24/11/2019 Bloomsbury Fashion Central - How to Analyze a Fashion Collection

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How to Analyze a Fashion Collection

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Maureen Brewster, Adjunct Instructor, Parsons School for Design

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24/11/2019 Bloomsbury Fashion Central - How to Analyze a Fashion Collection

Abstract
Introduction
What Will Students Learn?
Unit Outline
Further Reading
Enrichment Materials

ABSTRACT
Using the work of Alexander McQueen, this unit guides students through the analysis of a fashion collection, introducing them to the critical language and methodologies needed to evaluate fashion
design and runway presentation.

Each lesson breaks down the analysis of one component of a fashion collection, progressing from a consideration of the designer’s technique and influences to the evaluation of the garments
themselves. A final project and optional follow-up lesson on fashion criticism helps cement and contextualize these skills.

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INTRODUCTION
This unit introduces students to the field of fashion criticism, and guides them in the analysis of the design, theme, and contents of a fashion collection. It will provide a background on the design and
presentation of a collection, using the work of Alexander McQueen to guide instruction in visual and garment analysis.

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WHAT WILL STUDENTS LEARN?

This unit is designed for first-year students of fashion; familiarity with fashion design and Western fashion history, society, and culture is recommended, but not required. Students will learn how to
critically analyze fashion design through the inspection of form, presentation, and contextual elements. They will also learn to apply visual art and material culture methodologies to their study of
fashion, to better interpret the concept and significance of fashion design.

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UNIT OUTLINE
Lessons include short readings, activities, and discussion questions to facilitate active learning; each unit includes a short homework assignment to provide assessment. A final project and follow-up
lesson on fashion criticism allows students to contextualize these skills. Instructors are encouraged to adapt the unit as needed.

Lesson 1: Influence and Inspiration

Lesson 2: Reviewing the Runway
Lesson 3: Reading the Look
Final Project: Runway Fashion
Lesson 4 (optional): Fashion Criticism

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Core texts to be read before the lesson:

Evans, Caroline. “McQueen, Alexander.” In The Berg Companion to Fashion, edited by Valerie Steele.
Oxford: Berg, 2010. Berg Fashion Library, 2010.

Sterlacci, Francesca. “Fashion Designer.” In The Berg Companion to Fashion, edited by Valerie Steele.
Oxford: Berg, 2010. Berg Fashion Library, 2010.

Activity:

Have the class search the Fashion Photography Archive to find a McQueen design they would like to discuss
further. Students will present their selection to the class during the discussion period.

Lesson 1 Discussion questions:

Influence How has the role of the fashion designer changed over time?
and The Sterlacci article discusses how fashion design has increasingly become a vehicle for self-
Inspiration promotion and lifestyle marketing. How does McQueen’s work challenge this?
What were some of McQueen’s influences discussed in the Evans article? Can you identify any of
those influences in the look you chose?
What are some other influences that a designer might use to create a fashion collection?
Why do you need to investigate the designer’s background and influences when analyzing a fashion
collection?

Homework:

Using the Fashion Photography Archive, select one of the “Key Collections” to read and study further. Find
one or two images of garments from the collection and discuss how they incorporate historical references,
communicate the designer’s identity, and respond to cultural trends. Your analysis should pay attention to
both garment design/styling and runway presentation.

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Core texts to be read before the lesson:

Finamore, Michelle Tolini. “Fashion Shows.” In The Berg Companion to Fashion, edited by Valerie Steele.
Oxford: Berg, 2010. Berg Fashion Library, 2010.
Glenville, Tony. “Analyzing the Presentation of a Fashion Collection.” Bloomsbury Fashion Photography
Archive. Berg Fashion Library, 2015.

Slides:
Alexander McQueen: fall/winter 1995. Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive.

Alexander McQueen: spring/summer 1999. Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive.

Alexander McQueen: spring/summer 1997. Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive.

Alexander McQueen: fall/winter 1999. Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive.

Activity:
Lesson 2 Click through images on the Fashion Photography Archive for Alexander McQueen’s spring/summer 1999
runway presentation (“No. 13”) as a class. (You can also find a video of the collection online.) Note significant
Reviewing
garments and presentation elements, using the Glenville reading as a guide.
the
Runway
Discussion questions:
What is the purpose of a runway show?
How does the setting of a runway presentation contribute to the “conceptual fantasy” of the collection?
Can you think of any other memorable runway show settings?
How was the stage set up in “No. 13”? What kinds of materials were used? How did these choices
impact the tone of the show, and how did they complement the clothing?
What kind of color palette did the collection and runway presentation have?
How did models move on the runway?
Athlete and model Aimee Mullins, a double amputee, opened this runway show. Look closely at the
garments she was wearing, and how she was styled: why do you think McQueen selected her (and
this look) to open?

Homework:
Continue your analysis of “No. 13.” Using three images from the Fashion Photography Archive, discuss how
the runway presentation utilized natural materials, including fabric and finishes. Given this emphasis on
nature and craftsmanship, why do you think the show closed with a robotic performance—what message was
McQueen trying to send?

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Core texts to be read before the lesson:

Bethune, Kate. “Alexander McQueen’s ‘Bumster’ Trousers.” Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive. Berg
Fashion Library, 2015.
Bethune, Kate. “‘Coiled Corset,’ Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen, Fall/Winter 1999.” Bloomsbury
Fashion Photography Archive. Berg Fashion Library, 2015.

