Renee Bardot — LA Fashion Week, 29 October 2003
A Los Angeles fashion week record from Wednesday, 29 October 2003 — the Renee Bardot gallery performance show, kept as the historical record.
Renee Bardot presented her collection as a gallery performance piece on Wednesday, 29 October 2003, staged by downtown's artist-in-residence Eve. The review carried below opens with a question — who is Renee Bardot, and how does she know so much about Blaxploitation films, Watergate tapes, Vietnam news coverage and funky 1970s music icons — and answers it with one of the week's most cohesive shows, kept complete as the record of the performance.
Illustrative image created for this guide — an artistic impression, not photographs from this show.
A Gallery Performance
Afro-wearing models channeled Cleo Patra to the hard riffs of Rick James while Pimp Daddy handlers in eyeliner and boas looked on, then escorted them out. The funky doyenne presented a glittery feast of fashionable pottage: slightly 1920s-inspired silhouettes, drop-waist dresses with delicate beading, and references to early swimsuits — an energetic, original and welcome reprieve from the standard runway format, in the review's verdict.
Why It Held Together
The review's argument is that the show's cohesion came from its tight styling, incense-infused ambience and clever pre-show glam-sploitation marketing. Read with the week's conventional runway reports, the Bardot record shows the other pole of October 2003 fashion week: a show that was as much performance art as fashion, and judged on those terms a success.
Research as Style
The review's opening question marvels at the breadth of the designer's references — film, politics, news and funk — and the show's achievement was to make that research wearable: beaded drop-waist dresses rather than costumes. Costume is easy; cohesion is hard. That this gallery piece achieved the week's tightest unity of idea and garment is the judgment this record exists to preserve.
The Record
Who is Renee Bardot and how does she know so much about Blaxpoitation films, Watergate tapes, Vietnam news coverage and funky 70's music icons? Nevertheless these elements grooved together effortlessly to create one of the most cohesive shows all week. Set as a gallery performance piece (styled by downtown's artist-in-residence Eve) afro-wearing models channeled Cleo Patra and got down to the hard riffs of Rick James while Pimp Daddy handlers in eyeliner and boas looked on, then escorted them out.
The funky doyenne presented a glittery feast of fashionable pottage, with slightly 20's inspired silhouettes, including drop-waist dresses with delicate beading and references to early swimsuits. The show flaunted attitude and drew a colorful crowd, mostly due to its tight styling, incense-infused ambience and clever pre-show glam-sploitation marketing. An energetic, original and welcome reprieve from the standard runway format.
Photos
Common Questions
How was the Renee Bardot show staged?
As a gallery performance piece, styled by downtown's artist-in-residence Eve, with afro-wearing models channeling Cleo Patra to the hard riffs of Rick James and Pimp Daddy handlers in eyeliner and boas looking on.
What influences shaped the collection?
Blaxploitation films, Watergate tapes, Vietnam news coverage and funky 1970s music icons, grooved together into one of the most cohesive shows of the week, as the review describes.
What did the show look like?
A glittery feast of fashionable pottage: slightly 1920s-inspired silhouettes, drop-waist dresses with delicate beading and references to early swimsuits, in a colorful, incense-infused ambience.