Artistic Director of Dior Men Kim Jones is no stranger to celebrating the cultural legacy, or more precisely pop culture, of his British roots. For his latest fall-winter 2020 collection at Dior Homme, the designer continues to bring the notion of the past, present, and future by creating dialogues between Dior’s heritage and current artists. He dedicated an ode to his late friend, true British punk, a stylist, and couturier Judy Blame.
Who was Judy Blame? Everyone might guess who he was already after the show ended. The multitalented Blame was a punk-turned-stylist and a jewellery designer. As a stylist, he always made something out of scratch for the models to wear, or using found materials such as safety pins and electrical tape, and incorporating them into high-fashion pieces. He’s a true craftsman and artist. He also became an Art Director and image consultant for iconic personalities such as Boy George, Neneh Cherry, Kylie Minogue, Massive Attack, and Bjork. Judy Blame passed away at the age of 85 last year.
Dior Men’s Winter 2020/21 Collection
At the show, the set was simply taking us to the hip ’80s era vibes, with the light-shot smoke. When we first saw the first pieces of the collection worn by the models, Kim Jones incorporates every element between Dior’s and Blame’s signatures in every look. Starting from the chain that adorns the pants, the safety pins on the coats and the remake of Dior’s signature motif Toile de Jouy into “Toile de Judy”, which was designed in collaboration with the trust Judy Blame Foundation and based on the artist’s revolutionary work.
Dior’s iconic bar jacket, which comes in the Maison’s shades of grey and blue, is paired with opera gloves. Kim Jones also gives pleats and draping details on the jacket like what he brought in his first designs for Dior in its men’s 2019 collection, making it a staple look from Jones. Meanwhile, you can see how Jones revisit Dior’s heritage in moiré effects of silk, embroideries, and the arabesque motifs and paisley patterns.
Accessories
Each look is adorned and finished with beaded embroideries or pierced with a safety pin, as a nod to Judy Blame’s DIY-inspired style. The models are bejewelled with two dots under their eyes, just like Blame’s styling on Björk look for her album cover in 1993, Debut.
Yoon Ahn as the Director of Dior Men’s Jewellery reinterpreted Judy Blame’s jewellery pieces through metallic elements that are engraved and embossed with the Dior Logo and adorned with cannage or lily of the valley motifs.
Seen in most of the latest collection looks, berets that were made by Dior’s milliner Stephen Jones pay tribute to the Parisian culture and the pioneering Buffalo Movement of the ’80s. Last but not least, the Saddle Bag is revisited in new, ever more fluid forms as the Soft Saddle, in graphic briefcases and camera bags. They’re crafted in polished calfskin in a palette of black, camel-vicuña, and navy blue, feature the signature Dior Oblique motif enhanced with beading or in a handmade tapestry version.
All the pieces are very well thought, edited, and put together with Dior’s heritage and avant-garde in mind. From the first time we see it on the runway to the time when we heard about the tribute in the collection, Judy Blame would’ve been thrilled to see all the pieces that were shown on the Dior runway this season. Kim Jones has once again claimed the reigning title from the Fashion Awards as the Menswear Designer of the Year by showing us his distinctive vision and craftsmanship in the men’s winter 2020/21 collection.
See the full show of Dior Men Fall/Winter 2020/21.
The story was originally posted on Prestige Online Indonesia, by Maya A. Siregar.
The post Kim Jones Pays Tribute to the Late British Punk Judy Blame in Dior Men’s Winter 2020/21 Collection appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.