hiPop I hip. I Pop. I op.

1 // Primetim ih po detaljima. Prava vintage blaga, poput ovog Thierry Mugler žaketa, prepoznaju se i po šavu na rukavu. Zatim sledi uzbuđenje jer je to zaista to, pa malo cenkanja, a obično se sve završi osmehom na licu. Sa obe strane. Naravno, lokacija je Najlon, a ovaj Thierry lepo će se družiti sa Thierry seniorom. 

   // It's always about little details. You can recognize true vintage treasures, such as this Thierry Mugler jacket, even by a stitch on a sleeve. Then comes the adrenaline rush, because you verify that the thing in your hands is really what you think it is, and then a bit of obligatory bargaining. It usually ends with a smile, on both faces. Of course, the place to be is Nylon flea market! I'm sure this Thierry will feel cozy around the old one. 

   // This collection is worth all the odd looks I got in a hardware store while trying on jewelry. Thanks, Maison Martin Margiela, for giving us affordable, yet so haute! Don't forget to use transparent nail polish on all metal pieces to prevent possible allergies.

Mala Milica ima osam godina i jedva čeka da se na televiziji pojave moćno obučene tete koje snima (i peva) George Michael. Naravno, tada još nisam znala da iza fascinantnih kostima (da, to je prava reč!) koje nose Linda, Nadia, Emma i Tayra stoji Thierry Mugler, ujedno i režiser spota. U međuvremenu sam naučila ko je g-din Mugler, a George Michael polako je išetao iz mog kruga interesovanja. 

To je zaista bilo drugo vreme, vreme kada pogled u budućnost i ramena nisu poznavali granice. Supermodeli sa velikim S, koračajući suvereno poput kakvih Amazonki, nosili na sebi nesputane snove oca power dressinga, Thierry Muglera.

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An 8-year old Milica impatiently awaits in front of a silver screen for a power(fully) dressed women accompanied by George Michael's singing and filming. Of course I couldn't know that genius behind all those beautiful costumes (yes, that's the word!) worn by Linda, Nadia, Emma and Tayra, would be Thierry Mugler (who also directed the video), all I knew was I love it! In the meantime, I learned who Mr. Mugler is, and George Michael slowly faded from my field of interest...

It was really a different era, a time when when look into the future and shoulders knew no boundaries. Supermodels who needed no last names walked sovereignly like the Amazons, while wearing unconfined dreams of the Godfather of power dressing - Thierry Mugler. 

Thierry Mugler, futurista par excellence, hteo je da načini svoje supermodele superljudima. Često flertujući sa S&M estetikom, stvara hiperženstvene vizije budućnosti. Na granici stripa, ovo su zaista najsenzualniji komadi hladnog metala ikada!

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Thierry Mugler, a par excellence futurist, wanted to make his supermodels superhuman. He created hyper-feminine visions of future, while often flirting with S&M aesthetics. Almost transcended to a comic book level, these steel corsets truly are the most sensual pieces of metal ever!

Čisto i da znate koga je Miuccia Prada omažirala u kolekciji za naredno proleće-leto. // I was really glad to see that Miuccia Prada made a homage to Thierry Mugler in her SS 2012 collection.

Nažalost, ovako grandiozni snovi obično nemaju srećan kraj. Znate, nije mala stvar kada vam u jednoj reviji prošetaju i Sharon Stone i Gina Gershon i Tyra Banks. Ili kada pretvorite reviju u stadionski spektakl u kojem uživo nastupa James Brown a u publici, zajedno sa još 13,000 posetilaca sede David Bowie, Jerry Hall i Diana Ross, po ceni od tričavih tri miliona dolara. Zvuči vam malo over the top? Devedesetih je to bilo potpuno u redu. Ramena su se skupila, dekadentne devedesete su se završile, a krajnji profit je za Clarins (kozmetičku kompaniju koja je 1997. godine kupila brend Thierry Mugler) postao mnogo bitniji od dubokog naklona kritičara i modnih znalaca, pa je gubitaška haute couture linija ugašena 2002 godine. Sam Thierry povukao se u duboku modnu ilegalu i krenuo Mickey Rourke stranputicom. 

Priča (možda) ipak ima hepiend. Krajem 2010. godine, na čelo kuće dolazi Nicola Formichetti, do tada uglavnom poznat kao stilista Lady Gage. Iako se kontekst potpuno izmenio, Formichetti uspeva da tipičan muglerovski vizuelni jezik - naglašena ramena i struk, skulptoralne forme izrađene u futurističkim materijalima - prenese u sadašnjost i učini vrlo nosivim. Da li je upravo ovim uobičavanjem, tako različitim od Thierryjevih bajkovitih preterivanja, izgubljena esencija brenda Thierry Mugler? Drugim rečima, da li je ukidanjem onog Thierry iz naziva, Nicola sveo Mugler na praznu ljušturu forme?

