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Iris is wearing a velvet and ostrich feather Mae Reeves hat by Stephen JonesPhotography by Chris Rhodes, Styling by Chloe Grace Press

Why We Love the Unapologetic Campness of Feathers

From marabou-trimmed satin mules to ostrich feather hats, Chris Rhodes and Chloe Grace Press celebrate the feather in all its glory

Lead ImageIris is wearing a velvet and ostrich feather Mae Reeves hat by Stephen JonesPhotography by Chris Rhodes, Styling by Chloe Grace Press

In Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay Notes on Camp, she provides the following examples of “items which are part of the canon of Camp”: Tiffany lamps, Swan Lake, the Cuban pop singer La Lupe and women’s clothes of the 1920s. Each is associated with feathers in one way or another: the latticed, peacock patterns etched into the glass of Tiffany lampshades; ostrich boas worn by showgirls in the Ziegfield Follies; the powdery tutus of the Swan Lake ballet and the many ostentatious costumes sported by La Lupe on stage.

Our own list of feather-associated entities are equally unapologetic when it comes to campness: Julian Clary, hen parties, Dahl, the Kennedy family’s pet Galah from 1990s Australian Soap Opera Neighbours, Asia O’Hara dressed in Tweety Bird couture for RuPaul’s Drag Race ‘Feathers Runway’ (S10EP3) and Cher. Here, Chloe Grace Press and Chris Rhodes demonstrate how to inject a little of each into your A/W18 wardrobe – from marabou-trimmed satin mules to feather hats, printed boots and earrings. 

Make-up: Sandra Cooke at the Wall Group using Lord & Berry. Models: Rue Ingram at D1 Models. Casting: Svea Greichgauer at AM Casting. Set design: Amy Stickland at Webber. Manicure: Saffron Goddard using Le Vernis and La Crème Main by Chanel. Lighting: Emma Ercolani. Photographic assistant: Fuminori Homma. Styling assistants: Charis Lorraine and Benedetta Baruffi. Set-design assistant: Nienta Nixon. Production: Webber. Post-production: D-Touch Studio.

This story originally featured in the Autumn/Winter 2018 issue of AnOther Magazine which is on sale internationally now.