Dear Diane and Shaded Viewers,
Nana Aganovich and Brooke Taylor are the duo behind Aganovich. Brooke is one of those people whose eloquence both thrills and unhinges journalists, whilst Nana seems hesitant to speak, though not out of uncertainty. She is reserved, peculiar, endearing. Together they have created their distinct aesthetic; something romantic and feminine that disclaims constructs of femininity, and something that's always well thought-out with beautiful asymmetry amongst other unconventionals. Their womenswear collection last week was exactly this, though in a much less predictable way than it sounds.
Conceptually edging towards Nana's fascination with the attire of clowns, the Aganovich A/W 2014 collection was inspired by 19th Century magicians. There was a theatricality in the tailored jackets with billowy caped-backs and consistent roundedness in silhouette and cut, where one continuous curved line started at a lapel, fell down around the hem of a jacket and then swooped up to accent the asymmetrically peaked collar. The simple black-white palette, however, and the masterful tailoring restrained the collection from being ostentatious. Aspects from previous seasons continued, like the dropped nape, high Japanese-inspired pointed waistline and regal brocades, though the solemn nature of these elements was undermined in the untidiness of an un-hemmed legging, sitting over the top of the shoe, and the fraying edges of brocades. Much like the grandeur in performing the mastery of deception, its inseparability from a flawed character and social stance as an entertainer [in 19th Century regard] will relentlessly show in a worn costume.
[ see the full show here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmYMxsEWefU&list=UU2BDgg8ofpiuRPABgsvRpBg&feature=c4-overview ]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”8377″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”1335″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”2000″}}]][[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”8378″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”1335″,”style”:”line-height: 1.538em;”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”2000″}}]]
Brooke spoke to me about the pleasure of dressing that him and Nana share; "Dressing is for others; it's the delight you give other people. When we dress up, we get treated very well – people love it and it makes people smile. It's about capturing that and not accepting a definition or being pushed down by the mundane. That's the worst thing in the world – being pushed down to who you're meant to be."
Earlier this year, Aganovich quietly launched their first menswear collection; so quiet in fact that the first images have only just been released. The precise silhouette of jodhpurs layered with a leather apron, a re-worked three-piece suit, as well as a perfectly rounded coat were the more splendid elements of this first offering, where the rest was mostly filled with 'basics'; an understandable inclusion.
The collection was beautifully photographed in the Aganovich studio by Emmanuel Giraud for the latest issue of A Magazine Curated By [that comes out on Monday].
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”8379″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”2000″,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”1335″}}]][[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”8380″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”2000″,”style”:”line-height: 1.538em;”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”1335″}}]][[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”8381″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”2000″,”style”:”line-height: 1.538em;”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”1335″}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”8382″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”1335″,”style”:”line-height: 1.538em;”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”2000″}}]][[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”8383″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”2000″,”style”:”line-height: 1.538em;”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”1335″}}]][[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”8384″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”2000″,”style”:”line-height: 1.538em;”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”1335″}}]]
All photography by Emmanuel Giraud http://emmanuelgiraud.com/
http://www.aganovich.com/
Happy Saturday,
Sophie Joy
