Japanese Street Fashion
Japanese Street Fashion first started in the middle of the 19th Century after Japan started to portray western fashion in their culture. It was then altered to 'Street Fashion', which is what it is commonly known today in the fashion industry, in the beginning of the 20th Century. There is no indefinite information on who started this up and coming trend or to why it was started.
By collaborating a mix and match of present and traditional clothes, which are usually home-made with material and outside resources, we get the term 'Street Fashion'. Street Fashion is used for the designer and/or wearer of the clothes who customizes the outfits using the requirements of this term.
Currently in Japan, there are many fashion styles made of local and foreign mixtures of clothing. This fashion is the most popular trend in Japan today. Harajuku, Odaiba, Roppongi, Ginza, Shinjuku, and Shibuya are all large fashion districts in Japan that have a huge population of the young Japanese wearing these fashionable statements.[1]
Modern Japanese Fashion
Lolita
Main article: Lolita Fashion
The Lolita street fashion is one of the popular fashions among teenage girls in Japan. As a fashion subculture, Lolita has subcultures, such as: Gothic Lolita, Sweet Lolita, Classic Lolita, etc. They are more commonly known and expressed in Japan as "GothLoli", "SweetLoli", "ClassicLoli". [2]
Gothic Lolita is mainly focusing on dark colors, like black and purple, and is usually accented with a white lace. Skirts that are worn are usually worn at knee length with petticoats underneath for volume, blouses or shirts are lace-trimmed or ruffled like the Victorian-style, knee length socks with boots, bonnets, brooches, and an umbrella finish out this style of Lolita.
Sweet Lolita focuses on "childish pastel colored clothes".[3] It is very much inspired by baby dolls and Hello Kitty is popular among the SweetLolis. Common accessories are bows, lace, stuffed animals, and an apron to give the impression of someone who has been baking.
Classic Lolita is very traditional. It is very mature, and business-like and focuses on light colors, such as, blue, green, and red.
Ganguro
Main article: Ganguro
The Ganguro street fashion became popular among Japanese girls in the early 2000s. A typical look for a "Ganguro Gal" [4] is to wear brightly colored outfits, mini-skirts, and tie-dyed sarongs. The Ganguro style consists of bleached hair, a deep tan, fake eyelashes, black and white eyeliner, bracelets, earrings, rings, necklaces, and platform shoes.
Kogal
Main article: Kogal
The Kogal subculture is not to be confused with the Ganguro subculture, because they are very similar. Often you would compare the "look" of the Kogal to be that of a "Californian valley-girl". [5] This style of street fashion is known for wearing mini-skirts, platform shoes, lots of make-up, artificial suntans, and having lots of designer accessories. The Kogals portray their style through the music they listen to, the fashion they wear, and the activities they take part in their social life.
Cosplay
Main article: Cosplay
Cosplay is a subculture on dressing up. It simply means to wear a costume. Often, the fashionistas of this street fashion will dress up as characters from manga, anime, tokusatsu, and video games.[6] Less commonly, they will dress up as characters from live action television shows, fantasy movies, and Japanese pop music bands. [7]
Senin, 16 Juni 2008
Gothic Fashion
Gothic fashion is a clothing style worn by both male and female members of the Goth subculture. It is stereotyped as a dark, sometimes morbid, eroticized fashion and style of dress. Typical gothic fashion includes black dyed hair and black clothes. Both male and female goths wear dark eyeliner and dark fingernails. Styles are often borrowed from the Elizabethans and Victorians. The extent to which goths hold to this stereotype varies, though virtually all Goths wear some of these elements.
Goth fashion is often confused with heavy metal fashion, and uninformed outsiders often mistake fans of heavy metal music for goth,[1] particularly those who wear black trenchcoats or wear "corpse paint" (a term associated with the black metal music scene). Such misconceptions are especially rife in regards to the black metal fashion subgenre.[citation needed]
Goth fashion culture
Goth style's rejection of mainstream values, emphasis on freedom of expression, and challenging taboos makes it difficult to define its aesthetic principles. Goth fashion emphasizes transformation of the body, elements of beauty, order, conscious eroticism and 'otherness' that flouts conventions.
While a member of the Goth subculture may or may not embrace nihilism, many are drawn to the fashion or music due to a sense of alienation, which may explain the style's fascination with morbidity or vampire style. Wearing black eyeshadow and shroud-like clothing that refers to the dead or undead, may express grief, despair, mourning or deathwish. However, this is not necessarily an anti-life attitude. Rather, Goth fashion can be a positive transformation from alienation through self-expression via beauty and fashion, and through a sense of belonging to a community that shares the same sense of alienation. Alternately, the choice to embrace this fashion may simply rise from a far less complicated psychology, and reflect an attraction to Eros through Thanatos, an attraction to the 'darker' side of sexuality[2]. The wearer may find the extremity, intensity or 'otherness' of the dark Goth look or preoccupations to be sexy or empowering.
Theda Bara's look has inspired some types of Goth fashion.[citation needed]
One famous female role model is Theda Bara, the 1910s 'Vamp' femme fatale known for her dark eyeshadow, curves and smoldering on-screen presence.[citation needed]
Like the Urban Primitive movement, goth subculture rejects mainstream conventions and encourages reinventing oneself by transformation or physical modification.[citation needed] That one may take total control of one's image is a powerful individual response to a society dominated by Photoshop images that prescribe a rarely attainable ideal of a faked 'natural' beauty. Goth fashion is a calculated "unnatural" response to the unattainable "natural" California Girls golden Barbie (or Ken) image.
Goth fashion can be recognized by its stark black clothing (or hair or makeup), often contrasted with boldly colored clothing, hair and makeup in strong shades of deep reds, purples, blues or emerald green, in fabrics and styles that evoke romantic eras as well as morbidity, that usually combine style elements that flow and drape as well as restrict or emphasize and sexualize a body part (i.e. corsetry or tight sleeves or trousers). Goth fashion further emphasizes the personal power of an individual, as the calculated juxtapositions of elements of the rugged accessories (i.e. metallic and leather), to that of the vulnerable, fragile and sensual restriction of body parts (i.e. lace, silks, and high heels for either gender). Like other fashions that embrace elaborate fashion choices and rules, goth fashion elicits attention from others, both goth or non-goth
Goth fashion is often confused with heavy metal fashion, and uninformed outsiders often mistake fans of heavy metal music for goth,[1] particularly those who wear black trenchcoats or wear "corpse paint" (a term associated with the black metal music scene). Such misconceptions are especially rife in regards to the black metal fashion subgenre.[citation needed]
Goth fashion culture
Goth style's rejection of mainstream values, emphasis on freedom of expression, and challenging taboos makes it difficult to define its aesthetic principles. Goth fashion emphasizes transformation of the body, elements of beauty, order, conscious eroticism and 'otherness' that flouts conventions.
While a member of the Goth subculture may or may not embrace nihilism, many are drawn to the fashion or music due to a sense of alienation, which may explain the style's fascination with morbidity or vampire style. Wearing black eyeshadow and shroud-like clothing that refers to the dead or undead, may express grief, despair, mourning or deathwish. However, this is not necessarily an anti-life attitude. Rather, Goth fashion can be a positive transformation from alienation through self-expression via beauty and fashion, and through a sense of belonging to a community that shares the same sense of alienation. Alternately, the choice to embrace this fashion may simply rise from a far less complicated psychology, and reflect an attraction to Eros through Thanatos, an attraction to the 'darker' side of sexuality[2]. The wearer may find the extremity, intensity or 'otherness' of the dark Goth look or preoccupations to be sexy or empowering.
Theda Bara's look has inspired some types of Goth fashion.[citation needed]
One famous female role model is Theda Bara, the 1910s 'Vamp' femme fatale known for her dark eyeshadow, curves and smoldering on-screen presence.[citation needed]
Like the Urban Primitive movement, goth subculture rejects mainstream conventions and encourages reinventing oneself by transformation or physical modification.[citation needed] That one may take total control of one's image is a powerful individual response to a society dominated by Photoshop images that prescribe a rarely attainable ideal of a faked 'natural' beauty. Goth fashion is a calculated "unnatural" response to the unattainable "natural" California Girls golden Barbie (or Ken) image.
Goth fashion can be recognized by its stark black clothing (or hair or makeup), often contrasted with boldly colored clothing, hair and makeup in strong shades of deep reds, purples, blues or emerald green, in fabrics and styles that evoke romantic eras as well as morbidity, that usually combine style elements that flow and drape as well as restrict or emphasize and sexualize a body part (i.e. corsetry or tight sleeves or trousers). Goth fashion further emphasizes the personal power of an individual, as the calculated juxtapositions of elements of the rugged accessories (i.e. metallic and leather), to that of the vulnerable, fragile and sensual restriction of body parts (i.e. lace, silks, and high heels for either gender). Like other fashions that embrace elaborate fashion choices and rules, goth fashion elicits attention from others, both goth or non-goth
Minggu, 15 Juni 2008
Richard Blackwell
Richard Blackwell
Richard Blackwell (born August 29, 1922, Brooklyn, New York as Richard Sylvan Seltzer) is a fashion critic, journalist, television personality, artist, former child actor and former fashion designer, known internationally as Mr. Blackwell. He is the creator of the Ten Worst Dressed Women list, an annual awards presentation he unveils in January of each year. He also publishes the "Fabulous Fashion Independents" list and an annual Academy Awards fashion review, both of which receive somewhat less media attention. His longtime companion, former Beverly Hills hairdresser, Robert Spencer, manages him. He has written two books, Mr. Blackwell: 30 Years of Fashion Fiascos[1] and an autobiography, From Rags to Bitches.[2]
Early life
Blackwell was raised in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. He is of Jewish descent and grew up in the tenements that housed the “working-poor” immigrant families of the early 20th century.[3] As a child, he claims he was severely beaten by his stepfather (he never knew his biological father), often resorting to sleeping in the alley beneath his fire escape with a broken bottle he used for protection rather than face further abuse. He only completed the third grade of elementary school.[4] He also alleges that at age 11, he was the victim of rape by an older man while attending a boys’ camp.[5]
Acting career
He began acting in theater in his teens, appearing in the original 1935 Broadway production of Sidney Kingsley’s Dead End. After relocating to the West Coast in the 1930s (where he went to school with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, among others) he adopted the name “Dick Ellis” and was signed by the studios to play small parts in the motion picture industry.[6] In-between acting assignments, he worked as a messenger at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank. Howard Hughes changed his name to Richard Blackwell when he signed him to RKO.[7] He returned to Broadway in 1944 for Catherine Was Great, which starred Mae West, but eventually left acting for a short stint as a Hollywood agent. He discovered a talent for design while making his client’s stage costumes.[8]
Fashion designer
The name "Mr. Blackwell" came in the late-1950s when he launched his clothing line. As with Valentino, Versace and later Richard Tyler, he and his line became synonymous. He was an important designer and during the 1960s he became the first in history to present his line on a television broadcast; and the first to make his line available for plus-size women.[9] His designer dresses sold for between $800 to $1,000 and were very successful.[10] During the nearly two decade existence of the "House of Blackwell”, he was designer to Yvonne DeCarlo, Jayne Mansfield, Dorothy Lamour, Jane Russell and California first lady Nancy Reagan.[11] At the height of his prominence he openly declared his disdain for Women's Wear Daily and its publisher John Fairchild.[12] During the 1980s the emerging drift toward casual wear brought an end to The House of Blackwell.[13]
Fashion critic
In his beginning years as a designer he was asked to do a one-time article for American Weekly magazine of the “10 Best and Worst Dressed” people and developed the franchise from it.[14] Although best known for his “Worst Dressed“ list, he has maintained a successful career as a fashion journalist. He is syndicated in The Globe tabloid and writes features in newspapers and lifestyle magazines.[15] His "Fabulous Fashion Independents" often features celebrities whom in prior years have been listed in his Ten Worst Dressed, suggesting he may be evenhanded in his critiques, albeit not equally publicized in the media.[16]
The “List”
The first “Ten Worst Dressed Women” list premiered in 1960, to the moderate media success, but as the House of Blackwell became more successful, the list took off.[17] By its third year every television and radio network and virtually all news services worldwide began to cover it. Forty-seven years after first released, Blackwell annually spends a week after its publication on telephone interviews to fashion magazines, radio programs and news networks.[18] The list is a conglomeration of alliterative techniques from first letter alliteration: Martha Stewart - "dull, dowdy and devastatingly dreary" and consonant: “fabulous fashion independents”, to free verse: Cher – “A million beads/And one overexposed derriere”, and pun: Queen Elizabeth, “Was she the palace Christmas tree, or just a royal clown?” Often, he simply quips: Martha Stewart – “Dresses like the centerfold for Farmer’s Almanac”, and other times combines forms: Dixie Chicks – “They look like a trio of truck stop fashion tragedies/ trapped in a typhoon”.[19] The list’s popularity has waned in some segments of contemporary culture, many feeling that it is mean-spirited. However Blackwell has displayed personal missives from many celebrities including Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey and country singer Tanya Tucker expressing their thanks for being selected.[20]. Other former list alumni like “Hollywood Beat” editor, Marci Weiner – “Why does Marci Weiner always dress like she’s auditioning for a Fellini movie?” – who was initially angered by her inclusion, now considers it an honor.[21] Still, despite its decline in universal acceptance, it is nonetheless published each year.[22] While upon casual observation it could be concluded that the list is rude, it should be noted that historically the fashion maven only selects subjects of the highest celebrity for inclusion, generally pop culture icons who capitalize on their flamboyant appearance, such as pop star Christina Aguilera or the mega-wealthy such as the Royals whom he does include with some regularity.[23] He also uses subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) association – Britney Spears and Paris Hilton: “Two peas in an over-exposed pod” to bind the subjects of his barbs.[24] During the tabloid coverage of Prince William’s alleged infatuation with Britney Spears,[25] Blackwell weaves in a subtle reference to the future monarch with an early Spears appearance on the list -- “This belly-baring songbird/ is better heard than seen”, using the British slang term for an attractive woman, “bird” to make the royal association, while also crediting Spears’ talent, and making his foundational point that it is always about fashion.[26] He has on occasion in recent years included men on his list, notably Howard Stern, Dennis Rodman and Marilyn Manson “… like Alice Cooper doing Rosemary’s Baby.”[27]
Imitators
The list has spawned a parade of imitators from Late Night with David Letterman’s “Top 10 Reasons” and TMZ’s In The Zone: Mr. Blackwell vs. TMZ[28] to the UK’s The Sun newspaper’s Sun Women Online: Celebrity Style Watch[29] and the less known such as “The Catwalk Queen”.[30] Not all are lists, but virtually all include jibes and jabs similar to those that Blackwell first used to capture media attention in the early 1960s.
Television
He is a pioneer in television fashion and has been a fixture in the medium throughout his career as a designer and critic. Most recently, he appeared as himself on an episode of the ABC daytime soap, Port Charles.[31] Perhaps most importantly, he has blazed some trails in the industry.
Historic shows
In 1968 he starred in his own KCOP two hour color television special,’’Mr. Blackwell Presents’’, with Anna Maria Alberghetti, Nick Adams and Rose Marie.[32] It was the first telecast in history in which a designer presented his line on television. He continues to be recognized as preeminent during his years in the field.[33]
He often participated in audience critique segments on daytime talk and variety shows. He appeared on The Mike Douglas Show on numerous occasions,[34] and on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The 90 minute episode also featured Rob Reiner and Johnny Mathis.[35] He appeared on a total of four additional Tonight Shows between August 1970 and January 1973 and is included in the series “Best Of The Tonight Show” DVD sets.[36]
Pop culture
Mr. Blackwell has become permanently established in the popular culture. In the Seinfeld television series episode (No. 87), “The Chaperone” originally aired on September 22, 1994, the Kramer character becomes a chaperone for a Miss Rhode Island contestant in a national beauty pageant. In an exchange with Kramer (played by Michael Richards), Seinfeld exclaims, “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Blackwell,” as Kramer slides into the room. Kramer responds, “Oh, come on! … You’re pooh-poohing!” to which Seinfeld responds, “Yes, I pooh-pooh.”[37] He was played by Harry Shearer on the May 20, 1995 episode of SCTV’s, The Show Formerly Known as The Martin Short Show.[38] In 2006, CBS picked up an AP story about US figure skater Johnny Weir’s costume at the Olympics in Turin under the Headline: “Figure Skating Gets Ugly: Mr. Blackwell, You’re Wanted At The Olympics”.[39]
Personal life
Blackwell lives in the Hancock Park enclave of Los Angeles with his partner-manager Robert Spencer. In 1964, they rented their home to The Beatles for the English band’s first visit to the city. It was leaked to the media, however, and the group made other arrangements.[40] He is also an artist known for his avant-garde and has published several editions of his work, including his "Mother America" series.[41]
In 2001, Blackwell was diagnosed with Bell's palsy which causes limited to severe paralysis of facial muscles and affects the use of the extremities and can effect eyesight as well. Although treatable, Bell's palsy is incurable; however, it often clears up on its own. Blackwell was unable to unveil the 2000 list at a live news conference for the first time in its 40-year history and remained out of the public eye for six months. He came back for the 2001 “Worst Dressed” and returned to a full, normal social life.[42]
Filmography
’A partial list of film and television appearances in America:
* Juvenile Court (film) (1938) as “Ears” (Dick Selzer)
* Little Tough Guy (film) (1938) as “Bud” (un-credited)
* Promises! Promises (film) (1963) as Jayne Mansfield's wardrobe designer
* The Mike Douglas Show (1967) – Guest appearance
* Mr. Blackwell Presents (1968) TV special (Host, designer and producer)
* The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1970 – 1973) – Five guest appearances
* The Virginia Graham Show (1971) – Guest appearance
* The Mike Douglas Show (1972) – Guest appearance
* The Mike Douglas Show (1975) – Guest appearance
* The Brady Brides (TV series) (1981) "A Pretty Boy Is Like A Melody" (as himself)
* Matt Houston (TV series) (1982) "Deadly Fashion" as “Valentine St. Clair”
* Matlock (1990, two-part episode) as the Art dealer
* Civil Wars (1992) "The Triumph of DeVille" as himself
* Blossom (TV series) (1991) "Blossom: A Rockumentary" as himself
* Hollywood Women (miniseries) (1994) as himself (interviewee) in Segment 4 ("Fear and Violence")
* Howard Stern (TV series) (1995, two episodes) as himself
* Port Charles (soap opera) (1997, 1999) as himself (13 episodes)
* Intimate Portrait of Marilyn Monroe (Lifetime TV documentary) (1998) as himself (interviewee)
* Elvis Is Alive! I Swear I Saw Him Eating Ding Dongs Outside The Piggly Wiggly’s (film) (1998) as himself
Broadway
* Dead End (1935) - billed as Richard Seltzer
* Catherine Was Great (1944) - billed as Dick Ellis
Ten Worst Dressed Women List
For 2007
* 1. Victoria Beckham ("Forget the fashion spice, wearing a skirt would suffice! In one skinny-mini monstrosity after another, pouty Posh can really wreck-em.")
* 2. Amy Winehouse ("Exploding beehives above, tacky polka-dots below, she's part '50s carhop horror.")
* 3. Mary-Kate Olsen ("She resembles a tattered toothpick — trapped in a hurricane.")
* 4. Fergie ("Yes, when it comes to couture chaos, guess it's all in a name!")
* 5. Kelly Clarkson ("Her heavenly voice soars above the rest ... but those belly-baring bombs are hellish at best!")
* 6. Eva Green ("Stuck in neon nightmares not fit for the sane. Fashion this loud could give Bond a migraine! A profusion of confusion from toes to nose!")
* 7. Avril Lavigne ("Gothic make-up courtesy the mad spatula-Fashions provided by…The house of Dracula!")
* 8. Jessica Simpson ("Forget the Cowboys. In prom queen screams, can it get any worse? She's a global fashion curse!")
* 9. Lindsay Lohan ("Lindsay the fashion frenzy strikes again! Lohan takes fashion to a new low.")
* 10.Alison Arngrim ("Little Nellie of the prairie, looks like a 1940's fashion editor for the Farmers Almanac.")
Fabulous Fashion Independents
2007
* Reese Witherspoon
* Jemima Khan
* Beyonce Knowles
* Angelina Jolie
* Helen Mirren
* Nicole Kidman
* Katie Holmes
* Katherine Heigl
* Cate Blanchett
* Kate Middleton
Richard Blackwell (born August 29, 1922, Brooklyn, New York as Richard Sylvan Seltzer) is a fashion critic, journalist, television personality, artist, former child actor and former fashion designer, known internationally as Mr. Blackwell. He is the creator of the Ten Worst Dressed Women list, an annual awards presentation he unveils in January of each year. He also publishes the "Fabulous Fashion Independents" list and an annual Academy Awards fashion review, both of which receive somewhat less media attention. His longtime companion, former Beverly Hills hairdresser, Robert Spencer, manages him. He has written two books, Mr. Blackwell: 30 Years of Fashion Fiascos[1] and an autobiography, From Rags to Bitches.[2]
Early life
Blackwell was raised in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. He is of Jewish descent and grew up in the tenements that housed the “working-poor” immigrant families of the early 20th century.[3] As a child, he claims he was severely beaten by his stepfather (he never knew his biological father), often resorting to sleeping in the alley beneath his fire escape with a broken bottle he used for protection rather than face further abuse. He only completed the third grade of elementary school.[4] He also alleges that at age 11, he was the victim of rape by an older man while attending a boys’ camp.[5]
Acting career
He began acting in theater in his teens, appearing in the original 1935 Broadway production of Sidney Kingsley’s Dead End. After relocating to the West Coast in the 1930s (where he went to school with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, among others) he adopted the name “Dick Ellis” and was signed by the studios to play small parts in the motion picture industry.[6] In-between acting assignments, he worked as a messenger at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank. Howard Hughes changed his name to Richard Blackwell when he signed him to RKO.[7] He returned to Broadway in 1944 for Catherine Was Great, which starred Mae West, but eventually left acting for a short stint as a Hollywood agent. He discovered a talent for design while making his client’s stage costumes.[8]
Fashion designer
The name "Mr. Blackwell" came in the late-1950s when he launched his clothing line. As with Valentino, Versace and later Richard Tyler, he and his line became synonymous. He was an important designer and during the 1960s he became the first in history to present his line on a television broadcast; and the first to make his line available for plus-size women.[9] His designer dresses sold for between $800 to $1,000 and were very successful.[10] During the nearly two decade existence of the "House of Blackwell”, he was designer to Yvonne DeCarlo, Jayne Mansfield, Dorothy Lamour, Jane Russell and California first lady Nancy Reagan.[11] At the height of his prominence he openly declared his disdain for Women's Wear Daily and its publisher John Fairchild.[12] During the 1980s the emerging drift toward casual wear brought an end to The House of Blackwell.[13]
Fashion critic
In his beginning years as a designer he was asked to do a one-time article for American Weekly magazine of the “10 Best and Worst Dressed” people and developed the franchise from it.[14] Although best known for his “Worst Dressed“ list, he has maintained a successful career as a fashion journalist. He is syndicated in The Globe tabloid and writes features in newspapers and lifestyle magazines.[15] His "Fabulous Fashion Independents" often features celebrities whom in prior years have been listed in his Ten Worst Dressed, suggesting he may be evenhanded in his critiques, albeit not equally publicized in the media.[16]
The “List”
The first “Ten Worst Dressed Women” list premiered in 1960, to the moderate media success, but as the House of Blackwell became more successful, the list took off.[17] By its third year every television and radio network and virtually all news services worldwide began to cover it. Forty-seven years after first released, Blackwell annually spends a week after its publication on telephone interviews to fashion magazines, radio programs and news networks.[18] The list is a conglomeration of alliterative techniques from first letter alliteration: Martha Stewart - "dull, dowdy and devastatingly dreary" and consonant: “fabulous fashion independents”, to free verse: Cher – “A million beads/And one overexposed derriere”, and pun: Queen Elizabeth, “Was she the palace Christmas tree, or just a royal clown?” Often, he simply quips: Martha Stewart – “Dresses like the centerfold for Farmer’s Almanac”, and other times combines forms: Dixie Chicks – “They look like a trio of truck stop fashion tragedies/ trapped in a typhoon”.[19] The list’s popularity has waned in some segments of contemporary culture, many feeling that it is mean-spirited. However Blackwell has displayed personal missives from many celebrities including Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey and country singer Tanya Tucker expressing their thanks for being selected.[20]. Other former list alumni like “Hollywood Beat” editor, Marci Weiner – “Why does Marci Weiner always dress like she’s auditioning for a Fellini movie?” – who was initially angered by her inclusion, now considers it an honor.[21] Still, despite its decline in universal acceptance, it is nonetheless published each year.[22] While upon casual observation it could be concluded that the list is rude, it should be noted that historically the fashion maven only selects subjects of the highest celebrity for inclusion, generally pop culture icons who capitalize on their flamboyant appearance, such as pop star Christina Aguilera or the mega-wealthy such as the Royals whom he does include with some regularity.[23] He also uses subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) association – Britney Spears and Paris Hilton: “Two peas in an over-exposed pod” to bind the subjects of his barbs.[24] During the tabloid coverage of Prince William’s alleged infatuation with Britney Spears,[25] Blackwell weaves in a subtle reference to the future monarch with an early Spears appearance on the list -- “This belly-baring songbird/ is better heard than seen”, using the British slang term for an attractive woman, “bird” to make the royal association, while also crediting Spears’ talent, and making his foundational point that it is always about fashion.[26] He has on occasion in recent years included men on his list, notably Howard Stern, Dennis Rodman and Marilyn Manson “… like Alice Cooper doing Rosemary’s Baby.”[27]
Imitators
The list has spawned a parade of imitators from Late Night with David Letterman’s “Top 10 Reasons” and TMZ’s In The Zone: Mr. Blackwell vs. TMZ[28] to the UK’s The Sun newspaper’s Sun Women Online: Celebrity Style Watch[29] and the less known such as “The Catwalk Queen”.[30] Not all are lists, but virtually all include jibes and jabs similar to those that Blackwell first used to capture media attention in the early 1960s.
