The 3rd Fashion in Film Festival is proud to present Birds of Paradise, an intoxicating exploration of costume as a form of cinematic spectacle throughout European and American cinema. There will be exclusive screenings of rare and unseen films, plus two special commissions as part of the season: an installation for Somerset House by the award-winning Jason Bruges Studio and a London-wide Kinoscope Parlour, an installation of six peephole machines designed by Mark Garside after Thomas A. Edison’s kinetoscopes.

From the exquisitely opulent films of the silent era, to the sybaritic, lavishly stylised underground films of the1940s – 1970s, costume has, for a long time, played a significant role in cinema as a vital medium for showcasing such basic properties of film as movement, change, light and colour. The festival programme explores episodes in film history which most distinctly foreground costume, adornment and styling as vehicles of sensuous pleasure and enchantment.

Experimental films by Kenneth Anger, Jack Smith, Ron Rice, José Rodríguez-Soltero, Steven Arnold and James Bidgood constitute one such episode. Their decadent, highly stylised visions full of lyrical fascination with jewellery, textures, layers, glittering fabrics and make-up unlock the splendour and excess of earlier periods of popular cinema, especially ‘spectacle’ and Orientalist films of the 1920s; early dance, trick and féerie films of the 1890s and 1900s; and Hollywood exotica of the 1940s. In their dreamlike, magical and sometimes phantasmagorical tableaux, costume and artifice do not so much serve to build a character; instead, they hypnotise, surprise or dramatically metamorphose – they become a subject of wonder, a type of special effect.

Stressing the purely visual aspects of cinema, the programme suggests one way of closing the cleavage (or at least temporarily suspending the opposition) between experimental film and mainstream commercial cinema. This is very much in the spirit of such progressive journals as the pre-war French Cinéa – Ciné pour tous and the post-war American Film Culture, and of course, the very attitude of the underground filmmakers featured.

The Horse Hospital showcases the link between underground film and its direct and indirect inspirations from mainstream Hollywood cinema. Highlights include a screening of James Bidgood’s stunning oeuvre Pink Narcissus (1971) and Robert Siodmak’s trashy exotica Cobra Woman (1944) starring Jack Smith’s idol Maria Montez.

COME AS YOUR OWN MADNESS FILM CLUB NIGHT
WEDNESDAY 1 DECEMBER 7PM
TOTAL RUNNING TIME OF FILMS C.170MIN (WITH A SHORT BREAK IN BETWEEN).
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/98525
TICKETS £10, CONCESSIONS £8

You absolutely must come dressed as your own madness if you wish to be admitted to the Fashion in Film Festival’s opening ceremony, a special film club night co-hosted exclusively for your pleasure by the brilliant Ken Hollings and a pair of London legends

Princess Julia and Felicity Hayward. The evening will kick off with a mystery double bill screening featuring one of cinema’s greatest mavericks, plus a fiendish mix of lavish costumes and masks, dark rituals and a profusion of sequins and sparkles.

Post-screening, Princess Julia and Felicity Hayward will DJ into the night. Make sure to dress up to the nines for this unmissable event, the stranger the better… unless your madness is called normality.

Ken Hollings is a writer whose work draws freely upon trash culture, weird science and strange connections. Princess Julia is a music writer and DJ of Kinky Gerlinky fame. Felicity Hayward is a freelance artist, photographer and events organiser.

JAMES BIDGOOD DOUBLE BILL
THURSDAY 2 DECEMBER 6:45PM
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/98527
SINGLE TICKET, £7 (CONC. £5)
WITH INTRODUCTORY NOTES BY RYAN POWELL, LECTURER IN FILM STUDIES AT KING’S COLLEGE LONDON.
PINK NARCISSUS
USA 1971. Dir James Bidgood.
With Bobby Kendall, Don Brooks.
Costume and set design James Bidgood. c.71 min.

With experience in still photography and stage costume design, but no training in film whatsoever, Bidgood shot Pink Narcissus on the cheap in the confines of his bedroom, using Bolex cameras with 8mm Kodachrome and eventually 16mm Ektachrome stock.

