The exposure of hiding behind ink



Photography by - Ryan Doco Conners



When deciding on this post, I came to the realisation that make-up and tattoos play a big role in the revealing and concealing of the body.

According to Bill Hanks (Yahoo 2010), what was once controversial is now becoming a popular trend amongst individuals. Hanks, continues that fashion designers have not only added new colours and designs to their apparel, they have also added tattoos to their models as they walk down the runway. The exposure of tattoos can be thought of as an artistic expression. Hank believes that the human body is to be regarded as a canvas for art. Make-up of all types have long been used to bring out beauty.

'Zombie boy'

Therefore tattoos can be used to expand on this art form. According to Levi-Strauss, the social aesthetic significance off tattooing may be better understood if 'doubleing' the face and body, which are decorated as if split in two. This therefore focuses on the social and human identity portrayed by persona's that an individual embodies. 

With the word 'face' in mind, I came across the 'Lace Face' article which talks about beauty and make-up. It is not necessarily as permanent as tattooing but portrays the same connotations. Peter Philips, Chanel creative director of make-up pinned different pieces of black lace over dark navy smokey eyes at Karl Langerfelds fall contour show. According to critics, the lattice work blurs the stark effect of dark eye make-up while simultaneously showcasing it as an artistic element that is unequivocally appealing.

In my opinion the lace veiling gives a similar effect to tattooing. As Calefato says, its almost a set up between the two parts of the face or body, the actual one and the painted or incised one. It therefore is a display of art, but also at the same come a cover or mask / veil to hide behind.

'Lace Face' - Peter Philips

Lady Gaga on veiling

If, like me and probably most of the television-owning world, you wonder what motivates Lady Gaga to dress in her signature "what the what!?"  style, this may satisfy your curiosity...

On Saturday evening, she tweeted, "People ask me why I wear veils. I reply, I'm mourning. Mourning what? Well I figure something shitty must be going on somewhere."

Read More http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2012/03/tweet-of-the-day-lady-gaga-rev.html#ixzz1r3sY8OSA

Appearance.

Brit van Nerven from Uden, Netherlands, wrote an article about the way in which women choose to reveal and conceal their bodies because of various reasons.

The extract below was found on her website, www.vanbrit.com, describing her collection.

"Daily life shows us a considerable variety in appearance. From women covering their skin totally to women ostentatiously showing their body and concealing nothing, and everything in between. Fascinated by these differences I started a research to find out more about how women want to cover their body and what to show and why. In conversation several women shared different but very specific opinions:

Written as well as unwritten rules related to culture, religion, social surroundings and trend play an important role in the degree of coverage. Written rules are often quite obvious like veiling your body because of religious beliefs, wearing cultural costume, dress according to the latest fashion or sub cultural dress codes. 
When you read between the lines there are the unwritten rules, which are less obvious and determined individually. The unwritten rules are read between the lines, less obvious and determined individually. Women alter the vocabulary of do’s and don’ts according to their self-image and their wish to manifest themselves to the outside world. As women are quite specific in these opinions, they show a personal adapted style /palette of how they want to hide or emphasize their body shape and forms.

I translated my observations into a collection that is formed out of a modular system of different garment pieces. These pieces can be combined according to personal needs."

Brit Van Nerven is another one of the many designers that use the body and fashion as a way of expressing and communicating to the world the idea and theory behind why and how women conceal and reveal themselves through clothing.

Photography: Lonneke van der Palen

Reference: Veil and Reveal

Appearance

Sacred Search.

In the images below, an artist by the name of Frederique Daubal (Hide and Seek, May 27^th 2010) cuts out pages from various fashion magazines and uses them as sliced masks to make a statement about visual identity and perception.
Every face seems to tell a story. 
The series of images below leaves you pondering what those stories are.

In my opinion, some beings are secretly in search of an identity not enlightening their real individuality. People – not only models or fashion designers wear masks for various reasons. Fashion designers might use the masks to play a game with the audience. The mask represents a “cultural obsession”, resembling the Muslim niqābs. In the video below people give their individual opinions on the "veil" and the "veil unveiled".