Television
He is a pioneer in television fashion and has been a fixture in the medium throughout his career as a designer and critic. Most recently, he appeared as himself on an episode of the ABC daytime soap, Port Charles.[31] Perhaps most importantly, he has blazed some trails in the industry.
Historic shows
In 1968 he starred in his own KCOP two hour color television special,’’Mr. Blackwell Presents’’, with Anna Maria Alberghetti, Nick Adams and Rose Marie.[32] It was the first telecast in history in which a designer presented his line on television. He continues to be recognized as preeminent during his years in the field.[33]
He often participated in audience critique segments on daytime talk and variety shows. He appeared on The Mike Douglas Show on numerous occasions,[34] and on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The 90 minute episode also featured Rob Reiner and Johnny Mathis.[35] He appeared on a total of four additional Tonight Shows between August 1970 and January 1973 and is included in the series “Best Of The Tonight Show” DVD sets.[36]
Pop culture
Mr. Blackwell has become permanently established in the popular culture. In the Seinfeld television series episode (No. 87), “The Chaperone” originally aired on September 22, 1994, the Kramer character becomes a chaperone for a Miss Rhode Island contestant in a national beauty pageant. In an exchange with Kramer (played by Michael Richards), Seinfeld exclaims, “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Blackwell,” as Kramer slides into the room. Kramer responds, “Oh, come on! … You’re pooh-poohing!” to which Seinfeld responds, “Yes, I pooh-pooh.”[37] He was played by Harry Shearer on the May 20, 1995 episode of SCTV’s, The Show Formerly Known as The Martin Short Show.[38] In 2006, CBS picked up an AP story about US figure skater Johnny Weir’s costume at the Olympics in Turin under the Headline: “Figure Skating Gets Ugly: Mr. Blackwell, You’re Wanted At The Olympics”.[39]
Personal life
Blackwell lives in the Hancock Park enclave of Los Angeles with his partner-manager Robert Spencer. In 1964, they rented their home to The Beatles for the English band’s first visit to the city. It was leaked to the media, however, and the group made other arrangements.[40] He is also an artist known for his avant-garde and has published several editions of his work, including his "Mother America" series.[41]
In 2001, Blackwell was diagnosed with Bell's palsy which causes limited to severe paralysis of facial muscles and affects the use of the extremities and can effect eyesight as well. Although treatable, Bell's palsy is incurable; however, it often clears up on its own. Blackwell was unable to unveil the 2000 list at a live news conference for the first time in its 40-year history and remained out of the public eye for six months. He came back for the 2001 “Worst Dressed” and returned to a full, normal social life.[42]
Filmography
’A partial list of film and television appearances in America:
* Juvenile Court (film) (1938) as “Ears” (Dick Selzer)
* Little Tough Guy (film) (1938) as “Bud” (un-credited)
* Promises! Promises (film) (1963) as Jayne Mansfield's wardrobe designer
* The Mike Douglas Show (1967) – Guest appearance
* Mr. Blackwell Presents (1968) TV special (Host, designer and producer)
* The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1970 – 1973) – Five guest appearances
* The Virginia Graham Show (1971) – Guest appearance
* The Mike Douglas Show (1972) – Guest appearance
* The Mike Douglas Show (1975) – Guest appearance
* The Brady Brides (TV series) (1981) "A Pretty Boy Is Like A Melody" (as himself)
* Matt Houston (TV series) (1982) "Deadly Fashion" as “Valentine St. Clair”
* Matlock (1990, two-part episode) as the Art dealer
* Civil Wars (1992) "The Triumph of DeVille" as himself
* Blossom (TV series) (1991) "Blossom: A Rockumentary" as himself
* Hollywood Women (miniseries) (1994) as himself (interviewee) in Segment 4 ("Fear and Violence")
* Howard Stern (TV series) (1995, two episodes) as himself
* Port Charles (soap opera) (1997, 1999) as himself (13 episodes)
* Intimate Portrait of Marilyn Monroe (Lifetime TV documentary) (1998) as himself (interviewee)
* Elvis Is Alive! I Swear I Saw Him Eating Ding Dongs Outside The Piggly Wiggly’s (film) (1998) as himself
Broadway
* Dead End (1935) - billed as Richard Seltzer
* Catherine Was Great (1944) - billed as Dick Ellis
Ten Worst Dressed Women List
For 2007
* 1. Victoria Beckham ("Forget the fashion spice, wearing a skirt would suffice! In one skinny-mini monstrosity after another, pouty Posh can really wreck-em.")
* 2. Amy Winehouse ("Exploding beehives above, tacky polka-dots below, she's part '50s carhop horror.")
* 3. Mary-Kate Olsen ("She resembles a tattered toothpick — trapped in a hurricane.")
* 4. Fergie ("Yes, when it comes to couture chaos, guess it's all in a name!")
* 5. Kelly Clarkson ("Her heavenly voice soars above the rest ... but those belly-baring bombs are hellish at best!")
* 6. Eva Green ("Stuck in neon nightmares not fit for the sane. Fashion this loud could give Bond a migraine! A profusion of confusion from toes to nose!")
* 7. Avril Lavigne ("Gothic make-up courtesy the mad spatula-Fashions provided by…The house of Dracula!")
* 8. Jessica Simpson ("Forget the Cowboys. In prom queen screams, can it get any worse? She's a global fashion curse!")
* 9. Lindsay Lohan ("Lindsay the fashion frenzy strikes again! Lohan takes fashion to a new low.")
* 10.Alison Arngrim ("Little Nellie of the prairie, looks like a 1940's fashion editor for the Farmers Almanac.")
Fabulous Fashion Independents
2007
* Reese Witherspoon
* Jemima Khan
* Beyonce Knowles
* Angelina Jolie
* Helen Mirren
* Nicole Kidman
* Katie Holmes
* Katherine Heigl
* Cate Blanchett
* Kate Middleton
Fashion Institute of Technology
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a State University of New York college of art and design located in New York City, New York, United States.
The Institute
Founded in 1944[1], FIT is a college of art and design, business, and technology of the State University of New York. Seventeen majors offered through the School of Art and Design and ten through the School of Business and Technology lead to the A.A.S., B.F.A., or B.S. degrees. The School of Graduate Studies offers programs leading to the Master of Arts or Master of Professional Studies degree. FIT is an accredited institutional member of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research.
Campus
The nine-building campus includes classrooms, studios, and labs that reflect the most advanced education and industrial practices. Below this facility is the college bookstore, Barnes & Noble at FIT. The Conference Center at FIT features the John E. Reeves Great Hall, a space suitable for conferences, fashion shows, lectures, and other events. The campus also has two large theatres, including the Haft Auditorium and the Amphitheatre. FIT serves over 6,500 full-time and 3,000 part-time students[2], who come not only from within commuting distances but also from around the nation and all over the world. Four dormitories, three of which are on-campus, serve approximately 2,300 students and offer a variety of accommodations.[3]
Location
FIT's urban campus is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on 27th Street from Seventh Avenue to Eighth Avenue.
Undergraduate majors and degrees
The college offers a two-year program leading to the Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree and upper-division programs leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree.[4] Associate-level art and design majors are offered in:
* Accessories Design
* Communication Design
* Fashion Design, Fine Arts (with a career-exploration component)
* Illustration
* Interior Design
* Jewelry Design
* Menswear
* Photography
* Textile/Surface Design.
* Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design (Formerly Display and Exhibit Design)
In the business area, A.A.S. majors are offered in:
* Advertising and Marketing Communications
* Fashion Merchandising Management
* Patternmaking Technology
* Production Management: Fashion and Related Industries
* Textile Development and Marketing
Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees are awarded in:
* Accessories Design and Fabrication
* Advertising Design
* Computer Animation & Interactive Media
* Fabric Styling
* Fashion Design
* Fine Arts
* Graphic Design
* Illustration
* Interior Design
* Packaging Design
* Photography
* Restoration
* Textile/Surface Design
* Toy Design.
Transfer students wishing to enter B.F.A. programs may have to complete the one-year A.A.S. program described below prior to entry into the upper division.
The Bachelor of Science degree is offered in:
* Advertising and Marketing Communications
* Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing
* Direct Marketing
* Fashion Merchandising Management
* Home Products Development
* International Trade and Marketing for the Fashion Industries
* Production Management: Fashion and Related Industries
* Textile Development and Marketing
* Visual Arts Management
The B.S. program is open to students who hold an associate degree from the college or an equivalent degree from another accredited institution. Graduates of other accredited institutions of higher learning or transfer students who have a minimum of 30 transferable credits and can satisfy the liberal arts requirements may enter any of the following one-year A.A.S. programs:
* Accessories Design
* Advertising and Marketing Communications
* Communication Design
* Fashion Design
* Fashion Merchandising Management
* Jewelry Design
* Textile Development and Marketing
* Textile/Surface Design
Graduate majors and degrees
Master of Arts Degree Programs
Art Market: Principles and Practices
A 48-credit, full- or part-time program preparing students for careers in the business, collection, and exhibition of art[5]. The curriculum includes art history, writing for the art market, gallery design and operation, business practices, computer technology for the art world, marketing, valuation and appraisal, exhibition theory, art law and professional ethics, and a required internship. Graduates find employment as art gallery directors, public art program directors, art consultants for private and corporate collections, art foundation administrators, museum marketing and development directors, independent curators, auction house department heads, and artists’ representatives.
Exhibition Design
A 36-credit, full-time program preparing students for careers in the exhibition design and visual display production industry[6]. Building on undergraduate, three-dimensional design experiences, the studio-focused curriculum centers on the designer’s role within the exhibition team, with emphasis on the development of design and fabrication skills, and includes an internship at an appropriate venue. Studio projects, such as museum and gallery design, traveling exhibits, and corporate collections, are linked to coursework in graphics, lighting, and presentation. Graduates go on to careers with architectural and exhibition design firms, museums, historic trusts, and special events companies.
Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
A 48-credit, full- or part-time program preparing students for professional curatorial, conservation, education, and other scholarly careers that focus on historic clothing, accessories, textiles, and other related materials[7]. The curriculum includes conservation, material identification, and exhibition work with The Museum at FIT, and the study of art historical methodologies, anthropology, material culture, and gender studies. Students may elect to pursue either a curatorial or a conservation emphasis. An internship in the field is required. Graduates are employed as museum curators, fashion and textile historians, costume and textile conservators, collections managers and registrars, textile dealers and consultants, and museum educators.
Illustration
A 37-credit, part-time, evening and weekend program designed for working professionals seeking advanced study to develop their skills as master illustrators and strengthen their business acumen[8]. The program focuses on high-level techniques, new media applications, and illustration industry practices. The curriculum encompasses digital and traditional studio methods, entrepreneurial research and writing, and opportunities in new and emerging markets. Students graduate with the skills needed to succeed as freelance and in-house illustrators for advertising agencies, design firms, magazines, online media, and publishing houses.
Master of Professional Studies Degree Programs
Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management
A 36-credit, part-time program providing industry professionals with high-level management skills, and an interdisciplinary, global perspective. The curriculum develops core business and marketing skills, and technical and creative competencies such as cosmetic and fragrance product knowledge, creative management, and an intellectual foundation in beauty and fashion culture. Each graduating class travels abroad to participate in an intensive week of meetings with leaders in major overseas markets. The program culminates in a team-based capstone seminar, with a final presentation to a panel of faculty and industry experts. Graduates go on to higher-level managerial careers at a range of prestigious companies within their industry.
Global Fashion Management
A 36-credit, full-time program offered in collaboration with Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong and Institut Francais de la Mode in Paris that prepares fashion executives for senior managerial positions in the global marketplace[9]. The curriculum includes courses in production management and the supply chain, global marketing and fashion brand management, current technologies in the fashion industry, international team management, international culture and business, challenges to profitability, and politics and world trade. The course of study is completed in a three-semester period, with intensive seminar courses taught in each of the three participating institutions. Graduates go on to higher-level managerial careers at a range of prestigious companies within their industry.
Center for Executive Education
This is the only advanced management program in the U.S. specifically designed for senior management in fashion retailing, marketing and manufacturing.
Academic programs
Programs are designed to prepare students for creative and/or business careers in the fashion and related professions and industries. To qualify for the A.A.S., a student must be in degree status, satisfactorily complete the credit hours prescribed for a given major with approximately one third of all required credits in the liberal arts, achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0, and receive the recommendation of the faculty. To qualify for the B.S. or B.F.A., a student must be in degree status, satisfactorily complete the credit and course requirements prescribed by the major, and receive the recommendation of the faculty. A minimum of 60 approved credits is required; at least half of the credits required in the major area must be earned in residence at the upper-division level. If the student has an appropriate Fashion Institute of Technology associate degree, a minimum of 30 approved credits must be earned in residence at the upper-division level. Most majors offer internship programs in their courses of study.
Precollege programs (Saturday/Sunday Live) are available during the fall, spring, and summer. More than forty-five classes offer high school and middle school students the chance to learn in a studio environment, to explore the business and technological sides of the fashion industry, and to discover natural talents and creative abilities. Classes are taught by a faculty of artists, designers, and other professionals. High school credit may be earned at the discretion of each student's high school.
Off-campus programs
FIT's International Programs in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising Management/Florence and New York provide international experience for students interested in careers in the global fashion industry. Offered to full-time, matriculated FIT students as two distinct programs leading to the A.A.S. and B.F.A. degrees, the curricula are taught in both New York City and Florence, Italy, with students completing a year of study in each city.
Textile/surface design majors may apply for a semester abroad at the Winchester School of Art or Chelsea College of Art and Design near London, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, or Shenkar College of Textiles and Fashions in Israel. Fashion merchandising management majors may apply for semester-abroad study in merchandising at RMIT in Australia, Manchester Metropolitan University or University of Westminster in England, American University of Rome, CSIS Program in Florence, or Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Seventh-semester advertising design students may study at the London College of Printing's School of Graphic Design, Chelsea College of Art and Design, or Nottingham Trent University in England; seventh-semester students may also study international trade and marketing at the American University in Rome or Middlesex University in London. Advertising and marketing communications students may study for a semester at American University in Rome; CSIS Program in Florence; Institute Commercial de Nancy or Université de Paris, La Sorbonne, in France; or Middlesex University in England. Selected upper-division students majoring in fashion design may study for one semester at Nottingham Trent University or Central St. Martins in England; at Esmod in 22 cities worldwide including Paris since 1841; see www.esmod.com; at RMIT in Australia; or at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Graphic design students may study for a semester at Chelsea College of Art and Design, London College of Printing, or Nottingham Trent University. Brief off-campus courses are offered for credit during summer semesters and include fabric styling in Italy, fashion merchandising in London, fashion in France and Italy, international buying and marketing in Europe, and illustration in Italy.
Clubs and organizations
Number of registered organizations: 73
* Honor societies:
o Phi Theta Kappa
* Religious organizations:
o Christian Fellowship, Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, Chabad, Jewish Student Association, Muslim, Catholic
* Minority and international student organizations:
o Black Student Union, Filipino, Latin American Student Organization, BRAG, Italian, Scandinavian, South Asian, French
* Other organizations:
o A.A.T.C.C., Accessories and Millinery, Ad Group, Advertising Design, American Marketing Association, Anime Club, Athletics, Business and Ethics Research Society, Cheerleaders, Creative Showcase, Dance, D. E. C. A. , Direct Marketing, Display & Exhibit, Dorms, Fabric Styling, Fine Arts Club, FIT Theatre Ensemble, Francophone, Gospel Choir, Handbook, Hellenic, Holistic Healing and Lifestyle, Home Furnishings, Illustration Club, Interior Design, ICON, Jewelry, KCCC, Manufacturing Management, Menswear, Merchandise Society, Model Workshop, Packaging, Patternmaking, Photography, PRSSA, Radio (WFIT), Restoration, Snow Club, Student Council, Style Shop, Textile Design, Turkish Textile Design, West 27 (Newspaper), Yearbook, and LGBT & Friends of FIT.
Academic facilities
A modern campus with outstanding facilities for studying all aspects of a dynamic industry, FIT comprises an entire city block in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. The Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center offers up-to-date facilities for design studies: photography studios with color and black-and-white darkrooms, painting rooms, a sculpture studio, a printmaking room, a graphics laboratory, display and exhibit design rooms, life-sketching rooms, and a model-making workshop. The Shirley Goodman Resource Center houses the Museum at FIT and the Library/Media Services, with references for history, sociology, technology, art, and literature; international journals and periodicals; sketchbooks and records donated by designers, manufacturers, and merchants; slides, tapes, and periodicals; and a voluminous clipping file. The Gladys Marcus Library houses more than 290,000 volumes, including books, periodicals, and nonprint materials. FIT also has many computer labs for student use. The Instructional Media Services Department provides audiovisual and TV support and a complete in-house TV studio. Student work is also displayed throughout the campus. Fashion shows featuring the work of graduating B.F.A. students occur each academic year.
The Design/Research Lighting Laboratory, an educational and professional development facility for interior design and other academic disciplines, features more than 400 commercially available lighting fixtures controlled by a computer. The Peter G. Scotese Computer-Aided Design and Communications Facility provides art and design students with the opportunity to explore technology and its integration into the design of textiles, toys, interiors, fashion, and advertising as well as photography and computer graphics. Also located on the campus is the Annette Green/Fragrance Foundation Laboratory, an environment for the study of fragrance development.
Notable Alumni and Attendees
FIT's commitment to career education is still its hallmark and a source of pride to an institution whose industry connection is an integral part of its history. FIT counts among its alumni:
* Amsale Aberra [10], Fashion Designer of couture bridal gowns and eveningwear
* Reem Acra [11], Fashion Designer of couture bridal gowns and eveningwear
* Karen Allen, Actress
* Luis Antonio, Fashion Designer
* Christina Barba, Chief Fashion Officer of Bologna Fashions
* Timothy D. Bellavia, Children's Author / Illustrator
* Fonzworth Bentley, Hip Hop Artist, Entertainer, Fashion Designer
* Andrea Brueckner [12], Handbag Designer
* Reginald Bullock [13], Military Legislative Fellow, Air Force Major, Weapons Specialist, Author
* David Chu, President / Designer / CEO, Nautica International, Inc.
* Angie Cruz [14], Novelist and Author
* Manalé Dagnew [15], Fashion Designer of luxury bridal and Founder, Manalé
* Laura Dahl, Fashion Designer
* Vanessa De Leon [16], Interior Designer, Contestant on HGTV Design Star
* Marisol Deluna, Fashion Designer / Founder, Deluna By Design, Inc.- Marisol Deluna New York
* Amber Lee Ettinger, Model and Actress
* Joy Gryson [17], Handbag Designer / Founder, Gryson
* Carolina Herrera, President / Fashion Designer, Carolina Herrera New York
* Melanie Hervey, daughter of Vanessa Williams
* Norma Kamali, President / Fashion Designer, OMO Norma Kamali
* Calvin Klein, President / CEO, Calvin Klein, Ltd.
* Byron Lars, Fashion Designer, Byron Lars Shirt Tales
* Nanette Lepore [18], Fashion Designer
* Leon Max, President / CEO of Max Studios
* Marti Galovic Palmer, Producer, 60 Minutes / CBS News
* Ralph Pucci, Designer and Manufacturer of avant-garde mannequins
* Audrey Quock [19], Model and Actress
* Joel Schumacher [20], Director / Producer / Writer / Costume Designer
* Kari Sigerson [21] and Miranda Morrison [22], Footwear Designers / Founders of Sigerson Morrison [23]
* Fabrice Simon, Fashion Designer / Artist
* Naomi Sims, Model and Author
* Stephen A. Smith, Sportscaster, Host of now-cancelled "Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith"
* Steven Stipelman, Fashion Illustrator
* Ivy Supersonic, Hat Designer
As well as successful and talented professionals in entertainment, advertising, packaging, television, the design fields, merchandising, manufacturing, public relations, retailing, and more.
FIT is not only known for its fashion majors, but it also has outstanding Illustration and Merchandising departments.
The Museum at FIT
The Museum at FIT is one of the world's largest and most important collections of clothing, textiles, and accessories. The Costume Department includes 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present. The Textile Department includes 30,000 textiles dating from the 5th century to the present as well as 250,000 textile swatches and 1,300 sample books from all over the world. The museum has three galleries and maintains an active schedule of exhibitions relevant to fashion and related industries. Exhibitions are free to the public.
The museum's galleries provide a showcase for a wide spectrum of exhibitions relevant to fashion and its satellite industries. The annual student art and design exhibition is shown here, as are other student projects.
Fashion historian Valerie Steele was named Director of the Museum in 2003.
Recent Donations
* Nicolas Ghesquière for Cristobal Balenciaga
Graffiti mini dress
Gift of Balenciaga
* Zac Posen
Ball gown
Gift of Zac Posen
* Louis Vuitton
Oxfords
Gift of Louis Vuitton
* Joseph Frank
“La Plata”
Museum Purchase
* Vivienne Westwood
Amphora Suit
Gift of Annie Lennox
Trivia
* Among its inventive curricula, FIT has the unique distinction of providing the only accredited degree program for toy design in the United States.
* Forty percent of eligible students have converted FIT internships into full-time or part-time jobs upon graduation.
* FIT students come from all 50 states and from 64 countries.
* Eighty-eight percent of the students who register with FIT's Career Services Office find jobs following graduation — with 95 percent of these in the New York area.
* The titular character in Betsy's Wedding was an FIT student.
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a State University of New York college of art and design located in New York City, New York, United States.
The Institute
Founded in 1944[1], FIT is a college of art and design, business, and technology of the State University of New York. Seventeen majors offered through the School of Art and Design and ten through the School of Business and Technology lead to the A.A.S., B.F.A., or B.S. degrees. The School of Graduate Studies offers programs leading to the Master of Arts or Master of Professional Studies degree. FIT is an accredited institutional member of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research.
Campus
The nine-building campus includes classrooms, studios, and labs that reflect the most advanced education and industrial practices. Below this facility is the college bookstore, Barnes & Noble at FIT. The Conference Center at FIT features the John E. Reeves Great Hall, a space suitable for conferences, fashion shows, lectures, and other events. The campus also has two large theatres, including the Haft Auditorium and the Amphitheatre. FIT serves over 6,500 full-time and 3,000 part-time students[2], who come not only from within commuting distances but also from around the nation and all over the world. Four dormitories, three of which are on-campus, serve approximately 2,300 students and offer a variety of accommodations.[3]
Location
FIT's urban campus is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on 27th Street from Seventh Avenue to Eighth Avenue.
Undergraduate majors and degrees
The college offers a two-year program leading to the Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree and upper-division programs leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree.[4] Associate-level art and design majors are offered in:
* Accessories Design
* Communication Design
* Fashion Design, Fine Arts (with a career-exploration component)
* Illustration
* Interior Design
* Jewelry Design
* Menswear
* Photography
* Textile/Surface Design.
* Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design (Formerly Display and Exhibit Design)
In the business area, A.A.S. majors are offered in:
* Advertising and Marketing Communications
* Fashion Merchandising Management
* Patternmaking Technology
* Production Management: Fashion and Related Industries
* Textile Development and Marketing
Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees are awarded in:
* Accessories Design and Fabrication
* Advertising Design
* Computer Animation & Interactive Media
* Fabric Styling
* Fashion Design
* Fine Arts
* Graphic Design
* Illustration
* Interior Design
* Packaging Design
* Photography
* Restoration
* Textile/Surface Design
* Toy Design.
