LET’S GO
MAXIMALIST!!
Rebecca George
LET’S GO
MAXIMALIST!!
Rebecca George
What is Maximalism?
Maximalism is not just a fashion trend. It’s a wider movement in art and design, which can be defined as “a style that uses the largest range of materials and colours possible, and very complicated shapes or forms.” This approach creates exciting and disruptive fashion statements. To quote fashion guru Valerie Steele, “Maximalism means to the Max. More is more. It implies luxury, decoration and colour, and there’s no such thing as too much…. We have colourists who opened everybody’s eyes to the incredible beauty of brilliant pinks, oranges, turquoise blues, forest greens, all in the same look, as well as a riot of patterns like paisley, florals or abstract.”
As someone who is a sucker for any kind of excess, I couldn’t resist the idea of a Maximalist fashion shoot. And so, a few months ago, I began assembling a Maximalist wardrobe – with the help of my stylist, photographer and partner in crime, Josie of Adam and Eve’s.
Where to shoot?
Josie and I felt that a Maximalist shoot needed a Maximalist background to best bring out the vibrancy of the look. We decided to organize the shoot as a bar-hop along the boho and trans-friendly pubs and clubs of Brick Lane, taking full advantage of the colourful and busy decor of Rain Dogs and Monty’s – as well as the vibrant street scenes in between. The proprietors of both bars were more than happy to accommodate our shoot when we explained that it would be featured right here in “Transliving”!
What to wear?
Maximalism is a broad and all-embracing style. You must find your route into it. Clashing colours, exciting prints and fabrics: yes. But which? I wanted to model something with bold stripes and decided on a jacket and leggings both with black and white stripes that didn’t quite match (very Maximalist!). The stripes on the jacket are narrower than those on the leggings, which creates a slightly disruptive – even Op-Art – effect. In modelling in Rain Dogs, we tried this outfit with a blonde bob hairstyle – and then played around with some colourful party wigs and sunglasses to add that touch of in-yer-face craziness!
Boho Maximalism
I love the high-fashion takes on the 1960s flower-power that was current in the late 1960s. This shoot was an excuse to channel that era but with a modern twist. Josie had sourced an amazing psychedelic mini-dress – a real time-capsule item. It was the ideal look to model in the ultra-exotic interior of Monty’s – especially.in front of the “Twiggy” mural that decorates one end of this establishment’s ground-floor bar! The dress was so short that I discovered Josie had (accidentally on purpose?) up skirted me on several occasions! All just part of the fun!
My other Boho dress was a full-length kaftan, which we shot against various lush backgrounds around Monty’s. The bright oranges and purples punched out against the busy and multicoloured decor of the bar. Once again, we played around with crazy party wigs, and I tried the striped jacket from the first outfit as a contrasting addition to the overall look.
A touch of class
The Maximalist aesthetic – like anything else – can be toned down and made just a little more subtle. I had recently purchased a wonderful tiered green chiffon cocktail dress from Roman Originals, and this seemed to be the perfect item to round-out our shoot. We were back in Rain Dogs once again, and I posed in front of the celebrity portraits on the walls – Nick Cave, David Bowie and others. A dress as stylish as this can make the model feel both glamorous and empowered, and I see from the pictures that I have a rather more remote and haughty look than when modelling the more over-the-top clashing colours and fabrics. This shows how a style like Maximalism can be adapted to many moods and feelings. In fact – like all personal fashion styles – it should become an expression on the outside of complex feelings and emotions that – expressed in the colours, shapes and textures of fashion – can say so much more about us than mere words.
And finally…
If Maximalism doesn’t appeal to you, seek out a style or a movement that does. Fashion acquires meaning when it becomes an extension of our authentic selves… so don’t be afraid to experiment! Once again, my thanks go to Josie at Adam and Eve’s for what was a very enjoyable shoot.
Fashion should be fun!!