Role Of Muse In Haute Couture - Essay Example

Role of muse in haute couture Haute Couture is a term used to imply excellence in artistry in the fashion industry. It is coined from French words, haute which means high and couture which literally means sewing. In the fashion world, these words when combined together, indicates the business of designing custom-made and highly fashionable clothes for women. A model haute couture garment is hand crafted to specific body measurements and fitted to perfection for each client. It is for this reason added to the hours of toil and the highly exclusive materials that haute couture garments are extremely expensive. Not only is the dress custom-made, the fabrics and embellishments are of the highest quality, and the tailors, seamstresses, embroiderers, lace makers and other craftspeople who spend hundreds of hours assembling these pieces are the most skilled in the world (Sherman, 2006). In Greek mythology, the muses were the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddesses who presided over literature and the arts and sciences. A muse is not simply an icon but a constant source of inspiration by her presence or the input she gives a designer. In Greek mythology, muses served as inspiration to artists of various disciplines, be it photography, paintings or even fashion. Like the daughters of Mnemosyne, whose name translates as 'memory', they held in their power the ability to make an artist remember or tap into an ocean of creativity held internally or collectively. The muses did not create new inspiration in non-creative people, but instead helped their creative admirers to reconnect with lost or forgotten creativity and inspiration. The muses were noble and strong beings that were held in the highest regard. Muses were valued participants in the creative world and have been given that magnitude in the artistic world throughout history. The relationship shared by a muse and her admirer is not typically a sexual one, even though the inspiration most often comes from the sexual charge between them. This sexual tension lays the foundation for the admirer's interest to impress the muse and stays as the only link that ties them together. A muse doesn't necessarily define perfection; she should be one who is able to project a global vision and self-awareness that inspires her admirer. The idea of a muse has existed for millennia. Artists still believe that creativity is a phenomenon that exists outside of them, rather than inside a skilled mind that creates art. So when an artist sees someone, who provides as a source of inspiration that sparks interest and enjoyment, and also challenges their skills as a creator, a muse or an idea of a muse is created. Even today, male fashion designers have their muse, who is usually a beautiful, high-society female. They move from one muse to another, constantly in search of an expression of the ideas that define fashion for each of them. Yet, in classical tradition, muses were independent figures, 'active, willful and manipulative practitioners of their art'; creators and artists in their own right (Gerrard, n.d.) A muse creates an inspiration by making a fashion statement. The famous Isabella Blow, a fashion personality who dressed to express her love of innovation and daring and not merely to look pretty or conventional. For her, fashion was not about wearability or lifestyle; it was about art (Flanagan, canada.com). Emmanuel Ungaro, a master of texture and prints, trained under Balenciaga and Courreges, always looked for something different for the women whom he dressed. He wanted his women to be sexy and seductive, in short, women with a lot of sex appeal. When a man sees a woman who inspires him by some quality within her, she is simply projecting an idea or belief that the man carries within himself that he holds with high regard. It could be some aspect of her personality, her beauty or as most often is the case, the sexual charge that exists between them that creates this mysterious bond of muse and admirer. Leading designer, Karl Lagerfeld, explains his need for a muse to create women's clothing. He once said "I am not a woman, so I need an ideal incarnation of the woman of the moment as I see her. It helps me to express what I feel, and I design with her in mind'' (Menkes, 1997). Fashion has evolved as the images have evolved; they in turn merge to represent the ideal woman of the times. Ungaro, (2002) in an interview said "fashion has to change as women have evolved. Women have no desire to be bourgeois anymore, to be easily satisfied. I don't design any suits for couture anymore because what would be the point. No one comes to couture to buy a suit, they come to purchase dreams." According to Pierre Cardin (2005) it is the true haute couture that has vanished in today's fashion industry. Haute couture dresses and outfits are sewn by hand and to the specific measurements of the client, ensuring something unique, the exact opposite of mass produced ready-to-wear. In the early nineties the creative directors of major fashion houses were all men. For example, Michael Kors at Celine and Tom Ford at Gucci, who were succeeded by Ivana Omazic and Frida Giannini, respectively. However, the trends are changing as the status of women are growing within the industry and we see more and more women rising in their responsibilities; from mere muses to creative heads and haute couture fashion designers. Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli are the greatest female fashion designers of the twentieth century. Donatella Versace, sister of designer Gianni Versace, has been termed by the press as his muse and inspiration for years. She, on the other hand, claims to be more his disturber than his muse. In an interview once she revealed that Gianni was more inspired by her personality than her looks or physique. She supervises the photography and the creation of the visual images for Versace, and her work takes her in contact with the youth and their preferences and rages (Furnish, 1996). Branded as one of the most influential female fashion designers of her times, Schiaparelli also had a flair for surrealism because she often collaborated with Salvador Dali in order to create her fashion designs. Sherry Ortner has argued that, "female is to male as nature is to culture." (Buckley, 1986). The fashion world is becoming less and less focused on couture and more on the practical aspects of designs. Women are more in tune with the practical elements as they are the ones wearing the designs and hence are more aware of what looks and feels good. When a man designs for women's clothes, he usually has a muse, a woman who inspires him. But for a woman, in the words of Diane von Furstenberg, "Women do not need muses... they are their own muses." However, this does not elucidate why the industry is still dominated by male designers when they require sources outside themselves to be creative. Throughout history, women have embraced fashion while men created them. It could be because men have better imagination of what perfection in a woman would be. The sexual tension that creates the relationship and inspires the creativity in a male designer is conventionally not present when a female designer creates women's clothing. Men are inspired by sexuality and even more by personality. Roberto Cavalli reveals that "the most fascinating part of a woman is her character - but a nice smile and beautiful eyes make the rest. I design for the woman who is sensual and independent." A man may possess the potential to have a better imagination as to perfection in a woman because he would spend more time and effort in understanding and thereby designing an image of the perfect woman. To quote Christian Louboutin, "I think as a male designer designing women's shoes I am not as limited as a female shoe designer, because I do not start from a practical beginning." For him there is no heel too high as he does not have to deal with the practicality of wearing them. But a woman on the other hand would be, consciously or unconsciously, limited in her imagination (The Observer, 2008). Women make better muses than men simply because men are more restricted in their fashion trends due to their social role whereas women have been enjoying the leverage of trends and fashion for centuries. It cannot be sexism that women are considered more desirable in the fashion industry. Another point of relevance here is the prevalence and obvious dominance of gay men in the women's fashion industry. The male gay domination of the industry was expected to make it a less sexist environment for women designers. But the reality is different. Although there are few female designers like Miuccia Prada, Donatella Versace and Donna Karen, men still dominate the industry. Sheila Jeffreys (2005) explores why gay men are interested in designing clothes for women, who are neither their sexual partners nor the focus of their sexual imaginations. Contrary to the cultural assumption that the innate femininity of gay men makes them more sympathetic to women and helps understand them better, it is the gay defined version of femininity that male gay designers project onto women. Exploring more into the subject, she explains that femininity is the default position for those excluded from the privileges of heterosexual male dominance. It is the position that relates erotically to masculinity and represents its opposite. The femininity that gay men adopt has little to do with women and more to do with their acceptance and revelation of male supremacy. Thus contrary to trimming down sexism in the fashion industry, gay male designers have managed to constrict the role of women in designing women's clothing. References Buckley, Cheryl. Made in Patriarchy: Toward a Feminist Analysis of Women and Design. Design Issues, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Autumn, 1986), pp. 3. Cardin, Pierre. Is Haute Couture Dead or Dying http://www.lilith-ezine.com/articles/fashion/True-Haute-Couture-has-Vanished.html. 2005 Cutter, The Art of the Muse. http://blog.thesmartspace.com. 16 December 2007. Emanuel Ungaro, to the Max: An Interview. http://www.fashionwindows.com/beauty/emanuel_ungaro/interview.asp. 25 July, 2002 Furnish, David. Donatella Versace (interview with the sister of designer Gianni Versace). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-18268109.html. April 1, 1996. Flanagan, Jane. Breaking the Dress Code. (canada.com). http://www.canada.com/topics/lifestyle/story.htmlid=c3bc05f2-ac61-4915-baab-d7cbac00b0d0. Gerrard, Christine. Aaron Hill: The Muse's Projector, 1685-1750. Oxford Printing Press. Jeffreys, Sheila. Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural. Routledge, 2005. pp. 91-95. Menkes, Suzy. Of Clothes, Sing Heavenly Muse!; The enigmatic women who inspire the creations of fashion's top designers. The New York Times. December 7, 1997. The Observer - Observer Woman. February 10, 2008. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/woman/story/0,,2253284,00.html. Sherman, Lauren. The Cult of Couture. http://www.forbes.com/2006/06/27/haute-couture-fashion_cx_ls_0628feat_ls.html. 28 June, 2006. Retrieved on March 13, 2008. Read More