Transfer students wishing to enter B.F.A. programs may have to complete the one-year A.A.S. program described below prior to entry into the upper division.
The Bachelor of Science degree is offered in:
* Advertising and Marketing Communications
* Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing
* Direct Marketing
* Fashion Merchandising Management
* Home Products Development
* International Trade and Marketing for the Fashion Industries
* Production Management: Fashion and Related Industries
* Textile Development and Marketing
* Visual Arts Management
The B.S. program is open to students who hold an associate degree from the college or an equivalent degree from another accredited institution. Graduates of other accredited institutions of higher learning or transfer students who have a minimum of 30 transferable credits and can satisfy the liberal arts requirements may enter any of the following one-year A.A.S. programs:
* Accessories Design
* Advertising and Marketing Communications
* Communication Design
* Fashion Design
* Fashion Merchandising Management
* Jewelry Design
* Textile Development and Marketing
* Textile/Surface Design
Graduate majors and degrees
Master of Arts Degree Programs
Art Market: Principles and Practices
A 48-credit, full- or part-time program preparing students for careers in the business, collection, and exhibition of art[5]. The curriculum includes art history, writing for the art market, gallery design and operation, business practices, computer technology for the art world, marketing, valuation and appraisal, exhibition theory, art law and professional ethics, and a required internship. Graduates find employment as art gallery directors, public art program directors, art consultants for private and corporate collections, art foundation administrators, museum marketing and development directors, independent curators, auction house department heads, and artists’ representatives.
Exhibition Design
A 36-credit, full-time program preparing students for careers in the exhibition design and visual display production industry[6]. Building on undergraduate, three-dimensional design experiences, the studio-focused curriculum centers on the designer’s role within the exhibition team, with emphasis on the development of design and fabrication skills, and includes an internship at an appropriate venue. Studio projects, such as museum and gallery design, traveling exhibits, and corporate collections, are linked to coursework in graphics, lighting, and presentation. Graduates go on to careers with architectural and exhibition design firms, museums, historic trusts, and special events companies.
Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice
A 48-credit, full- or part-time program preparing students for professional curatorial, conservation, education, and other scholarly careers that focus on historic clothing, accessories, textiles, and other related materials[7]. The curriculum includes conservation, material identification, and exhibition work with The Museum at FIT, and the study of art historical methodologies, anthropology, material culture, and gender studies. Students may elect to pursue either a curatorial or a conservation emphasis. An internship in the field is required. Graduates are employed as museum curators, fashion and textile historians, costume and textile conservators, collections managers and registrars, textile dealers and consultants, and museum educators.
Illustration
A 37-credit, part-time, evening and weekend program designed for working professionals seeking advanced study to develop their skills as master illustrators and strengthen their business acumen[8]. The program focuses on high-level techniques, new media applications, and illustration industry practices. The curriculum encompasses digital and traditional studio methods, entrepreneurial research and writing, and opportunities in new and emerging markets. Students graduate with the skills needed to succeed as freelance and in-house illustrators for advertising agencies, design firms, magazines, online media, and publishing houses.
Master of Professional Studies Degree Programs
Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management
A 36-credit, part-time program providing industry professionals with high-level management skills, and an interdisciplinary, global perspective. The curriculum develops core business and marketing skills, and technical and creative competencies such as cosmetic and fragrance product knowledge, creative management, and an intellectual foundation in beauty and fashion culture. Each graduating class travels abroad to participate in an intensive week of meetings with leaders in major overseas markets. The program culminates in a team-based capstone seminar, with a final presentation to a panel of faculty and industry experts. Graduates go on to higher-level managerial careers at a range of prestigious companies within their industry.
Global Fashion Management
A 36-credit, full-time program offered in collaboration with Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong and Institut Francais de la Mode in Paris that prepares fashion executives for senior managerial positions in the global marketplace[9]. The curriculum includes courses in production management and the supply chain, global marketing and fashion brand management, current technologies in the fashion industry, international team management, international culture and business, challenges to profitability, and politics and world trade. The course of study is completed in a three-semester period, with intensive seminar courses taught in each of the three participating institutions. Graduates go on to higher-level managerial careers at a range of prestigious companies within their industry.
Center for Executive Education
This is the only advanced management program in the U.S. specifically designed for senior management in fashion retailing, marketing and manufacturing.
Academic programs
Programs are designed to prepare students for creative and/or business careers in the fashion and related professions and industries. To qualify for the A.A.S., a student must be in degree status, satisfactorily complete the credit hours prescribed for a given major with approximately one third of all required credits in the liberal arts, achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0, and receive the recommendation of the faculty. To qualify for the B.S. or B.F.A., a student must be in degree status, satisfactorily complete the credit and course requirements prescribed by the major, and receive the recommendation of the faculty. A minimum of 60 approved credits is required; at least half of the credits required in the major area must be earned in residence at the upper-division level. If the student has an appropriate Fashion Institute of Technology associate degree, a minimum of 30 approved credits must be earned in residence at the upper-division level. Most majors offer internship programs in their courses of study.
Precollege programs (Saturday/Sunday Live) are available during the fall, spring, and summer. More than forty-five classes offer high school and middle school students the chance to learn in a studio environment, to explore the business and technological sides of the fashion industry, and to discover natural talents and creative abilities. Classes are taught by a faculty of artists, designers, and other professionals. High school credit may be earned at the discretion of each student's high school.
Off-campus programs
FIT's International Programs in Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising Management/Florence and New York provide international experience for students interested in careers in the global fashion industry. Offered to full-time, matriculated FIT students as two distinct programs leading to the A.A.S. and B.F.A. degrees, the curricula are taught in both New York City and Florence, Italy, with students completing a year of study in each city.
Textile/surface design majors may apply for a semester abroad at the Winchester School of Art or Chelsea College of Art and Design near London, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, or Shenkar College of Textiles and Fashions in Israel. Fashion merchandising management majors may apply for semester-abroad study in merchandising at RMIT in Australia, Manchester Metropolitan University or University of Westminster in England, American University of Rome, CSIS Program in Florence, or Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Seventh-semester advertising design students may study at the London College of Printing's School of Graphic Design, Chelsea College of Art and Design, or Nottingham Trent University in England; seventh-semester students may also study international trade and marketing at the American University in Rome or Middlesex University in London. Advertising and marketing communications students may study for a semester at American University in Rome; CSIS Program in Florence; Institute Commercial de Nancy or Université de Paris, La Sorbonne, in France; or Middlesex University in England. Selected upper-division students majoring in fashion design may study for one semester at Nottingham Trent University or Central St. Martins in England; at Esmod in 22 cities worldwide including Paris since 1841; see www.esmod.com; at RMIT in Australia; or at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Graphic design students may study for a semester at Chelsea College of Art and Design, London College of Printing, or Nottingham Trent University. Brief off-campus courses are offered for credit during summer semesters and include fabric styling in Italy, fashion merchandising in London, fashion in France and Italy, international buying and marketing in Europe, and illustration in Italy.
Clubs and organizations
Number of registered organizations: 73
* Honor societies:
o Phi Theta Kappa
* Religious organizations:
o Christian Fellowship, Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, Chabad, Jewish Student Association, Muslim, Catholic
* Minority and international student organizations:
o Black Student Union, Filipino, Latin American Student Organization, BRAG, Italian, Scandinavian, South Asian, French
* Other organizations:
o A.A.T.C.C., Accessories and Millinery, Ad Group, Advertising Design, American Marketing Association, Anime Club, Athletics, Business and Ethics Research Society, Cheerleaders, Creative Showcase, Dance, D. E. C. A. , Direct Marketing, Display & Exhibit, Dorms, Fabric Styling, Fine Arts Club, FIT Theatre Ensemble, Francophone, Gospel Choir, Handbook, Hellenic, Holistic Healing and Lifestyle, Home Furnishings, Illustration Club, Interior Design, ICON, Jewelry, KCCC, Manufacturing Management, Menswear, Merchandise Society, Model Workshop, Packaging, Patternmaking, Photography, PRSSA, Radio (WFIT), Restoration, Snow Club, Student Council, Style Shop, Textile Design, Turkish Textile Design, West 27 (Newspaper), Yearbook, and LGBT & Friends of FIT.
Academic facilities
A modern campus with outstanding facilities for studying all aspects of a dynamic industry, FIT comprises an entire city block in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. The Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center offers up-to-date facilities for design studies: photography studios with color and black-and-white darkrooms, painting rooms, a sculpture studio, a printmaking room, a graphics laboratory, display and exhibit design rooms, life-sketching rooms, and a model-making workshop. The Shirley Goodman Resource Center houses the Museum at FIT and the Library/Media Services, with references for history, sociology, technology, art, and literature; international journals and periodicals; sketchbooks and records donated by designers, manufacturers, and merchants; slides, tapes, and periodicals; and a voluminous clipping file. The Gladys Marcus Library houses more than 290,000 volumes, including books, periodicals, and nonprint materials. FIT also has many computer labs for student use. The Instructional Media Services Department provides audiovisual and TV support and a complete in-house TV studio. Student work is also displayed throughout the campus. Fashion shows featuring the work of graduating B.F.A. students occur each academic year.
The Design/Research Lighting Laboratory, an educational and professional development facility for interior design and other academic disciplines, features more than 400 commercially available lighting fixtures controlled by a computer. The Peter G. Scotese Computer-Aided Design and Communications Facility provides art and design students with the opportunity to explore technology and its integration into the design of textiles, toys, interiors, fashion, and advertising as well as photography and computer graphics. Also located on the campus is the Annette Green/Fragrance Foundation Laboratory, an environment for the study of fragrance development.
Notable Alumni and Attendees
FIT's commitment to career education is still its hallmark and a source of pride to an institution whose industry connection is an integral part of its history. FIT counts among its alumni:
* Amsale Aberra [10], Fashion Designer of couture bridal gowns and eveningwear
* Reem Acra [11], Fashion Designer of couture bridal gowns and eveningwear
* Karen Allen, Actress
* Luis Antonio, Fashion Designer
* Christina Barba, Chief Fashion Officer of Bologna Fashions
* Timothy D. Bellavia, Children's Author / Illustrator
* Fonzworth Bentley, Hip Hop Artist, Entertainer, Fashion Designer
* Andrea Brueckner [12], Handbag Designer
* Reginald Bullock [13], Military Legislative Fellow, Air Force Major, Weapons Specialist, Author
* David Chu, President / Designer / CEO, Nautica International, Inc.
* Angie Cruz [14], Novelist and Author
* Manalé Dagnew [15], Fashion Designer of luxury bridal and Founder, Manalé
* Laura Dahl, Fashion Designer
* Vanessa De Leon [16], Interior Designer, Contestant on HGTV Design Star
* Marisol Deluna, Fashion Designer / Founder, Deluna By Design, Inc.- Marisol Deluna New York
* Amber Lee Ettinger, Model and Actress
* Joy Gryson [17], Handbag Designer / Founder, Gryson
* Carolina Herrera, President / Fashion Designer, Carolina Herrera New York
* Melanie Hervey, daughter of Vanessa Williams
* Norma Kamali, President / Fashion Designer, OMO Norma Kamali
* Calvin Klein, President / CEO, Calvin Klein, Ltd.
* Byron Lars, Fashion Designer, Byron Lars Shirt Tales
* Nanette Lepore [18], Fashion Designer
* Leon Max, President / CEO of Max Studios
* Marti Galovic Palmer, Producer, 60 Minutes / CBS News
* Ralph Pucci, Designer and Manufacturer of avant-garde mannequins
* Audrey Quock [19], Model and Actress
* Joel Schumacher [20], Director / Producer / Writer / Costume Designer
* Kari Sigerson [21] and Miranda Morrison [22], Footwear Designers / Founders of Sigerson Morrison [23]
* Fabrice Simon, Fashion Designer / Artist
* Naomi Sims, Model and Author
* Stephen A. Smith, Sportscaster, Host of now-cancelled "Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith"
* Steven Stipelman, Fashion Illustrator
* Ivy Supersonic, Hat Designer
As well as successful and talented professionals in entertainment, advertising, packaging, television, the design fields, merchandising, manufacturing, public relations, retailing, and more.
FIT is not only known for its fashion majors, but it also has outstanding Illustration and Merchandising departments.
The Museum at FIT
The Museum at FIT is one of the world's largest and most important collections of clothing, textiles, and accessories. The Costume Department includes 50,000 garments and accessories dating from the 18th century to the present. The Textile Department includes 30,000 textiles dating from the 5th century to the present as well as 250,000 textile swatches and 1,300 sample books from all over the world. The museum has three galleries and maintains an active schedule of exhibitions relevant to fashion and related industries. Exhibitions are free to the public.
The museum's galleries provide a showcase for a wide spectrum of exhibitions relevant to fashion and its satellite industries. The annual student art and design exhibition is shown here, as are other student projects.
Fashion historian Valerie Steele was named Director of the Museum in 2003.
Recent Donations
* Nicolas Ghesquière for Cristobal Balenciaga
Graffiti mini dress
Gift of Balenciaga
* Zac Posen
Ball gown
Gift of Zac Posen
* Louis Vuitton
Oxfords
Gift of Louis Vuitton
* Joseph Frank
“La Plata”
Museum Purchase
* Vivienne Westwood
Amphora Suit
Gift of Annie Lennox
Trivia
* Among its inventive curricula, FIT has the unique distinction of providing the only accredited degree program for toy design in the United States.
* Forty percent of eligible students have converted FIT internships into full-time or part-time jobs upon graduation.
* FIT students come from all 50 states and from 64 countries.
* Eighty-eight percent of the students who register with FIT's Career Services Office find jobs following graduation — with 95 percent of these in the New York area.
* The titular character in Betsy's Wedding was an FIT student.
Gothic Lolita Fashion
Gothic Lolita
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007)
An example of the (lighty) gothic lolita - Harajuku area in Shibuya, Tokyo
An example of the (lighty) gothic lolita - Harajuku area in Shibuya, Tokyo
Gothic Lolita or "GothLoli" (ゴスロリ, gosurori?, sometimes "Loli-Goth") has two definitions. The term "Gothic and Lolita" is used by the Japanese to describe a sub-culture of teenagers who wear a wide range of fashions. It is used by English language sources mainly to describe a specific subset of Lolita fashion.
History of terminology used by English language fandom
Among English language fandom, the term Elegant Gothic Lolita was originally used to describe a sub-set of Lolita fashion that was either all black, or mostly black with white accents. However, there are many subsets within 'Gothic Lolita,' including, but not limited shirorori (white lolita), kurorori (black lolita), gurorori (Gory or grotesque lolita), and punk lolita. Black (kuro) and white (shiro) lolitas wear all black and white respectively, guro lolitas are often defined by bandages and an "injured" appearance, and punk lolita adds a punk touch to lolita fashion. There are fashions similar in feeling to gothic lolita but they are not regarded by the gothic lolita community as authentic, rather "lolita-styled".
Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) is a term coined by Mana (Guitarist and leader of Moi dix Mois and Malice Mizer, creator of clothing line Moi-même-Moitié). It can be considered a more mature version of gothic lolita, often worn by older teens and young women. The male 'counter-part' to EGL is EGA (Elegant Gothic Aristocrat); it is very tailored and stream-lined, both being mostly black and white. However, the term Gothloli (gosurori) is used by some foreigners to describe anyone in gothic or lolita.
Gothic lolita fashion is regarded by some of its adherents as more than simple dress, and can be an etiquette and mindset as well. In magazines/written works devoted to lolita fashion, this is also emphasized by advice given on how to behave and modest use of makeup. Some lolita just like the clothing/scene though; they are likely to have read this material, but may not actually follow any of it.
The style
Lolita fashion draws much of its inspiration from Rococo, Victorian-style and Edwardian fashion and often aims to imitate the look of Victorian children or porcelain dolls. Gothic Lolita applies the aesthetics of Gothic fashion to the childlike, pretty Lolita fashion. The word Gothloli comes, quite naturally, from a combination of Lolita and Gothic fashion.[1]
Gothic Lolita is the best-known of the various "Lolita" looks. Other categories include "Classic Lolita", which is often more mature-looking and contains more muted colors and floral prints and "Sweet Lolita" which is identified by childish pastel colors and cute prints.
Gothic Lolita style is usually a combination of black and white, often black with white lace and typically decorated with ribbons and lace trims. Skirts are knee length and may have a crinoline or petticoat to add volume. As in mainstream Japanese fashion, over-knee socks or stockings are popular. White or black tights are also common. Boots, rockinghorse shoes, or child-like shoes such as Mary Janes complete the look. Frilly, ruffled or lace-trimmed Victorian blouses are also popular with Gothic Lolitas and designs are usually modest, sometimes with long lace-capped sleeves and/or high-necked blouses.
Some additions may include mini top hats, parasols, and lace headdresses, which resemble wide, elegantly decorated headbands. Other popular Lolita headgear are ribbons, lace or bows, an alice band with a bow or sometimes even a bonnet. Hair is sometimes curled, or a curled wig is worn to complete the porcelain doll look. Blonde and black are the most popular hair colors, though as the fashion continues to develop, other colors (such as brown and red) are increasing in popularity.
Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other props like handbags, small backpacks and purses, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins, and crucifixes, as well as conspicuous pocket books, pocket watches, and hat boxes. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are also common, and some brands make special "gothic" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC. Some Lolitas own Super Dollfies or other ball-jointed dolls and carry them when wearing the style, often going so far as to dress them to match.
History
The lolita style began in the 1970's with brands such as Milk and Pink House making outfits that resembled Canada's Anne of Green Gables (which is widely loved in Japan) and, to a lesser extent, Little House on the Prairie. Angelic Pretty opened in 1979, Baby The Stars Shine Bright opened in the 80's, and Moi-meme-Moitie opened in 1999.
Mana, ex-Malice Mizer (co-founded with Kozi, also guitar), is widely credited for having helped popularize Gothic Lolita, though he is not a founder of the style. He coined the terms "Elegant Gothic Lolita" (EGL) and "Elegant Gothic Aristocrat" (EGA) to describe the style of his own fashion label Moi-même-Moitié, which was founded in 1999. Other influential figures in the scene include the singer Kana, who often modeled for Lolita related fashion magazines, and Mitsukazu Mihara, who drew the first eight covers of the Gothic & Lolita Bible.
Gothic Lolita culture
In Japan it is mass-marketed, though not widely worn, but has visibility particularly in the streets of Tokyo and Osaka, on television, in manga (see Paradise Kiss) and computer games. The fashion is being picked up worldwide, thanks to the foreign publication of Japanese magazine anthology FRUiTS, where the outstanding style actually blends in with the other quirky teen trends in Japan. More "faithful" adherents to the style take many influences from the Rococo and Victorian periods of European history, believing it to be in the nature of a Lolita to be respectful, polite, and demure at all times; even more extreme adherents are often known to attempt to cultivate interest in hobbies or activities considered appropriate to high-society ladies during these periods, such as needlework, opera, classical and baroque styles of music, painting, sewing, and the traditional observance of high tea. For the most part, however, most Lolitas live a day-to-day life very similar to any average person.
Lolita outside of Japan
Outside of Japan, the Lolita fashion is still widely unknown; however, it has slowly begun to spread to other countries. Lolita, along with cosplay and other Japanese cultural phenomena, can sometimes be seen at concerts and anime conventions throughout Canada (see Anime North),the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, France, the Netherlands and the United States, although certain individuals truly committed to the fashion will confirm that Gothic Lolita is not a fancy dress costume, rather, a way of life. The style has not yet been mass marketed outside of Japan, though small, stores based outside of Japan are starting to emerge and a store selling the style, itself called "Gothic Lolita" opened in early 2007 on a prominent stretch of Elizabeth Street in central Melbourne.
Major brands, such as Metamorphose temps de fille, Angelic Pretty, h. Naoto and Baby, The Stars Shine Bright have recognized the international recognition of lolita fashion, and have begun to ship goods to the international market. This is still not very widespread, as many of the clothes produced by non-Japanese designers are not accepted by the Lolita community for being inaccurate in portraying the style as related to the British 'goth' or French maid look, and not as high-quality as the expensive Japanese brand clothes. Lolita magazines are widely available for purchase on the internet and at Japanese bookstores, which also deal in anime and manga.
Shopping
Currently the commercial center of the Gothic Lolita subculture is the Marui Young department store in Shinjuku, after its predecessor Marui One closed at the end of August 2004. This large youth-fashion oriented department store has 4 floors entirely devoted to Gothloli and related fashions. Some Gothloli boutiques may be found in the area between Harajuku and Shibuya.
Goth and Lolita
Lolita as a fashion is not as strongly associated with a particular style of music or outside interests as Goth, and individual followers of Lolita fashion may listen to a wide variety of music, from Classic music to pop and rock.
In Japan, Goth is a minor subculture with few followers, partly because the emphasis upon visual identity in Japanese youth culture makes other factors such as music and literature less important signifiers, and perhaps partly because Christianity is a minor religion here. In Japan, people who have heard the term "Goth" usually assume that it is simply a contraction of "Gothic Lolita",[citation needed] except for the Goths themselves, who strongly emphasize the differences. Likewise, some non-Japanese observers assume that "Gothic Lolita" is the Japanese version of "Goth", purely on the similarities in fashion.[citation needed]
Previously in Tokyo, the largest "goth" club events, such as "Tokyo Dark Castle", would also attract a noticeable proportion of Gothic Lolita customers. However, since 2005 their numbers have dwindled and such events now primarily attract more typical goth, industrial and metal music fans.[citation needed] Concerts of visual kei themed bands are often attended by many Lolitas, but conversely, few goths
Anime and Manga
Gothic Lolita costumes appear frequently in anime art. Wikipe-tan appears here as an example of this.
Gothic Lolita costumes appear frequently in anime art. Wikipe-tan appears here as an example of this.
More often than not, "Lolita" in anime and manga is generally considered cosplay and not genuine lolita.
Some prominent manga and anime featuring Gothic Lolita fashion are Paradise Kiss, Coyote Ragtime Show, Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, Le Chevalier d'Eon, Rozen Maiden, Godchild, Death Note, D. Gray Man, Othello, xxxHolic, Gothic Sports, Trinity Blood, Pitaten, Vampire Knight, Venus Versus Virus, many of the works of Kaori Yuki, and all of the works of Mitsukazu Mihara.
The 2006 anime, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, also known as The Wallflower, features four sisters who attend the high school of the main characters, who are called the Goth Loli sisters (Lassine, Madeline, Roxanne, and Yvone). They are depicted purely as the subject of much comedy and they always leave the scene chanting "Goth! Goth! Loli! Loli!"
In some manga, such as Othello, lolita fashion is portrayed as a method of individualizing and becoming less shy. Most of these titles appeal primarily to male fans rather than the lolitas themselves; however, large numbers of lolita girls are visible at manga events such as Comiket. They often buy doujinshi based upon their favorite bands, dolls and movie characters; and some are interested in other kinds of dressing, including cosplay. However, the Gothic Lolita style should not be considered a cosplay; it is an alternative fashion.
Most lolitas, especially those who wear the style on a daily basis, state that "we say we're not cosplay, but they don't listen. Of course we're not happy, but there's nothing we can do about it." (translated from the 2ch lolita fashion messageboard introduction) The comments of this style being cosplay is usually from the otaku who only know of this fashion through anime and manga.
The Marvel Comics miniseries Livewires features a Life Model Decoy that calls herself "Gothic Lolita." "Lol" picked up the fashion while on a mission in Japan. She is described by one of her teammates as liking the idea of being the team's "Ben Grimm in black baby doll lace," Lol minimalistically describes her role as "smashing and bashing duty."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007)
An example of the (lighty) gothic lolita - Harajuku area in Shibuya, Tokyo
An example of the (lighty) gothic lolita - Harajuku area in Shibuya, Tokyo
Gothic Lolita or "GothLoli" (ゴスロリ, gosurori?, sometimes "Loli-Goth") has two definitions. The term "Gothic and Lolita" is used by the Japanese to describe a sub-culture of teenagers who wear a wide range of fashions. It is used by English language sources mainly to describe a specific subset of Lolita fashion.
History of terminology used by English language fandom
Among English language fandom, the term Elegant Gothic Lolita was originally used to describe a sub-set of Lolita fashion that was either all black, or mostly black with white accents. However, there are many subsets within 'Gothic Lolita,' including, but not limited shirorori (white lolita), kurorori (black lolita), gurorori (Gory or grotesque lolita), and punk lolita. Black (kuro) and white (shiro) lolitas wear all black and white respectively, guro lolitas are often defined by bandages and an "injured" appearance, and punk lolita adds a punk touch to lolita fashion. There are fashions similar in feeling to gothic lolita but they are not regarded by the gothic lolita community as authentic, rather "lolita-styled".
Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) is a term coined by Mana (Guitarist and leader of Moi dix Mois and Malice Mizer, creator of clothing line Moi-même-Moitié). It can be considered a more mature version of gothic lolita, often worn by older teens and young women. The male 'counter-part' to EGL is EGA (Elegant Gothic Aristocrat); it is very tailored and stream-lined, both being mostly black and white. However, the term Gothloli (gosurori) is used by some foreigners to describe anyone in gothic or lolita.
Gothic lolita fashion is regarded by some of its adherents as more than simple dress, and can be an etiquette and mindset as well. In magazines/written works devoted to lolita fashion, this is also emphasized by advice given on how to behave and modest use of makeup. Some lolita just like the clothing/scene though; they are likely to have read this material, but may not actually follow any of it.
The style
Lolita fashion draws much of its inspiration from Rococo, Victorian-style and Edwardian fashion and often aims to imitate the look of Victorian children or porcelain dolls. Gothic Lolita applies the aesthetics of Gothic fashion to the childlike, pretty Lolita fashion. The word Gothloli comes, quite naturally, from a combination of Lolita and Gothic fashion.[1]
Gothic Lolita is the best-known of the various "Lolita" looks. Other categories include "Classic Lolita", which is often more mature-looking and contains more muted colors and floral prints and "Sweet Lolita" which is identified by childish pastel colors and cute prints.
Gothic Lolita style is usually a combination of black and white, often black with white lace and typically decorated with ribbons and lace trims. Skirts are knee length and may have a crinoline or petticoat to add volume. As in mainstream Japanese fashion, over-knee socks or stockings are popular. White or black tights are also common. Boots, rockinghorse shoes, or child-like shoes such as Mary Janes complete the look. Frilly, ruffled or lace-trimmed Victorian blouses are also popular with Gothic Lolitas and designs are usually modest, sometimes with long lace-capped sleeves and/or high-necked blouses.
Some additions may include mini top hats, parasols, and lace headdresses, which resemble wide, elegantly decorated headbands. Other popular Lolita headgear are ribbons, lace or bows, an alice band with a bow or sometimes even a bonnet. Hair is sometimes curled, or a curled wig is worn to complete the porcelain doll look. Blonde and black are the most popular hair colors, though as the fashion continues to develop, other colors (such as brown and red) are increasing in popularity.
Lolita outfits may be accessorized with other props like handbags, small backpacks and purses, sometimes in the shape of bats, coffins, and crucifixes, as well as conspicuous pocket books, pocket watches, and hat boxes. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are also common, and some brands make special "gothic" teddy bears out of black leather or PVC. Some Lolitas own Super Dollfies or other ball-jointed dolls and carry them when wearing the style, often going so far as to dress them to match.
History
The lolita style began in the 1970's with brands such as Milk and Pink House making outfits that resembled Canada's Anne of Green Gables (which is widely loved in Japan) and, to a lesser extent, Little House on the Prairie. Angelic Pretty opened in 1979, Baby The Stars Shine Bright opened in the 80's, and Moi-meme-Moitie opened in 1999.
Mana, ex-Malice Mizer (co-founded with Kozi, also guitar), is widely credited for having helped popularize Gothic Lolita, though he is not a founder of the style. He coined the terms "Elegant Gothic Lolita" (EGL) and "Elegant Gothic Aristocrat" (EGA) to describe the style of his own fashion label Moi-même-Moitié, which was founded in 1999. Other influential figures in the scene include the singer Kana, who often modeled for Lolita related fashion magazines, and Mitsukazu Mihara, who drew the first eight covers of the Gothic & Lolita Bible.
Gothic Lolita culture
In Japan it is mass-marketed, though not widely worn, but has visibility particularly in the streets of Tokyo and Osaka, on television, in manga (see Paradise Kiss) and computer games. The fashion is being picked up worldwide, thanks to the foreign publication of Japanese magazine anthology FRUiTS, where the outstanding style actually blends in with the other quirky teen trends in Japan. More "faithful" adherents to the style take many influences from the Rococo and Victorian periods of European history, believing it to be in the nature of a Lolita to be respectful, polite, and demure at all times; even more extreme adherents are often known to attempt to cultivate interest in hobbies or activities considered appropriate to high-society ladies during these periods, such as needlework, opera, classical and baroque styles of music, painting, sewing, and the traditional observance of high tea. For the most part, however, most Lolitas live a day-to-day life very similar to any average person.
Lolita outside of Japan
Outside of Japan, the Lolita fashion is still widely unknown; however, it has slowly begun to spread to other countries. Lolita, along with cosplay and other Japanese cultural phenomena, can sometimes be seen at concerts and anime conventions throughout Canada (see Anime North),the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, France, the Netherlands and the United States, although certain individuals truly committed to the fashion will confirm that Gothic Lolita is not a fancy dress costume, rather, a way of life. The style has not yet been mass marketed outside of Japan, though small, stores based outside of Japan are starting to emerge and a store selling the style, itself called "Gothic Lolita" opened in early 2007 on a prominent stretch of Elizabeth Street in central Melbourne.
Major brands, such as Metamorphose temps de fille, Angelic Pretty, h. Naoto and Baby, The Stars Shine Bright have recognized the international recognition of lolita fashion, and have begun to ship goods to the international market. This is still not very widespread, as many of the clothes produced by non-Japanese designers are not accepted by the Lolita community for being inaccurate in portraying the style as related to the British 'goth' or French maid look, and not as high-quality as the expensive Japanese brand clothes. Lolita magazines are widely available for purchase on the internet and at Japanese bookstores, which also deal in anime and manga.
Shopping
Currently the commercial center of the Gothic Lolita subculture is the Marui Young department store in Shinjuku, after its predecessor Marui One closed at the end of August 2004. This large youth-fashion oriented department store has 4 floors entirely devoted to Gothloli and related fashions. Some Gothloli boutiques may be found in the area between Harajuku and Shibuya.
Goth and Lolita
Lolita as a fashion is not as strongly associated with a particular style of music or outside interests as Goth, and individual followers of Lolita fashion may listen to a wide variety of music, from Classic music to pop and rock.
In Japan, Goth is a minor subculture with few followers, partly because the emphasis upon visual identity in Japanese youth culture makes other factors such as music and literature less important signifiers, and perhaps partly because Christianity is a minor religion here. In Japan, people who have heard the term "Goth" usually assume that it is simply a contraction of "Gothic Lolita",[citation needed] except for the Goths themselves, who strongly emphasize the differences. Likewise, some non-Japanese observers assume that "Gothic Lolita" is the Japanese version of "Goth", purely on the similarities in fashion.[citation needed]
Previously in Tokyo, the largest "goth" club events, such as "Tokyo Dark Castle", would also attract a noticeable proportion of Gothic Lolita customers. However, since 2005 their numbers have dwindled and such events now primarily attract more typical goth, industrial and metal music fans.[citation needed] Concerts of visual kei themed bands are often attended by many Lolitas, but conversely, few goths
Anime and Manga
Gothic Lolita costumes appear frequently in anime art. Wikipe-tan appears here as an example of this.
Gothic Lolita costumes appear frequently in anime art. Wikipe-tan appears here as an example of this.
More often than not, "Lolita" in anime and manga is generally considered cosplay and not genuine lolita.
Some prominent manga and anime featuring Gothic Lolita fashion are Paradise Kiss, Coyote Ragtime Show, Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, Le Chevalier d'Eon, Rozen Maiden, Godchild, Death Note, D. Gray Man, Othello, xxxHolic, Gothic Sports, Trinity Blood, Pitaten, Vampire Knight, Venus Versus Virus, many of the works of Kaori Yuki, and all of the works of Mitsukazu Mihara.
The 2006 anime, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, also known as The Wallflower, features four sisters who attend the high school of the main characters, who are called the Goth Loli sisters (Lassine, Madeline, Roxanne, and Yvone). They are depicted purely as the subject of much comedy and they always leave the scene chanting "Goth! Goth! Loli! Loli!"
In some manga, such as Othello, lolita fashion is portrayed as a method of individualizing and becoming less shy. Most of these titles appeal primarily to male fans rather than the lolitas themselves; however, large numbers of lolita girls are visible at manga events such as Comiket. They often buy doujinshi based upon their favorite bands, dolls and movie characters; and some are interested in other kinds of dressing, including cosplay. However, the Gothic Lolita style should not be considered a cosplay; it is an alternative fashion.
Most lolitas, especially those who wear the style on a daily basis, state that "we say we're not cosplay, but they don't listen. Of course we're not happy, but there's nothing we can do about it." (translated from the 2ch lolita fashion messageboard introduction) The comments of this style being cosplay is usually from the otaku who only know of this fashion through anime and manga.
The Marvel Comics miniseries Livewires features a Life Model Decoy that calls herself "Gothic Lolita." "Lol" picked up the fashion while on a mission in Japan. She is described by one of her teammates as liking the idea of being the team's "Ben Grimm in black baby doll lace," Lol minimalistically describes her role as "smashing and bashing duty."
Hip Hop Fashion
Hip hop fashion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Faada Freddy of the Senegalese rap crew Daara J in Germany, 2005.
Faada Freddy of the Senegalese rap crew Daara J in Germany, 2005.
Hip-hop fashion is a distinctive style of dress originating with the African-American and Latino youth in The Bronx (New York City), and later influenced by the hip-hop scenes of Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), and The Dirty South among others. Each city contributed various elements to its overall style seen worldwide today. Hip hop fashion complements the expressions and attitudes of hip hop culture in general. Hip hop fashion has changed significantly during its history, and today it is a prominent part of popular fashion as a whole across the world and for all ethnicities.
Contents
[hide]
Early 1980s to Mid-1980s
In the early 1980s, established sportswear and fashion brands, such as Le Coq Sportif, Kangol, Adidas and Nike Inc attached themselves to the emerging hip hop scene.
During the 1980s, hip-hop icons wore clothing items such as brightly colored name-brand tracksuits, sheepskin and leather bomber jackets,[1] Clarks shoes[1], Dr. Martens boots and sneakers (usually Adidas-brand shelltoes and often with "phat" or oversized shoelaces). Popular haircuts ranged from the early-1980s Jheri curl to the late-1980s hi-top fade popularized by Will Smith (The Fresh Prince) and Christopher "Kid" Reid of Kid 'n Play, among others.
Popular accessories included large eyeglasses (Cazals[2] or Gazelles[1]), Kangol bucket hats,[1] nameplates,[1] name belts,[1] and multiple rings. Heavy gold jewelry was also popular in the 1980s; heavy jewelry in general would become an enduring element of hip hop fashion.[3] In general, men's jewelry focused on heavy gold chains and women's jewelry on large gold earrings.[3] Performers such as Kurtis Blow and Big Daddy Kane helped popularize gold necklaces and other such jewelry, and female rappers such as Roxanne Shanté and the group Salt-N-Pepa helped popularize oversized gold door-knocker earrings. The heavy jewelry was suggestive of prestige and wealth, and some have connected the style to Africanism.[4]
1980s hip hop fashion is remembered as one of the most important elements of old school hip hop, and it is often celebrated in nostalgic hip hop songs such as Ahmad's 1994 single "Back in the Day", and Missy Elliott's 2002 single "Back in the Day".
Late 1980s to early 1990s fashion
Black nationalism was increasingly influential in rap during the late 1980s, and fashions and hairstyles reflected traditional African influences.[3] Blousy pants were popular among dance-oriented rappers like MC Hammer.[3] Fezzes,[3] kufis decorated with the Kemetic ankh,[3] Kente cloth hats,[3] Africa chains, dreadlocks, and red, black, and green clothing became popular as well, promoted by artists such as Queen Latifah KRS-One, Public Enemy, and X-Clan). In the early 1990s, pop rappers such as The Fresh Prince, Kid 'n Play, and Left Eye of TLC popularized baseball caps and bright, often neon-colored, clothing. Kris Kross also established the fad of wearing clothes backwards.[3] Kwamé sparked the brief trend of polka-dot clothing as well, while others continued wearing their mid-80's attire.
Hip hop influences are seen in Chanel's Fall 1991 collection.
Hip hop influences are seen in Chanel's Fall 1991 collection.
The Nike capture of soon to be superstar basketball protege Michael Jordan from rivals Adidas in 1984 proved to be a huge turning point, as Nike dominated the urban streetwear sneaker market in the late 80's and early 90's. Other clothing brands such as Champion, Carhartt and Timberland were very closely associated with the scene, particularly on the East coast with hip hop acts such as Wu-Tang Clan and Gangstarr sporting the look.
Gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A. popularized an early form of gangsta style in the late 1980s, consisting of Dickies pants, plaid shirts and jackets, Chuck Taylors sneakers, and black Raiders baseball caps and Raiders Starter jackets. Starter jackets, in addition, were also a popular trend in their own right during the late 1980s and early 90s. They became something of a status-symbol, with incidents of robberies of the jackets reported in the media.
Hip hop fashion in this period also influenced high fashion designs. In the late 1980s, Isaac Mizrahi, inspired by his elevator operator who wore a heavy gold chain, showed a collection deeply influenced by hip hop fashion.[5] Models wore black catsuits, "gold chains, big gold nameplate-inspired belts, and black bomber jackets with fur-trimmed hoods."[5] Womenswear Daily called the look "homeboy chic."[5] In the early 1990s, Chanel showed hip-hop-inspired fashion in several shows. In one, models wore black leather jackets and piles of gold chains.[5] In another, they wore long black dresses, accessorized with heavy, padlocked silver chains.[5] (These silver chains were remarkably similar to the metal chain-link and padlock worn by Treach of Naughty by Nature, who said he did so in solidarity with "all the brothers who are locked down."[5]) The hip hop trend, however, did not last; fickle designers quickly moved on to new influences.[5]
Mid-1990s to late 1990s fashion
Gangsta style
Gangsta rap became one of the most prevalent styles of hip hop, and by the mid-1990s, hip hop fashion had taken on significant influence from the dress styles of street thugs and prison inmates. West Coast gangsta rappers adopted the style of Los Angeles' cholos (Chicano gangsters),[3] including baggy pants,[3] black ink tattoos, bandanas,[3] and shirt tails outside one's pants.[3] Dark denim prison gear were also popular. The style of sagging one's pants, or wearing them baggy and low without a belt, was also style that originated in prisons. This style of fashion, along with its associated hand signs and territorial or "homeboy" mentality, was adopted by African-American youth in Los Angeles initially, and later by the hip hop community at large. Hip hop artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and Beastie Boys all wore and referenced Ben Davis workwear in videos and songs, a staple clothing brand amongst true gang/skate/hip hop/custom culture.
Fashion among "hip-hop" elites
On the West Coast, members of the hip hop community looked back to the gangsters of the 1930s and 1940s for inspiration.[6] Mafioso influences, especially and primarily inspired by the 1983 remake version of Scarface, became popular in hip hop. Many rappers set aside gang-inspired clothing in favor of classic gangster fashions such as bowler hats,[6] double-breasted suits,[6] silk shirts,[6] and alligator-skin shoes ("gators"). In some areas of the mid-west, including Detroit, this style has been a staple in hip-hop fashion, regardless of current trends.[citation needed]
On the East Coast, "ghetto fabulous" fashion (a term coined by Sean Combs) was on the rise.[6] Combs, the Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Russell Simmons
Sportswear
Rapper Slim Thug wearing a Du Rag.
Rapper Slim Thug wearing a Du Rag.
Tommy Hilfiger was one of the most prominent brand in 1990s sportswear, though Polo, Calvin Klein, Nautica, and DKNY were also popular.[7] When Snoop Doggy Dogg wore a Hilfiger sweatshirt during an appearance on Saturday Night Live, it sold out of New York City stores the next day.[7] Hilfiger's popularity was due to its perceived waspiness, which made it seem exclusive and aspirational.[7] Moreover, Hilfiger courted the new hip hop market: black models featured prominently in the company's advertising campaigns, and rappers like Puffy and Coolio walked during its runways shows.[7]
Other brands, such as FUBU, Ecko Unlimited, Mecca USA, Lugz, Rocawear, Boss Jeans by IG Design, and Enyce, arose to capitalize on the market for urban streetwear.[7] They followed in Hilfiger's footsteps by manufacturing all-American styles emblazoned with huge logos.[7]
Throwback jerseys
One sportswear trend that emerged was the rise in popularity of throwback jerseys, such as those produced by Mitchell & Ness. Sports jerseys have always been popular in hip-hop fashion, as evidenced by Will Smith's early 90's video "Summertime", and Spike Lee wearing a throwback Brooklyn Dodgers jersey in the film "Do the Right Thing". But in the late 90's saw the rise in popularity of very expensive throwbacks, often costing in the hundreds of dollars. Hip-hop artists donning the pricey jerseys in music videos led to increased demand, and led to the rise of counterfeiters flooding the market with fake jerseys to capitalize on the craze. The mid-to-late 2000s saw a decrease in popularity of throwbacks, with some hip-hop artists even shunning the raiments, such as Jay-Z, who rapped "And I don't wear jerseys, I'm 30-plus, Give me a crisp pair of jeans, Button up."
The rise of hip-pop
The rise of hip-pop in the late-1990s, primarily the work of Sean "Diddy" Combs, known locally around New York at that time as the "Shiny Suit Man" brought elements such as loud, flashy PVC aviator inspired suits and platinum jewelry to the forefront of hip hop in an effort to add a new vivid dimension of color and flash to the videos produced as a marketing tool. Combs, who started his own Sean John clothing line, and clothing manufacturers such as Karl Kani and FUBU brought hip hop fashion to the mainstream, resulting in a multi-million dollar hip hop fashion industry. There was a resurgence of traditional African-American hairstyles such as cornrows and Afros, as well as the Caesar low-cut. Caesars and cornrows are maintained by wearing a du-rag over the head during periods of sleeping and home activity to prevent the hair from being displaced or tossled. Du-rags soon became popular hip hop fashion items in their own right.
The "hip-pop" era also saw the split between male and female hip hop fashion, which had previously been more or less similar. Women in hip hop had emulated the male tough-guy fashions such as baggy jeans, "Loc" sunglasses, tough looks and heavy workboots; many, such as Da Brat, accomplished this with little more than some lip gloss and a bit of make-up to make the industrial work pants and work boots feminine. The female performers who completely turned the tide such as Lil Kim and Foxy Brown popularized glamourous, high-fashion feminine hip hop styles, such as Kimora Lee Simmons fashion line of Baby Phat. While Lauryn Hill and Eve popularized more conservative styles that still maintained both a distinctly feminine and distinctly hip hop feel.
Bling-bling jewelry
Bling-bling jewelry
Jewelery culture
Main article: Bling Bling
In the mid- to late 1990s, platinum replaced gold as the metal of choice in hip hop fashion.[3] Artists and fans alike wore platinum (or silver) jewelry, often embedded with diamonds. Jay-Z, Juvenile, and The Hot Boys were largely responsible for this trend.[3] Platinum fronts also became popular; Cash Money Records executive/rapper Brian "Baby" Williams infamously has an entire mouthful of permanent platinum teeth. Others have fashioned grills, removable metal jewelled teeth coverings. This really didn't belong to original hip hop scene, but has been incorporated into it.
With the advent of the Jewelery culture, the turn of the century established luxury brands made inroads into the hip hop market, with brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton making appearances in hip hop videos and films.[8]
Modern Hip Hop Fashion
Kanye West performing in 2006 wearing a fitted sportcoat
Kanye West performing in 2006 wearing a fitted sportcoat
In the 1990s and beyond, many hip hop artists and executives started their own fashion labels and clothing lines.[9] Notable examples include Wu-Tang Clan (Wu-Wear), Russell Simmons (Phat Farm), Kimora Lee Simmons (Baby Phat), Diddy (Sean John), Apple Bottom Jeans (Nelly), Damon Dash and Jay-Z (Rocawear), 50 Cent (G-Unit Clothing), Eminem (Shady Limited), 2Pac (Makaveli) and OutKast (OutKast Clothing). Other prominent hip hop fashion companies have included Karl Kani and FUBU, Ecko, Dickies,Girbaud, Enyce, Famous Stars and Straps, Bape, LRG, Timberland Boots, and Akademiks.
Today, Hip hop clothing is produced by popular and successful designers, who charge significant amounts for their products. Hip hop fashion is worn by a significant percentage of young people around the world, with a significant number of retailers that are dedicated to the sale of hip hop inspired fashions. Several web sites are dedicated to hard to find hip hop sneakers and apparel.
Recent trends
Common wearing shorter length t-shirt and tight jeans
Common wearing shorter length t-shirt and tight jeans
Due to the recent trend in hip hop fashion to revert back to the "old school", the clothing is becoming similar to early 80's form of dressing. It has geared toward a more hipster-inspired style of dressing (so-called "prep-hop"), which may include items such as polo shirts, sportcoats, woven button shirts, large ornamental belt buckles, cufflinks, skull and skeleton decorations, elaborately decorated zip-up hoodies, trucker hats, tighter-fitting "vintage style" t-shirts with shorter arm sleeves, Lumberjack button ups or plaid designed shirts, Snow Inspired Fashions and tighter denim jeans. Shorter length t-shirts have become involved in recent trends, in order to expose decorated belts and belt buckles and biker chains. Although the "baggy" style of dress remains relevant, some hip hoppers forego that particular style, opting for colorful fitted prep-hop and hipster-inspired clothing as exemplified by the growing influence of rappers such as Kanye West, Common, will.i.am, and Andre 3000, as well as the tighter-fitting skater influenced styles in the case of Pharrell. 80's trends have reemerged, such as Members Only jackets, huge oversized chains and large eyeglasses.
Criticism of hip hop fashion
Commentators from both inside and outside of the hip-hop community have criticized the cost of many of the accouterments of hip hop fashion. Hip hop fashion is also often satirised by comedians such as Ali G. Chuck D of Public Enemy summarized the mentality of Hip hop fashion and some low-income youths as "Man, I work at McDonald's, but in order for me to feel good about myself I got to get a gold chain or I got to get a fly car in order to impress a sister or whatever."[10] In his 1992 song "Us", Ice Cube rapped that "Us [African-Americans] will always sing the blues / 'cause all we care about is hairstyles and tennis shoes."[11] Some fans have expressed disappointment with the increased amount of advertising for expensive hip-hop brands in hip-hop magazines.[12] In one letter to the editor in Source magazine, a reader wrote that the magazine should "try showing some less expensive brands so heads will know they don't have to hustle, steal, or rob and blast shots for flyness."[13] In fact, there were many highly-publicized robberies of hip-hop artists by the late 1990s.[12] Guru of Gang Starr was robbed at gunpoint of his Rolex watch, Queen Latifah's car was car-jacked, and Prodigy was robbed at gunpoint of $300,000 in jewelry.[12]
A few hip hop insiders, such as the members of Public Enemy, have made the deliberate choice not to don expensive jewelry as a statement against materialism.[12]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Faada Freddy of the Senegalese rap crew Daara J in Germany, 2005.
Faada Freddy of the Senegalese rap crew Daara J in Germany, 2005.
Hip-hop fashion is a distinctive style of dress originating with the African-American and Latino youth in The Bronx (New York City), and later influenced by the hip-hop scenes of Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), and The Dirty South among others. Each city contributed various elements to its overall style seen worldwide today. Hip hop fashion complements the expressions and attitudes of hip hop culture in general. Hip hop fashion has changed significantly during its history, and today it is a prominent part of popular fashion as a whole across the world and for all ethnicities.
Contents
[hide]
Early 1980s to Mid-1980s
In the early 1980s, established sportswear and fashion brands, such as Le Coq Sportif, Kangol, Adidas and Nike Inc attached themselves to the emerging hip hop scene.
During the 1980s, hip-hop icons wore clothing items such as brightly colored name-brand tracksuits, sheepskin and leather bomber jackets,[1] Clarks shoes[1], Dr. Martens boots and sneakers (usually Adidas-brand shelltoes and often with "phat" or oversized shoelaces). Popular haircuts ranged from the early-1980s Jheri curl to the late-1980s hi-top fade popularized by Will Smith (The Fresh Prince) and Christopher "Kid" Reid of Kid 'n Play, among others.
Popular accessories included large eyeglasses (Cazals[2] or Gazelles[1]), Kangol bucket hats,[1] nameplates,[1] name belts,[1] and multiple rings. Heavy gold jewelry was also popular in the 1980s; heavy jewelry in general would become an enduring element of hip hop fashion.[3] In general, men's jewelry focused on heavy gold chains and women's jewelry on large gold earrings.[3] Performers such as Kurtis Blow and Big Daddy Kane helped popularize gold necklaces and other such jewelry, and female rappers such as Roxanne Shanté and the group Salt-N-Pepa helped popularize oversized gold door-knocker earrings. The heavy jewelry was suggestive of prestige and wealth, and some have connected the style to Africanism.[4]
1980s hip hop fashion is remembered as one of the most important elements of old school hip hop, and it is often celebrated in nostalgic hip hop songs such as Ahmad's 1994 single "Back in the Day", and Missy Elliott's 2002 single "Back in the Day".
