CLAUDE MONTANA : FASHIONABLY RADICAL

For all the glam dressing PASTICHE ( fabulous way to say "copy") on the catwalk paying (subconsciously) homage to the GREAT "scientists" of fashion, there is no definitive TOME of the originals but there is of who took the "inventor" tag. Like looking at the shoulder pads and thinking NO OTHER name but Claude Montana!

His name is iconic.... his creations more so. There have been a number of TREATISE that will prove my declaration, but for the fashion connoisseurs... it's moot and academic.

As far as I can remember, this couturier's collections were my first grossly admired lot. So powerful were it's influence on me that when I was sketching I tend to remember his models' poses and transpose them to my sheets.

His stint at LANVIN highlighted the Montana lexicon when it comes to powerful statement dressing. He focused on the colour (BOLD and BRIGHT) and materials of each garment rather than trivial details.

I can't help but draw a parallel between his clothes and that of the current Lanvin lord, ALBER ELBAZ. His satin trenches, blouson cashmere coats and heavy embroideries find contemporary parallels in Elbaz's works.

He greatly admired Mme.GRES (1910-1993) as a couturiere, specializes in strong colours, monochromatic fabrics, and lots of leather and wool. His classic and structural pantsuits feature razor-sharp tailoring and strong silhouettes with dramatic proportions. His collections were always peppered with geometry of form and Scheherazade of minimal decorations. In the '80's we can arguably say that every designer was measured against Montana — either a shoulder-padded co-conspirator in his 'revolution' of woman's silhouette, or a reaction against that inverted triangle that came to characterize the decade.

During the 90's, his style gradually changed and became more simple and sophisticated. His collections announced a whole new set of styles with exquisite drapery, fluidity, movement and minimal construction. He used a much more feminine look.

All his contributions to the fashionlandia  regrettably were almost eclipsed by him becoming most famous for bankrupting Lanvin (costing them a reported $50 million) at the near end of his life as one that was "a member of the creme de la creme". But for me, he's STILL one of the few who DEFINED the 80's and continues to be an underlying force behind today's styles. He was a FASHION DICTATOR who remained true to himself... who enjoyed his glorious heydey to perfection.

Another brilliant artist who made an untimely exit........... I hope he's remembered as a SUCCESS, by the amount of his contributions to the industry as an ART form, by his innovations, by his visions.... 



.... and never be as FRACASO!