Stella McCartney goes to the West in its Eclipse. Image credit: Stella McCartney
Kering-owned fashion label Stella McCartney is revealing sights previously unseen by eclipsing others in its latest off-kilter creative.
Symbolic of an episode of the "Twilight Zone" mixed with an old Western, Stella McCartney’s latest film, “Eclipse” is broken into seven parts and keeps viewers guessing. The eccentric piece, created by Philippa Price, is meant to show the impact that a metaphorical eclipse can have and its symbolic nature of today.
Symbolism
Riddled with symbolism, Eclipse is meant to make viewers look beyond the surface to discover what Ms. Price is trying to say for Stella McCartney.
Inspired by the new line, Ms. Price created a whimsical world set in an old Western, which she found fitting as a backdrop for the pieces. The film features eccentric cinematography, quick cuts, vibrant lighting with contrasting color hues, peculiar music choices edited in offbeat ways and what seems to be an all-over plot line with very little dialogue.
Still from the Philippa Price-directed Eclipse. Image credit: Stella McCartney
The film is made of various chapters, each introduced with a name, number and texting indicating Stella McCartney and Ms. Price created the piece. While each chapter has its own distinct characteristics and storyline, the overall themes are still apparent throughout.
Eclipse opens with “001: The Eye,” which acts as an intro for the film as a narrator explains, “The eye, a delicate, light sensitive window to the world.”
The narrator continues on touching on the themes of eclipses, “In the dark, everything is hidden there is nothing but empty blackness.” As the narration is occurring, a woman is shown with eyes wide as she embraces her lover.
As the film continues, another woman appears in the distance in the dessert with her jawline high in the air. It is clear there is something going on between her and the couple, although the film lacks an obvious plot line.
Viewers must work to understand.
The following chapters named “Dreams Of, Blue Skies, Slumber, Sterilized Flowers, the Shadow World and Sunshine” show the woman who appeared in the distance shooting the male lover with the following chapters showing the first woman mourning his death.
Names of each chapter are often played in audio from in various ways, such as in the lyrics of a song quickly played or a snippet of what sounds like an audio clip.
Still from the Philippa Price-directed Eclipse. Image credit: Stella McCartney
Throughout various chapters, a woman is often shown with green material covering her face and hands as she rides a horse through the dessert, which is frequently played in reverse. The film ends as such with the last frame a quick clip of a sun with a face and a man moving their facial features around in obscure ways, likely paying homage to one of the first films, “Man on the Moon.”
Stella strategy
The new campaign follows Stella McCartney’s recently inked a partnership with a biotechnology company to advance and innovate the manufacturing of textiles.
Stella McCartney will work with San Francisco-based Bolt Threads to push fashion forward in regard to exploring alternative textiles and manufacturing techniques. Bolt Threads' approach aligns with Stella McCartney’s dedication to sustainability and eco-friendly fashions by creating only fibers based on proteins found in the natural world (see more).
The fashion label also recently juxtaposed ready-to-wear and waste in an advertising campaign centered on a sustainable message.
To promote its winter 2017 women’s wear collection, the brand photographed its fashions against a backdrop of discarded items, making a point about the current culture of over consumption. An early luxury mover in sustainability, the brand often looks to inspire other labels and consumers to adopt greener habits (see more).