One of the first things I do whenever I get the chance to go and visit a place I’ve never been to is organising my personal “architour” that consists in waking up at impossible hours of the morning and having a look at iconic, striking and unusual buildings when there are very few passers-by around (so that I don’t hurt anybody as I walk looking at the silhouettes and shapes that buildings cut into the sky rather than at the ground or at the people around me...).
Philadelphia offers the chance to do some interesting architectural tours thanks to its contrasts between old and modern buildings and the striking emphasis on Art Deco elements and motifs left behind by the boom in construction the city went through in the 20s.
Art Deco-wise, one of the most interesting buildings you’ll find in Philadelphia is the one designed for radio station WCAU.
Located in 1622 Chestnut Street and built in 1928, the building was designed by architects Gabriel Roth and Harry Sternfeld.
There are quite a few wonderful and inspiring elements in this building, from the reflective cobalt glass chips studding the façade to the ziggurat-shaped brass, copper and stainless steel decorations around the windows that call to mind the passion Art Deco had for everything high-tech; from the glazed tower on the top of the roof (originally emblazoned with the radio station name that was later on removed) to the three-dimensional ziggurat-shaped roof.
Art Deco sensibility informs the entire building, lending to it a special refinement.
The space occupied by the building is indeed geometrically organised and there is an interesting contrast between the angular decorations in the upper part of the buildings and the curvilinear ones around the windows.
There are actually enough elements in this building able to inspire not only a fashion designer, but also a jewellery designer (note: if you are into Art Deco jewellery check out Cesare De Vecchi's collections, this Milan-based designer mainly draws inspiration for his pieces in precious metals and gems from the Art Deco movement).
The building is currently occupied by the Art Institute of Philadelphia and, after spending some time looking at it, I decided that, though I have seen other intriguing buildings around the city, its stark, symmetrical and engaging geometries, its ziggurat roof and decorations on its façade, definitely turned it into my favourite building in Philadelphia.
Yet the more I looked at it, the more I thought about Art Deco in fashion and accessories and in particular in Holly Fulton’s designs.
I must admit that there were stronger hints at Art Deco in Fulton’s Spring/Summer 2010 collection, the one that referenced Eduardo Paolozzi (though, as you may remember, there were connections with the main elements and motifs of this movement also in the designer's Autumn/Winter 2009 collection).
Fulton’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection moves from a special muse, Joan Collins, and from an exotic and extravagant cruise that touches places as different as Monaco, Egypt, Brazil and Hollywood.
Yet, while many silhouettes are inspired by 60s glamour, the cruise Fulton makes reference to in her designs seems to be the one in the adverts by shipping lines from the 20s or 30s - therefore Art Deco times - such as Cunard Anchor Lines, that claimed “There’s a primitive something in us that tingles at the glamorous word…AFRICA. Tomtoms throbbing in the bush…the bark of a baboon…the calm majesty of the veldt…Africa’s witching spell lays hold and gives one something to treasure, a richness of experience that is Africa’s own”.
The entire collection seems to be based on an interesting dichotomy between the modern - with graphic prints, appliquéd gems, tufted 3D details, oversized geometric jewellery and rigid clutches or cases - and the exotic, represented by natural materials such as wood (for the accessories - juxtaposed to synthetic materials such as Perspex) or raffia (for the jackets, the fringes of dresses or the skirts in which raffia fringes are alternated with printed patterns of skyscrapers).
Long evening dresses follow the shape and silhouette of Chrysler-like buildings printed upon them and even the prints on the swimwear have an architectural derivation.
The prevailing nuance in this collection - azure - somehow reminds me of the colour of the window frames in the WCAU building, while the Spring/Summer 2011 trend for everything bright and bold is introduced via shades of canary yellow in laser-cut mini-dresses with cinched waists and skater skirts.
The Art Deco passion for everything exotic is echoed in this collection also in the choice of materials, including coloured python.
Looking at the WCAU building and at Fulton's collection made me think about how the popularity of the Art Deco movement coincided with the rise of a new type of woman in society, an independent woman who incarnated a new erotic ideal and usually wore long jackets, trousers or long-waisted dresses with V necklines, bowknots and ostrich feathers.
Pondering a bit about Art Deco architectures, fashion and the Deco woman, I found myself longing for a new woman, for somebody truly free from modern society's constrictions who is not considered by the fashion media merely as a silly and brainless consumer, willing to live and die for the next fashion trend (yes, sadly, one of the films currently available to watch on British Airways intercontinental flights is Sex & the City 2...). Guess the time to shape and articulate the identity of a New Woman has finally come.
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