Off the Wall: Fashion from the German Democratic Republic

Another small, picture-heavy book I've seen popping up frequently at Half Price Books stores across Texas (like Worst Fashions in that regard) finally seduced me: Off the Wall: Fashion from the German Democratic Republic. The book includes only a few very brief paragraphs of text at the beginning, much of which you can read at the provided link from the Strand Bookstore. There is no real cultural context given for the photographs aside from this:

Despairing of the drab, colourless apparel surrounding them, photographer Gunter Rubitzsh hired local models, chose the locations that inspired him--oil factories, worker canteens, concrete office blocks--and set about creating his own unique and daring style.

It is assumed that "what was produced in earnest is now a catalogue of camp," but there is no indication of what it would mean in East Germany during this time (and none of the pictures are dated, which is annoying, since it clearly covers a fairly wide span of time) for these photos to be produced in earnest, who would see them, what effects they might have.

Despite these rather major flaws, the book is worth at least glancing at for the pictures. This is another book that I find inspirational and full of creative energy, even if it's not particularly informative.



Here are a couple more pictures that I particuarly like. There really are just a lot of great photos in this small book. I may have to dedicate another couple of posts to exploring it in the future. For now, though, take a gander at the following two photos.

The "beltfit" or, perhaps, the "beltkini":



This is not something I can see myself wearing (I don't have that many belts and I have more boob than this girl does), but I like its combination of simplicity and complexity. It's a simple basic shape: a bikini (plus a couple of embellishments on the upper arm and leg) but the execution of the bikini requires careful planning.

The jumpsuit:



Seriously, a red bell-bottomed jumpsuit with ethnic embellishment and fancy shoulders? Yes, please. Truly. I don't know if I could pull off a jumpsuit, but for this kind of awesome, I'd certainly try.