Pierre Cardin + Gareth Pugh

Continuing on the theme of the 1960's, Pierre Cardin recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of his brand and at age 87, he is still going strong.  Some of the most significant contributions Cardin made to fashion were his forward thinking designs of the 1960s.  As mentioned in the previous post, the Space Race was an event heard all around the world. Cardin was working out of a Paris studio, but his fashions were seen splashed all over the pages of American fashion publications.  Although utilizing bright, bold colors for his futuristic designs, Cardin was a key player in solidifying the color white to be a signifier of the future. His designs in white are stark, with clean lines, minimal detailing... a kind of utopian ideal.  First, some of his more vibrant and spunky looks... followed by a starkly contrasted series of black and white images of his white collection of 1970.

-Pierre Cardin, 1967-

-Pierre Cardin, 1967-

-Nurse's Uniforms, 1970, with Pierre Cardin-

Cardin's seems foundational to the inspiration for Gareth Pugh's work. Pugh has defined himself as a futuristic designer, not only in form but in presentation as well.  Pugh favors video presentations to live runway shows and has produced some stunning work.  His recent Spring/Summer 2011 Collection, presented designs almost entirely in white...although this is nothing new for Pugh... he seems to take this idea to the extreme this time.  The idea of "futuristic," has evolved into something almost otherwordly, but it still recalls back to the ideals Cardin instilled during the 1960s.  In the same way that the clothes in Cardin's 1970 collection form a cocoon around the body, Pugh's garments also look as though they were built to protect the body from unknown futuristic elements.