Tokyo Diaries IX

A mental travel preparation.




Hedi Slimane Vogue Hommes Japan, 2008

The eroticism of exotism. The beauty of revealing truth within a cliché. The kimono as pop artefact. The modernity of tradition. The moment when opposites merge. This day is approaching.
/HORST

The Intertext Of Hedi Slimane II

1. Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2013
2. Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2013
3. Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2014

Until now, I wasn't that much aware of the Slimane gender blending. Yes, the womenswear invite showed men in suits (swaying a hat) and the menswear invite featured an illustrated (vaguely feminine) heart, yet, the crossing of sexuality seemed nothing more than a visual/conceptual tease. Androgynity was always on Hedi's Dior Homme agenda. With his offerings for Saint Laurent, it feels more like a campaign for asexuality. In fact, he creates duplicates, an intertext within his own world. That of sequins, bows and leopard print. I am buying it. Lipstick included.
/HORST

The Intertext Of Hedi Slimane

1. Raymond Pettibon Invite, Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2014
2. Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2014
3. John Baldessari Invite, Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2014
4. Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2014

The artists Slimane chooses and the symbols their invitation artworks depict imply a crossing of meaning. Comic-like figures with disturbing, poetic and ambiguous undertone? The anti-authoritarian spirit of youth? Pettibon! Menswear! The appropriation of the found image as art practice? Endless repetition with subtle changes? Baldessari! Womenswear! 9 classic jackets over sparkly dresses...
/HORST

Bow (Down) Job

1. Alasdair McLellan Self Service No. 23, 2005
2. Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane Fall/Winter 2005

Reminiscing about Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane is always a solemn act, pre-ceremony-worthy, wrapping good moments in glittery lurex, decorating it off with a soft, big, blown-up bow. Happy Holidays!
/HORST

Poster Boys (Without Beuys)

Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin V Best: Five Years of V Magazine, 2005

Just like setcards from a model agency's development department, the cast of a new scripted reality show, or the long-overdue indie boy band - we are introduced to three unusually handsome actors headlining the greatest of all fashion plays.
/HORST

Versus Versus Slimane

1. Versus Spring/Summer 1996
2. Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2014
3. Versus Spring/Summer 1996
4. Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2014
5. Versus Spring/Summer 1996
6. Saint Laurent Fall/Winter 2013

What Gianni Versace's Versus has in common with Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent is a love for youth - a playful youth with attitude: rich, reckless and borderlining towards the tacky. Things that the young want to wear while being criticized for it.
/HORST

A Short History Of Stripes In Popular Culture VII

1. Raf Simons Fall/Winter 2010
2. Yves Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane Fall/Winter 1999
3. Dior Fall/Winter 2013
4. Vincent Como Objects of Unknown Power and/or Origin, 2001
5. J.W. Anderson Fall/Winter 2013
6. Céline Fall/Winter 2013
7. Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2013

The interrupted block stripe. When an endless line is disconnected and cut into a box, Raf Simons and Hedi Slimane become much closer than expected. A 'band' that connects them all, including Jil 'Simons' Sander, J.W. 'Madame' Anderson and Phoebe 'Lang' Philo.
/HORST

Confession, Light-Hearted

Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2013

So here is the problem: Once on the shop floor, we want the clothes, the shoes, the jewellery and accessories. A luxurious wardrobe dedicated to the skinny tuxedo. Accordingly, we can regard the runway presentation as refined element of shock.
/HORST