Mood board: The late British fashion iconoclast Judy Blame nurtured a generation of artists and designers working in the late 1980s and 1990s and created much of the look now deemed to define that period. In 2005, talking to The New York Times he said of his penchant for bricolage: ‘When we haven’t got the money, we have to use our imagination. I used to go and scavenge around the River Thames. I didn’t have any fear about using something that wasn’t classic jewellery material.’ Kim Jones looked to Blame’s legacy for A/W 20. ‘This show is dedicated to the memory of Judy Blame, a close friend and pioneer in the world of fashion, whose love of couture was an inspiration to us all,’ he said. The Dior logo was pierced with a safety pin. The attitude: neo-punk-opulence. Couture remixed and remastered.
Best in show: The Dior salon posture was there in the long gloves, sleeves pushed up above the elbow. Dior’s archives exude a timeless magic that has endured and exists as a treasure trove of inspiration. Its contents are a byword for elegance. Jones pushed the archival deference in the moiré effects of silk and placement of embroidery. Arabesque motifs and paisley patterns were inspired by the clothes made by Marc Bohan for the house during his 30-year tenure. The look was extravagant and dramatic; longer shirts, giant silk rosettes. Bricolage safety pin necklaces and trimmings across the collection were in direct homage to Blame.
Finishing touches: The iconic Gazette print that Blame created for John Galliano is reissued. Throughout the collection was the original toile de jouy motif that decorated Christian Dior’s first boutique – called “colifichets” – and a new “toile de judy” designed in collaboration with the trust Judy Blame Foundation. Berets by Stephen Jones paid tribute to Parisian culture and the pioneering Buffalo movement of the 1980s – of which Blame was a pivotal figure.
