Abigail Hardie- Portfolio

M

oderation is a fatal thing nothing succeeds like

Excess

Wilde Coat

Dorian Jacket

Peacocks plundered the past and travelled the world to find new ways of dressing. Ethnic fabrics followed in the wake of the hippy trail to India, while antique cloths and lace created romantic heroes.

Colour was mixed with colour, pattern was layered upon pattern.

Final Label

with original owner wearing the shirt.

Sheer chiffon purple shirt- 1968 Carnaby Street Attached- 1968 Band flyer

Sam Rutland Bassist in Pink Cigar’

Saint Laurent under Hedi Slimane shares the same ethos as the ‘Take a Trip’ collection.

Positioned at the intersection of youth culture, high fashion and art.

Yves Saint Laurent’s guiding principle for the brand- to question the nature of luxury, and to collide street fashion with the painstaking techniques of couture- is in line with my own as a bespoke tailor and designer.

ROCK STAR: STYLE THYSELF A portrait series drawing on the relationship between rock icons and the house since its earliest days (Left. Mick and Bianca Jagger in match YSL in 1971) The artists styling themselves in YSL permanent and seasonal pieces to create an image of their own expression.

Through its advertising campaigns Saint Laurent targets young affluent creatives- particularly musicians and artists- with atmospheric photography and inclusion of creative icons. It sells the promise of a rock n roll lifestyle and a place in the ‘in’ crowd- something, which I hope to imitate in my own photo shoot.

Saint Laurent’s pricing places it high on the market. Prices within the brand differ hugely depending on the particular collection as catwalk collections feature a mixture of RTW and couture pieces.

As my collection is bespoke the price point is going to be higher than the RTW collections (Prices Below) and closer to that of a Savile Row tailor due to the construction methods and materials used- Norton and Sons pricing below right.

Saint Laurent Norton & Sons Coat- £1,600-2,000 Coat- £3,800 Jacket- £1,555 2 Piece Suit- £3,430 Trousers- £500 Shirts- £450 Trousers- £1,000 They also have a permanent collection of classic pieces for example, black biker jackets, which are the foundation of the rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic Slimane has introduced.

The variety and mixing of pieces is again something which I have taken inspiration from when designing the pieces of ‘Take a Trip’

O

ne of the best things about visiting Anita and Brian was watching them get ready to go out. What

a scene! They were both dauntless shoppers and excessively vain. Hours and hours were spent putting on clothes and taking them off again. Heaps of scarves, hats, shirts and boots flew out of drawers and trunks.

Unending trying on of outfits, primping and sashaying.

They were beautiful, they were the spitting image of each other and not an ounce of modesty existed between two of them. I would sit mesmerised for hours, watching them preening in the mirror, trying on each other’s clothes. All roles and gender would evaporate in these narcissistic performances, where Anita would turn Brian into the Sun King, Francoise Hardy or the

mirror image of herself

(Marianne Faithfull and David Dalton, Faithfull, Penguin Books, London, 1994, p 90).