Late 1980s to early 1990s fashion
Black nationalism was increasingly influential in rap during the late 1980s, and fashions and hairstyles reflected traditional African influences.[3] Blousy pants were popular among dance-oriented rappers like MC Hammer.[3] Fezzes,[3] kufis decorated with the Kemetic ankh,[3] Kente cloth hats,[3] Africa chains, dreadlocks, and red, black, and green clothing became popular as well, promoted by artists such as Queen Latifah KRS-One, Public Enemy, and X-Clan). In the early 1990s, pop rappers such as The Fresh Prince, Kid 'n Play, and Left Eye of TLC popularized baseball caps and bright, often neon-colored, clothing. Kris Kross also established the fad of wearing clothes backwards.[3] Kwamé sparked the brief trend of polka-dot clothing as well, while others continued wearing their mid-80's attire.
Hip hop influences are seen in Chanel's Fall 1991 collection.
Hip hop influences are seen in Chanel's Fall 1991 collection.
The Nike capture of soon to be superstar basketball protege Michael Jordan from rivals Adidas in 1984 proved to be a huge turning point, as Nike dominated the urban streetwear sneaker market in the late 80's and early 90's. Other clothing brands such as Champion, Carhartt and Timberland were very closely associated with the scene, particularly on the East coast with hip hop acts such as Wu-Tang Clan and Gangstarr sporting the look.
Gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A. popularized an early form of gangsta style in the late 1980s, consisting of Dickies pants, plaid shirts and jackets, Chuck Taylors sneakers, and black Raiders baseball caps and Raiders Starter jackets. Starter jackets, in addition, were also a popular trend in their own right during the late 1980s and early 90s. They became something of a status-symbol, with incidents of robberies of the jackets reported in the media.
Hip hop fashion in this period also influenced high fashion designs. In the late 1980s, Isaac Mizrahi, inspired by his elevator operator who wore a heavy gold chain, showed a collection deeply influenced by hip hop fashion.[5] Models wore black catsuits, "gold chains, big gold nameplate-inspired belts, and black bomber jackets with fur-trimmed hoods."[5] Womenswear Daily called the look "homeboy chic."[5] In the early 1990s, Chanel showed hip-hop-inspired fashion in several shows. In one, models wore black leather jackets and piles of gold chains.[5] In another, they wore long black dresses, accessorized with heavy, padlocked silver chains.[5] (These silver chains were remarkably similar to the metal chain-link and padlock worn by Treach of Naughty by Nature, who said he did so in solidarity with "all the brothers who are locked down."[5]) The hip hop trend, however, did not last; fickle designers quickly moved on to new influences.[5]
Mid-1990s to late 1990s fashion
Gangsta style
Gangsta rap became one of the most prevalent styles of hip hop, and by the mid-1990s, hip hop fashion had taken on significant influence from the dress styles of street thugs and prison inmates. West Coast gangsta rappers adopted the style of Los Angeles' cholos (Chicano gangsters),[3] including baggy pants,[3] black ink tattoos, bandanas,[3] and shirt tails outside one's pants.[3] Dark denim prison gear were also popular. The style of sagging one's pants, or wearing them baggy and low without a belt, was also style that originated in prisons. This style of fashion, along with its associated hand signs and territorial or "homeboy" mentality, was adopted by African-American youth in Los Angeles initially, and later by the hip hop community at large. Hip hop artists such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and Beastie Boys all wore and referenced Ben Davis workwear in videos and songs, a staple clothing brand amongst true gang/skate/hip hop/custom culture.
Fashion among "hip-hop" elites
On the West Coast, members of the hip hop community looked back to the gangsters of the 1930s and 1940s for inspiration.[6] Mafioso influences, especially and primarily inspired by the 1983 remake version of Scarface, became popular in hip hop. Many rappers set aside gang-inspired clothing in favor of classic gangster fashions such as bowler hats,[6] double-breasted suits,[6] silk shirts,[6] and alligator-skin shoes ("gators"). In some areas of the mid-west, including Detroit, this style has been a staple in hip-hop fashion, regardless of current trends.[citation needed]
On the East Coast, "ghetto fabulous" fashion (a term coined by Sean Combs) was on the rise.[6] Combs, the Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Russell Simmons
Sportswear
Rapper Slim Thug wearing a Du Rag.
Rapper Slim Thug wearing a Du Rag.
Tommy Hilfiger was one of the most prominent brand in 1990s sportswear, though Polo, Calvin Klein, Nautica, and DKNY were also popular.[7] When Snoop Doggy Dogg wore a Hilfiger sweatshirt during an appearance on Saturday Night Live, it sold out of New York City stores the next day.[7] Hilfiger's popularity was due to its perceived waspiness, which made it seem exclusive and aspirational.[7] Moreover, Hilfiger courted the new hip hop market: black models featured prominently in the company's advertising campaigns, and rappers like Puffy and Coolio walked during its runways shows.[7]
Other brands, such as FUBU, Ecko Unlimited, Mecca USA, Lugz, Rocawear, Boss Jeans by IG Design, and Enyce, arose to capitalize on the market for urban streetwear.[7] They followed in Hilfiger's footsteps by manufacturing all-American styles emblazoned with huge logos.[7]
Throwback jerseys
One sportswear trend that emerged was the rise in popularity of throwback jerseys, such as those produced by Mitchell & Ness. Sports jerseys have always been popular in hip-hop fashion, as evidenced by Will Smith's early 90's video "Summertime", and Spike Lee wearing a throwback Brooklyn Dodgers jersey in the film "Do the Right Thing". But in the late 90's saw the rise in popularity of very expensive throwbacks, often costing in the hundreds of dollars. Hip-hop artists donning the pricey jerseys in music videos led to increased demand, and led to the rise of counterfeiters flooding the market with fake jerseys to capitalize on the craze. The mid-to-late 2000s saw a decrease in popularity of throwbacks, with some hip-hop artists even shunning the raiments, such as Jay-Z, who rapped "And I don't wear jerseys, I'm 30-plus, Give me a crisp pair of jeans, Button up."
The rise of hip-pop
The rise of hip-pop in the late-1990s, primarily the work of Sean "Diddy" Combs, known locally around New York at that time as the "Shiny Suit Man" brought elements such as loud, flashy PVC aviator inspired suits and platinum jewelry to the forefront of hip hop in an effort to add a new vivid dimension of color and flash to the videos produced as a marketing tool. Combs, who started his own Sean John clothing line, and clothing manufacturers such as Karl Kani and FUBU brought hip hop fashion to the mainstream, resulting in a multi-million dollar hip hop fashion industry. There was a resurgence of traditional African-American hairstyles such as cornrows and Afros, as well as the Caesar low-cut. Caesars and cornrows are maintained by wearing a du-rag over the head during periods of sleeping and home activity to prevent the hair from being displaced or tossled. Du-rags soon became popular hip hop fashion items in their own right.
The "hip-pop" era also saw the split between male and female hip hop fashion, which had previously been more or less similar. Women in hip hop had emulated the male tough-guy fashions such as baggy jeans, "Loc" sunglasses, tough looks and heavy workboots; many, such as Da Brat, accomplished this with little more than some lip gloss and a bit of make-up to make the industrial work pants and work boots feminine. The female performers who completely turned the tide such as Lil Kim and Foxy Brown popularized glamourous, high-fashion feminine hip hop styles, such as Kimora Lee Simmons fashion line of Baby Phat. While Lauryn Hill and Eve popularized more conservative styles that still maintained both a distinctly feminine and distinctly hip hop feel.
Bling-bling jewelry
Bling-bling jewelry
Jewelery culture
Main article: Bling Bling
In the mid- to late 1990s, platinum replaced gold as the metal of choice in hip hop fashion.[3] Artists and fans alike wore platinum (or silver) jewelry, often embedded with diamonds. Jay-Z, Juvenile, and The Hot Boys were largely responsible for this trend.[3] Platinum fronts also became popular; Cash Money Records executive/rapper Brian "Baby" Williams infamously has an entire mouthful of permanent platinum teeth. Others have fashioned grills, removable metal jewelled teeth coverings. This really didn't belong to original hip hop scene, but has been incorporated into it.
With the advent of the Jewelery culture, the turn of the century established luxury brands made inroads into the hip hop market, with brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton making appearances in hip hop videos and films.[8]
Modern Hip Hop Fashion
Kanye West performing in 2006 wearing a fitted sportcoat
Kanye West performing in 2006 wearing a fitted sportcoat
In the 1990s and beyond, many hip hop artists and executives started their own fashion labels and clothing lines.[9] Notable examples include Wu-Tang Clan (Wu-Wear), Russell Simmons (Phat Farm), Kimora Lee Simmons (Baby Phat), Diddy (Sean John), Apple Bottom Jeans (Nelly), Damon Dash and Jay-Z (Rocawear), 50 Cent (G-Unit Clothing), Eminem (Shady Limited), 2Pac (Makaveli) and OutKast (OutKast Clothing). Other prominent hip hop fashion companies have included Karl Kani and FUBU, Ecko, Dickies,Girbaud, Enyce, Famous Stars and Straps, Bape, LRG, Timberland Boots, and Akademiks.
Today, Hip hop clothing is produced by popular and successful designers, who charge significant amounts for their products. Hip hop fashion is worn by a significant percentage of young people around the world, with a significant number of retailers that are dedicated to the sale of hip hop inspired fashions. Several web sites are dedicated to hard to find hip hop sneakers and apparel.
Recent trends
Common wearing shorter length t-shirt and tight jeans
Common wearing shorter length t-shirt and tight jeans
Due to the recent trend in hip hop fashion to revert back to the "old school", the clothing is becoming similar to early 80's form of dressing. It has geared toward a more hipster-inspired style of dressing (so-called "prep-hop"), which may include items such as polo shirts, sportcoats, woven button shirts, large ornamental belt buckles, cufflinks, skull and skeleton decorations, elaborately decorated zip-up hoodies, trucker hats, tighter-fitting "vintage style" t-shirts with shorter arm sleeves, Lumberjack button ups or plaid designed shirts, Snow Inspired Fashions and tighter denim jeans. Shorter length t-shirts have become involved in recent trends, in order to expose decorated belts and belt buckles and biker chains. Although the "baggy" style of dress remains relevant, some hip hoppers forego that particular style, opting for colorful fitted prep-hop and hipster-inspired clothing as exemplified by the growing influence of rappers such as Kanye West, Common, will.i.am, and Andre 3000, as well as the tighter-fitting skater influenced styles in the case of Pharrell. 80's trends have reemerged, such as Members Only jackets, huge oversized chains and large eyeglasses.
Criticism of hip hop fashion
Commentators from both inside and outside of the hip-hop community have criticized the cost of many of the accouterments of hip hop fashion. Hip hop fashion is also often satirised by comedians such as Ali G. Chuck D of Public Enemy summarized the mentality of Hip hop fashion and some low-income youths as "Man, I work at McDonald's, but in order for me to feel good about myself I got to get a gold chain or I got to get a fly car in order to impress a sister or whatever."[10] In his 1992 song "Us", Ice Cube rapped that "Us [African-Americans] will always sing the blues / 'cause all we care about is hairstyles and tennis shoes."[11] Some fans have expressed disappointment with the increased amount of advertising for expensive hip-hop brands in hip-hop magazines.[12] In one letter to the editor in Source magazine, a reader wrote that the magazine should "try showing some less expensive brands so heads will know they don't have to hustle, steal, or rob and blast shots for flyness."[13] In fact, there were many highly-publicized robberies of hip-hop artists by the late 1990s.[12] Guru of Gang Starr was robbed at gunpoint of his Rolex watch, Queen Latifah's car was car-jacked, and Prodigy was robbed at gunpoint of $300,000 in jewelry.[12]
A few hip hop insiders, such as the members of Public Enemy, have made the deliberate choice not to don expensive jewelry as a statement against materialism.[12]
History of Fashion Design
Couture beginnings
The first fashion designer who was not merely a dressmaker was (Charles Frederick Worth) (1826–1895). Before the former draper set up his maison couture fashion house in Paris, fashion creation and inspiration was handled by largely unknown people, and high fashion descended from style worn at royal courts. Worth's success was such that he was able to dictate to his customers what they should wear, instead of following their lead as earlier dressmakers had done.
It was during this period that many design houses began to hire artists to sketch or paint designs for garments. The images alone could be presented to clients much more cheaply than by producing an actual sample garment in the workroom. If the client liked the design, they ordered it and the resulting garment made money for the house. Thus, the tradition of designers sketching out garment designs instead of presenting completed garments on models to customers began as an economy
Early twentieth century
Throughout the early 20th century, practically all high fashion originated in Paris, and to a lesser extent London. Fashion magazines from other countries sent editors to the Paris fashion shows. Department stores sent buyers to the Paris shows, where they purchased garments to copy (and openly stole the style lines and trim details of others). Both made-to-measure salons and ready-to-wear departments featured the latest Paris trends, adapted to the stores' assumptions about the lifestyles and pocket books of their targeted customers.
Around the start of the twentieth century fashion style magazines began to include photographs and became even more influential than in the past. In cities throughout the world these magazines were greatly sought-after and had a profound effect on public taste. Talented illustrators - among them Paul Iribe, Georges Lepape, Erté, and George Barbier - drew exquisite fashion plates for these publications, which covered the most recent developments in fashion and beauty. Perhaps the most famous of these magazines was La Gazette du bon ton which was founded in 1912 by Lucien Vogel and regularly published until 1925 (with the exception of the war years).
1900s
The outfits worn by the fashionable women of the 'Belle Époque' (as this era was called by the French) were strikingly similar to those worn in the heyday of the fashion pioneer Charles Worth. By the end of the nineteenth century, the horizons of the fashion industry had generally broadened, partly due to the more mobile and independent lifestyle many well-off women were beginning to adopt and the practical clothes they demanded. However, the fashions of the La Belle Époque still retained the elaborate, upholstered, hourglass-shaped style of the 1800s. As of yet, no fashionable lady would (or could) dress or undress herself without the assistance of a third party. The constant need for radical change, which is now essential for the survival of fashion within the present system, was still literally unthinkable.
Conspicuous waste and conspicuous consumption defined the fashions of the decade and the outfits of the couturiers of the time were incredibly extravagant, elaborate, ornate, and painstakingly made. The curvaceous S-Bend silhouette dominated fashion up until around 1908. The S-Bend corset was very tightly laced at the waist and so forced the hips back and the drooping mono bosom was thrust forward in a pouter pigeon effect creating an S shape. Toward the end of the decade the fashionable silhouette gradually became somewhat more straight and slim, partly due to Paul Poiret's high-waisted, shorter-skirted Directoire line of clothes.
The Maison Redfern was the first fashion house to offer women a tailored suit based directly on its male counterpart and the extremely practical and soberly elegant garment soon became an indispensable part of the wardrobe of any well-dressed woman. Another indispensable part of the outfit of the well-dressed woman was the designer hat. Fashionable hats at the time were either tiny little confections that perched on top of the head, or large and wide brimmed, trimmed with ribbons, flowers, and even feathers. Parasols were still used as decorative accessories and in the summer they dripped with lace and added to the overall elaborate prettiness.
1910s
During the early years of the 1910s the fashionable silhouette became much more lithe, fluid and soft than in the 1900s. When the Ballets Russes performed Scheherazade in Paris in 1910, a craze for Orientalism ensued. The couturier Paul Poiret was one of the first designers to translate this vogue into the fashion world. Poiret's clients were at once transformed into harem girls in flowing pantaloons, turbans, and vivid colors and geishas in exotic kimono. Paul Poiret also devised the first outfit which women could put on without the help of a maid. The Art Deco movement began to emerge at this time and its influence was evident in the designs of many couturiers of the time. Simple felt hats, turbans, and clouds of tulle replaced the styles of headgear popular in the 1900s. It is also notable that the first real fashion shows were organized during this period in time, by the first female couturier, Jeanne Paquin, who was also the first Parisian couturier to open foreign branches in London, Buenos Aires, and Madrid.
Two of the most influential fashions reflected light. His distinguished customers never lost a taste for his fluid lines and flimsy, diaphanous materials. While obeying imperatives that left little to the imagination of the couturier, Doucet was nonetheless a designer of immense taste and discrimination, a role many have tried since, but rarely with Doucet's level of success.
A Delphos gown
A Delphos gown
The Venice-based designer Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo was a curious figure, with very few parallels in any age. For his dress designs he conceived a special pleating process and new dyeing techniques. He gave the name Delphos to his long clinging sheath dresses that undulated with color. Each garment was made of a single piece of the finest silk, its unique color acquired by repeated immersions in dyes whose shades were suggestive of moonlight or of the watery reflections of the Venetian lagoon. Breton straw, Mexican cochineal, and indigo from the Far East were among the ingredients that Fortuny used. Among his many devotees were Eleanora Duse, Isadora Duncan, Cleo de Merode, the Marchesa Casati, Emilienne d'Alencon, and Liane de Pougy.
Changes in dress during World War I were dictated more by necessity than fashion. As more and more women were forced to work, they demanded clothes that were better suited to their new activities. Social events had to be postponed in favor of more pressing engagements and the need to mourn the increasing numbers of dead, visits to the wounded, and the general gravity of the time meant that darker colors became the norm. A new monochrome look emerged that was unfamiliar to young women in comfortable circumstances. By 1915 fashionable skirts had risen above the ankle and then later to mid-calf.
Between the Wars
The period between the two World Wars, often considered to be the Golden Age of French fashion, was one of great change and reformation. Carriages were replaced by cars, princes and princesses lost their crowns, and haute couture found new clients in the ranks of film actresses, American heiresses, and the wives and daughters of wealthy industrialists.
1920s
Soon after the First World War, a radical change came about in fashion. Bouffant coiffures gave way to short bobs, dresses with long trains gave way to above-the-knee pinafores. Corsets were abandoned and women borrowed their clothes from the male wardrobe and chose to dress like boys. Although, at first, many couturiers were reluctant to adopt the new androgynous style, they embraced them wholeheartedly from around 1925. A bustless, waistless silhouette emerged and aggressive dressing-down was mitigated by feather boas, embroidery, and showy accessories. The [flapper] style (known to the French as the 'garçonne' look) became very popular among young women. The [cloche] hat was widely-worn and sportswear became popular with both men and women during the decade, with designers like Jean Patou and Coco Chanel popularizing the sporty and athletic look.
The great couturière Coco Chanel was a major figure in fashion at the time, as much for her magnetic personality as for her chic and progressive designs. Chanel helped popularize the bob hairstyle, the little black dress, and the use of jersey knit for women's clothing and also elevated the status of both costume jewelry and knitwear.
Two other prominent French designers of the 1920s were [Jeanne Lanvin] and [Jean Patou]. Jeanne Lanvin, who began her career in fashion as a milliner, made such beautiful outfits for her young daughter Marguerite that people started to ask for copies, and Lanvin was soon making dresses for their mothers. Lanvin's name appears in the fashion yearbook from about 1901 onwards. However, it was in the 1920s that she reached the peak of her popularity and success. The Lanvin style embraced the look of the time, with its skillful use of complex trimmings, dazzling embroideries, and beaded decorations in light, clear, floral colors that eventually became a Lanvin trademark. By 1925 Lanvin produced many different products, including sportswear, furs, lingerie, men's fashion, and interior designs. Her global approach to fashion foreshadowed the schemes that all the large contemporary fashion houses would later adopt in their efforts to diversify.
The style of Jean Patou was never mainstream, but full of originality and characterized by a studied simplicity which was to win him fame, particularly in the American markets. Many of his garments, with their clean lines, geometric and [Cubist] motifs, and mixture of luxury and practicality, were designed to satisfy the new vogue for the outdoor life, and bore a remarkable similarity to modern sportswear. The most famous advocate of his style was [Suzanne Lenglen], the legendary tennis champion.
In menswear there was a growing mood of informality, among the Americans especially, which was mirrored in fashions that emphasized youthfulness and relaxation. In the past, there was a special outfit for every event in the well-dressed gentleman's day, but young men in the Twenties, no longer afraid to show their youthfulness, began to wear the same soft wool suit all day long. Short suit jackets replaced the old long jackets of the past which were now only worn for formal occasions. Men had a variety of sport clothes available to them, including sweaters and short pants, commonly known as knickers. For evening wear a short tuxedo was more fashionable than the tail-coat, which was now seen as somewhat old-fashioned. The London cut, with its slim lines, loose-fitting sleeves, and padded shoulders, perfected by the English tailor Scholte, was very popular.
[Fair Isle] patterns became very popular for both sexes. Heels, at the time, were often over two inches high and Coco Chanel helped popularize the two-tone shoe, one of her trademarks. [Salvatore Ferragamo] and André Perugia were two of the most influential and respected designers in footwear. Many stars of the [silent film]s had a significant impact on fashion during the 1920s, perhaps most notably [Louise Brooks], Gloria Swanson, and [Colleen Moore]. The lighthearted, forward-looking fashions of the 1920s gradually came to halt after the [Wall Street Crash of 1929], and succumbed to a more conservative style.
1930s
In the 1930s, as the public began to feel the effects of the Great Depression, many designers found that crises are not the time for experimentation. Fashion became more compromising, aspiring to preserve feminism's victories while rediscovering a subtle and reassuring elegance and sophistication. Women's fashions moved away from the brash, daring style of the Twenties towards a more romantic, feminine silhouette. The waist was restored to its proper position, hemlines dropped, there was renewed appreciation of the bust, and backless evening gowns and soft, slim-fitting day dresses became popular. The female body was remodeled to a more neo-classical shape and slim, toned, and athletic bodies came into vogue. The fashion for outdoor activities stimulated couturiers to manufacture what would nowadays be called sportswear. The term 'ready-to-wear' was not yet widely used, but the boutiques already described such clothes as being 'for sport'.
Two of the most prominent and influential fashion designers of the 1930s were Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet. Elsa Schiaparelli showed her first collection in 1929 and was immediately hailed by the press as 'one of the rare innovators' of the day. With her exciting and inventive designs, Schiaparelli did not so much revolutionize fashion as shatter its foundations. The first pullover she displayed in her windows created a sensation: it was knitted in black with a trompe-l'oeil white bow. She consistently turned out breathtaking collections thereafter. Schiaparelli was a close friend of Christian Berard, Jean Cocteau, and Salvador Dalí, who designed embroidery motifs for her and supplied inspiration for models like the desk suit with drawers for pockets, the shoe-shaped hat, and the silk dress painted with flies and the one bearing a picture of a large lobster. All of Paris thronged to her salon at 21 Place Vendôme as collection succeeded collection.
Madeleine Vionnet found her inspiration in ancient statues, creating timeless and beautiful gowns that would not look out of place on a Greek frieze. Queen of the bias cut (cutting diagonally across the fabric's lengthwise threads), she produced evening dresses that fitted the body without excessive elaboration or dissimulation, employing a flowing and elegant line. Her perfect draping of chiffon, silk, and Moroccan crepe created a marvelously poised and sensual effect. The unparalleled success of Vionnet's cuts guaranteed her reputation right up until her retirement in 1939.
Mainbocher, the first American designer to live and work in Paris, was also influential, with his plain yet supremely elegant designs, often employing the bias cut pioneered by Vionnet. The luxury goods manufacturer Hermès started selling handmade printed silk square scarves in early '30s, and also popularized the zip and many other practical innovations. Toward the end of the decade, women's fashions took on a somewhat more imposing and broad-shouldered silhouette, possibly influenced by Elsa Schiaparelli. Men's fashions continued the informal, practical trend that had dominated since the end of the First World War.
Mid-twentieth century
The Second World War created many radical changes in the fashion industry. After the War, Paris's reputation as the global center of fashion began to crumble and off-the-peg and mass-manufactured fashions became increasingly popular. A new youth style emerged in the Fifties, changing the focus of fashion forever. As the installation of central heating became more widespread the age of minimum-care garments began and lighter textiles and, eventually, synthetics, were introduced.
In the West, the traditional divide that had always existed between high society and workers came to be considered simply unjustifiable. In particular, a new young generation wanted to reap the benefits of a booming consumer society. Privilege became less blatantly advertised than in the past and differences were more glossed over. As the ancient European hierarchies were overturned, the external marks of distinction faded with them. By the time the first rockets were launched into space, Europe was more than ready to adopt a quality ready-to-wear garment on American lines, something to occupy the middle ground between off-the-peg and couture. The need was all the more pressing because increases in overheads and raw material costs were beginning to relegate handmade fashion to the sidelines. Meanwhile, rapidly developing new technologies made it easier and easier to manufacture an ever-improving high-quality product.
