Thea Porter: Time, Space, Causality & Bohemian Rhapsody

Thea Porter, the fairy godmother of boho-chic, changed fashion from the 1960's, bestowing an iconic register for orthodoxical bohemian rhapsody & suture. Something in the Middle Eastern aesthetic state & opulence of her language & ritual reminds us of free-spirited charm & originality, even seeking to destroy originality & redeem it with a nomadic sense of wanderlust. For this reason Thea Porter represents exoticism & nomadic temptation as a formal infatuation for years to come.

The physiological aspects of her original silhouettes become clear if we follow her flowing, romantic shapes, billowing sleeves, & sweeping skirts, providing a narrative form with which we can organize an undifferentiated series of drives into distinct images & statements. This power reached its apotheosis in a superabundant force of silk, chiffon, velvet, brocade, intricate embellishments, & vibrant prints; but it also manifested itself in the classical desire to treat the self as a work of art in jewel tones, earthy hues, vibrant prints, bold patterns, intricate paisleys, & geometric motifs.

The British artist, fashion designer & retailer found aesthetic expression in the primal force & narcotic rhythms of her flowing maxi dresses, caftans, tunics, & tailored jackets with fringed trims, tassel accents, ornate buttons, intricate embroidery, delicate lace insets, & hand-finished beadwork, which intoxicate the wearer into a ‘complete forgetting of the self’.

Sundazed exalts the capacity of fashion to concentrate formless nature into distinct images. Habitual concepts by which we structure our daily lives (such as time, space, causality & identity) as illusions or narrative fictions we impose upon the chaotic nature of experience.

Because what we know as ‘real’ is produced by this type of narrative illusion. Thea Porter followed that dream & visual art which offers a powerful second-order version of the illusion, which needs no recourse to transcendent ideas & trends.