It took over seven years to make and the result is an epic and bold work. A series of homoerotic fantasies, the film’s singular aesthetic is at once highly camp and deliberately trashy, yet moving and stunningly beautiful. Its charming ‘naivety’ evokes early film

pioneers such as Méliès or de Chomón and like them Bidgood was heavily invested in fabricating his own elaborate sets and costumes, as well as his own universe of solutions and tricks. Sadly, the film was not edited by the artist himself who had, by the early 1970s, lost creative control of his mesmerising footage.

8.15PM THE ZIEGFELD GIRL
USA 1941. Dir Robert Z. Leonard.
With Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, James Stewart.
Costumes Adrian, sets Cedric Gibbons and Merrill Pye, choreography Busby Berkeley. c.133 min.

Perpetuating the Ziegfeld Follies mythology, this is Leonard’s second foray into the subject (after the Academy Award-winning The Great Ziegfeld,1936). The star-studded musical follows the utterly predictable career transformations of three budding Ziegfeld girls as they are ‘processed’ by the showbiz genius. Hoping to out-Ziegfeld the man himself with its special effects, candy-floss sartorial frivolities and celestial cast, the film embraces a glamour that is quintessentially Ziegfeldian with girls parading in outlandish costumes dripping with sequins courtesy of MGM’s star designer Adrian. The number ‘You Stepped Out of a Dream’ recycles from the 1936 film the colossal tiered cake staircase and uses clouds of mist for an added dreamlike effect. The opulence of the Ziegfeld Follies’ costumes and sets has been a life-long inspiration for Bidgood who has enthusiastically referred to them ever since the days he designed costumes for Club 82 in New York.

MARIA MONTEZ LATE NIGHT TRIBUTE
FRIDAY 3 DECEMBER 9.15PM
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/98529
SINGLE TICKET, £7 (CONC. £5)
COBRA WOMAN
USA 1944. Dir Robert Siodmak.
With Maria Montez, John Hall, Sabu.
Costumes Vera West, sets Russel A. Gausman, Ira Webb. c.117 min.

A star of Universal’s Technicolor escape films in the 1940s, the Dominican-born siren Maria Montez became the centrepiece of Jack Smith’s Hollywood idolatry two decades later. The star who founded her own fan club and who reportedly once exclaimed ‘When

I see myself on the screen, I am so beautiful, I jump for joy’ was a blueprint for the (admittedly more knowing and parodic) campness and narcissism of Jack Smith’s stars. (Smith famously singled Montez out in his essay ‘The Perfect Filmic Appositeness of Maria Montez’.) With reference to Montez, Smith stated that bad acting can in fact expose a much more priceless slice of life, an approach echoed in Andy Warhol’s cinema. In Cobra Woman Montez is cast in a dual role as Tollea of the South Seas and her evil sister Naja, priestess of the Cobra People on a forbidden island. The film showcases her feminine charms in Vera West’s sensuously soft, pastel gowns and more gaudy outfits. West was a former fashion designer trained by Lucile and became the doyenne of costume design for horror and monster movies in the ’30s and ’40s.

Plus a DJ set by turntable goddesses the Broken Hearts who will follow the screening with ‘Stranded in the Jungle’, a selection of wildly primeval tracks featuring voodoo magic, jungle drums and swinging from the tree tops. Cannibals, savages and feral wildcats all welcome.

FRIDAY 9th JULY - SATURDAY 17th JULY 2010 12-6PM
PREVIEW: THURSDAY 8th JULY 6-9PM

As part of a Fund Raiser for the Horse Hospital Gallery, we have a whole plethora of Original Underground Posters, Vintage Photos & Postcards, Collectable Toys, Antiquities, Objets d'art, Curios, Furniture, Books, Magazines, Stickers, Videos, DVDs, CDs, LPs etc etc on sale for your delight.

+ The legendary Contemporary Wardrobe Collection Sale, and this season its bigger and better than ever! On sale is a Massive selection of men's and women's Vintage & Modern clothing, ranging from the 1940s to 2010, including many unique items used in feature films, pop videos, and TV commercials. There will be bargains galore, so don't miss out!

Clothing includes: Hats, coats, suits, dresses, shirts, blouses, trousers, skirts, jeans, shoes, jewellery, accessories and much, much more!