Faced with the threat of a factory-made fashion-based product, Parisian haute couture mounted its defenses, but to little effect. It could not stop fashion leaking out onto the streets. In these years when the old world was taking its final bow, the changes in fashion were one of the most visible manifestations of the general shake-up in society. Before long, whole categories of women hitherto restricted to inferior substitutes to haute couture would enjoy a greatly enlarged freedom of choice. Dealing in far larger quantities, production cycles were longer than those of couture workshops, which meant that stylists planning their lines for the twice-yearly collections had to try to guess more than a year in advance what their customers would want. A new power was afoot, that of the street, constituting a further threat to the dictatorship of the masters of couture.
1940s
Many fashion houses closed during occupation of Paris during World War II, including the Maison Vionnet and the Maison Chanel. Several designers, including Mainbocher, permanently relocated to New York. In the enormous moral and intellectual re-education program undertaken by the French state couture was not spared. In contrast to the stylish, liberated Parisienne, the Vichy regime promoted the model of the wife and mother, the robust, athletic young woman, a figure who was much more in line with the new political criteria. Germany, meanwhile, was taking possession of over half of what France produced, including high fashion, and was also considering relocating French haute couture to the cities of Berlin and Vienna, neither of which had any significant tradition of fashion. The archives of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture were seized, most consequentially the client list. The point of all this was to break up a monopoly that supposedly threatened the dominance of the Third Reich.
Due to the difficult times, the number of models in shows was limited to seventy-five, evening wear was shortened and day wear was much skimpier, made using substitute materials whenever possible. From 1940 onward, no more than thirteen feet (four meters) of cloth was permitted to be used for a coat and a little over three feet (one meter) was all that allowed for a blouse. No belt could be over one and a half inches (four centimeters) wide. Despite this, haute couture tried to keep its flag flying. Humor and frivolity became a way of defying the occupying powers and couture somehow survived. Although some have argued that the reason it endured was because of the patronage of the wives of rich Nazis, in actuality, records reveal that, aside from the usual wealthy Parisiennes, it was the wives of foreign ambassadors, clients from the black market, and a whole eclectic mix of people who continued to frequent the salons, among whom German women were but a minority.
In spite of the fact that so many fashion houses closed down or moved away during the war, several new houses remained open, including Jacques Fath, Maggy Rouff, Marcel Rochas, Jeanne Lafaurie, Nina Ricci, and Madeleine Vramant. During the Occupation, the only true way for a woman to flaunt her extravagance and add to color to a drab outfit was to wear a hat. In this period, hats were often made of scraps of material that would have otherwise been thrown away, sometimes incorporating butter muslin, bits of paper, and wood shavings. Among the most innovative milliners of the time were Pauline Adam, Simone Naudet, Rose Valois, and Le Monnier.
Paris's isolated situation in the 1940s enabled the Americans to exploit the ingenuity and creativity of their own designers. During the Second World War, Vera Maxwell presented co-ordinates in plain, simply cut outfits and also introduced innovations to men's work clothes. Bonnie Cashin transformed boots into a major fashion accessory, and, in 1944, started to produce original and imaginative sportswear. Claire McCardell, Anne Klein, and Tina Leser formed a remarkable trio of women who were to lay the foundations of American sportswear, ensuring that ready-to-wear was not simply thought of as second best, but as an elegant and comfortable way for modern women to dress.
Among young men in the War Years the zoot suit (and in France the zazou suit) became popular. Many actresses of the time, including Rita Hayworth, Katharine Hepburn, and Marlene Dietrich, had a significant impact on popular fashion.
The couturier Christian Dior created a tidal wave with his first collection in February 1947. The collection contained dresses with tiny waists, majestic busts, and full skirts swelling out beneath small bodices, in a manner very similar to the style of the Belle Époque. The extravagant use of fabric and the feminine elegance of the designs appealed greatly to a post-war clientèle and ensured Dior's meteoric rise to fame. The sheer sophistication of the style incited the all-powerful editor of the American Harper's Bazaar, Carmel Snow, to exclaim 'This is a new look !'.
1950s
Flying in the face of continuity, logic, and erudite sociological predictions, fashion in the 1950s, far from being revolutionary and progressive, bore strong nostalgic echoes of the past. A whole society which, in the 1920s and '30s, had greatly believed in progress, was now much more circumspect. Despite the fact that women had the right to vote, to work, and to drive their own cars, they chose to wear dresses made of opulent materials, with corseted waists and swirling skirts to mid-calf. As fashion looked to the past, haute couture experienced something of a revival and spawned a myriad of star designers who profited hugely from the rapid growth of the media.
Throughout the 1950s, although it would be for the last time, women around the world continued to submit to the trends of Parisian haute couture. Three of the most prominent of the Parisian couturiers of the time were Cristobal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, and Pierre Balmain. The frugal prince of luxury, Cristobal Balenciaga Esagri made his fashion debut in the late Thirties. However, it was not until the post-war years that the full scale of the inventiveness of this highly original designer became evident. In 1951, he totally transformed the silhouette, broadening the shoulders and removing the waist. In 1955, he designed the tunic dress, which later developed into the chemise dress of 1957. And eventually, in 1959, his work culminated in the Empire line, with high-waisted dresses and coats cut like kimonos. His mastery of fabric design and creation defied belief. Balenciaga is also notable as one of the few couturiers in fashion history who could use their own hands to design, cut, and sew the models which symbolized the height of his artistry.
Hubert de Givenchy opened his first couture house in 1952 and created a sensation with his separates, which could be mixed and matched at will. Most renowned was his Bettina blouse made from shirting, which was named after his top model. Soon, boutiques were opened in Rome, Zurich, and Buenos Aires. A man of immense taste and discrimination, he was, perhaps more than any other designer of the period, an integral part of the world whose understated elegance he helped to define.
Pierre Balmain opened his own salon in 1945. It was in a series of collections named 'Jolie Madame' that he experienced his greatest success, from 1952 onwards. Balmain's vision of the elegantly-dressed woman was particularly Parisian and was typified by the tailored glamour of the New Look, with its ample bust, narrow waist, and full skirts, by mastery of cut and imaginative assemblies of fabrics in subtle color combinations. His sophisticated clientèle was equally at home with luxurious elegance, simple tailoring, and a more natural look. Along with his haute couture work, the talented businessman pioneered a ready-to-wear range called Florilege and also launched a number of highly successful perfumes.
Also notable is the return of Coco Chanel (who detested the New Look) to the fashion world. Following the closure of her salons in the war years, in 1954, aged over seventy, she staged a comeback and on February 5 she presented a collection which contained a whole range of ideas that would be adopted and copied by women all over the world: her famous little braided suit with gold chains, shiny costume jewelry, silk blouses in colors that matched the suit linings, sleek tweeds, monogrammed buttons, flat black silk bows, boaters, quilted bags on chains, and evening dresses and furs that were marvels of simplicity.
Despite being a high fashion designer, American born Mainbocher also designed military and civilian service uniforms. In 1952, he redesigned the Women Marines service uniform combining femininity with functionality. Previous redesigns include uniforms for the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in 1942, and uniform designs for the Girl Scouts of America and the American Red Cross in 1948.
Dior's New Look (that premiered in 1947) revived the popularity of girdles and the all-in-one corselettes. In the early 1950s many couture houses used the interest in "foundationwear" to launch their own lines, soon after many lingerie manufacturers began to build their own brands. In 1957, Jane Russell wore the "Cantilever" bra that was scientifically designed by Howard Hughes to maximize a voluptuous look. The invention of Lycra (originally called "Fibre K") in 1959 revolutionized the underwear industry and was quickly incorporated into every aspect of lingerie.
After the war, the American look (which consisted of broad shoulders, floral ties, straight-legged pants, and shirts with long pointed collars, often worn hanging out rather than tucked in) became very popular among men in Europe. Certain London manufacturers ushered in a revival of Edwardian elegance in men's fashion, adopting a tight-fitting retro style that was intended to appeal to traditionalists. This look, originally aimed at the respectable young man about town, was translated into popular fashion as the Teddy boy style. The Italian look, popularized by Caraceni, Brioni, and Cifonelli, was taken up by an entire generation of elegant young lovers, on both sides of the Atlantic.
The designers of Hollywood created a particular type of glamour for the stars of American film, and outfits worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, or Grace Kelly were widely copied. Quantitatively speaking, a costume worn by an actress in a Hollywood movie would have a much bigger audience than the photograph of a dress designed by a couturier illustrated in a magazine read by no more than a few thousand people. Without even trying to keep track of all the Paris styles, its costume designers focused on their own version of classicism, which was meant to be timeless, flattering, and photogenic. Using apparently luxurious materials, such as sequins, chiffon, and fur, the clothes were very simply cut, often including some memorable detail, such as a low-cut back to a dress which was only revealed when the actress turned her back from the camera or some particularly stunning accessory. The most influential and respected designers of Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1950s were Edith Head, Orry-Kelly, William Travilla, Jean Louis, Travis Banton, and Gilbert Adrian.
By the end of the decade mass-manufactured, off-the-peg clothing had become much more popular than in the past, granting the general public unprecedented access to fashionable styles.
1960s
Until the 1960s, Paris was considered to be the center of fashion throughout the world. However, between 1960 and 1969 a radical shake-up occurred in the fundamental structure of fashion. From the 1960s onward, there would never be just one single, prevailing trend or fashion but a great plethora of possibilities, indivisibly linked to all the various influences in other areas of people's lives. Young people, with a power and culture that were all their own, now at an age to speak out, were a force to be reckoned with and had a powerful impact on the fashion industry. For perhaps the first time in history, there was an independent youth fashion that was not based on the conventions of an older age group. In the past, failure to follow fashion merely meant that you were poor, but in the Sixties it became just as much a statement of personal freedom.
In stark contrast to their mature, ultra-feminine mothers, the women of the 1960s adopted a girlish, childlike style, with short skirts and straightened curves, reminiscent of the look of the 1920s. At the start of the decade skirts were knee-length, but steadily became shorter and shorter until the mini-skirt emerged in 1965. By the end of the decade they had shot well above the stocking top, making the transition to tights inevitable.
Many of the radical changes in fashion developed in the streets of London, with such gifted designers as Mary Quant (known for launching the mini skirt) and Barbara Hulanicki (the founder of the legendary boutique Biba). Paris also had its share of new and revolutionary designers, including Pierre Cardin (known for his visionary and skillfully-cut designs), André Courrèges (known for his futuristic outfits and for launching the mini skirt along with Mary Quant), Yves Saint Laurent (known for his revolutionary yet elegant fashions), and Emanuel Ungaro (known for his imaginative use of color and bold baroque contrasts). In the United States, Rudi Gernreich (known for his avant-garde and futuristic designs) and James Galanos (known for his luxurious read-to-wear) were also reaching a young audience. The main outlets for these new young fashion designers were small boutiques, selling outfits that were not exactly 'one-offs', but were made in small quantities in a limited range of sizes and colors. However, not all designers took well to the new style and mood. In 1965, Coco Chanel mounted a rearguard action against the exposure of the knee and Balenciaga resolutely continued to produce feminine and conservative designs.
The basic shape and style of the time was simple, neat, clean cut, and young. Synthetic fabrics were very widely-used during the Sixties. They took dyes easily and well, giving rise to colors that were both clear and bright, very much mirroring the mood of the period. Hats suffered a great decline and by the end of the decade they were relegated to special occasions only. Lower kitten heels were a pretty substitute to stilettos. Pointed toes gave way to chisel shaped toes in 1961 and to an almond toe in 1963. Flat boots also became popular with very short dresses in 1965 and eventually they rose up the leg and reached the knee.
Two notable and influential designers in the '60s were Emilio Pucci and Paco Rabanne. Emilio Pucci's sportswear designs and prints inspired by Op art, psychedelia, and medieval heraldic banners earned him a reputation that extended far beyond the circles of high society. His sleek shift dresses, tunics, and beachwear, created a 'Puccimania' that was all part of a movement to liberate the female form and his designs are today synonymous with the 1960s. Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo (later Paco Rabanne) opened his first couture house in 1966 and, from the start, produced resolutely modern designs. Rather than using conventional dress materials, he created garments from aluminum, Rhodoid, and pieces of scrap metal. His designs, as well as being experimental, were also closely in tune with what modern adventurous young women wanted to wear. Among his innovations are the seamless dress made, after much experiment, by spraying vinyl chloride on to a mold, and the low-budget disposable dress made of paper and nylon thread. Rabanne was also the first fashion designer to use black models, which very nearly resulted in his dismissal from the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. The success of his perfume Calandre helped support the less profitable areas of his work, while his utopianism assured him a unique position in the conservative world of haute couture.
The principal change in menswear in the '60s was in the weight of the fabric used. The choice of materials and the method of manufacture produced a suit that, because it was lighter in weight, had a totally different look, with a line that was closer to the natural shape of the body, causing men to look at their figures more critically. The spread of jeans served to accelerate a radical change in the male wardrobe. Young men grew their hair down to their collars and added a touch of color, and even floral motifs, to their shirts. The polo neck never succeeded in replacing the tie, but the adoption of the workman's jacket in rough corduroy, and especially the Mao jacket proved to be more than simply a political statement. A few futuristic rumblings were set off by Pierre Cardin and Andre Courrèges, but the three-piece suit still survived intact.
In the early 1960s there were influential 'partnerships' of celebrities and high-fashion designers, most famously Audrey Hepburn with Givenchy, and Jackie Kennedy with Oleg Cassini. Also, many models had a very profound effect on fashion, most notably Twiggy, Veruschka, Jean Shrimpton, as well as Andy Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick. Early in the decade, culottes were in style and the bikini finally came into fashion in 1963. The hippie and psychedelic movements late in the decade also had a strong influence on clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints.
1970s
Nick-named the 'me' decade; 'please yourself' was the catchword of the 1970s. Some saw it as the end of good taste, while many perceived it as the beginning of awesome taste. The decade began with a continuation of the hippie look of the late 1960s, with afghans, Indian scarves, and flower-print tunics. Jeans remained frayed, tie dye was still popular, and the fashion for unisex mushroomed. An immense movement claiming civil rights for blacks combined with the influence of soul music from the USA created a nostalgia for Africa and African culture. A radical chic emerged, influenced by the likes of James Brown, Diana Ross, Angela Davis, and the Black Panthers, in everything from afro hairstyles to platform soles. During the Seventies brands greatly increased their share of the international market. Hems began dropping in 1974 to below the knee, until finally reaching the lower mid calf in 1977 and shoulderlines were dropped.
Perhaps the two most innovative French fashion designers of the 1970s were Kenzo Takada and Sonia Rykiel. The undisputed star of Parisian fashion in the Seventies, Kenzo drew his inspiration from all over the world, mixing Western and Oriental folk influences with a fantastic joie de vivre and an instinctive understanding of what his young customers wanted. With his fluid lines, unusual prints, clever accessories, and finery that was hitherto unprecedented in ready-to-wear, he very much turned the fashion world upside down. The queen of figure-hugging knits, in 1974, Sonia Rykiel designed her first pullovers with reversed seams. However, more than that, she created a whole range of clothes that were extremely individual and yet could be worn almost anywhere. The Rykiel style, dominated by fluid knitted garments, dark blacks, rhinestones, long boa-like scarves, and little crocheted hats, conquered the American market, and even to this day Rykiel is considered by many Americans as the true successor of Chanel.
The boutique 'SEX' owned by Vivienne Westwood
The boutique 'SEX' owned by Vivienne Westwood
Because of punk, London retained a considerable degree of influence over fashion, most significantly in the boutiques of the King's Road, where Vivienne Westwood's boutique, SEX, which opened in 1971, blew with the prevailing wind. This temple of British iconoclasm centered on fetishistic accessories and ranges of clothing in which black rubber and steel studs were the external signs of an underlying sadism. Postmodernist and iconoclastic in essence the punk movement was a direct reaction to the economic situation during the economic depression of the period, the vehicle for a hatred that was more visceral than political. Punk had at its heart a manifesto of creation through disorder. With their ripped T-shirts, Red Indian hairstyles, Doc Martens, bondage trousers, and chains, the punks exported an overall feeling of disgust around the globe.
Another popular British style the was the resolutely unmodern, feminine, countrified style of clothing popularized by Laura Ashley, which consisted of long flounced skirts and high-necked blouses in traditional floral prints, worn with crocheted shawls. Laura Ashley started out running a small business in Wales in the mid-1960s and the company continued to expand until the accidental death of its owner in 1985. Laura Ashley was not the only designer to look nostalgically to the past. Fashions based on the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s were popular throughout much of the decade, with Hollywood films like The Godfather and The Great Gatsby, and numerous exhibitions on costume history at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York increasing their popularity. In Japan, the boutiques of Tokyo's fashionable Harajuku district sold many reworked versions of traditional British and American looks.
In the United States, the general trend in fashion was towards simplification and longer skirts, although many women reacted negatively to the midi-length, which they felt to be aging. Pants, on the other hand, earned unanimous approval. Jeans profited most from becoming an accepted part of the American fashion scene in the 1970s, their new-found respectability deriving from their inclusion in collections under the heading of sportswear. The new stars of American ready-to-wear adapted the best of what they learned from Europe to the massive American clothing industry. Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren rose from anonymity more or less simultaneously to tackle the question of designing clothes for the men and women of a new world. Two opposing movements dominated fashion in the U.S.A. during the Seventies. On one hand, there was the tailored, unisex look; on the other hand, a fluid, unstructured style with a strong feeling of Thirties glamor. The most influential American designer of the time, Roy Halston Frowick (known simply as Halston), belonged to the latter category. Acquiring celebrity status on the New York scene, his particular talent was in reconciling the made-to-measure garment for the special occasion with concepts of comfort, naturalness, and relaxation. With his kaftans, shirtwaisters, djellabas, ultra-lightweight shift dresses, and tunics worn over shorts and wide-legged pants, he was an icon of the era, and a regular visitor at the VIP room of the Studio 54 after its opening in 1977.
Geoffrey Beene, praised for his elegant and sophisticated cuts and his use of black and white, was at his most successful in the radically simplified designs at which he excelled. His smart little dresses and well-cut suits in jersey, flannel, and wool were instrumental in discouraging American women from over-accessorizing. Bill Blass, who launched his own range in 1962, developed the habit of traveling all over the United States in order to hear for himself what his customers desired. One of the most popular designers of the time, he was almost too successful in fulfilling his customers wishes. His disciplined style and workmanship was particularly favored by businesswomen and the wives of senior executives. Betsey Johnson started out designing for the boutique Paraphernalia. Using vinyl and metallic fabrics and putting emphasis on wit, imagination, and independence, she brought an unprecedented spirit of irreverence to New York in the Seventies.
In popular fashion the glam rock style of clothing, worn by such rock performers as David Bowie and Marc Bolan, was very influential, particularly in the United Kingdom. The designer Elio Fiorucci had a very similar look. His boutique in Milan sold such things as brightly colored rubber boots, plastic daisy sandals, fake fur, and Pop Art-inspired jackets.
Fashionable skirt styles of 1972
Fashionable skirt styles of 1972
During the 1970s a new generation of menswear boutiques sprang up, aiming to change the decor, rituals, and customer base of a traditionally 'difficult' trade. To sell fashionable clothes to a young man at the end of the 60's was still, in many circles, tantamount to questioning his masculinity. Men's appearance changed more in the Seventies than it had done in a whole century. Many of the fashion designers who revolutionized the male look owed a lot of their innovations to Pierre Cardin: narrow shoulders, tight-fitting lines, no tie, no interfacing, zip-up boiler suits, waisted jackets or tunics, sometimes no shirt. Work clothes supplied inspiration for a less formal style, encouraging designers to look beyond the traditional suit and, for example, adopt a unisex look or investigate the massive supply of second-hand clothes. Sometimes this kind of male dressing-down, often denounced as 'hippie', gained formal recognition as a deliberate look. At certain other times, as part of a retro movement, designers introduced a revival of '30s elegance. The unearthing of old military clothing, preferably khaki and from the United States; English-style shoes; Oxford shirts; immaculate T-shirts; tweed jackets with padded shoulders; brightly-colored V-neck sweaters; cashmere-printed scarves draped around the neck all imposed a certain uniformity on the casual beatnik look of the male wardrobe at the end of the Seventies.
Also significant are the developments in Italian fashion that happened during the period. In the course of the 1970s, as a result of its ready-to-wear industry, Milan confirmed its status as second only to Paris as a center of international fashion. The 'alta moda' preferred Rome, the base of the couturiers Valentino, Capucci, and Schon. Capitalizing on the dominant trend of anti-fashion Italy offered a glamor that had nothing to do with the dictates of Parisian haute couture. While profiting from a clearly defined style, Italian fashion was luxurious and easy to wear. The two most influential Italian fashion designers of the time were probably Giorgio Armani and Nino Cerruti. Giorgio Armani produced his first collection for women in 1975. From the outset, the line was dynamic, urban, and understated, androgynous in inspiration. Armani offered a restrained style that greatly appealed to the increasing population of women who now had access to the world of work and occupied progressively more senior positions within it. This was only the beginning of a tremendous career, which came to fruition in 1981 when Emporio Armani was launched. In 1957 Nino Cerruti opened the menswear boutique Hitman in Milan. A man of taste and discernment, in 1976 he presented his first collection for women. Two years later, he launched his first perfume. In linking the career of a successful industrialist with that of a high-quality designer, Cerruti occupied a unique position in Italian ready-to-wear.
Late twentieth century
During the late twentieth century, fashions began to criss-cross international boundaries with rapidity. Popular Western styles were adopted all over the world, and many designers from outside of the West had a profound impact on fashion. Synthetic materials such as Lycra, Spandex, and viscose became widely-used, and fashion, after two decades of looking to the future, once again turned to the past for inspiration.
1980s
The society of the Eighties no longer criticized itself as consumerist, but was, instead, interested in 'the spectacle'. The self-conscious image of the decade was very good for the fashion industry, which had never been quite so à la mode. Fashion shows were transfigured into media-saturated spectaculars and frequently televised, taking high priority in the social calendar. Appearance was related to performance, which was of supreme importance to a whole generation of young urban professionals, whose desire to look the part related to a craving for power. The way in which men and women associated with the latest styles was no more a matter of passive submission but one of active choice. As fashion once again looked to the past, baroque evening dress and long gowns made a reappearance.
The two French fashion designers who best defined the look of the period were Thierry Mugler and Azzedine Alaia. Strongly influenced by his early career in the theater, Thierry Mugler produced fashion designs that combined Hollywood retro and futurism, with rounded hips, sharply accentuated shoulders, and a slight hint of the galactic heroine. Mugler's glamorous dresses were a remarkable success, and signified the complete end of the hippy era and its unstructured silhouette. Known for his awe-inspiring combinations, Azzedine Alaia greatly influenced the silhouette of the woman of the Eighties. The master of all kinds of techniques that had previously been known only to haute couture, he experimented with many new and underused materials, such as Lycra and viscose. The finish, simplicity, and sheer sexiness of Alaia's look made women of every generation identify with his seductive style, and during the 1980s he achieved a certain glory and was held in high regard by members of his own profession.
Also creating designs very typical of the era were Claude Montana, whose imposing, broad-shouldered designs, often made of leather, would not have looked out of place in the futuristic universe of Thierry Mugler, and Christian Lacroix, who sent shock waves through the world of haute couture, with his flounced skirts, embroidered corselets, bustles, and polka-dotted crinolines which evoked the rhythms of flamenco.
A number of promising newcomers entered the fashion scene in the Eighties. Angelo Tarlazzi, an extraordinary technician who once worked for Patou, bewitched both the press and his customers with his 'handkerchief' dresses. Made of squares of fabric, they transpired, when you came to put them on, to be far more complicated than at first appeared. Many a Parisian soirée of the 80's was enlivened by his dresses, all in a fluid and original style, in which cutting and sewing were kept to a minimum. Chantal Thomas, the queen of sexy stockings and lace, won a devoted following for her seductive underwear and for evening gowns that looked like nightdresses and vice versa. Guy Paulin was one of the first designers to promote a severe, plain, and uncluttered look. His garments were classical in their proportions and made for comfort and simplicity, with their harmonious lines reinforced by a subtle palette of colors and fine materials. Under his own name, Joseph designed luxurious knitwear along classic lines, creating loose, sexy garments in neutral colors. Carolina Herrera, long regarded as one of the most elegant members of the jet set, in 1981 launched a series of collections aimed at women like herself, featuring impeccably cut clothes of high quality and attractive evening dresses.
Japanese designers such as Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto offered a look which marked a total break with the prevailing fashion image of the time. Flat shoes, no make-up, reserve, modesty, and secrecy were the hallmarks of this modern look. Eventually, it began to include details from the fashions of the past, as Europe's ancient sites were revisited by these anarchists of fashion, whose influence on shape of clothes, at the end of the twentieth-century, became legendary.