Uvek je teško naslediti i nastaviti veliko ime. Retkima, poput Karla Lagerfelda za Chanel, uspe da sačuvaju duh brenda ali i donesu nešto svoje, nešto novo. Mislim da Nicola mora još malo da hoda u Thierryjevim cipelama da bi mu postale udobne, da bi mogao da ih nazove svojima.

Evo nekoliko detalja iz sveže Mugler kolekcije za jesen-zimu 2012., gde Nicola Formichetti pravi omaž Thierryjevoj kolekciji inspirisanoj insektima.

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Unfortunately, dreams this grandious often end in tears. You know, it's really something when you have both Sharon Stone, Gina Gershon and Tyra Banks conquering the runway in a single show! Or when you turn it into a stadium-size show with James Brown performing while David Bowie, Jerry Hall, Diana Ross and the rest of 13,000 people sits in the crowd. Does this $3,000,000 splurge sounds a bit over the top? Well, it wasn't in the nineties. Shoulders shrunk in the meantime, as well as the show budgets and it marked the end of an era. End profit became much more important than a bow fashion critics and fashionistas made and Clarins (cosmetic-oriented company that bought Thierry Mugler in 1997) finally decided to shut down the couture line in 2002. Thierry himself withdrew from the limelight and went Mickey Rourke downhill.

This story might still have a (happy) ending. Nicola Formichetti, by then best known as Lady Gaga's fashion director, comes to resuscitate (Thierry) Mugler. Although working within a completely different context, Formichetti manages to transcend a typical Mugler visual language - exaggerated hourglass shape, fashion bordering on the edge of sculpture crafted in futuristic materials - to contemporary and wearable. By escaping from Thierry's fairy tale roots and making it more everyday, did he lose the very essence of Thierry Mugler brand?

It's not easy to continue when you have a big name to succeed. Rare are people such as Karl Lagerfeld who managed to put his own stamp on the eternal classic aura surrounding Chanel. I think Nicola needs to walk a bit more in Thierry shoes to be able to call them his own.

Here's couple of details from fresh Mugler AW 2012 show, where Nicola Formichetti pays a homage to the original Thierry Mugler collection inspired by insects.


Stigli smo i do mog Thierryja.

Iako jako podseća na ovaj prošlogodišnji Mugler, presrećna sam što je ipak Thierry Mugler. Volim i što sam za 750 dinara, koliko sam ga platila na Limundu, dobila pride i priču o njemu. Bila jednom jedna dama koja je živela u okolini Kalenića. Imala je brata, koji joj je, kao poklon iz Italije, doneo predivan sako, koji je nosila samo u specijalnim prilikama...Ne brinite, prema svom Thierryju odnosim se sa dužnim poštovanjem, koje njegova priča svakako zaslužuje.

Mesto fotografisanja prepoznajete, sećate se kada je Jovana ugostila Milana i mene u svom foto-studiju? ...Osim Thierryja, moram spomenuti i omiljene crne drop-crotch pantalone,  koje je moja šnajderka Desa napravila od ogromnih muških pantalona koje sam pazarila na Najlon pijaci.

I za kraj, malo DIY-a! Nešto lanaca, jedan lakovani rajsfešlus, jedna naramenica i traka sa perjem su sve što vam treba za ovaj shoulder piece...nadam se da vam se dopada :)

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And now it's time for mon Thierry.

On the first sight, it might look as this last season's Mugler, but I'm so happy that it is Thierry Mugler. I love the fact that for 7 euros (I bought it on Serbian version of eBay - Limundo) I got not only a vintage treasure to covet, but also a story (or, better, a fairy tale!) that comes with it. Once upon a time, there was a lady living near Kalenić market in Belgrade. She had a brother who bought her an amazing jacket as a gift from Italy and she wore it only when she wanted to feel special...Don't worry, I treat my Thierry with all due respect his story deserves.

You will probably recognize the setting in the photos, remember remember when Jovana invited Milan et moi in her photography studio?...Except for Thierry, those drop-crotch pants my seamstress Desa made from a pair of XXXL male pants I bought on Nylon flea market surely deserves a mention.

I'll make a DIY outro...one zipper, some chains and feathers is all you need for a shoulder piece like this!

vintage Thierry Mugler žaket // DIY shoulder piece // prekrojene XXXL muške pantalone // čipkane rukavice i cipele sa Kalenić pijace // šešir iz New Yorkera // mrežasti panel top iz Manga

vintage Thierry Mugler jacket // DIY shoulder piece // edited XXXL male pants // lace gloves and shoes from Kalenić flea market // hat from New Yorker // mesh panel top from Mango

photo // Jovana

+bonus // DIY shoulder piece details