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Antony Price fused Fashion and Rock before Jean Paul Gaultier
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Antony Price famed for his work with Bryan Ferry, and David Bowie will launch his new exclusive range for Topman in December 2009. His collection for Topmen, is divided into two styles. The first collection is a classical gentleman's collection of tweeds, wide-legged pleated trousers with a lot of browns, mustard's, and purples. The second collection, is a dandy inspired collection of New Romantic early 80's style.
See my previous article More fabulous Blitz kids.
Antony Price styled and created the cover for Roxy Music's debut release, Roxy Music, in 1972. He styled the band as time traveling space-age rockers. Antony Price and Bryan Ferry styled the look that became the foundation of Glam Rock. Roxy Music looked like the cabaret band of a space lab. The man fused rock and fashion long before Jean Paul Gaultier. It was all about visual presentation. Theatricality. Image is everything. "Sometimes, magazines come and ask for a photograph of me and say they'd like a "natural looking" one. I'm not natural, I never have been, I never will be, I don't want to be". Love of the artificial. They developed the whole concept of posing. Antony Price and Bryan Ferry were the original posers. Lady Gaga has copied this concept of posing. Posing as pop star. Her whole concept is her image. Presentation is very important. Antony Price was a graduate of the Royal College of Art.
See my article on Antonin Tron and French Decadism.
Antony Price opened Plaza, in the 70's, the cheap chic outlet, but it was his shop near World's End, under his own name, that carried the form-fitting, theatrical fantasies for which he is famous today. Constructions, made of satin, taffeta, velvet, lame, all drop-dead visions of the ultimate glam party dress. The shop itself was a testament to pure stylistics. It was way ahead of its time. This excessively stylized fashion, is something that is today getting a second look.
Antony Price was ignored in the 70's by the fashion world. In those days high fashion was snobbish and looked down on the pop world. Bryan Ferry broke down this barrier, because he was so high fashion looking and glamorous. Antony Price stylized better than any courtier of the time. Anthony Price created the clothes, and held unconventional fashion shows, like the Camden Palace show of 1983. In fact, "my music and fashion spectacular at the Camden Palace three or four years later was the first time the public had actually seen a show, much to my horror of the fashion business as suddenly they lost control of what the public saw." Here was an extremely innovated designer, flouting the rules of the fashion industry.
Antony Price threw underground fashion shows. This was before the avant-garde was appropriated and branded in the 90's by marketing. Antony Price's fashion shows were more performance art than fashion show. He fused the two. Art and Fashion/Rock.The fashion show at Camden Palace, photo on the insert of this article,was a fashion show, that was more cutting edge than what any designer was doing in Paris at the time. Camden Palace in London was the center of the New Romantic, underground pop scene. A high end, talented courtier throwing a fashion show in an underground pop club, was revolutionary. His macaw show from 1989, stands up after 20 years.
Antony Price's "Macaw" dress had an abbreviated hem, that was asymmetrical and suggestive of a preened and polished "tribalism". Pierced with exaggerated feathers curled and boned around the breasts, ruched, darted and pleated against the figure, the 'Macaw' exemplifies the glamorous, body-conscious style Price is famous for. Sex-appeal is seamed into the cinched torso, the gathered fabric and intricately-cut splay of 'feathers' across the poitrine emblematic of Price's technical excellence. " I didn't mix with the sort of people who worked hard all day, and bought normal dresses"...
Antony Price states..."I've never been offered it . Last year (2008) I was put up by the Fashion Council as top couturier behind John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood, who've had endless shows paid for in Paris for 10 years. I've never had a single show in Paris.
Antony Price claims he just isn't that ambitious, and bemoans that his stuff never got in the top fashion magazines. Top courtier in the league of John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood?There is something holy about someone who is so humble, and yet so talented. Its Godly. Above it all. He has stated that he felt a kinship with the work of Thierry Mugler and Alaïa. "In terms of design, I was where they were, and often before. I was always hoping someone would see it; it used to upset me not to get the recognition." That's the price you pay for being so ahead of your time. Misunderstood and ignored.
Ladytron
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