Last season, AnOther enlisted artist and photographer Marie Valognes (aka mise en) to transform some of the most iconic moments of fashion weeks into her fantastically Blue Peter style of sculptural DIY: Vetements became a shiny Polish sausage; the bulbous waxy drippings of a candle, the denim ruffles of Marques'Almeida. So enamoured were we with her approach to conceptualising the collections that we felt this season wouldn't be the same without her: thus, we present round two of her Fabulous Fashion Week Sculptures: The A/W16 edition. "I started a couple of seasons ago. I love doing still life generally and I tend to make visual connections when looking at forms. It's an interesting way to express this here because there's a dialogue created between the two images that hopefully communicates back to the viewer," says Valognes.
Perhaps what is most immediately appealing about mise en's creations is freedom of their association: often we are caught up in the likes of the revolutionary redolence of Comme des Garçons, or the alluring dystopia of Rick Owens, that we forget they actually somewhat resemble a pair of washing-up gloves ("it's as if those two piles of fabric are doing the walking and carrying the wearer forward, that and the colour remind me of rubber gloves, fingers in control") or a bit of toupee ephemera. "I always try a few things before going with the flow," she explains, "that's usually what works best. But Marques'Almeida was a little tricky because I couldn't quite figure it out: is it an aperitif with cocktail sausages? An Italian restauraunt?" It ended up as a kitchen-table hairdressers: somehow, perfectly suited.
Hair seems to have emerged as an unlikely trend for the season; she continued to explain that her reenvisioning of Rick Owens' engaged human hair (found in everyone's beloved hairdresser supply store, Pak's) "to recreate Donald Trump's hairstyle – that's what the look reminded me of. The materials remind me of the kind of things you'd find in a bathroom, a bit of hair from the brush, cotton pads..." and so, from Owens' hand-draped masterpieces emerges a sticky, slightly dirty but equally alluring image. As she explains, the conversation between the two images – the ever-familiar runway shot and the distinctly unfamiliar interpretation – is where the magic is found; "it's an interesting because there's a dialogue created between the two images that hopefully communicates back to the viewer." Here, she presents her new work exclusively for anothermag.com – accompanied by the inspirations for her excellence.
"It looks artificial; I see a superhero toy, or maybe a deodorant for men" – Marie Valognes on Hood By Air
"A witch at a birthday party" – Marie Valognes on Marc Jacobs
"Here, I went for the graphics: vichy patterns and colour combinations, which inspired a 'hairdressing on the kitchen table' composition" – Marie Valognes on Marques'Almeida
"I see The Little Mermaid with stripper heels: it's an unexpected combination, reflected in the sculpture with the out-of-place pen caps. Plus, it looks a bit as if the dress is liquid, pouring out onto the body" – Marie Valognes on Versace
