Kelly Fountain Halloween 2020
Because the coronavirus pandemic is still looming over Los Angeles, I will be staying in and celebrating Halloween at home this year. But since it's my favorite holiday (and a full moon), I still wanted to dress up and get in the spirit.
Over the summer I read Alexander McQueen's Evolution table top book and was completely in awe of his fall winter 1998 collection, Joan, based off of the Catholic martyr, Joan of Arc. The fashion show was a spectacle with models wearing heavy chainmail, dresses and coats that gave the appearance of armor, and sinister looking makeup, sans eyebrows and blood shot eyes. The finale ended with a model walking out in a glittery scarlet fringe dress, face covered with a red mask giving the illusion of dripping blood. She halts halfway down the runway stands under a red spotlight, as everything else turns dark. All of a sudden, the stage erupts into a circle of flames around her. The ring of fire was in reference to Joan of Arc, who was burned at the stake, after being caught by Burgundy and transferred to the British troops.
I was so fascinated by the story of Joan, which I knew little about at the time. I started researching the background behind her and the Hundred Years' War, between France and England during the 14th and 15th centuries. My interest in the medieval period in Europe and my personal connections with both France and England made this such a compelling summer exploration while in quarantine. In consideration of this, I decided to put together a Joan of Arc costume, thinking that we'd be out of lockdown by the end of October.
This is not the case, but I still wanted to pay tribute to the literary and historical figure.
Alexander McQueen Fall Winter 1998
In the past couple weeks, I started to rummage through my closet and create a capsule collection inspired by Alexander McQueen's iconic 1998 show and Reem Acra's fall winter 2018 collection, both influenced by the French hero. I covered Reem Acra's collection a few years ago when she released it, and wanted to use her take on the heroine. Her lighter, glamorous approach would be a great juxtaposition to McQueen's darker, more ominous styled looks.
Reem Acra Fall Winter 2018
Here's some of the pieces I put together for this Halloween:
