantasy. It's the Amazonian hourglass hardbody that kicks *** and wins the day.

This is why the most interesting shapes of the season for me (within this particular scene) are those where the gorilla silhouette is already morphing from 2D to 3D and an hourglass shape is already being written back in hybrid stylie. I see it in Junya Watanabe and in Giles. It's almost like the surface symbolic is interrupted by the 3D Real, the character emerging from the screen into a dimension of reality.

But can this world view emerge into reality at all. Is it what women want. Can women save the West. Frankly I don't know if women can be arsed. Whether they any more want to do the denial and discipline of working out or working a business superhero stylie.

The wastrel body associated with the tropes of romantic realism, whilst perhaps less 'healthy', certainly has the advantage of requiring less effort. It's the discipline of abstinence versus the discipline of consumption (of protein) and work. The dropped out, rock and roll aesthetic chimes better with the times in that it is characterised by an effortless ease. Not being seen to try too hard.

The setting oneself apart from the social as heroic, goddesslike, pumped-up, superhero individual has perhaps one hope within the contemporary scene - the will to celebrity. But whilst we have a generation of young women well 'bought in' to the fantasy of celebrity (is there truly any other fantasy), the problem is it's a fantasy of celebrity without effort - celebrity without effort, without talent, without meaning, without the need for any personal quest or development in it's attainment. And generally we seek not to delay gratification and pleasure via a phase of discipline and work leading to 'deserving' exhibitionist pleasure; we just go straight there. The myth of the quest has been debunked.

So I'm not sure if the pumped up, superhero fantasy has any enduring relevance. It speaks of trying too hard. There's also a question of quite who's fantasy it was anyway.

That so many runway brands should be quite so out of step with contemporary culture is quite dangerous for them. And whether or not the wearer of the pumped up, muscular, gorilla silhouette dons the garb authentically, knowingly, (sartorial art imitating life) they risk appearing as fashion victim. Because what lies behind the silhouette really doesn't chime with the times, doesn't speak to where we're at. Or does it?

Pump up the volume or turn on, tune in, drop out?

ellesea · 11-04-2011

This may be one of those gradually-love things. I like Saunders and Katrantzou's looks but the rest, not so much. I'd rather a sharp shoulder than a rounded one but perhaps with enough of these looks around, I will start to like it.

ultramarine · 13-04-2011

Now that Ive seen it a bit more in detail ... I think this new shape is very smart .. it forgives many many "body issues": You may have a tummy and you could tell because of this shape .. or even large or small breasts ... it can even cut all the way down to almost the knees as dresses or coats ...

Smart, in-the-know shoppers will appreciate it .. but the matter is .. to most people, this is new ... is it their style?

Can people adapt this trend to their wardrobes and still be "them"?

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11-04-2011	14
ellesea front row Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Toronto Gender: femme Posts: 315	This may be one of those gradually-love things. I like Saunders and Katrantzou's looks but the rest, not so much. I'd rather a sharp shoulder than a rounded one but perhaps with enough of these looks around, I will start to like it. __________________ Come take A Walk In The Closet

13-04-2011	15
ultramarine chaos reigns Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Costa Rica Gender: homme Posts: 6,449	Now that Ive seen it a bit more in detail ... I think this new shape is very smart .. it forgives many many "body issues": You may have a tummy and you could tell because of this shape .. or even large or small breasts ... it can even cut all the way down to almost the knees as dresses or coats ... Smart, in-the-know shoppers will appreciate it .. but the matter is .. to most people, this is new ... is it their style? Can people adapt this trend to their wardrobes and still be "them"? __________________ Have you rated this thread yet?

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24-02-2011	1
ultramarine chaos reigns Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Costa Rica Gender: homme Posts: 6,449	Dropped shoulders / Cocoon shapes F/W 11.12 So as the Fashion Weeks progress for the season, we see more and more of this trend first shown on SS 11 by Prada and Jacobs: Here there are the rest! Prada F/W 11.12 Burberry Prorsum F/W 11.12 Fendi F/W 11.12 Jonathan Saunders F/W FW 11.12 Marc Jacobs F/W 11.12 Mary Katrantzou F/W 11.12 Pringle of Scotland F/W 11.12 all images from style.com __________________ Have you rated this thread yet?