For further details, ring 020 7713 7370

The Horse Hospital - Colonnade - Bloomsbury - London WC1N 1HX

Located just 1 minute from Russell Square tube, on the Piccadilly line

About The Contemporary Wardrobe Collection

Contemporary Wardrobe was originally set up in 1978, by costume designer & stylist Roger K. Burton as a hire company to supply street fashion to the film & TV industry. Now some 25 years later, the collection exceeds 15000 garments and includes definitive items from British and American youth cults as well as classic fashions from seminal boutiques such as Mr Freedom, Biba and Seditionaries, couture houses such as Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, and Givenchy. Over the years the collection has been used in many feature films such as Quadrophenia, Sid & Nancy, Absolute Beginners and Hackers, and has been worn by literally hundreds of pop icons from David Bowie, Annie Lennox, George Harrison through to PJ Harvey, Richard Ashcroft, and Atomic Kitten.

The classic and cult value of this collection makes it a great source for many of today's eclectic and individualist street styles, as recognised by its use in current Feature Films, Music Videos, Fashion Magazines and Museums worldwide.

To our knowledge we are, the sole, largest and most important collection of street fashion and culture in Europe.

You can read the ID article about the film HERE

Scroll down for all upcoming events and exhibitions to celebrate our anniversary.

If you have any documentation or footage of things you have seen here please send them to us!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FULL PRESS RELEASE

To celebrate The Contemporary Wardrobe Collection's 30th Anniversary
The Chamber of Pop Culture is Proud To Present
"Be reasonable - demand the impossible!"

Exhibition runs from Sat 3rd May - Sat 31st May 2008
Private View Fri 2nd May 7.30

Throughout the month of May we shall be presenting a multi faceted installation featuring displays of some of the most important and rarely seen items of clothing from The Contemporary Wardrobe Collection, from Zoot Suiters to Spivs, Mods and Rockers through to Seditionaries and Chavs.

A slide show of literally hundreds of shoots in leading magazines, such as the Face, i-D, Vogue, Dazed & Confused etc, etc + Music Videos, Commercials and Movies all illustrating how the collection has been used over the last 30 years by numerous photographers, directors, stylists and designers.

Hidden away below street level, floor to ceiling racks laden with rare and exotic street fashions spanning the last sixty years, demand attention. From teenage angst and rites of passage to dreams of changing the world, these fineries were once displayed with attitude and stance, by kids who'd rebel against anything you'd got... and generations who really believed... they'd die before they got old...!

The exuberant and radical force of rebellion, protest and subversion that still permeate these clothes has consistently inspired the programming of events in The Chamber of Pop Culture since its inception, and this months impressive line up of events will continue to push the boundaries of style.

Vive le Punk
As part of the exhibition we shall be screening "Vive Le Punk" a fascinating and previously unseen documentary of The Chamber of Pop Culture's very first exhibition in 1993. The documentary features Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren talking in depth about their designs and is a valuable insight into how they broke all the rules of convention and inspired a generation. To the best of our knowledge this is the only time that they have been filmed together discussing their legacy.

Thursday 22nd May: Paul Gorman (author, The Look) will be in conversation with Roger K. Burton

Friday 23rd May: David Ellis's Rapid Response Unit in conjunction with The Horse Hospital PRESENTS Kitted out: But who gets to dress the assassins?

The exhibition also coincides with The Horse Hospital programme for The Fashion in Film Festival screenings
Monday 26th May: Zoot Suit Riots
Thursday 29th May: Blood and Black Lace (Sei donne per l'assassino)
Saturday 31st May: So what! Two tales of Juvenile Delinquency (The Boys, The Violent Years) curated by Roger K. Burton

And The Horse Hospital programme for All Power to the Imagination! 1968 and Its Legacies
Saturday 26th April: Flashing the Sixties + Hi Mom!
Friday 16th May: Manson + The Hippie Revolt
Wednesday 28th May: The Whole World is Watching: Weatherman 69

As part of a special Fund Raiser for the Horse Hospital Gallery's 15th Anniversary, we have a whole plethora of Original Underground Posters, Vintage Photos & Postcards, Collectable Toys, Antiquities, Objets d'art, Curios, Furniture, Books, Magazines, Stickers, Videos, DVDs, CDs, LPs etc etc on sale for your delight.
+ The legendary Contemporary Wardrobe Collection Sale, and this season its bigger and better than ever! On sale is a Massive selection of men's and women's Vintage & Modern clothing, ranging from the 1940s to 2007, including many unique items used in feature films, pop videos, and TV commercials. There will be bargains galore, so don't miss out!
Clothing includes: Hats, coats, suits, dresses, shirts, blouses, trousers, skirts, jeans, shoes, jewellery, accessories and much, much more!

