Texts for the catwalk-performance un/folding the fold, MAK – Museum Applied / Contemporary Art, Vienna, January 16th, 2007 (in cooperation with Toxic Dreams).

Dress

City dwellers today need more than two or three separate items, what they want are visual transformations of their dress right there, in the city. Please pay attention - we present the transformer dress. Due to the elastic bottom of the garment this champagne coloured dress, made of Italian satin, turns into a blouson, the former bottom line of the item is fixed on the waistline. A little shift adds great dynamics to the folds.

Skirt

This skirt is made of Italian cotton with metal thread, which adds elasticity to the fabric. The social roots of this garment are: skateboard trousers, hardly sitting on the hips – only the underwear extends the item to the waistline.

Tea dress

This tea dress is made of Italian satin. And again we observe the ability to transformation, from the round silhouette of the sixties, to a fixation on the waist of the nineties, and finally to balloon- and trapeze-like forms both of the 10th and 21st centuries, which is to be recorded in fashion history as a phenomenon. In contrast to the cocktail dress, which strives to evoke an increased sexual interest by excessively opening up, this dress chooses to attract attention in a different way. Black, glossy, and many-folded: that's the characteristics of femininity and eroticism in the female costume in contrast to the male costume, where any fold is but an obstacle on the path to success.

Object 2 skirts in one pair of trousers

The theme is: trousers and skirt. Up to the end of the 20th century it was hard to imagine that those two items so closely associated with male and female sexual attributes would finally be able to co-exist peacefully in one item of clothing. Please pay attention to this model, which is made like trousers, but actually may take over the role of two skirts of different lengths, trouser leg equals skirt, and they can be used alternately, depending on the situation and time of day.

Jacket

The short blazer jacket was originally a woollen jacket by the label art point, which was machine washed at 30 degrees. Due to the deformation of the item the creative forces of the same label were inspired to look at this phenomenon positively and to undertake destructive measures in favour of the human figure. The main deforming elements remained untouched, like a tribute to historical facts: namely to lining of the sleeves and on the bottom of the garment, jutting out of the garment by 5-8 centimetres.

Parka

The parka is an indispensable element of the aestival costume. It is waisted by means of an elastic band and gathered with a drawstring casing on the bottom. The sleeve has a fixed bend around the elbow, a hints at the two-part sleeves fashionable in the middle of the 19th century.

Apron/T-shirt

The unpredictable duality in the nature of this garment: The theme of the apron unfolds to a full-fledged t-shirt, the irreplaceable item of clothing of the 20th century, both in men's and women's clothes. The given item is made of Chinese silk and Turkish jersey.

Coat

Made from double-sided cotton, it has been chemically treated for the aging effect. The seams are worked untidily, which allows the reverse side to leak out on the right side of the article. Please pay attention to the pockets: they form one line with the self-belt. The lower part is full cut. Due to the self-belt it is possible to attain the effect of joining on the waist line. The silhouette line is simple and reminds us of work clothes which, for the free joining, need at least 2 centimeters for the seam. With this set of clothes we deal with the transition period between winter and summer.

T-shirt/Blouse

At the turn of the 20th century – a highly developed technology allows all sorts of stylistic experiments. It is hard to imagine an outfit without jersey, only silk has a similar ability to mould around the human body. The lines of the early 20th century strongly resemble the lines of destiny at the beginning of the 21st century. But this has not gone down in history as an imitation in fashion, the advance of processing experience and information access is too big. And it is this progress which determines our history.

Dress/Coat

Taking its origin from the foot of a mail shirt, it was transformed to a jacket, and finally became the dress coat in a female costume. It is an object of increased demand on the side of the consumers' capability. Protects and enriches aesthetic human needs. art point's recommendation: machine wash at 30 degrees, for gradual acquisition of patina. Don't handle with care, don't iron.

Skirt with trouser leg

The given object is certainly a rightful member of the family of skirts – yet, no doubt about its origin among trousers. Let's list the typical features: fly, welted pocket. One trouser leg is entirely constructed like a skirt, whereas the task of the second one is to puzzle. The fold between the two trouser legs has always troubled tailors, and until the end of the 20th century they were expected to design a garment in such a way that there were folds only where they were meant to be! The female costume was of a rather natural, flowery origin. Until the late 1990s it was determined by this kind of predictability, until a paradigm shift took place and there appeared: Chance/opportunity/occasion: - has irrevocably entered the human language use to describe the less obvious sides of life, the observation of how social layers are being formed and of ways to wear clothes on an everyday basis.

Black Dress

The Black Dress, saviour of how many women! Here we see it in trapeze-like form, sleeveless and fitted at the waist. Note that the symmetric dart on the back has been replaced by a fold, which is fixed by a little belt. The dress sits on the line of the waist, which further stresses its silhouette-like line. The hem line is not straight, which conforms to contemporary fashion tendencies. Quilted details of the hem intensify the trapeze-like silhouette. Notice also the details on the front: the male button fly leaves its functional boundaries on the male costume and conquers a new place as an ornamental detail in the female dress. The unworked hem of the neckline turns into a true decoration to this dress at the height of technological manufacturing.