27-02-2011	2
mackos Alluring Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Suburbs Gender: homme Posts: 13,650	Cristóbal Balenciaga's cocoon shape is one of the loveliest trends all the time, I'm so happy it's everywhere this season. Jil Sander Also, I need to add the outfit Iselin wore at Marc Jacobs, it's just wonderful. all from style.com __________________ dreams, jazz and minimalism Querelle les images

28-02-2011	3
Crying Diamonds Geometric Discharge Join Date: Jan 2008 Gender: homme Posts: 7,050	That beautiful rounded shape comes a lot from the softness of the seamless kimono sleeve, which I remember starting at Chanel Haute Couture F/W 10/11 and Marc Jacobs using it etc, and is still being used a lot, like at Jil Sander this season. Prada then made the drop sleevehead popular which creates this strange illusion as the shoulder is seen supporting the clothing but the shoulder seam is a quarter-way down the arm. It's a very organic and casual look, I feel. __________________ __________________ __________________

07-03-2011	5
mackos Alluring Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Suburbs Gender: homme Posts: 13,650	Stella McCartney vogue.it __________________ dreams, jazz and minimalism Querelle les images

07-03-2011	6
mackos Alluring Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Suburbs Gender: homme Posts: 13,650	Yves Saint Laurent catwalking __________________ dreams, jazz and minimalism Querelle les images

07-03-2011	7
Georgi rising star Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: undisclosed Gender: femme Posts: 145	Love the kimono look, its timeless and with a wide belt/sash is always flattering. The coccoon look - how can that look good on anyone IRL?

07-03-2011	8
msalicia front row Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: United States Gender: femme Posts: 344	I absolutely love the shapes, but I have to agree with Georgi. While they may look beautiful on the runway, I'm afraid that they may overwhelm the average women. I know that I wouldn't be able to handle some of those specific designs. Still, I am excited to see how it is incorporated in the future. I hope someone will be able to rock it. Last edited by msalicia; 07-03-2011 at 05:54 PM.

08-03-2011	9
ultramarine chaos reigns Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Costa Rica Gender: homme Posts: 6,449	Honestly, I think only tall, skinny ladies can pull this off :s __________________ Have you rated this thread yet?

08-03-2011	10
mackos Alluring Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Suburbs Gender: homme Posts: 13,650	Junya Watanabe style.com __________________ dreams, jazz and minimalism Querelle les images

09-03-2011	11
mackos Alluring Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Suburbs Gender: homme Posts: 13,650	Louis Vuitton daylife __________________ dreams, jazz and minimalism Querelle les images

10-04-2011	12
Lena etre soi-meme Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: europe Gender: femme Posts: 23,969	simply love this shape! great trendspotting -as usual- by ultramarine it's been a bit around since winter '10 and spring '11, girls are catching up real quick __________________ @La_Lena_ http://pinterest.com/lenapins/

