Fantastical Fashion: Embracing Myth As Muse
Bringing fantasy back into fashion.
In our mundane lives, we are granted only glances into an ancient and mysterious world; one that is far more interesting than our own. We are told stories, in the form of folklore, and myth, that teach us about monsters, and legends; stories that we know without even entering that world. Yet, we must settle for living in the shadow of the stories we have created.
But does it always have to be like this? Can we find a way to introduce the world of myth into our own, through something other than stories? Yes! And it’s not through throwing ourselves into the flames, or by defeating gargantuan monsters! We can represent the mythical world through the clothes we wear.
We can turn to the stories that we know and love; the myths that we tentatively believe and the fantasies that we grew up on, to solve the fashion-block that we fall into when we have to choose an outfit every day. Let the characters, the monsters, and the legends whisper combinations that we would’ve never thought of. Let us find our inspiration in mysticism, and embrace the mythical aesthetics in our outfits.
Instead of seeing fashion as a thing that we tolerate because we can’t be naked in public, we should start to see fashion as our escape. As our way of entering a world that is more whimsical than our own. It’s our doorway to Narnia, it’s our key into the secret garden, it’s the candles that light the path to the underworld.
We can represent the stories, characters, and worlds through our choices of fabrics, colours, or silhouettes, turning oral tradition into something visual. How do we do this? Look to the professionals for guidance!
House of Alvin
This new brand, that is severely underrated for the sheer artistry that it creates, may be the best example here. House of Alvin takes inspiration for their various fashion releases from both historical myths and facts (with a recent collection being inspired by Marie Antoinette). Playing with classic stories and a modern perspective, the brand can not only be credited for designing clothes, but should be celebrated for creating worlds. Their use of airy textures and colors contrasts beautifully with the structure they create through rigid materials and corsets.
In their designs, they use the natural world, as well as myths and legends to create pieces that immerse us into the fantastical. The clothes allow us to enter a world that we’ve only ever known through stories. The brand have made something tactile and real, out of something other-worldly, in an infinitely satisfying way, granting escape from everyday clothes.
Lucy Lambard
She is a dear and infinitely talented friend of mine. Though she is my eternal fashion muse, she (unlike me) doesn’t steal outfit ideas from herself; instead, she looks to something less real for her inspiration.
As a member of our university’s Fashion Society, Lucy had the opportunity to showcase creations of her own in the ‘Ethereal Beings’ fashion show. Drawing on her Greek heritage, Lucy looked to myth and merged it with the world of fashion. She used the mystical world of folklore to create walking art.
And though I may hold a biased opinion, as to know Lucy as a friend is to love her, I can confidently say that her magical muses led to the fabrication of something legendary. Drawing on famous myths like Sirens, Minotaurs, and the Goddess Hera, she took features of their stories, and the contexts in which they were created to bring her own imaginative flourish into the making of three stunning looks. Using vibrant colours, unique textures, and classic silhouettes (with interesting twists), Lucy’s work was a true representation of a fashion movement that is bringing back the mystical into the everyday.
Ethereal over ephemeral
Every morning, you wake up, and if you’re burdened by your own autonomy (as I am), you choose an outfit that is uninspired, uninteresting, and boring because you can’t think of anything else to wear. You forget to express yourself, in favor of practicality and ease. And this rut of not being able to derive joy from what you’re wearing can make you feel so bland.
So naturally, you want to change this; make it so that your outfits can be a creative outlet. Something that you can use to outwardly express your inner self. You want to draw inspiration from something beyond your closet’s doors, something beyond yourself, even.
Let us enact this change. Let us choose fantasy over function. Let our wax wings melt in the heat of the sun, but let us look amazing as we do it. Let us drown in the water after admiring our outfits too intensely. Let the things we wear show that we have stories to tell. Let people know that we have fallen in love, that we have lost our hearts, that we were triumphant in fights that were impossible to win. Let us become the legends that we’ve grown up hearing about, and let our outfits embrace the mythical.
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