In appearance, it is often easy for a person to guess what he is in principle. Nowadays, when many trends in clothing, architecture, music, and even in speech have mixed into one big mess, this, of course, is difficult to do, but the ways of self-expression are not a problem for many. They especially like to stand out from the general “gray” mass of the female representative with the help of very extraordinary and eccentric outfits. It is for such ladies that there is avant-garde clothing.
What is avant-garde style
Distorted symmetry, bold use of geometric shapes, imitation of various materials, a combination of incompatible fabrics, colors and styles, catchy accessories, unusual hairstyles and, of course, strange shoes, at the sight of which a person of very sophisticated tastes frowns and casts him aside. Bright makeup or no face at all in models, bold nakedness or too strict and closed sheath dress, moreover in the literal sense of the word, as well as a painted face and hats of the most unusual forms. You can talk for a long time about what was on the world catwalks and what many fashion designers did in pursuit of fame, or you can just remember the famous singer Lady Gaga in the years when she was at the peak of popularity and did not hesitate to go out in public in an outfit of balloons, and immediately it becomes clear what the avant-garde style of clothing is.
Outfits in this style do not obey absolutely any rules, except for one thing: to be extraordinary enough to attract attention. But this does not mean at all that shapeless and terrible patterns of mediocre fashion designers can become masterpieces in this genre! On the contrary, clothes in the avant-garde style sometimes require much more time and effort to create than the same dresses in the classical style. After all, in order to realize the drawn quirk, you need to come up with a whole design so that it holds the desired shape and looks exactly the way the designer intended it.
Despite the fact that the “avant-garde” style in clothes seems shocking and too expressive, one can meet its manifestations in everyday life: a thing made in a certain style from materials unusual for it already claims to be the avant-garde. In the fashion world, releasing a model without makeup on the catwalk is also a kind of “avant-garde”, as connoisseurs like to joke.
History of occurrence
In order to understand how the avant-garde style came about, you need to plunge into history and remember everything we know about Japan. So: the 20s of the XX century. Japan, which for a long time was isolated from the outside world, became a liberal country due to the change of emperor, and the Japanese people, who had never before seen European outfits, laughed at this manner of dressing. Japanese designers, in turn, began to make outfits of a very unusual shape, wanting to "spoof" these strange people and capture them in their memory. Naturally, they made patterns based on their own ideas, because they simply did not have knowledge of how Europeans sew their clothes. They tried to distort clothes in any way, but instead of hatred, the restrained and cultured Europeans appreciated this sense of humor and even later adopted the idea of breaking all the stereotypes of wearing a particular thing.
The avant-garde style in clothes appeared on the pages of European fashion a little later - in the 60s, when the idea of this genre was finally formed, and Pierre Cardin released the first collection in this style. And he did it in honor of the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite. Cardin's models were dressed in shiny "space" outfits of a bizarre shape, symbolizing aliens.
To “joke” with fashion and break all stereotypes, challenging traditional ideas about patterns, styles and color combinations, many other designers have adopted the style, creating unusual outfits.
Symbolism of style
The very word “avant-garde” even from a military theme, but quite accurately describes the main task of this style: to break all stereotypes, “break through” the enemy’s defenses, in this case conservatism, and to form people’s new views on wearing clothes in general. Vanguard - style, accessories, shoes and hairstyles of which can be even stranger than the clothes themselves. This is a style created to realize the most daring fantasies. This is innovation, eccentricity, an open challenge.
The main distinguishing features of the avant-garde
So, here are a few criteria that make avant-garde clothing immediately catch your eye:
- the use of any materials for making clothes;
- creation of unusual styles and patterns;
- bold color combination;
- the use of geometric shapes;
- complete asymmetry in clothes;
- imitation of various natural materials;
- contrast;
- large, catchy, bright accessories;
- unusual hats;
- complex textures.
Often on the catwalks under the name of world famous brands, models dressed in dresses sewn not at all from fabric, but, for example, made of paper, plastic, metal or foil ... All this is an avant-garde style of clothing, the characteristics of which are sometimes very difficult to accept, and people , far from fashion, and it is sometimes incomprehensible the desire of designers to stand out with the help of such outfits. However, the avant-garde style nevertheless became very famous and widespread, and over time, its own directions even appeared in it.
Conceptualism, or the classic avant-garde
Stunning, bewitching and directing the history of fashion into the mainstream of insanity, conceptualism at the forefront is found only in two places: either on the catwalk, or on celebrities who are shocking from birth. A borderless style that gives many designers freedom of expression.
Famous clothing brands in this direction are clothes from Pierre Cardin, the founder of this style, as well as Vivienne Westwood, Gareth Pugh, Kenzo and others.
Deconstructivism as a new look at clothes
Even the craziest designers cannot beat the Japanese in terms of creating something unusual and truly brain-bearing. It’s easy to lay out clothes on the elements, pull the seams out, stick the fasteners where they seem to have no place at all, to create a swimsuit in the form of a jacket or dress, which is actually a classic pants! Deconstructivism, the essence of which is to create clothes from its constituents, allows you to experiment with the very concept of "being dressed." Japanese designers prefer to destroy all foundations regarding the combination of forms, types of fabrics, cut and even the way of sewing clothes. Perhaps even Karden with his ingenious ability to create perfect geometry in clothes can envy such a flight of fantasy.
The most prominent representatives of this direction are Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo, Issei Miyaki and others.
Avant-garde minimalism in everyday life
If, because of the first two directions, it seems that the clothes in the style of the avant-garde are categorically not suitable for everyday wear, then the third direction may convince you.
Minimalism in itself is expressed in restraint of lines, monotony, in a simple cut of fabric, but at the same time such clothes are striking because of their one form. Jackets with beveled snakes, dresses with geometric cutouts or skirts combining two completely different types of fabric are now in fashion, but this is also a kind of avant-garde, which is pleasant and fun to wear.
And now, already browsing through some of the collections of Gareth Pugh, Kenzo, Yves Saint Laurent and even the latest works of Pierre Cardin, not even the most avid fashionistas catch themselves thinking that it can be worn, and it looks gorgeous.
Hairstyles, accessories and shoes
In second place in terms of shocking avant-garde style is shoes. The outfit itself can be discreet, however, heeled shoes in the form of a column, blocks of ice, a simple metal bar can make this image completely crazy.
The same applies to accessories: rings, bracelets and beads can imitate anything, the main thing is not to get out of the image as a whole. Hairstyles are determined by the same criteria: the more unusual the form, the better. In this case, you can often paint something on the face or dye eyebrows and eyelashes in an unusual color.
But pilot glasses or round glasses are popular in all directions, since such glasses are suitable for almost all clothing styles - from avant-garde to classics, which designers like. However, although the shape of the glasses remains the same, nothing prevents experimenting with the frame.
Shine!
Having learned about this trend in clothing, many put a fat cross on it and swear never to wear something of this kind. Nevertheless, in the closet of each of us there are things that, due to their color, unusual cut or type of fabric, are the embodiment of this “terrible” phrase - the avant-garde style. The art of being noticed is not only based on shocking, it can also be expressed in the modest use of straight lines. So you can reconsider your views on this direction and look through the collections of brands Comme des Garcons, Alexander McQueen, Thierry Mugler, trying to make this style understandable for all people who find the courage to stand out in themselves.