In American fashion the seductive, clinging style of Donna Karan and the casual sophistication of Ralph Lauren were very influential. A star of the New York social scene, Donna Karan brought a very personal and feminine approach to the severe, sober-colored, casual look that dominated American ready-to-wear. Setting up her own label in 1984, her designs won instant popularity among active urban women who greatly appreciated the understated luxury of her clothes. In 1971 Ralph Lauren opened a boutique for both men and women in Beverly Hills. His aristocratic style at prices the average American could afford created a sensation. For an elite faced with all kinds of avant-garde fashions, it represented a rallying point, endorsing a classic look that had been adopted for an active life. The number one of American ready-to-wear, Lauren was equally successful with his sportswear and jeans, which allowed him to reach the widest possible range of social classes and age groups.
Central to the success of a new wave of American sportswear was the Perry Ellis label, established in 1978, which used color and natural fibers to great advantage in its elegant variations on the basics. Norma Kamali, with her short skirts made of sweatshirting, leotards, headbands, and leg warmers, made jogging look fashionable. Kamali also created the popular 'rah-rah skirt'. Also notable is the extreme popularity of the Adidas sports label, which achieved an incredible level of street cred in the '80s, inciting the hip hop group Run DMC to release the single 'My Adidas' in 1986. The legendary shoe designer Manolo Blahnik also rose to fame during the 1980s.
The multiplicity of trends that bloomed during the 80s were curtailed by the economic recession that set in at the beginning of the 1990s. The 1990s opened our eyes to a fresh look.
1990s
In the 1990s it was no longer the done thing to follow fashion slavishly, or immeaditaley a sharp contrast to the highly á la mode '70s and '80s. The phobia of being underdressed was finally completely displaced by the fear of overdressing. Fashion in the '90s united around a new standard, minimalism, and styles of stark simplicity became the vogue. Despite the best efforts of a few designers to keep the flag for pretty dresses flying, by the end of the decade the notion of ostentatious finery had virtually disappeared. As well as the styling of the product, its promotion in the media became crucial to its success and image. The financial pressures of the decade had a devastating effect on the development of new talent and lessened the autonomy enjoyed by more established designers.
Fashion at the end of the 20th century tackled themes that fashion had not previously embraced. These themes included rape, disability, religious violence, death, and body modification. There was a dramatic move away from the sexy styles aimed at the glamorous femme fatale of the Eighties and many designers, taken with a vision of romantic poverty, adopted the style of the poverty-stricken waif, dressed in a stark, perversely sober palette, with a face devoid of make-up. Clothes by ready-to-wear retailers such as The Gap, Banana Republic, and Eddie Bauer came to the forefront of fashion, managing to tap into the needs of women who simply wanted comfortable, wearable clothes. Retro clothing inspired by the 1960s and 1970s was popular for much of the 1990s.
The famous Italian fashion house, Gucci was created in 1921, by Guccio Gucci and was originally a firm that sold luxury leather goods. Under Guccio Gucci's children, by the end of the 1960s the label had expanded to include a plethora of products with a distinctly Latin glamor. However, only in the '90s, when the Gucci heirs gave up control of the company to Invest Corp., who planned to turn the business around, did it truly begin to enjoy the kind of success it enjoys in the present day. Employing an unknown designer, Tom Ford, as design director in 1994, the fashion house was endowed with a great prestige, as Ford triggered a tidal wave with his chic and shocking collections, perfumes for men and women, revamped boutiques, and advertising campaigns. In 1998 Gucci is named "European Company of the year" by European Business Press Federation. [1] Today it is the second biggest-selling fashion brand (after LVMH) worldwide with US$7 billion worldwide of revenue in 2006 according to BusinessWeek magazine. [2] Most importantly Gucci is the biggest-selling Italian brand in the world. [3]
In the '90s the designer label Prada became a true creative force in the fashion industry. The Milanese company was first established in 1923, two years after Gucci, and like Gucci, it was a firm that sold high-quality shoes and leather. It was not until the Eighties that Miuccia Prada, the niece of the company's founder, began to produce ready-to-wear fashion, gaining fame for her subtle, streamlined, yet unquestionably luxurious style, that catered for the privileged young woman who prefers understatement to flamboyant extravagance.
In America three of the most influential fashion designers of the time were Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, and Calvin Klein. Michael Kors set up his own business in 1980. However, it was not until the Nineties that the designer reached the peak of his popularity. His knowledge and consciousness of trends enabled him to produce simple well-cut garments, whose sophistication and elegance appealed to a whole new breed of wealthy American customers drawn to the new vogue for minimalist chic. Marc Jacobs is one of the most notable American designers of the period in that, unlike many American fashion designers in the past, he was not so much the co-ordinator of a mass-produced garment as a designer in the European sense of the word. One of the most promising talents in the fashion industry at the time, the LVMH (Louis Vuitton-Moet Henessy) group offered him the job of designing a line of ready-to-wear to compliment the de-luxe products of luggage specialist Louis Vuitton in the late '90s. One of the first fashion designers to anticipate the globalization of world markets, the already well-known designer Calvin Klein started to market his fashions, perfumes, and accessories not only right across the US, but also in Europe and Asia, achieving an unequaled success. A brilliant artistic director, Klein used carefully constructed advertisements containing images tinted with eroticism to promote his sophisticatedly functional mass-produced designs, which won massive popularity among the urban youth of the 1990s.
The group of designers known as the 'Antwerp Six' (so named because all of them were graduates of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp), who first emerged in the 1980s, came to prominence in the 1990s. Three of the most influential of the group were Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, and Walter Van Beirendonck. Ann Demeulemeester, from her first collection in 1991, demonstrated a great deal of confidence and inventiveness. Naturally inclined to understatement, she built her designs on contradictions, introducing contrasting elements into her fluid and streamlined fashions, which appealed to women who dressed, above all, to please themselves. The work of Dries Van Noten was founded on a solid mastery of the art of tailoring, to which the young designer added discreet touches of fantasy in a highly personal style. Managing to be both classical and original, his fashions appealed to those who preferred to express their individuality rather than slavishly follow trends. Walter Van Beirendonck, who erupted onto the fashion scene in 1995, produced decidedly futuristic designs under his label W & LT (Wild and Lethal Trash). Deliberately using fabrics developed by the very latest technologies, in violently contrasting colors, he produced clothes that were full of erotic and sadomasochistic references, touched with a caustic adolescent humor. His highly distinctive approach related to a resurgence of anti-fashion, but this time an anti-fashion with nothing in the least ethnic about its origins, instead based on science fiction that provided the inspiration for displays of such high-spirited provocation.
In Italy, Gianni Versace, with his brilliant, sexy, and colorful designs, and Dolce & Gabbana, with their superfeminine and fantastical style, broke away from the serious and sober-minded fashions that dominated during much of the Nineties. The British designer Vivienne Westwood produced many influential and popular collections in the early '90s, which included outfits inspired by eighteenth-century courtesans and the Marquis de Sade, with rounded hips, corsets, and platform heels. The London-based designer Rifat Ozbek was also popular, particularly in New York and Milan. His youthful style, which mixed references to India, Africa, and his native Turkey with clever takes on historical clothing, was reminiscent of hippest nightclubs and the more outrageous street fashions of the time. Rap music was a prominent influence on popular and street fashion during the early- and mid-Nineties. Followers of hip hop adopted huge baggy jeans, similar to those worn in American prisons, with big patterned shirts and heavy black shoes. The sports label Nike had great popularity and materials such as Lycra and Spandex were increasingly used for sportswear. Increasing eco-awareness and animal rights made even top couture houses such as Chanel introduce fake fur and natural fibers into their collect
2000s
In the '00s, as the future began to seem increasingly bleak, fashion, and indeed the Arts in general, looked to the past for inspiration, arguably more so than in previous decades. Vintage clothing, especially from the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties (the eighties idea of clashing, electric colours becoming especially popular in mid-late 2007) became extremely popular and fashion designers often sought to emulate bygone styles in their collections. The early '00s saw a continuation of the minimalist look of the Nineties in high fashion. Later on, designers began to adopt a more colorful, feminine, excessive, and 'anti-modern' look. Name brands became of particular importance among young people and many celebrities launched their own lines of clothing. Tighter fit clothing and longer hair became mainstream for many men and women. Rap music also had a considerable influence on popular fashion, in the early part of the 2000s.
For many of the own-label designers who emerged in the early years of the twenty-first century, financial factors became increasingly critical. Many new young talents found they now depended on investors (to whom, in extreme cases, they would even surrender their names) and were always burdened by the risk that their partners, motivated by market realism and the desire for quick returns, would severely restrict their autonomy.
The mid 2000s celebrated the return of a more feminine look. This began with the comeback of the dress. The figure-hugging look was disbanded in the summer of 2007, when designers began to experiment with flowy, tunic shapes. Bright, block colour also became a focus. Menswear has become increasingly more important as well and has too gone in a slightly feminine direction, especially apparent after the middle of the decade.
The first fashion designer who was not merely a dressmaker was (Charles Frederick Worth) (1826–1895). Before the former draper set up his maison couture fashion house in Paris, fashion creation and inspiration was handled by largely unknown people, and high fashion descended from style worn at royal courts. Worth's success was such that he was able to dictate to his customers what they should wear, instead of following their lead as earlier dressmakers had done.
It was during this period that many design houses began to hire artists to sketch or paint designs for garments. The images alone could be presented to clients much more cheaply than by producing an actual sample garment in the workroom. If the client liked the design, they ordered it and the resulting garment made money for the house. Thus, the tradition of designers sketching out garment designs instead of presenting completed garments on models to customers began as an economy
Early twentieth century
Throughout the early 20th century, practically all high fashion originated in Paris, and to a lesser extent London. Fashion magazines from other countries sent editors to the Paris fashion shows. Department stores sent buyers to the Paris shows, where they purchased garments to copy (and openly stole the style lines and trim details of others). Both made-to-measure salons and ready-to-wear departments featured the latest Paris trends, adapted to the stores' assumptions about the lifestyles and pocket books of their targeted customers.
Around the start of the twentieth century fashion style magazines began to include photographs and became even more influential than in the past. In cities throughout the world these magazines were greatly sought-after and had a profound effect on public taste. Talented illustrators - among them Paul Iribe, Georges Lepape, Erté, and George Barbier - drew exquisite fashion plates for these publications, which covered the most recent developments in fashion and beauty. Perhaps the most famous of these magazines was La Gazette du bon ton which was founded in 1912 by Lucien Vogel and regularly published until 1925 (with the exception of the war years).
1900s
The outfits worn by the fashionable women of the 'Belle Époque' (as this era was called by the French) were strikingly similar to those worn in the heyday of the fashion pioneer Charles Worth. By the end of the nineteenth century, the horizons of the fashion industry had generally broadened, partly due to the more mobile and independent lifestyle many well-off women were beginning to adopt and the practical clothes they demanded. However, the fashions of the La Belle Époque still retained the elaborate, upholstered, hourglass-shaped style of the 1800s. As of yet, no fashionable lady would (or could) dress or undress herself without the assistance of a third party. The constant need for radical change, which is now essential for the survival of fashion within the present system, was still literally unthinkable.
Conspicuous waste and conspicuous consumption defined the fashions of the decade and the outfits of the couturiers of the time were incredibly extravagant, elaborate, ornate, and painstakingly made. The curvaceous S-Bend silhouette dominated fashion up until around 1908. The S-Bend corset was very tightly laced at the waist and so forced the hips back and the drooping mono bosom was thrust forward in a pouter pigeon effect creating an S shape. Toward the end of the decade the fashionable silhouette gradually became somewhat more straight and slim, partly due to Paul Poiret's high-waisted, shorter-skirted Directoire line of clothes.
The Maison Redfern was the first fashion house to offer women a tailored suit based directly on its male counterpart and the extremely practical and soberly elegant garment soon became an indispensable part of the wardrobe of any well-dressed woman. Another indispensable part of the outfit of the well-dressed woman was the designer hat. Fashionable hats at the time were either tiny little confections that perched on top of the head, or large and wide brimmed, trimmed with ribbons, flowers, and even feathers. Parasols were still used as decorative accessories and in the summer they dripped with lace and added to the overall elaborate prettiness.
1910s
During the early years of the 1910s the fashionable silhouette became much more lithe, fluid and soft than in the 1900s. When the Ballets Russes performed Scheherazade in Paris in 1910, a craze for Orientalism ensued. The couturier Paul Poiret was one of the first designers to translate this vogue into the fashion world. Poiret's clients were at once transformed into harem girls in flowing pantaloons, turbans, and vivid colors and geishas in exotic kimono. Paul Poiret also devised the first outfit which women could put on without the help of a maid. The Art Deco movement began to emerge at this time and its influence was evident in the designs of many couturiers of the time. Simple felt hats, turbans, and clouds of tulle replaced the styles of headgear popular in the 1900s. It is also notable that the first real fashion shows were organized during this period in time, by the first female couturier, Jeanne Paquin, who was also the first Parisian couturier to open foreign branches in London, Buenos Aires, and Madrid.
Two of the most influential fashions reflected light. His distinguished customers never lost a taste for his fluid lines and flimsy, diaphanous materials. While obeying imperatives that left little to the imagination of the couturier, Doucet was nonetheless a designer of immense taste and discrimination, a role many have tried since, but rarely with Doucet's level of success.
A Delphos gown
A Delphos gown
The Venice-based designer Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo was a curious figure, with very few parallels in any age. For his dress designs he conceived a special pleating process and new dyeing techniques. He gave the name Delphos to his long clinging sheath dresses that undulated with color. Each garment was made of a single piece of the finest silk, its unique color acquired by repeated immersions in dyes whose shades were suggestive of moonlight or of the watery reflections of the Venetian lagoon. Breton straw, Mexican cochineal, and indigo from the Far East were among the ingredients that Fortuny used. Among his many devotees were Eleanora Duse, Isadora Duncan, Cleo de Merode, the Marchesa Casati, Emilienne d'Alencon, and Liane de Pougy.
Changes in dress during World War I were dictated more by necessity than fashion. As more and more women were forced to work, they demanded clothes that were better suited to their new activities. Social events had to be postponed in favor of more pressing engagements and the need to mourn the increasing numbers of dead, visits to the wounded, and the general gravity of the time meant that darker colors became the norm. A new monochrome look emerged that was unfamiliar to young women in comfortable circumstances. By 1915 fashionable skirts had risen above the ankle and then later to mid-calf.
Between the Wars
The period between the two World Wars, often considered to be the Golden Age of French fashion, was one of great change and reformation. Carriages were replaced by cars, princes and princesses lost their crowns, and haute couture found new clients in the ranks of film actresses, American heiresses, and the wives and daughters of wealthy industrialists.
1920s
Soon after the First World War, a radical change came about in fashion. Bouffant coiffures gave way to short bobs, dresses with long trains gave way to above-the-knee pinafores. Corsets were abandoned and women borrowed their clothes from the male wardrobe and chose to dress like boys. Although, at first, many couturiers were reluctant to adopt the new androgynous style, they embraced them wholeheartedly from around 1925. A bustless, waistless silhouette emerged and aggressive dressing-down was mitigated by feather boas, embroidery, and showy accessories. The [flapper] style (known to the French as the 'garçonne' look) became very popular among young women. The [cloche] hat was widely-worn and sportswear became popular with both men and women during the decade, with designers like Jean Patou and Coco Chanel popularizing the sporty and athletic look.
The great couturière Coco Chanel was a major figure in fashion at the time, as much for her magnetic personality as for her chic and progressive designs. Chanel helped popularize the bob hairstyle, the little black dress, and the use of jersey knit for women's clothing and also elevated the status of both costume jewelry and knitwear.
Two other prominent French designers of the 1920s were [Jeanne Lanvin] and [Jean Patou]. Jeanne Lanvin, who began her career in fashion as a milliner, made such beautiful outfits for her young daughter Marguerite that people started to ask for copies, and Lanvin was soon making dresses for their mothers. Lanvin's name appears in the fashion yearbook from about 1901 onwards. However, it was in the 1920s that she reached the peak of her popularity and success. The Lanvin style embraced the look of the time, with its skillful use of complex trimmings, dazzling embroideries, and beaded decorations in light, clear, floral colors that eventually became a Lanvin trademark. By 1925 Lanvin produced many different products, including sportswear, furs, lingerie, men's fashion, and interior designs. Her global approach to fashion foreshadowed the schemes that all the large contemporary fashion houses would later adopt in their efforts to diversify.
The style of Jean Patou was never mainstream, but full of originality and characterized by a studied simplicity which was to win him fame, particularly in the American markets. Many of his garments, with their clean lines, geometric and [Cubist] motifs, and mixture of luxury and practicality, were designed to satisfy the new vogue for the outdoor life, and bore a remarkable similarity to modern sportswear. The most famous advocate of his style was [Suzanne Lenglen], the legendary tennis champion.
In menswear there was a growing mood of informality, among the Americans especially, which was mirrored in fashions that emphasized youthfulness and relaxation. In the past, there was a special outfit for every event in the well-dressed gentleman's day, but young men in the Twenties, no longer afraid to show their youthfulness, began to wear the same soft wool suit all day long. Short suit jackets replaced the old long jackets of the past which were now only worn for formal occasions. Men had a variety of sport clothes available to them, including sweaters and short pants, commonly known as knickers. For evening wear a short tuxedo was more fashionable than the tail-coat, which was now seen as somewhat old-fashioned. The London cut, with its slim lines, loose-fitting sleeves, and padded shoulders, perfected by the English tailor Scholte, was very popular.
[Fair Isle] patterns became very popular for both sexes. Heels, at the time, were often over two inches high and Coco Chanel helped popularize the two-tone shoe, one of her trademarks. [Salvatore Ferragamo] and André Perugia were two of the most influential and respected designers in footwear. Many stars of the [silent film]s had a significant impact on fashion during the 1920s, perhaps most notably [Louise Brooks], Gloria Swanson, and [Colleen Moore]. The lighthearted, forward-looking fashions of the 1920s gradually came to halt after the [Wall Street Crash of 1929], and succumbed to a more conservative style.
1930s
In the 1930s, as the public began to feel the effects of the Great Depression, many designers found that crises are not the time for experimentation. Fashion became more compromising, aspiring to preserve feminism's victories while rediscovering a subtle and reassuring elegance and sophistication. Women's fashions moved away from the brash, daring style of the Twenties towards a more romantic, feminine silhouette. The waist was restored to its proper position, hemlines dropped, there was renewed appreciation of the bust, and backless evening gowns and soft, slim-fitting day dresses became popular. The female body was remodeled to a more neo-classical shape and slim, toned, and athletic bodies came into vogue. The fashion for outdoor activities stimulated couturiers to manufacture what would nowadays be called sportswear. The term 'ready-to-wear' was not yet widely used, but the boutiques already described such clothes as being 'for sport'.
Two of the most prominent and influential fashion designers of the 1930s were Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet. Elsa Schiaparelli showed her first collection in 1929 and was immediately hailed by the press as 'one of the rare innovators' of the day. With her exciting and inventive designs, Schiaparelli did not so much revolutionize fashion as shatter its foundations. The first pullover she displayed in her windows created a sensation: it was knitted in black with a trompe-l'oeil white bow. She consistently turned out breathtaking collections thereafter. Schiaparelli was a close friend of Christian Berard, Jean Cocteau, and Salvador Dalí, who designed embroidery motifs for her and supplied inspiration for models like the desk suit with drawers for pockets, the shoe-shaped hat, and the silk dress painted with flies and the one bearing a picture of a large lobster. All of Paris thronged to her salon at 21 Place Vendôme as collection succeeded collection.
Madeleine Vionnet found her inspiration in ancient statues, creating timeless and beautiful gowns that would not look out of place on a Greek frieze. Queen of the bias cut (cutting diagonally across the fabric's lengthwise threads), she produced evening dresses that fitted the body without excessive elaboration or dissimulation, employing a flowing and elegant line. Her perfect draping of chiffon, silk, and Moroccan crepe created a marvelously poised and sensual effect. The unparalleled success of Vionnet's cuts guaranteed her reputation right up until her retirement in 1939.
Mainbocher, the first American designer to live and work in Paris, was also influential, with his plain yet supremely elegant designs, often employing the bias cut pioneered by Vionnet. The luxury goods manufacturer Hermès started selling handmade printed silk square scarves in early '30s, and also popularized the zip and many other practical innovations. Toward the end of the decade, women's fashions took on a somewhat more imposing and broad-shouldered silhouette, possibly influenced by Elsa Schiaparelli. Men's fashions continued the informal, practical trend that had dominated since the end of the First World War.
Mid-twentieth century
The Second World War created many radical changes in the fashion industry. After the War, Paris's reputation as the global center of fashion began to crumble and off-the-peg and mass-manufactured fashions became increasingly popular. A new youth style emerged in the Fifties, changing the focus of fashion forever. As the installation of central heating became more widespread the age of minimum-care garments began and lighter textiles and, eventually, synthetics, were introduced.
In the West, the traditional divide that had always existed between high society and workers came to be considered simply unjustifiable. In particular, a new young generation wanted to reap the benefits of a booming consumer society. Privilege became less blatantly advertised than in the past and differences were more glossed over. As the ancient European hierarchies were overturned, the external marks of distinction faded with them. By the time the first rockets were launched into space, Europe was more than ready to adopt a quality ready-to-wear garment on American lines, something to occupy the middle ground between off-the-peg and couture. The need was all the more pressing because increases in overheads and raw material costs were beginning to relegate handmade fashion to the sidelines. Meanwhile, rapidly developing new technologies made it easier and easier to manufacture an ever-improving high-quality product.
Faced with the threat of a factory-made fashion-based product, Parisian haute couture mounted its defenses, but to little effect. It could not stop fashion leaking out onto the streets. In these years when the old world was taking its final bow, the changes in fashion were one of the most visible manifestations of the general shake-up in society. Before long, whole categories of women hitherto restricted to inferior substitutes to haute couture would enjoy a greatly enlarged freedom of choice. Dealing in far larger quantities, production cycles were longer than those of couture workshops, which meant that stylists planning their lines for the twice-yearly collections had to try to guess more than a year in advance what their customers would want. A new power was afoot, that of the street, constituting a further threat to the dictatorship of the masters of couture.
1940s
Many fashion houses closed during occupation of Paris during World War II, including the Maison Vionnet and the Maison Chanel. Several designers, including Mainbocher, permanently relocated to New York. In the enormous moral and intellectual re-education program undertaken by the French state couture was not spared. In contrast to the stylish, liberated Parisienne, the Vichy regime promoted the model of the wife and mother, the robust, athletic young woman, a figure who was much more in line with the new political criteria. Germany, meanwhile, was taking possession of over half of what France produced, including high fashion, and was also considering relocating French haute couture to the cities of Berlin and Vienna, neither of which had any significant tradition of fashion. The archives of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture were seized, most consequentially the client list. The point of all this was to break up a monopoly that supposedly threatened the dominance of the Third Reich.
Due to the difficult times, the number of models in shows was limited to seventy-five, evening wear was shortened and day wear was much skimpier, made using substitute materials whenever possible. From 1940 onward, no more than thirteen feet (four meters) of cloth was permitted to be used for a coat and a little over three feet (one meter) was all that allowed for a blouse. No belt could be over one and a half inches (four centimeters) wide. Despite this, haute couture tried to keep its flag flying. Humor and frivolity became a way of defying the occupying powers and couture somehow survived. Although some have argued that the reason it endured was because of the patronage of the wives of rich Nazis, in actuality, records reveal that, aside from the usual wealthy Parisiennes, it was the wives of foreign ambassadors, clients from the black market, and a whole eclectic mix of people who continued to frequent the salons, among whom German women were but a minority.
In spite of the fact that so many fashion houses closed down or moved away during the war, several new houses remained open, including Jacques Fath, Maggy Rouff, Marcel Rochas, Jeanne Lafaurie, Nina Ricci, and Madeleine Vramant. During the Occupation, the only true way for a woman to flaunt her extravagance and add to color to a drab outfit was to wear a hat. In this period, hats were often made of scraps of material that would have otherwise been thrown away, sometimes incorporating butter muslin, bits of paper, and wood shavings. Among the most innovative milliners of the time were Pauline Adam, Simone Naudet, Rose Valois, and Le Monnier.
Paris's isolated situation in the 1940s enabled the Americans to exploit the ingenuity and creativity of their own designers. During the Second World War, Vera Maxwell presented co-ordinates in plain, simply cut outfits and also introduced innovations to men's work clothes. Bonnie Cashin transformed boots into a major fashion accessory, and, in 1944, started to produce original and imaginative sportswear. Claire McCardell, Anne Klein, and Tina Leser formed a remarkable trio of women who were to lay the foundations of American sportswear, ensuring that ready-to-wear was not simply thought of as second best, but as an elegant and comfortable way for modern women to dress.
