Ombre: Paolo Roversi
Ombre (one of three volumes)
Published by Editions Stromboli (October 2020)
The overwhelming majority of fashion is consumed visually, whether it be from runway photographs, magazine editorials, advertising campaigns, celebrity photoshoots or outfit pics on social media. I am fascinated by the layers of meaning that fashion can accrue in sociocultural terms beyond its reveal on the catwalk.
For any single piece of fashion there are countless numbers of photographs, each with their own context, styling, and story. I find that there is an interesting tension online when discussing garments, between the people who think the wearer should not stray too far from the original “vision” of the designer, and those who buy clothes to wear in a manner of their own choosing, sometimes far removed from how it was originally presented.
The designer’s vision. Barthes’ Death of the Author comes to mind, because I would argue ultimate meaning lies somewhere between wearer and viewer. It is a constant negotiation and renegotiation between the two depending on time, place and space. And yet, long before fashion reaches the wearer, it is translated by the fashion industry, which can pose all manner of complications.
I am reminded of Kiko Kostadinov’s concerns from one of his early shows where the colours of the garments on the Vogue Runway images were noticeably different from the actual colours, thus entirely changing the perception of the show for online viewers (i.e. the majority of viewers). He was able to show side by side comparisons in his Instagram stories, but that obviously only reached a select audience.
I sometimes wonder whether the fashion photographer holds more responsibility in terms of conveying meaning than the designer. The catwalk is necessarily restricted in terms of the story that the designer can create, although of course spectacle and theatrical shows are common enough during fashion weeks. But the fashion photographer has far more freedom in how they translate the garments and add their own layers of meaning.
I love the way that Paolo Roversi photographs Comme des Garçons. It is almost dreamlike in quality, with those blurred edges and painterly colours. I actually love the contrast between that dream world and seeing people in Dover Street Market try on and buy even the craziest Comme garments. It is almost jarring in a way, but I love the fact that even those pieces which seem like they could only ever exist in a fashion photograph are being worn by someone somewhere.
New stories, new histories, new meanings.
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