My dissertation is about David Bowie⦠kind of. I was initially inspired to research this area after learning about the close connection between Bowie and Japan, which made me wonder about the various influences that collaboratively produced his iconic personae. The incredible glam rock fashion of his Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane period made the choice of which area to focus on pretty easy.
My main realisation has been that there is an infinite list of contributors, collaborators, and influences that came together to produce the Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane imagery that we know so well. Even a rice cooker gets a mention for being relevant! I researched the history of fur as a material in fashion, and the social and cultural reasons fur may be worn in different contexts.
Paris is Burning was a particularly interesting lens to view this through, as tensions between fur as a marker of distinction and anti-fur campaigns were dramatically rising. Not only that, but I could bring in a lot on gender and fashion β my favourite topic! Today I am wearing periwinkle blue trousers, a white t-shirt and a brown check jacket. As you probably noticed from that description, most of my clothing these days comes from some kind of second-hand source.
I started trying to avoid fast fashion about 5 years ago and am really happy with the eclectic wardrobe I have built since. I have been desperate for a brightly coloured co-ord suit that fits my body Zara seems to think I need an extra 6 inches of torso? They are a way for us to customise this character we have been given, to make our day more comfortable, to support our lifestyle and to surround ourselves with softness and colour at least, these are my main priorities.
A glowstick exploding all over my favourite lilac crushed-velvet tank top, age 6! Oh dear. In terms of fashion media, I have strong memories of media which I think must have come from my big sister, because I was almost certainly too young to follow these when I first watched them. They were also both, in their own ways, trailblazing forms of media.
