Revising John Bartlett.

It might come over as all too ambitious but this year I’ve resolved to have the best year of my life so far. Vague? Yes. Difficult to achieve – or more pressingly –  to accurately assess? Certainly. Still, I like to think we, all of us, know what makes us happy and by extension, then, how we can try to carve the happiest year out of the mass clay (potential) we’re presented with on January 1st – by filling our time with the happy-making things.

OK, you’re probably tempted to report this post and have me committed at this stage, but as Miranda‘s Tilly would say, bear with.

This mammoth resolution aside, I’ve also taken up something much more quantifiable – poring over the v. many pages of an old Taschen book I’d bought ages ago in an attempt to educate myself, but had never got ’round to actually reading. Fashion Now, in which Brit-cool mag i-D selects the world’s 150 most important designers, is one of those treasure troves of information; more than a mere reference book, it offers insight as well as aesthetic appeal. And not only does this provide daily opportunities to improve my fashun skillz, I’m also getting a bit of much-needed Deutsch practice in (before moving to Berlin in a couple of months…).

^ John Bartlett

First up is John Bartlett (b. 1963), a menswear designer who hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, but who rails against the philosophies of his Middle American origins. I’d not heard of him before happening upon his entry in the book but having read the mini-interview and gained more of an understanding of his aesthetic leanings, I reckon I’ve found a like-minded individual when it comes to all things menswear.

A FIT grad counting Genet and Mapplethorpe amongst those who inspire him, Bartlett says he seeks to “merge masculinity and fashion”, and in the process he’s become fixated on uniforms, esp. those of the military. Although his parents sought an investment banking future for Bartlett, he opted instead for a full immersion in the world of clubbing and clothing in 80’s London, frequenting the King’s Road for his gear, and club Taboo for antics. It seemed to work for him, too, considering he was the inaugural recipient of the CFDA Perry Ellis Award in 1994.

Looking at his work now, I couldn’t honestly say I’m enamoured of his collections in their entirety, the silhouettes being that bit flabby by today’s modern, much more svelte and closely-cut standards, and the visual effect having something of the kitsch to it (and not in the ironic hipster sense). Still, certain elements (those above) assure that Bartlett can hold us own amongst contemporaries, and that’s noteworthy enough, no?