For further details, ring 020 7713 7370

About The Contemporary Wardrobe Collection
Contemporary Wardrobe was originally set up in 1978, by costume designer & stylist Roger K. Burton as a hire company to supply street fashion to the film & TV industry. Now in its 30th Anniversary year, the collection exceeds 15000 garments and includes definitive items from British and American youth cults as well as classic fashions from seminal boutiques such as Mr Freedom, Biba and Seditionaries, couture houses such as Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, and Givenchy. Over the years the collection has been used in many feature films such as Quadrophenia, Sid & Nancy, Absolute Beginners, Hackers and Stoned, and has been worn by literally hundreds of pop icons from David Bowie, Annie Lennox, George Harrison through to PJ Harvey, Richard Ashcroft, and Atomic Kitten.

The classic and cult value of this collection makes it a great source for many of today's eclectic and individualist street styles, as recognised by its use in current Feature Films, Music Videos, Fashion Magazines and Museums worldwide.

To our knowledge we are, the sole, largest and most important collection of street fashion and culture in Europe.

As part of a Fund Raiser for the Horse Hospital Gallery, we have a whole plethora of Original Underground Posters, Vintage Photos & Postcards, Collectable Toys, Antiquities, Objets d'art, Curios, Furniture, Books, Magazines, Stickers, Videos, DVDs, CDs, LPs etc etc on sale for your delight.

+ The legendary Contemporary Wardrobe Collection Sale, and this season its bigger and better than ever! On sale is a Massive selection of men's and women's Vintage & Modern clothing, ranging from the 1940s to 2006, including many unique items used in feature films, pop videos, and TV commercials. There will be bargains galore, so don't miss out!

Clothing includes: Hats, coats, suits, dresses, shirts, blouses, trousers, skirts, jeans, shoes, jewelry, accessories and much, much more!

For further details, ring 020 7713 7370

The Horse Hospital - Colonnade - Bloomsbury - London WC1N 1HX
Located just 1 minute from Russell Square tube, on the Piccadilly line

About The Contemporary Wardrobe Collection

To our knowledge we are, the sole, largest and most important collection of street fashion and culture in Europe.

+ The legendary Contemporary Wardrobe Collection Sale, and this season its bigger and better than ever! On sale is a Massive selection of men's and women's Vintage & Modern clothing, ranging from the 1940s to 2006, including many unique items used in feature films, pop videos, and TV commercials. There will be bargains galore, so don't miss out!

Clothing includes: Hats, coats, suits, dresses, shirts, blouses, trousers, skirts, jeans, shoes, jewelry, accessories and much, much more!

For further details, ring 020 7713 7370

The Horse Hospital - Colonnade - Bloomsbury - London WC1N 1HX
Located just 1 minute from Russell Square tube, on the Piccadilly line

Contemporary Wardrobe was originally set up in 1978, by costume designer & stylist Roger K. Burton as a specialist hire company to supply vintage street fashion, couture items and accessories to the Film, TV and Fashion industries.

Since its inception Contemporary Wardrobe has always been renowned for being at the forefront of cutting edge style. Born out of a passion for youth culture, and recognition of street fashion's importance in our social history, the collection now exceeds fifteen thousand garments, designed between 1945 and the present day, and representing a multitude of diverse youth movements and cult fashions. Including definitive items from British and American youth cults as well as classic pop fashion from seminal boutiques such as Mr Freedom, Biba and Seditionaries, and couture houses such as Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Givenchy.

