Vancouver designer inspired by gay icon Norma Desmond

Vancouver fashion designer Evan Ducharme debuted his fall/winter 2014 collection at East Van Studios on Aug 22. The show saw the designer reimagine 1950s glamour for a dystopian future.

Ducharme’s initial inspiration was the desperate and delusional Norma Desmond, the fame-hungry silent-film star eternally ready for her closeup. After discovering Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Ducharme began to juxtapose the old-Hollywood style of Norma Desmond with the structure and confinement of a new world order.

According to the press release, Ducharme “decided to interpret the futuristic dystopian society of Metropolis through the eyes of Sunset Boulevard’s Norma Desmond by comparing a cataclysmic decline in society to the performer’s nostalgia-ridden descent into madness. Ducharme does this by his notion of focusing on the seaming and details of his signature silhouettes, introducing graphic lines, mesh inserts, and metal hardware.”

Keep Reading

A cartoon of two people standing close together; one is holding a puppy, the other is holding a book

How a Canadian kids’ book became the centre of a U.S. Supreme Court case

“Pride Puppy” was written to highlight the joy of Pride. It became a political flashpoint
A cartoon of people raising their fists with police officers facing them. There are flowers in the background

Queer censorship isn’t new in Canada, but we’ve won the fight before

Key figures from censorship fights in the 20th century reflect on what we can learn from them today
A cartoon of a nondescript personified animal riding a horse

Trans Albertans are strong. We aren’t going anywhere

Trans Albertans reflect on what makes their home province special, even in the wake of Premier Danielle Smith’s legislative attacks and book restrictions
A cartoon of two racoons looking at a laptop

Online censorship is crushing indie webcomics

From social media platforms to payment processors, new restrictions are making it harder for webcomic artists to exist
Advertisement