{"id":5234,"date":"2025-01-13T17:00:38","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T16:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.lineapelle-fair.it\/?p=5234"},"modified":"2025-01-22T14:37:25","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T13:37:25","slug":"space-is-the-place-when-fashion-style-and-design-go-into-orbit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.lineapelle-fair.it\/en\/focus-en\/space-is-the-place-when-fashion-style-and-design-go-into-orbit\/","title":{"rendered":"Space is the place: when fashion, style and design go into orbit"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are in the 1960s. <\/em>Fashion undergoes such a profound fascination for space that that decade, made of geometrical lines and experimentations with never-seen materials, is referred to as The Space Age. <\/em>A fascination that today still produces proselytes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

by Domenico Casoria<\/em><\/p>\n

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Even before the Moon Landing of 1969, Pierre Cardin<\/strong> realized a futuristic collection that was inspired by the space explorations. But he wasn\u2019t the only one. To compose the triad of stylists that worked with their heads pointed upwards, there were Paco Rabanne<\/strong> – referred to as \u201cthe fashion metallurgic\u201d by Coco Chanel<\/strong> – and Andr\u00e9 Courr\u00e8ges<\/strong>. After more than 60 years, space still remains significantly and constantly linked to fashion<\/strong>. As an example, for his degree collection in La Cambre (l’\u00c9cole Nationale Sup\u00e9rieure des Arts Visuels of Bruxelles), Matthieu Blazy<\/strong>, current creative director of Chanel, has paid homage to Claudie Haigner\u00e9<\/strong>, the first French woman who has been into space. And he isn\u2019t the only one.<\/p>\n

Space is the place: Pierre Cardin<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cThe cosmos has always attracted me, even before the Space Age. I always imagined that man would one day walk on the moon\u201d, claimed Pierre Cardin, who had experienced this fascination before anyone else. For the Fall\/Winter of 1996, he launched an innovative collection composed of ring collar sheath dresses<\/strong>, hat-helmets<\/strong>, plexiglass dresses<\/strong>, vinyl shorts<\/strong>, plastic accessories<\/strong> and slit sunglasses<\/strong>. But for Cardin it was all clear. In 1954 he created the famous bubble dress<\/strong>, a true bubble-dress characterized by a balloon shape, futuristic – seems obvious – for the period. Then, the satellite dresses, that are characterized by the addition of geometric shapes, parabolic skirts and metallic silver lam\u00e9 fabrics. \u201cThe clothes that i prefer are those that I invent for a life that doesn\u2019t exist yet, the world of tomorrow\u201d, he stated referring to his creations.<\/p>\n

Paco Rabanne vs Andr\u00e9 Courr\u00e8ges<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It is not a race, just to be clear, but in the Sixties (besides Cardin) there were two other designers facing off against each other. Paco Rabanne is the one who sourced the most from space imagery<\/strong>. Plastic tunics decorated by metallic plates<\/strong>, PVC dresses and metallic spikes<\/strong>, creations at the edge of portability<\/strong>, probably influenced by his past as an employee for a French reinforced concrete company. In 1968 he designs the costumes for Barbarella <\/strong>(played by Jane Fonda<\/strong>) and this film represents his consecration as \u201cintergalactic fashion designer<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n

For Andr\u00e9 Courr\u00e8ges, the moon has always been his main point of reference. In 1964 he presents a collection titled Moon Girl<\/strong> that consisted of trapezoidal structured dresses in white and silver, in vinyl or PVC<\/strong>. On that very occasion, Courr\u00e8ges shows the miniskirt <\/strong>– the first piece of clothing that left the knees uncovered, always at the center of controversies with another famous designer that worked during the SIxties: Mary Quant<\/strong>. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t me or Courr\u00e8ges who invented the miniskirt anyway. It was the girls in the street who did it\u201d, claimed Quant.<\/p>\n

A very long journey<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The fascination for space, as we were saying, has come to this day. The degree collection of Matthieu Blazy, as said, was inspired by the first French woman who has been into space. For its last women’s collection, Prada <\/strong>has sent to the runway a series of innovative and futuristic perforated dresses and visors. Karl Lagerfeld<\/strong> – creative director for Chanel until 2019 – for the Fall\/Winter pr\u00eat-\u00e0-porter of 2017 has been inspired by the space theme, and decided to transform the Grand Palais <\/strong>into a space launch track (rocket included).<\/p>\n

Daniel Roseberry<\/strong>, for the Fall\/Winter collection of 2022, created Planet Schiaparelli<\/strong>, taking inspiration from the past of the maison and from the pieces that recalled celestial elements. So, perhaps instead of fascination, we should talk about a subjection <\/strong>that has always characterized fashion. But, during the last few years something has changed and the fashion brands have understood how to overturn the situation<\/strong>. By (literally) launching fashion into orbit.<\/p>\n

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