Striped trousers, summer

These trousers are manufactured from Portuguese rayon. Thin turquoise stripes remind us of fabrics used in men's suits. The trousers sit on the waist, with the irregularly sewed folds on the lower leg and low waist hinting at well-known aesthetical codes: an oriental style costume or skater fashion. The long fly with buttons, as you may have noticed by now, is one of the key elements used in this collection. A triangular pocket, which can either be worn on the front or on the back, rounds off the picture. It is intended for mobile phones as well as for odds and ends. Fastened on the waist, it can carry up to a maximum weight of 5 kilograms.

Jean Jacket

This jacket is inspired by jackets worn by alcoholics, with pockets full of bits and pieces, including a beer bottle. Worn permanently it is so full of heavy items, that it loses its balance. The front is stretched low, while the back is lifted up. In our case this disproportion is achieved through the enlargement of the pockets, made from sleeves, and the long belt hanging down on the front. The jacket has a high collar, the button panel is round, which doesn't allow the jacket to be buttoned up properly. Please notice that around the elbow a dart hints at those folds which so deeply troubled our mums and grandmothers, who spent ages trying to eliminate them with the iron.

Balloon skirt

Here comes the most seismic piece of this collection.
In the play with the well-known theme of the balloon skirt, the unworked edge of the upper skirt, which is not fully sewed to the waistband, makes this piece look destructed; the pocket alone is sewed to the lower skirt, it's catching your disturbed eye and makes you smile in self-irony, voyeurism is human! Inside the skirt, at knee height, a little tie bar holds the folds when you move, thus confusing our conception of where the skirt ends and the trousers begin. Seismology has its origin in our thoughts, which want the so-called order to be restored.

Green Dress

This dress sits slightly low on the waist and comes with a long, slot plunging neckline. The shoulder is lowered, and the irregular darts give the hemline a round form. It is designed for work, leisure and relaxation. You might have noticed that – being a contemporary garment – some of its details migrate and question our perception of how we believe things should be. It seems that clothes nowadays oppose anything which threatens to make them different from others. In this particular case the collar has turned into a drawstring casing on the waist line. Made from a similar textile, which goes hand in hand with the one of the dress, it easily fulfils its new task.

Trousers with narrow and wide trouser leg

These trousers keep up with the theme of "escapism", which was introduced in the last collection. They are manufactured from Portuguese wool by the company Riopelli, namely from matching materials. One of the trouser legs is narrow, while the other one is quite wide, trying to almost be a skirt. Thus hiding part of the tight leg, it stands for the unsaid, and absorbs our heightened attention. Details taken from the male business suit, like the front pocket with a kerchief, has found a worthy place on the trousers' rear side. The corset, which we usually don't see unless we bring men's trousers to the dry-cleaner's, has taken over the function of a belt, showing its industrial origin and manufacturing.

Green chemise

This whole garment rests on the shoulder. We see a round silhouette, which is achieved by the gathering round the waist. All borders, be it waist, cuffs, frill or collar, are unstitched, allowing the customer to adjust length and proportions. On the upper sleeve, around the shoulders, there is a fold, which usually upsets dressmakers, who carefully try to avoid it when making a perfect garment. In our case it appears like a protest against the desire of European couturiers to construct three-dimensional garments, a kind of second skin to our three-dimensional body; in Oriental dressing garments are usually asymmetric, two-dimensional and therefore leave a gap, a new space, between the wearer and the garment. Please note the yarn which isn't trimmed between the buttons and so looks like decoration, while inside the garment it forms a network of artery-like red seams. This garment, like all collections by this company, is sewn with red yarn, a hint at our human inside.

Jacket/Shirt

The given garment takes its origin from a well known fabric formation which, for more than 20 centuries, has served mankind well: the male shirt. In all those years on earth it has undergone radical changes, completing its looks by adding new details. In our case it could almost be classified as a female tail-coat. Large fan-like folds on the back give it a close fit around the waist, while further down these turn into open, round folds, adding volume around the hips. On the front side the round form of the lapel is a real contrast to the straight type of fasteners that are usually used for shirts. Stiff double cuffs, lowered shoulders, a double yoke on the back, all this - without doubt - points at deep roots in an age when the making of the male costume was just being industrialised.

Vest/Apron/Decoration

This piece originates from an apron, turning into a kind of vest and at the same time aspiring to be purely decorative. It is fixed around the neck with a scarf/collar and tied around the waist. The lower part of the garment is constructed like a shirt which, in this case, turns into a waistband. What used to be sleeves have been pressed to the form of a rose to take over the decorative part.

Skirt

The given piece originates from an outer garment of this collection. While moving, it has lost the lower part of the sleeve and thus got the chance to be categorized as a skirt. It has kept all the distinguishing features of a jacket, but changed their names: the side parts have become the wrap-around skirt, the shawl/surplice collar has turned into the waistband with deep folds on the waist, the waistband of the jacket now forms the rear part of the skirt, like a jacket with folds along the lower part. In combination we suggest a jacket made of Russian wool from the Southern part of the country, with inserts of Portuguese check work. The garment is formed by darts with pockets.

