Where Do You See Fashion?

From nature and art to contemporary design and objects of real life, Bianca Luini sees fashion everywhere. Her Tumblr account is positive proof of that; Where I See Fashion is her personal curation of collages/pairings of fashion images with photos collected from the internet that she feels are somehow related. What initially started as a college project, came to be one of internet’s go-to source for inspiration counting more than 480,000 views in less than two years. Read on as Bianca discusses creativity in fashion today, and reveals her ultimate dream for her website.

What is the number one art form inspiring contemporary fashion?

I personally believe that the number one source of inspiration for fashion is nature, which is not really an art form, but it can give endless ideas with its incredible shapes, colors and textures. It constantly keeps me inspired! Nature-inspired designs can be seen every season by different fashion designers; they are my personal favorites.

There is so much creativity in fashion today. Do you think designers should or can balance it with being commercial?

They already do! Of course fashion has a commercial side, but I do not think this has ever made designers less creative. When Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, it was for a commissioned work, but he is not considered any less of an artist for this. It is common for artists to get commissions with specific guidelines – in fashion, for example, they may be the clients’ needs, current trends, or the budget. Artists, in this case the designers, have to be able to express their creativity in the best way possible in spite of the limits.

“Step and Repeat” editorial by Michael Thompson for W December 2013//Fleurs à Vétheuil (detail) by Claude Monet, 1881

Details at Rodarte Fall 2008//Artwork by Cliff Briggie

Which collage has attracted the most notes to this day? Why do you think that is?

At the moment, this is the most popular match with over 54k notes:

Details at Elie Saab Couture Spring 2014//The Island Garden by Childe Hassam

I do not really understand why because I do not think it is one of my most powerful posts, but sometimes Tumblr is unpredictable, and some matches just blow up for no understandable reason! On the second place, there is this post with almost 48k notes:

Valentino Pre-Fall 2015//Solar System painting by unknown

I understand this is more popular because it was reposted on the official Valentino Instagram page! I was so happy and excited when I saw it! I love everything that has to do with galaxies, planets and stars, so this is one of my favorite matches so far.

Collecting images and making matches seems very time-consuming. Do you do anything else besides blogging?

Of course! I started WISF during my last year of university, while I was studying Fashion Design; I graduated in September. At the moment, I am doing an internship assisting a fashion editor, and I am looking for a stable job in this field. Fashion magazines are my favorite thing ever, and becoming a fashion editor for one of them would be a dream; it would be amazing to be able to follow the making of the issues editorial after editorial! The blog is something I do to express myself, and I am so happy and grateful about how far it has come. It is one of my biggest accomplishments so far, but it I do not want to turn it into a job.

You have mentioned you want to work as an editor or a photographer. Why did you pursuit fashion design?

At the time, I did not really know about the different roles in the fashion industry; what I knew was that I wanted to work in fashion. Studying fashion design has really helped me understand how the industry works and how many people are involved. It made me realize that I gravitate more towards the final parts of the process, which is contextualizing and communicating the clothes through images!

Hair by Orlando Pita photographed by Craig McDean for Interview November 2010//Pattern blocks by Lakeshore

Lacoste Spring 2014 Finale//Architecture of Density (series) by Michael Wolf

You are based in Milan, one of the world’s top fashion capitals. How is your city inspiring you?

I absolutely love living in Milan. It is easy for me to stay updated because fashion is all over the city, no matter the time of the year, and this definitely keeps me very inspired. Furthermore, not only is it one of the most important cities in the world when it comes to fashion, but it is also the place where I have my family and friends who always keep me motivated with their amazing support. This is why I believe Milan is the city I belong to and I feel so lucky to be here.

Do you get just as creative with your personal style?

One of the things I love the most about fashion is that it is a way to create our own identity and feel comfortable with ourselves. When we feel we look good, we also feel good inside, at ease, we are more confident! To me, fashion is not only a form of expression for designers who create it, but it is also a form of expression for those who wear it, if you know what I mean. I believe fashion can be a universal language to show the world who you are. My style has always been really simple. For me, it is really important to be comfortable and at ease with myself. I am a shy person and I do not really like to stand out, so I think my simple style is the perfect solution for me.

Nicki Minaj by Francesco Vezzoli for W Magazine November 2011 wearing Dior Haute Couture//Marie Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry by Francois-Hubert Drouais

Rodarte S/S ’15//Water Lillies (series), Claude Monet

You also keep a second blog, Blancherie. Tell us a few words about it.

Blancherie is a nickname my cousin gave me and I really love it – it is the combination of Blanche, my name in French, and chérie which means “dear” in French. I use this name for almost every personal online account I make, so this is my personal blog where I keep everything I find inspiring and powerful or anything that makes me smile. I do not have the time to update it every week, but I love to do it every now and then. And it often happens that some of the pictures I reblog become part of a match for WISF!

Judging from your page views, you seem to have a loyal following. What is next for your website?

One thing I would really love to do is to turn it into a book! It is complicated because I need to get all the permissions and buy the images’ copyrights. It is going to be a long process but hopefully one day this dream will come true.

Roksanda 2015//Gummy Bears

For more inspiring collages, visit whereiseefashion.tumblr.com.

Images © Bianca Luini from Where I See Fashion

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