Slides:
Alexander McQueen: cocktail dress, 2009. Kerry Taylor, Bermondsey, London, SE1 4PR. Bloomsbury
Fashion Photography Archive.

Alexander McQueen: fall/winter 1996. Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive.

Alexander McQueen: dress, spring 2010. The Museum at FIT, New York. Bloomsbury Fashion Photography
Archive.

Lesson 3
Discussion questions:
Reading
How did McQueen utilize his skill for tailoring in each of these designs?
the Look
How do these designs shape the body?
How does McQueen play with pattern?
Why do you think these garments were constructed in this way—with those specific materials,
silhouettes, and finishes?
How do these designs reference historical forms—and what techniques does McQueen use to subvert
them?
How does the author structure her analysis of these garments, and what techniques and/or resources
does she use?

Homework:

Select a look to analyze from the McQueen spring/summer 1999 “No. 13” collection, using the Fashion
Photography Archive. Examine the garment (cut, color, pattern, finish) and evaluate how the look is styled on
the model (hair, makeup, accessories) and staged in the show; then create a mood board (physical, such as
clippings or swatches; or digital, such as by using Pinterest or Google Docs) to explore and deconstruct each
of these components. What do you think McQueen’s influences were in creating this look?
Share your mood board with the class and compare the design approaches and influences of each look.
Then revisit the collection as a whole: was it successful in presenting a coherent concept?

Is runway fashion a form of artistic expression or marketing spectacle? Using images and resources from the
Final Fashion Photography Archive, find a collection that you feel best illustrates your argument and write a 2000-
Project word essay. Your discussion should provide some background on the designer’s approach for the collection,
including their influences and any cultural references, as well as an in-depth analysis of the collection’s
Runway contents (the design of garments and any accessories), themes, and presentation (models, music, staging).
Fashion Include visual and garment analysis, using two or three images from the Fashion Photography Archive as
part of your research.

Core texts to be read before the lesson:

Bradford, Julie. “Fashion Journalism and the Catwalk.” Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive. Berg
Fashion Library, 2015.

Activity:
Imagine you were going to write a critical review of the collection that you analyzed for a final project.
Consider whether you would publish it on a blog/Web site or in a magazine—what kind of audience do you
think would appreciate this review? Select one image from your essay and write a short description of the
Lesson 4 look for this new audience, along with three to five keywords (or “buzz words”) that you would use to describe
(optional the collection. Share your work with the class.
follow-up)

Fashion Discussion questions:

Criticism
How has the role of the fashion critic changed as fashion journalism moves from print to digital media
platforms?
Consider the relationship between journalists, fashion houses, and advertising: do you think fashion
critics can be truly critical?
Should journalists or influencers be held accountable for addressing topics in the industry beyond
design (say, sustainability, diversity, and so on)?
How does fashion writing compare to other types of journalism?
How does fashion criticism impact on the way that we approach fashion—does it make design easier
to understand? Do you think it has any impact on what we wear?

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FURTHER READING

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Divita, Lorynn. “Historical Influences on Contemporary Fashion Design.” In the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, Volume 10, Global Perspectives, edited by Joanne B. Eicher and
Phyllis G. Tortora. Oxford: Berg, 2010. Berg Fashion Library, 2010.

Evans, Caroline. “Desire and Dread: Alexander McQueen and the Contemporary Femme Fatale.” In Body Dressing: Dress, Body, Culture, edited by Joanne Entwistle and Elizabeth Wilson, pp.201–
214. Oxford: Berg, 2001. Berg Fashion Library, 2001.

Glenville, Tony. “Comparing Designers.” Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive. Berg Fashion Library, 2015.

Glenville, Tony. “Haute Couture in Paris, 1990s.” Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive. Berg Fashion Library, 2015.

Herold, Stephanie Edith. “Couture Shows of the 2000s.” Bloomsbury Fashion Photography Archive. Berg Fashion Library, 2015.

Loschek, Ingrid. When Clothes Become Fashion: Design and Innovation Systems. Oxford: Berg, 2009. Berg Fashion Library, 2009.

Palmer, Alexandra. “Haute Couture.” In The Berg Companion to Fashion, edited by Valerie Steele. Oxford: Berg, 2010. Berg Fashion Library, 2010.

Wolbers, M. “Fashion and Media.” Biblio Guides. Berg Fashion Library, 2015. DOI:

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ENRICHMENT MATERIALS
“Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d.

Arnold, Rebecca. Fashion, Desire and Anxiety: Image and Morality in the Twentieth Century. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2001.

Barnard, Malcolm. Fashion as Communication. 2nd edn. London and New York: Routledge, 2002.

Barthes, Roland. The Language of Fashion. London and New York: Bloomsbury, 2013.

“Chinese Garden.” Blog.mode: Addressing Fashion (Metropolitan Museum of Art), 13 February 2008.

Evans, Caroline. Fashion at the Edge: Spectacle, Modernity, & Deathliness. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007.

Frankel, Susanna. “The Magnificent Impact of Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 1999.” AnOther, 31 October 2016.

“Prosthetic Legs.” The Museum of Savage Beauty (Victoria and Albert Museum), n.d.

Steele, Valerie. “A Museum of Fashion Is More Than a Clothes-Bag.” Fashion Theory: Journal of Dress, Body, and Culture 2, no. 4 (1998): 327–336.

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