According to the latest reports the Austrian market, unfortunately, has not honoured the given colour combination: it was too readily interpreted as a straight folkloristic quotation; sociological investigations have shown that the stage of a purely aesthetic perception of past tendencies in ethnic dress has yet to be reached. Nevertheless, you might have noticed that both bag and boots complement this complex combination well.

Shirt

This is a shoulder piece with a double-sided collar and sleeves, which helps to fix the movement of the folds. These are under permanent tension and mould freely around the neck and the upper arm. The V-neck on the back makes this an evening garment. The girdle/belt is made of scrap material from the cut. The client is free to regulate the length of the garment with the help of scissors.

Trousers

This appearance is made up of two independent formations which can just as well occur in other combinations: low waist trousers, inspired by male trousers, with applied pockets on the back, trimmed in a contrasting colour, inserts along the crotch, welted pockets on the front side – and again we can catch a glimpse of the contrasting green material; and secondly a T-shirt or perhaps rather shirt made from jersey. This piece is sleeveless and double layered, which makes it look like two pieces. On the back of this garment the stand-up collar turns into a (mountain) ridge, following the line of the spine. A cord crosses the garment horizontally, thus fixating the segment folds on one side or the other and creating an ornamental structure around the waist.

Shirt

This piece of the collection comes with a cowl collar, two drawstring casings on the waist line and separate sleeves. All of the mentioned details are made from black Chinese satin "Ti", manufactured in Hanchoy in the province of Chezuan. The back and the front side are made of Russian wool from a factory in Omsk, the drawstring casing around the waist from Portuguese cotton by the company Riopelli. The given garment sits on the shoulders, the waist and the hips. The silhouette is round and feminine. It contrasts with the transformable skirt which, as mentioned earlier, has several ways of being worn at its disposal. All its lines are purely straight and therefore stress the vertical in the human figure.

Vest

This object of clothing, typical for the male business suit, as you can see, has undergone some technical treatment of artificial aging. The front is made from cotton, weighing 400 gr per metre, giving it a firm and stable form, whereas the back is made from jersey to make the garment stretchable if this should be necessary. With its cowl collar it falls under the category of female "shoulder garments". The protective sleeves are of black Chinese silk, typically worn by office clerks in the pre-computer era to protect the business suit from liquid writing accessories. They are fixed with an elastic band both at the elbow and at the wrist.

Trousers

This object of clothing is clearly of male origin, 1970ies, Europe. The inner pockets snuggle up around the hip, as usually desired by women; on the contrary, there is a distance of 2 cm at the hem. Notwithstanding its unusual form, the garment has an amazing ability to embrace the female hip.

Vest apron decoration

We see a female waistband garment. As it is fixed around the waist and neck and due to its original protective function in the process of preparing food, sewing, washing…, it belongs to the family of aprons. It is made from Chinese silk and ribbed cotton jersey of Turkish origin. In the current collection it has crossed the borders of its original appearance and become a true object of intellectual fashion. What strikes us is its flexibility along both the neck- and waistline. It can appear in an outfit in 4 different ways. When moving just along the neckline, it forms a completely different landscape of folds on the front. We will encounter this object later in a different context and in different ways of being worn. In this particular combination it is complemented by a balloon skirt which was already seen on the catwalk earlier on. Please note that the folds around the knees are now fastened in a way that lets us question the quality of the garment and wonder whether it belongs to the family of skirts or of trousers.

Shirt

This article belongs to the family of shirts. Its creation was inspired by the transformer jacket that we saw on the catwalk earlier on. For a change, there is only one way of wearing this garment. However, the directivity has been changed according to the poles of the Earth: the collar has taken over the role of the waistband; the sleeves have been fixed in the functional position of pockets and accordingly have lost some of their length. The fly has firmly taken the position of a de-deconstructive character in the collection. And unworked edges have already entered the 21st century's encyclopaedia of fashion. The article is made from Chinese silk stemming from the province of Chen-Chuan.

Skirt-Trousers

It is completed by the object "two skirts, and one time trousers". In the given case the object is worn as a short skirt; the second part, let us call it skirt or trouser leg, hangs freely at the back, giving the impression of a certain depth in the folds. This object of clothing went down well on the Greek market. Later we will see it in the form of trousers.

Transformer jacket

This object finds itself in a very special seismic zone and is thus prone to profound transformations. In this concrete case you can already witness the results of these transformations: a jacket with sleeves, a deep slot plunging neckline and two slits on the bottom has turned into an open "shoulder garment" with the sleeves tied up in the front, part of them serving as pockets. The collar takes the role of the waistband. Being rather large, it forms a new plane along the spine, which brings to mind the bustles of the end of the 19th century. The skirt comes with two patch pockets on the front side and has no waistband, a drawstring casing along the hemline makes the silhouette full and round from the back - a contrast to the front. And once again we trace a reference to a seismic period in the history of urban civilization, the period of industrialization.

Lena Kvadrat