As usual, I am quite late in this – the queen of procrastination. And I hate myself for that. Meant to write about it weeks ago. The Givenchy show somehow left a bitter taste in my mouth. I just can’t get over these “hoof” platforms. Something feels quite unsettling. They keep reminding me of a tragic story of another genius designer. I did little social media intelligence to see if people get the same vibes…and yes, some do. These horse hoof-like platforms very much resemble the sneak heels by the late Alexander McQueen, eternalized by Lady Gaga in the days when she wasn’t a full blown global celebrity yet.
What I find worrisome is what happened to Alexander McQueen after that show where those platforms were an integral part of his all serpent show. The show had such a mesmerizing effect that nobody seemed to question from where such overpowering images were rising. The tragic news following that show brought into light the serious problems that troubled his mind and soul deeply. He was struggling with devouring serpents. Maybe that show was his call for help. Maybe it was his cathartic cry to strip those serpents off their power, to liberate his mind? Who knows, one thing is clear now – he was being swallowed by those serpents while he was creating that show and the whole set up was the sketch of the drama happening inside…I don’t doubt this a second.
Now these bright red platforms were presented in a vast, dark space as @suzymenkes puts it – with brutality and fear. They do not resemble snake. They recall horse hoofs. This is the point. Although not entirely same as snake, horse as well, is a very powerful, archetypal symbol. I am pretty much sure, in every culture there is a tale that has a sort of horse in it – a white horse, black horse, winged horse, three-legged horse, even horses that can talk, have vision, give advice etc. In some fables, especially of religious nature, the horses may have amphibious nature. The symbol of horse, rising from deep psychic pool of the collective unconscious like snake, denotes the deep processes happening inside.
In this dark pool where the memory of humanity is stored, animal symbols generally stand for instinctual drive, our lower life. Horse too – it’s sub-human, the powerful, free-reining instinctual drive that is limitless, overpowering and if not controlled destructive. It represents dynamic power of instinctual life that doesn’t care about societal norms, frames and taboos. It doesn’t have self-control, tends to grow bigger until it destroys us and subject to panic. For us, horse means locomotion as well, a beast of burden – either we learn to ride it or it takes free rein galloping us away like a surge of instinct.
Activation of psychic forces that produce the image of horse is an unsettling thought. When I think little more about it, the more I worry about other details too – for example – the choice of color – especially, red and black. Why the choice has fallen on these colors that symbolically mean so much, specifically when combined with the image of horse. (Fairy tale readers would know a thing or two about white or black horses).
Was it designed to the taste of Z-gen? Then should we worry about Z-gen too? Again, as @suzymenkes puts it – is it about belonging to a community of cool or a cult? I just hope in these trying times, it is nothing more than just a creative effort.