The classic and cult value of the collection makes it a great source for many of today's eclectic and individualist street styles, as recognised by its use in Feature Films, Music Video's, Commercials, Fashion Magazines such as The Face, Nova, Dazed & Confused, Nova, Vogue etc. The collection has also appeared in exhibitions at The Brooklyn Museum of Modern Art, Victoria & Albert Museum, The Barbican and Shiseido Gallery Tokyo

The gallery contains over five hundred images of our collection featured in film, fashion, pop promos, editorial and advertising projects.

To visit the gallery click
contemporarywardrobe.com/gallery

From pop royalty to cult icons, from rock 'n'roll super groups to soul divas and one-hit wonders; at one time or another Contemporary Wardrobe has dressed them all, and as such we are very proud of our heritage.

The Collection's real importance is reflected by the amount of bands - over 400 to date - that have either worn items or entire outfits from this amazing selection, in their promotional videos, stills, on stage and album covers.

Consequently the Wardrobe archives are bursting with 'as worn by' trophies that now regularly appear in museums around the world. Click here to visit our Promos & Pop Videos gallery:

contemporarywardrobe.com/gallery/popstuff

The following pages contain a selection of Editorial stills 1999 -2006, utilizing The Contemporary Wardrobe Collection. Prestigious clients include: i-D, L'UOMO Vogue, The Guardian, Observer and GQ.

Click to visit the Editorial Gallery

The following pages contain still images from a selection of advertisments from 1999 to the present day. The Contemporary Wardrobe Collection. Clients include: Toni & Guy, Wella, L'Oreal.

Click here to see a selection.

FEATURE FILMS - selected

2005 STONED                                                                    Stephen Woolley
2003 BLIND HORIZON                                                     Michael Haussman
1997 VIGO                                                                              Julien Temple
1994 HACKERS                                                                          Iain Softley
1987 THE YOB                                                                              Ian Emes
1985 ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS                                                 Julien Temple
1978 QUADROPHENIA                                                            Frank Roddam

SHORT FILMS - selected

2009 ANGEL OF HISTORY                                                           Ori Gersht
2007 THE SPIRIT & THE LETTER                                 Matthew Buckingham
2001 WASH 'N' GO                                                                       Vito Rocco
1997 THE MAN WHO COULDN'T OPEN DOORS                           Paul Arden
1996 THE CURL                                                                         Brian Griffin

COMMERCIALS - selected from over 150

2010 TIA MARIA                                                                  Zoe Cassavetes
2009 BBC RADIO ONE                                                                Sam Brown
2009 GUINESS                                                                        Johnny Green
2007 SHELL FERRARI                                               Antoine Bardou Jacquet
2006 JOHNNIE WALKER                                                  Michael Geoghegan
2005 FORD                                                                                    Jeff Stark
2004 ELIZABETH ARDEN                                                 Michael Haussman

POP PROMOS - selected from over 150

2007 BOB DYLAN                                                                     Rupert Jones
2006 UPPER ROOM                                                                 Rupert Jones
2004 KANYE WEST                                                         Michael Haussman
2003 STARSAILOR                                                                   Rupert Jones
2000 ALABAMA 3                                                                 Jerome Redfarn
1999 MOGWAI                                                                           Brian Griffin
1999 WYCLEF & BONO                                                            Kevin Godley
1999 DRU HILL                                                                         Nick Quested
1998 DEPECHE MODE                                                               Brian Griffin

CURATORIAL PROJECTS - selected from over 40

2001 SAVAGE PENCIL                                 Chamber of Pop Culture London
1998 JOE COLEMAN                                    Chamber of Pop Culture London
1997 MOD                                                    Shesido Gallery Tokyo
1995 PUNKATURE                                        Shesido Gallery Tokyo
1993 VIVE LE PUNK                                     Chamber of Pop Culture London

SHOPS - selected

1983 NOSTALGIA OF MUD McLaren Westwood London      Shop Designer
1981 WORLDS END McLaren Westwood London                 Shop Designer
1978 PX London                                                                Shop Designer

FASHION BOOKS & MAGAZINES - selected

2006 THE LOOK London                                                    Contributor
2003 L'UOMO VOGUE Italy                                                Fashion Editor
2002 PUNK ANTHOLOGY London                                      Contributor

Download full resume

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