Versace S/S 16

The decision to break tradition and to present the Spring / Summer 16 collection at a concrete warehouse styled location on the outskirts of the city of Milan, replacing the usual venue, set the appropriate tone of surprise in the audience for the following show. To me Versace always has a predictability about it, mostly so in their Spring / Summer collections, following the same simple silhouettes just with varying prints and occasionally fabric and conforming to the same brash Versace logo displayed at least once in the backdrop. Despite this however, the surprise not only came from the new location but also to the rehashing of military styled clothing and the tailoring. One piece in particular stood out to me, a khaki green oversized blazer, worn as a dress with a belt used to define the shape, transforming this otherwise masculine piece into one that evokes femininity. This represents what Donatella Versace advocates, that a woman should always have the right to feel feminine. 

Versace SS16 

The military theme appears to have reappeared for Versace as the look was consistent throughout the collection, this includes a new interpretation of camouflage, one that does is creative and original. For this look Versace used sheer fabric as a foundation to build upon a trend that is still very much present to create an ingenious fabric that subtly evokes the military. 

Versace SS 16, Matteo Bazzi

In addition to camouflage the infamous cheetah print is also reinvented, presented on a cut dress that is reminiscent of rainforest tribal attire, it is not only the shape of the dress which does this but also the collection of greens and contrasting patterns. Although not revolutionary, the ensemble adds to the essence of the collection mixing military shaped garments and exotic animal prints to provoke a sense of colonial times, commenting on the migration of western society into its surroundings. 

Versace SS 16

Jamier Boatman / Pande / 2015

      Jamier Boatman shot by Pande

            These images act as evidence that fashion photography can not only be used to evoke desire from the viewer but aspects of this niche can be transferred to a broader sense of fine art photography to acknowledge cultural issues that exist at the time the photographs are taken. At a first glance these images exude fashion photography, the lighting used, the background and even the camera angle, however these photographs are not about the clothes the model is wearing, they are about the colour of his skin. 
To be oblivious about the issues facing racial inequality, particularly in the states right now, is to be oblivious to the world. The Guardian states that 183 black people have been killed by the police in the US this year and photographer Pande has captured the effects of racism in this shoot. In addition to this Pande has also managed to photograph subtle racism. The banana is a fruit which originates from tropical regions in which the people of these places are non-white, by painting and depicting the fruit as white, Pande has successfully portrayed how our majority white, western society neglects the origin and history of other cultures which we have used to develop our predominantly white countries therefore creating ignorance among white people to other cultures and ethnic backgrounds.  
Boatman holds a gun to his own head whilst tears fall down his face, displaying what initially appears to be a suicidal subject however this acts as a response to the previous image of the racism subtly placed in our western culture which portrays the repercussions institutionalised racism has on an individual. The gun immediately responds to the police's brutality towards non-whites, as if the people dying at the hands of the US police are doing it to themselves. 
A man crying is not unseen in fine art photography, Sam Taylor-Johnson published an entire series featured on this, Crying Men, 2004, however even today it is powerfully used. Due to the expectations of masculinity in our society it is still an unusual sight to see a man break down with emotion, this emphasises the fact that the subject has been broken by our racist society,leaving him exposed and vulnerable as his life is threatened and his culture is taken away from him. 
Upon immediate viewing these images appear to be from the niche of fashion photography, the lighting is soft which beautifies the model, the photos are minimalist and clean, this is what causes the viewer to look at them, the sophisticated message of racism is what engages the viewer provoking a thoughtful reflection on our societies values.

Gabriele Basilico / Contact / 1984

Gabriele Basilico / Contact / 1984

                 Contact is a photo series that portrays the different impressions left on the skin by various types of chairs, this is displayed in an archival manner, giving the sense that the series of images were taken as an experiment and the photographs produced are factual and also biographical. An imprint on the skin is usually formed by a pressure acting on the skin's surface however in this photo series the chair, the dependent variable, is the object which is being acted on by the constant, the subject, which is then documented to show the visible effect that this causes on the body. This allows the varying chairs to represent something greater, such as another person that is supporting the subject and feeding their dependence for them. The marks that are then viewed on the body afterwards, when the subject is no longer relying on the object, symbolises the pain and suffering that the withdrawal from that person inflicts upon them. 

Each chair embellishes the body with unique marks emphasising that the subject varied in their dependence on the object, with varying emotional situations relating to each different individual that the collection of chairs shows. Contact is a morbid biographical project which bluntly states that love always ends in heartache, whilst also highlighting the pain of dependence on an individual, especially when the individual withdraws and does not reciprocate the need.