11-04-2011	13
Tentacl Ventricl backstage pass Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: london Gender: homme Posts: 514	In passing I recently came across an article in the journal Fashion Theory about the 'fashion victim'. It is a terrible article. Characterising the fashion victim is very straightforward. It is someone who wears a garment, or designs one (or works with one creatively as editor, stylist or photographer) without knowing why. Let's be clear though, fashion should never get too serious. Fashion has a function in engaging the id (the imaginary realm), in speaking to collective fantasy and therefore inspiring, motivating. It may not 'matter' whether one is a fashion victim or not; but understanding may well form the contingent bridge between neurosis (an unhinged shopping addiction) and catharsis (the meaningful, knowing, construction and reconstruction of identity). This 'gorilla' silhouette is attended by a fascinating weirdness. Before one wears it, or works with it, one might want to consider wtf it's about. It's by now well rehearsed that it finds it's fashion history genesis in mid century Balenciaga couture shapes. But this isn't just some unreconstructed, retrograde call to return to some sort of 50's/60's costume and lifestyle. The moniker 'gorilla' is apt. The foreshortened and puffed up tricep of the dolman sleeve/arm; the rounded muscular shoulders; the raised clavicle/traps. In that sense it ties in with the plentiful bestial references of what is a very animalistic season. Grrr. Commonly, on the frontal plane, the shape is rendered with a 2D flatness. The close frontedness of minimalism but stretched into a cartoon-like fantasy where the image is the reality, the surface is all. A body without organs. Some of the 'gorilla' pieces are also characterised by a humped back. The visual representation of the body this silhouette conveys is similar to the edtorial pose where the model pushes her chest back, arches her upper back and juts the shoulders and elbows forward. It's similar to the 'most-muscular' pose in bodybuilding. The opposite of thrusting the bust forward, it's a denial of the hour glass silhouette. In that sense it is connected to a certain androgyny although attended also by an animalistic fierceness. But this is a different 2D flatness to the drop waisted flatness of the 20's flapper or the flat spacey tunic of the 60's mod (both of which designers are riffing on also in the particular fashion moment). Indeed, the 'gorilla' silhouette deconstructs both those forms. Via it's lateral muscularity. And ultimately there's an evocation of a comic book heroine, a female superhero. Lena ^ is right, we can trace this back to AW10/11. What a muscular, meaning business, woman Raf Simons evoked for that season. Channeling Lara Croft was the call. The 'challenge' Miucca wants to set women is one of heroic deeds. There is a new body consciousness waiting to break out. There's a call to the gym, to hard-bodied discipline, to sports and fitness, to becoming Amazonian superwoman. Heroic deeds of the body, heroic deeds in the economy. AW11/12 is characterised then by 2D flatscreen surfaces - cartoon and film referencing aplenty. There's also, via the hybrid animal forms (and there are more of those than we might realise), an evocation of mythology. It isn't necessarily 'Greek' mythology but if we take it to be so there's a dialogue with the roots of Western civilisation. (Tying in with the post crash inteligensia dialogue about is the West history?). Lying behind all this is a notion of the fictional, filmic, quest. From Homer's Iliad to contemporary Hollywood blockbuster. But you can see, lying not far behind the surface of the muscular 2D flatness of the gorilla silhouette, another form waiting to be birthed (again). The comic book heroine is Lara, Xena, Wonderwoman, Pammy in Baywatch, the JPG conical breasted Madonna of the Blonde Ambition tour etc, etc. It's a Muglerian superwoman fantasy. It's the Amazonian hourglass hardbody that kicks *** and wins the day. This is why the most interesting shapes of the season for me (within this particular scene) are those where the gorilla silhouette is already morphing from 2D to 3D and an hourglass shape is already being written back in hybrid stylie. I see it in Junya Watanabe and in Giles. It's almost like the surface symbolic is interrupted by the 3D Real, the character emerging from the screen into a dimension of reality. But can this world view emerge into reality at all. Is it what women want. Can women save the West. Frankly I don't know if women can be arsed. Whether they any more want to do the denial and discipline of working out or working a business superhero stylie. The wastrel body associated with the tropes of romantic realism, whilst perhaps less 'healthy', certainly has the advantage of requiring less effort. It's the discipline of abstinence versus the discipline of consumption (of protein) and work. The dropped out, rock and roll aesthetic chimes better with the times in that it is characterised by an effortless ease. Not being seen to try too hard. The setting oneself apart from the social as heroic, goddesslike, pumped-up, superhero individual has perhaps one hope within the contemporary scene - the will to celebrity. But whilst we have a generation of young women well 'bought in' to the fantasy of celebrity (is there truly any other fantasy), the problem is it's a fantasy of celebrity without effort - celebrity without effort, without talent, without meaning, without the need for any personal quest or development in it's attainment. And generally we seek not to delay gratification and pleasure via a phase of discipline and work leading to 'deserving' exhibitionist pleasure; we just go straight there. The myth of the quest has been debunked. So I'm not sure if the pumped up, superhero fantasy has any enduring relevance. It speaks of trying too hard. There's also a question of quite who's fantasy it was anyway. That so many runway brands should be quite so out of step with contemporary culture is quite dangerous for them. And whether or not the wearer of the pumped up, muscular, gorilla silhouette dons the garb authentically, knowingly, (sartorial art imitating life) they risk appearing as fashion victim. Because what lies behind the silhouette really doesn't chime with the times, doesn't speak to where we're at. Or does it? Pump up the volume or turn on, tune in, drop out?