The mask project is a statement on identity. Revealing your true identity lays concern on your place in life. Embracing and processing your proper uniqueness, influences how other beings might react and respond to you. The slices in the predetermined facial expression, presents the model with the ability to view and explore the expressions and judgements of the society.

According to a further reading posted by Ian in Faces, Identity, and Photographs: Hide and Seek by Frederique Daubal, posted on 7 June 2010, it can be asked: when does your face become a mask? If you could wear the same expression continuously, and only change it when you want to, would you? 
I can not tell you what inspired Frederique Daubal in this work, but I can tell you of what it evokes in me. The idea of wearing photographs as masks is not new, but this application is. The cut slits make the work seem almost like venetian blinds to me. Both the subject matter and the model peek out towards the camera, hidden behind a mask. As the facial expression is predetermined, everything is about body language, and that makes for a very interesting study. 

Further reading: Faces, Identity and Photographs.

Captured Insanity.

Being disturbed is one of the many reasons why some people end up in a mental institution, they generally experience feelings of anguish, anxiety, confusion and deliberation. The clothing pieces associated with a mental institution are usually odd of character, simple, minimalistic and defensive. However it can be understood as though the garments act as a protection; the buckles and straps are both part of that protection, it is as if they are clinically tailored to hold you in and secure you. 

The theme of insanity is being described throughout the clothing and the mental state of the patients. 

From my point of view I feel that the images below portray these people as being especially sexual and  revealing. The more they reveal the freer and more provocative they feel.

The images of the people as well as the garments below resemble the insane behaviors of the patients in a mental institution:

According to the photographs taken by Steven Klein (Institutional White.), Thordur Sveins describes the women as being pretty and interesting even though they are in an insane refuge. They occasionally turn up in fashion and movies such as Girl Interrupted and Sucker Punch. Even though I am not a fan of these types of different, disturbing and provoking subjects, I want to introduced to you, "Institutional White". 
Further readings from the magazine, Interview, describe the strict institutional white as the new order this season. Clinically reserved and precisely tailored with maniacal attention to detail. Inspired by the legend of an actress who refused to conform through her descent into madness, Steven Klein conjures an imaginary tale of discipline, betrayal, will, and obsession.

    

For further reading:  www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/institutional-white  www.framediscovery.com/2012/03/steven-klein-editorial-institutional.html

Hats Off.

Body image is a huge factor affecting the way one dresses. 
A series on TLC network, My Naked Secret, follows individuals with poor body image and helps them tackle embarrassing issues that affects their daily lives and thus helps overcome them. 


Below is a clip based on an individual named Josh. TLC follows Josh and helps him over come his struggle with a rare skin condition. He suffers from a disease known as Folliculitis Decalvans. This has affected many aspects of his life including the way he dresses and how he allows others to perceive him. Josh always wears hats to hide his condition.


This is a simple example of how poor self image or personal issues can affect ones dress.      

The Unconventional Bride.

Brides are known for their innocence and pure beauty. Typically their dresses are ceremonial, their heads are covered by a veil and usually their wedding dress is specifically for that occasion and a style that can not be worn to any other events. 
German designer, Kaviar Gauche, however stirred a great deal of controversy at Berlin fashion week in January 2012 when he show cased an unconventional wedding dress. 
The models walked down the runway wearing a couple of diminutive pieces of fabric joined together with a central strip, and the whole ‘outfit’ was masked by a sheer veil, contradicting everything that a traditional wedding dress is meant to be.

In my opinion by creating a controversial wedding dress such as in the images below, Gauche is questioning the meaning of tradition and modesty and moreover who determines what modesty is and what is appropriate at this sacred time.  


The images below reveal the 'G-string' wedding dress showcased by Kaviar Gauche at Berlin Fashion Week. 

Reference: http://www.whatsontianjin.com