Detail of Martyrdom of St. Matthew, 1599/1600; Rome, San Luigi dei Francesi
Laurie Lamborelle, fashion designer, shares some of her inspiration with us.
- Early Bird and Taktlos
Having described the green woodpecker’s plumage in my last 5 picks, this time another bird, the Early Bird, a show on radio 100,7. The broadcasted music draws on many fields, countries, genres and periods. Captivating and eclectic, old and new songs, with funny and enriching remarks by presenter Tom Dockal. The songs, although different, are linked by a beautifully melancholic line and have strong rhythm.
Similar sounds and interesting musical facts can also be found in a programme called Taktlos, presented by Jamie Reinert. This centres on one theme each week. My favourite so far was about ‘Dreams’, notably a Lou Reed/ John Cage song that was new to me. The whole programme always has wonderfully fluent dramaturgy with the music selection and the order in which the songs are played.
- Caravaggio
I can't stop looking at the paintings of Caravaggio. Nowadays he would probably be a theatre director with a great lighting designer by his side. It is said that the light in his paintings is not logical nor natural, but I don't consider that important.
Detail of Martyrdom of St. Matthew, 1599/1600; Rome, San Luigi dei Francesi
I like the way he brings drama and tension to a scene. His work is brutal, but not vulgar. He has the subtlety to slightly highlight only a few parts with such delicacy: the story-tellers.
Caravaggio: Death of the Virgin circa 1602-06
The light and shadows bring you close to the nature of the clothes, which captivates me further: the depth in the pleats of the garments become so intense; the way they fall, their substance… You dare not touch the fabric. You can imagine the whole garment by seeing only that particular part which is emphasised.
- Madame Grès
Speaking of pleats, Madame Grès comes to my mind as an important draper. She made dresses that are immensely pure without being boring or flat. There's so much finesse in the work - the enormous quantity of small pleats, manufactured in such detail, it’s almost haunting. And the cuts - so radical for the time she was living in.
Madame Grès with one of her designs circa 1946
Madame Grès did not do ‘fashion’, she made clothes. Greek influences are common in her work, but this historical character doesn't make it old-fashioned. On the contrary, it's so modern and timeless. It evokes such elegance which can never be out of vogue.
Musee Bourdelle Paris
- Black Suit
Another timeless piece to me is the woman's black suit. The suit which was formerly dedicated to men before it was introduced by Yves Saint Laurent as a woman's garment, underlines a femininity without force. An interesting tension flourishes when the black suit is worn. An ambiguity arises. On the one hand there is the simple classical garment. On the other, a certain nonchalance arises when it is worn by a woman with a striking personality.
Meret Becker, Blixa Bargeld + Klaus Maeck, set of 'Stella Maris' (1996) Studio Portrait of English singer-songwriter PJ Harvey, (1995)
Some musicians have been able to maintain this duality. Modern music and classical attire, rock'n'roll and poetry, fragility and strength. Meret Becker in ‘Stella Maris’ (with Blixa Bargeld) or Polly Jean Harvey in ‘Henry Lee’ (with Nick Cave) are amongst them.
- Dido's Lament
Extract of Sasha Waltz's Dido & Aeneas in a co-production with the Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg / © Sebastian Bolesch
Far from being a connoisseur of opera, I do like to listen to certain operas once in a while. Some arias are so moving. ‘Dido's lament’ from Dido & Aeneas is one of my favourites by the fantastic Henry Purcell. It was probably thepop-song from that opera, but that doesn't make any less good an aria. ‘Dido’s Lament’ encapsulates an incredible suffering which turns into an almost sensual beauty. I see the drama of a Caravaggio in front of my eyes. A nice version by Joyce DiDonato was given to me once.
Detail from original libretto 1685