Among young men in the War Years the zoot suit (and in France the zazou suit) became popular. Many actresses of the time, including Rita Hayworth, Katharine Hepburn, and Marlene Dietrich, had a significant impact on popular fashion.
The couturier Christian Dior created a tidal wave with his first collection in February 1947. The collection contained dresses with tiny waists, majestic busts, and full skirts swelling out beneath small bodices, in a manner very similar to the style of the Belle Époque. The extravagant use of fabric and the feminine elegance of the designs appealed greatly to a post-war clientèle and ensured Dior's meteoric rise to fame. The sheer sophistication of the style incited the all-powerful editor of the American Harper's Bazaar, Carmel Snow, to exclaim 'This is a new look !'.
1950s
Flying in the face of continuity, logic, and erudite sociological predictions, fashion in the 1950s, far from being revolutionary and progressive, bore strong nostalgic echoes of the past. A whole society which, in the 1920s and '30s, had greatly believed in progress, was now much more circumspect. Despite the fact that women had the right to vote, to work, and to drive their own cars, they chose to wear dresses made of opulent materials, with corseted waists and swirling skirts to mid-calf. As fashion looked to the past, haute couture experienced something of a revival and spawned a myriad of star designers who profited hugely from the rapid growth of the media.
Throughout the 1950s, although it would be for the last time, women around the world continued to submit to the trends of Parisian haute couture. Three of the most prominent of the Parisian couturiers of the time were Cristobal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, and Pierre Balmain. The frugal prince of luxury, Cristobal Balenciaga Esagri made his fashion debut in the late Thirties. However, it was not until the post-war years that the full scale of the inventiveness of this highly original designer became evident. In 1951, he totally transformed the silhouette, broadening the shoulders and removing the waist. In 1955, he designed the tunic dress, which later developed into the chemise dress of 1957. And eventually, in 1959, his work culminated in the Empire line, with high-waisted dresses and coats cut like kimonos. His mastery of fabric design and creation defied belief. Balenciaga is also notable as one of the few couturiers in fashion history who could use their own hands to design, cut, and sew the models which symbolized the height of his artistry.
Hubert de Givenchy opened his first couture house in 1952 and created a sensation with his separates, which could be mixed and matched at will. Most renowned was his Bettina blouse made from shirting, which was named after his top model. Soon, boutiques were opened in Rome, Zurich, and Buenos Aires. A man of immense taste and discrimination, he was, perhaps more than any other designer of the period, an integral part of the world whose understated elegance he helped to define.
Pierre Balmain opened his own salon in 1945. It was in a series of collections named 'Jolie Madame' that he experienced his greatest success, from 1952 onwards. Balmain's vision of the elegantly-dressed woman was particularly Parisian and was typified by the tailored glamour of the New Look, with its ample bust, narrow waist, and full skirts, by mastery of cut and imaginative assemblies of fabrics in subtle color combinations. His sophisticated clientèle was equally at home with luxurious elegance, simple tailoring, and a more natural look. Along with his haute couture work, the talented businessman pioneered a ready-to-wear range called Florilege and also launched a number of highly successful perfumes.
Also notable is the return of Coco Chanel (who detested the New Look) to the fashion world. Following the closure of her salons in the war years, in 1954, aged over seventy, she staged a comeback and on February 5 she presented a collection which contained a whole range of ideas that would be adopted and copied by women all over the world: her famous little braided suit with gold chains, shiny costume jewelry, silk blouses in colors that matched the suit linings, sleek tweeds, monogrammed buttons, flat black silk bows, boaters, quilted bags on chains, and evening dresses and furs that were marvels of simplicity.
Despite being a high fashion designer, American born Mainbocher also designed military and civilian service uniforms. In 1952, he redesigned the Women Marines service uniform combining femininity with functionality. Previous redesigns include uniforms for the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in 1942, and uniform designs for the Girl Scouts of America and the American Red Cross in 1948.
Dior's New Look (that premiered in 1947) revived the popularity of girdles and the all-in-one corselettes. In the early 1950s many couture houses used the interest in "foundationwear" to launch their own lines, soon after many lingerie manufacturers began to build their own brands. In 1957, Jane Russell wore the "Cantilever" bra that was scientifically designed by Howard Hughes to maximize a voluptuous look. The invention of Lycra (originally called "Fibre K") in 1959 revolutionized the underwear industry and was quickly incorporated into every aspect of lingerie.
After the war, the American look (which consisted of broad shoulders, floral ties, straight-legged pants, and shirts with long pointed collars, often worn hanging out rather than tucked in) became very popular among men in Europe. Certain London manufacturers ushered in a revival of Edwardian elegance in men's fashion, adopting a tight-fitting retro style that was intended to appeal to traditionalists. This look, originally aimed at the respectable young man about town, was translated into popular fashion as the Teddy boy style. The Italian look, popularized by Caraceni, Brioni, and Cifonelli, was taken up by an entire generation of elegant young lovers, on both sides of the Atlantic.
The designers of Hollywood created a particular type of glamour for the stars of American film, and outfits worn by the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, or Grace Kelly were widely copied. Quantitatively speaking, a costume worn by an actress in a Hollywood movie would have a much bigger audience than the photograph of a dress designed by a couturier illustrated in a magazine read by no more than a few thousand people. Without even trying to keep track of all the Paris styles, its costume designers focused on their own version of classicism, which was meant to be timeless, flattering, and photogenic. Using apparently luxurious materials, such as sequins, chiffon, and fur, the clothes were very simply cut, often including some memorable detail, such as a low-cut back to a dress which was only revealed when the actress turned her back from the camera or some particularly stunning accessory. The most influential and respected designers of Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1950s were Edith Head, Orry-Kelly, William Travilla, Jean Louis, Travis Banton, and Gilbert Adrian.
By the end of the decade mass-manufactured, off-the-peg clothing had become much more popular than in the past, granting the general public unprecedented access to fashionable styles.
1960s
Until the 1960s, Paris was considered to be the center of fashion throughout the world. However, between 1960 and 1969 a radical shake-up occurred in the fundamental structure of fashion. From the 1960s onward, there would never be just one single, prevailing trend or fashion but a great plethora of possibilities, indivisibly linked to all the various influences in other areas of people's lives. Young people, with a power and culture that were all their own, now at an age to speak out, were a force to be reckoned with and had a powerful impact on the fashion industry. For perhaps the first time in history, there was an independent youth fashion that was not based on the conventions of an older age group. In the past, failure to follow fashion merely meant that you were poor, but in the Sixties it became just as much a statement of personal freedom.
In stark contrast to their mature, ultra-feminine mothers, the women of the 1960s adopted a girlish, childlike style, with short skirts and straightened curves, reminiscent of the look of the 1920s. At the start of the decade skirts were knee-length, but steadily became shorter and shorter until the mini-skirt emerged in 1965. By the end of the decade they had shot well above the stocking top, making the transition to tights inevitable.
Many of the radical changes in fashion developed in the streets of London, with such gifted designers as Mary Quant (known for launching the mini skirt) and Barbara Hulanicki (the founder of the legendary boutique Biba). Paris also had its share of new and revolutionary designers, including Pierre Cardin (known for his visionary and skillfully-cut designs), André Courrèges (known for his futuristic outfits and for launching the mini skirt along with Mary Quant), Yves Saint Laurent (known for his revolutionary yet elegant fashions), and Emanuel Ungaro (known for his imaginative use of color and bold baroque contrasts). In the United States, Rudi Gernreich (known for his avant-garde and futuristic designs) and James Galanos (known for his luxurious read-to-wear) were also reaching a young audience. The main outlets for these new young fashion designers were small boutiques, selling outfits that were not exactly 'one-offs', but were made in small quantities in a limited range of sizes and colors. However, not all designers took well to the new style and mood. In 1965, Coco Chanel mounted a rearguard action against the exposure of the knee and Balenciaga resolutely continued to produce feminine and conservative designs.
The basic shape and style of the time was simple, neat, clean cut, and young. Synthetic fabrics were very widely-used during the Sixties. They took dyes easily and well, giving rise to colors that were both clear and bright, very much mirroring the mood of the period. Hats suffered a great decline and by the end of the decade they were relegated to special occasions only. Lower kitten heels were a pretty substitute to stilettos. Pointed toes gave way to chisel shaped toes in 1961 and to an almond toe in 1963. Flat boots also became popular with very short dresses in 1965 and eventually they rose up the leg and reached the knee.
Two notable and influential designers in the '60s were Emilio Pucci and Paco Rabanne. Emilio Pucci's sportswear designs and prints inspired by Op art, psychedelia, and medieval heraldic banners earned him a reputation that extended far beyond the circles of high society. His sleek shift dresses, tunics, and beachwear, created a 'Puccimania' that was all part of a movement to liberate the female form and his designs are today synonymous with the 1960s. Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo (later Paco Rabanne) opened his first couture house in 1966 and, from the start, produced resolutely modern designs. Rather than using conventional dress materials, he created garments from aluminum, Rhodoid, and pieces of scrap metal. His designs, as well as being experimental, were also closely in tune with what modern adventurous young women wanted to wear. Among his innovations are the seamless dress made, after much experiment, by spraying vinyl chloride on to a mold, and the low-budget disposable dress made of paper and nylon thread. Rabanne was also the first fashion designer to use black models, which very nearly resulted in his dismissal from the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. The success of his perfume Calandre helped support the less profitable areas of his work, while his utopianism assured him a unique position in the conservative world of haute couture.
The principal change in menswear in the '60s was in the weight of the fabric used. The choice of materials and the method of manufacture produced a suit that, because it was lighter in weight, had a totally different look, with a line that was closer to the natural shape of the body, causing men to look at their figures more critically. The spread of jeans served to accelerate a radical change in the male wardrobe. Young men grew their hair down to their collars and added a touch of color, and even floral motifs, to their shirts. The polo neck never succeeded in replacing the tie, but the adoption of the workman's jacket in rough corduroy, and especially the Mao jacket proved to be more than simply a political statement. A few futuristic rumblings were set off by Pierre Cardin and Andre Courrèges, but the three-piece suit still survived intact.
In the early 1960s there were influential 'partnerships' of celebrities and high-fashion designers, most famously Audrey Hepburn with Givenchy, and Jackie Kennedy with Oleg Cassini. Also, many models had a very profound effect on fashion, most notably Twiggy, Veruschka, Jean Shrimpton, as well as Andy Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick. Early in the decade, culottes were in style and the bikini finally came into fashion in 1963. The hippie and psychedelic movements late in the decade also had a strong influence on clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints.
1970s
Nick-named the 'me' decade; 'please yourself' was the catchword of the 1970s. Some saw it as the end of good taste, while many perceived it as the beginning of awesome taste. The decade began with a continuation of the hippie look of the late 1960s, with afghans, Indian scarves, and flower-print tunics. Jeans remained frayed, tie dye was still popular, and the fashion for unisex mushroomed. An immense movement claiming civil rights for blacks combined with the influence of soul music from the USA created a nostalgia for Africa and African culture. A radical chic emerged, influenced by the likes of James Brown, Diana Ross, Angela Davis, and the Black Panthers, in everything from afro hairstyles to platform soles. During the Seventies brands greatly increased their share of the international market. Hems began dropping in 1974 to below the knee, until finally reaching the lower mid calf in 1977 and shoulderlines were dropped.
Perhaps the two most innovative French fashion designers of the 1970s were Kenzo Takada and Sonia Rykiel. The undisputed star of Parisian fashion in the Seventies, Kenzo drew his inspiration from all over the world, mixing Western and Oriental folk influences with a fantastic joie de vivre and an instinctive understanding of what his young customers wanted. With his fluid lines, unusual prints, clever accessories, and finery that was hitherto unprecedented in ready-to-wear, he very much turned the fashion world upside down. The queen of figure-hugging knits, in 1974, Sonia Rykiel designed her first pullovers with reversed seams. However, more than that, she created a whole range of clothes that were extremely individual and yet could be worn almost anywhere. The Rykiel style, dominated by fluid knitted garments, dark blacks, rhinestones, long boa-like scarves, and little crocheted hats, conquered the American market, and even to this day Rykiel is considered by many Americans as the true successor of Chanel.
The boutique 'SEX' owned by Vivienne Westwood
The boutique 'SEX' owned by Vivienne Westwood
Because of punk, London retained a considerable degree of influence over fashion, most significantly in the boutiques of the King's Road, where Vivienne Westwood's boutique, SEX, which opened in 1971, blew with the prevailing wind. This temple of British iconoclasm centered on fetishistic accessories and ranges of clothing in which black rubber and steel studs were the external signs of an underlying sadism. Postmodernist and iconoclastic in essence the punk movement was a direct reaction to the economic situation during the economic depression of the period, the vehicle for a hatred that was more visceral than political. Punk had at its heart a manifesto of creation through disorder. With their ripped T-shirts, Red Indian hairstyles, Doc Martens, bondage trousers, and chains, the punks exported an overall feeling of disgust around the globe.
Another popular British style the was the resolutely unmodern, feminine, countrified style of clothing popularized by Laura Ashley, which consisted of long flounced skirts and high-necked blouses in traditional floral prints, worn with crocheted shawls. Laura Ashley started out running a small business in Wales in the mid-1960s and the company continued to expand until the accidental death of its owner in 1985. Laura Ashley was not the only designer to look nostalgically to the past. Fashions based on the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s were popular throughout much of the decade, with Hollywood films like The Godfather and The Great Gatsby, and numerous exhibitions on costume history at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York increasing their popularity. In Japan, the boutiques of Tokyo's fashionable Harajuku district sold many reworked versions of traditional British and American looks.
In the United States, the general trend in fashion was towards simplification and longer skirts, although many women reacted negatively to the midi-length, which they felt to be aging. Pants, on the other hand, earned unanimous approval. Jeans profited most from becoming an accepted part of the American fashion scene in the 1970s, their new-found respectability deriving from their inclusion in collections under the heading of sportswear. The new stars of American ready-to-wear adapted the best of what they learned from Europe to the massive American clothing industry. Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren rose from anonymity more or less simultaneously to tackle the question of designing clothes for the men and women of a new world. Two opposing movements dominated fashion in the U.S.A. during the Seventies. On one hand, there was the tailored, unisex look; on the other hand, a fluid, unstructured style with a strong feeling of Thirties glamor. The most influential American designer of the time, Roy Halston Frowick (known simply as Halston), belonged to the latter category. Acquiring celebrity status on the New York scene, his particular talent was in reconciling the made-to-measure garment for the special occasion with concepts of comfort, naturalness, and relaxation. With his kaftans, shirtwaisters, djellabas, ultra-lightweight shift dresses, and tunics worn over shorts and wide-legged pants, he was an icon of the era, and a regular visitor at the VIP room of the Studio 54 after its opening in 1977.
Geoffrey Beene, praised for his elegant and sophisticated cuts and his use of black and white, was at his most successful in the radically simplified designs at which he excelled. His smart little dresses and well-cut suits in jersey, flannel, and wool were instrumental in discouraging American women from over-accessorizing. Bill Blass, who launched his own range in 1962, developed the habit of traveling all over the United States in order to hear for himself what his customers desired. One of the most popular designers of the time, he was almost too successful in fulfilling his customers wishes. His disciplined style and workmanship was particularly favored by businesswomen and the wives of senior executives. Betsey Johnson started out designing for the boutique Paraphernalia. Using vinyl and metallic fabrics and putting emphasis on wit, imagination, and independence, she brought an unprecedented spirit of irreverence to New York in the Seventies.
In popular fashion the glam rock style of clothing, worn by such rock performers as David Bowie and Marc Bolan, was very influential, particularly in the United Kingdom. The designer Elio Fiorucci had a very similar look. His boutique in Milan sold such things as brightly colored rubber boots, plastic daisy sandals, fake fur, and Pop Art-inspired jackets.
Fashionable skirt styles of 1972
Fashionable skirt styles of 1972
During the 1970s a new generation of menswear boutiques sprang up, aiming to change the decor, rituals, and customer base of a traditionally 'difficult' trade. To sell fashionable clothes to a young man at the end of the 60's was still, in many circles, tantamount to questioning his masculinity. Men's appearance changed more in the Seventies than it had done in a whole century. Many of the fashion designers who revolutionized the male look owed a lot of their innovations to Pierre Cardin: narrow shoulders, tight-fitting lines, no tie, no interfacing, zip-up boiler suits, waisted jackets or tunics, sometimes no shirt. Work clothes supplied inspiration for a less formal style, encouraging designers to look beyond the traditional suit and, for example, adopt a unisex look or investigate the massive supply of second-hand clothes. Sometimes this kind of male dressing-down, often denounced as 'hippie', gained formal recognition as a deliberate look. At certain other times, as part of a retro movement, designers introduced a revival of '30s elegance. The unearthing of old military clothing, preferably khaki and from the United States; English-style shoes; Oxford shirts; immaculate T-shirts; tweed jackets with padded shoulders; brightly-colored V-neck sweaters; cashmere-printed scarves draped around the neck all imposed a certain uniformity on the casual beatnik look of the male wardrobe at the end of the Seventies.
Also significant are the developments in Italian fashion that happened during the period. In the course of the 1970s, as a result of its ready-to-wear industry, Milan confirmed its status as second only to Paris as a center of international fashion. The 'alta moda' preferred Rome, the base of the couturiers Valentino, Capucci, and Schon. Capitalizing on the dominant trend of anti-fashion Italy offered a glamor that had nothing to do with the dictates of Parisian haute couture. While profiting from a clearly defined style, Italian fashion was luxurious and easy to wear. The two most influential Italian fashion designers of the time were probably Giorgio Armani and Nino Cerruti. Giorgio Armani produced his first collection for women in 1975. From the outset, the line was dynamic, urban, and understated, androgynous in inspiration. Armani offered a restrained style that greatly appealed to the increasing population of women who now had access to the world of work and occupied progressively more senior positions within it. This was only the beginning of a tremendous career, which came to fruition in 1981 when Emporio Armani was launched. In 1957 Nino Cerruti opened the menswear boutique Hitman in Milan. A man of taste and discernment, in 1976 he presented his first collection for women. Two years later, he launched his first perfume. In linking the career of a successful industrialist with that of a high-quality designer, Cerruti occupied a unique position in Italian ready-to-wear.
Late twentieth century
During the late twentieth century, fashions began to criss-cross international boundaries with rapidity. Popular Western styles were adopted all over the world, and many designers from outside of the West had a profound impact on fashion. Synthetic materials such as Lycra, Spandex, and viscose became widely-used, and fashion, after two decades of looking to the future, once again turned to the past for inspiration.
1980s
The society of the Eighties no longer criticized itself as consumerist, but was, instead, interested in 'the spectacle'. The self-conscious image of the decade was very good for the fashion industry, which had never been quite so à la mode. Fashion shows were transfigured into media-saturated spectaculars and frequently televised, taking high priority in the social calendar. Appearance was related to performance, which was of supreme importance to a whole generation of young urban professionals, whose desire to look the part related to a craving for power. The way in which men and women associated with the latest styles was no more a matter of passive submission but one of active choice. As fashion once again looked to the past, baroque evening dress and long gowns made a reappearance.
The two French fashion designers who best defined the look of the period were Thierry Mugler and Azzedine Alaia. Strongly influenced by his early career in the theater, Thierry Mugler produced fashion designs that combined Hollywood retro and futurism, with rounded hips, sharply accentuated shoulders, and a slight hint of the galactic heroine. Mugler's glamorous dresses were a remarkable success, and signified the complete end of the hippy era and its unstructured silhouette. Known for his awe-inspiring combinations, Azzedine Alaia greatly influenced the silhouette of the woman of the Eighties. The master of all kinds of techniques that had previously been known only to haute couture, he experimented with many new and underused materials, such as Lycra and viscose. The finish, simplicity, and sheer sexiness of Alaia's look made women of every generation identify with his seductive style, and during the 1980s he achieved a certain glory and was held in high regard by members of his own profession.
Also creating designs very typical of the era were Claude Montana, whose imposing, broad-shouldered designs, often made of leather, would not have looked out of place in the futuristic universe of Thierry Mugler, and Christian Lacroix, who sent shock waves through the world of haute couture, with his flounced skirts, embroidered corselets, bustles, and polka-dotted crinolines which evoked the rhythms of flamenco.
A number of promising newcomers entered the fashion scene in the Eighties. Angelo Tarlazzi, an extraordinary technician who once worked for Patou, bewitched both the press and his customers with his 'handkerchief' dresses. Made of squares of fabric, they transpired, when you came to put them on, to be far more complicated than at first appeared. Many a Parisian soirée of the 80's was enlivened by his dresses, all in a fluid and original style, in which cutting and sewing were kept to a minimum. Chantal Thomas, the queen of sexy stockings and lace, won a devoted following for her seductive underwear and for evening gowns that looked like nightdresses and vice versa. Guy Paulin was one of the first designers to promote a severe, plain, and uncluttered look. His garments were classical in their proportions and made for comfort and simplicity, with their harmonious lines reinforced by a subtle palette of colors and fine materials. Under his own name, Joseph designed luxurious knitwear along classic lines, creating loose, sexy garments in neutral colors. Carolina Herrera, long regarded as one of the most elegant members of the jet set, in 1981 launched a series of collections aimed at women like herself, featuring impeccably cut clothes of high quality and attractive evening dresses.
Japanese designers such as Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto offered a look which marked a total break with the prevailing fashion image of the time. Flat shoes, no make-up, reserve, modesty, and secrecy were the hallmarks of this modern look. Eventually, it began to include details from the fashions of the past, as Europe's ancient sites were revisited by these anarchists of fashion, whose influence on shape of clothes, at the end of the twentieth-century, became legendary.
In American fashion the seductive, clinging style of Donna Karan and the casual sophistication of Ralph Lauren were very influential. A star of the New York social scene, Donna Karan brought a very personal and feminine approach to the severe, sober-colored, casual look that dominated American ready-to-wear. Setting up her own label in 1984, her designs won instant popularity among active urban women who greatly appreciated the understated luxury of her clothes. In 1971 Ralph Lauren opened a boutique for both men and women in Beverly Hills. His aristocratic style at prices the average American could afford created a sensation. For an elite faced with all kinds of avant-garde fashions, it represented a rallying point, endorsing a classic look that had been adopted for an active life. The number one of American ready-to-wear, Lauren was equally successful with his sportswear and jeans, which allowed him to reach the widest possible range of social classes and age groups.
Central to the success of a new wave of American sportswear was the Perry Ellis label, established in 1978, which used color and natural fibers to great advantage in its elegant variations on the basics. Norma Kamali, with her short skirts made of sweatshirting, leotards, headbands, and leg warmers, made jogging look fashionable. Kamali also created the popular 'rah-rah skirt'. Also notable is the extreme popularity of the Adidas sports label, which achieved an incredible level of street cred in the '80s, inciting the hip hop group Run DMC to release the single 'My Adidas' in 1986. The legendary shoe designer Manolo Blahnik also rose to fame during the 1980s.
The multiplicity of trends that bloomed during the 80s were curtailed by the economic recession that set in at the beginning of the 1990s. The 1990s opened our eyes to a fresh look.
1990s
In the 1990s it was no longer the done thing to follow fashion slavishly, or immeaditaley a sharp contrast to the highly á la mode '70s and '80s. The phobia of being underdressed was finally completely displaced by the fear of overdressing. Fashion in the '90s united around a new standard, minimalism, and styles of stark simplicity became the vogue. Despite the best efforts of a few designers to keep the flag for pretty dresses flying, by the end of the decade the notion of ostentatious finery had virtually disappeared. As well as the styling of the product, its promotion in the media became crucial to its success and image. The financial pressures of the decade had a devastating effect on the development of new talent and lessened the autonomy enjoyed by more established designers.
Fashion at the end of the 20th century tackled themes that fashion had not previously embraced. These themes included rape, disability, religious violence, death, and body modification. There was a dramatic move away from the sexy styles aimed at the glamorous femme fatale of the Eighties and many designers, taken with a vision of romantic poverty, adopted the style of the poverty-stricken waif, dressed in a stark, perversely sober palette, with a face devoid of make-up. Clothes by ready-to-wear retailers such as The Gap, Banana Republic, and Eddie Bauer came to the forefront of fashion, managing to tap into the needs of women who simply wanted comfortable, wearable clothes. Retro clothing inspired by the 1960s and 1970s was popular for much of the 1990s.
The famous Italian fashion house, Gucci was created in 1921, by Guccio Gucci and was originally a firm that sold luxury leather goods. Under Guccio Gucci's children, by the end of the 1960s the label had expanded to include a plethora of products with a distinctly Latin glamor. However, only in the '90s, when the Gucci heirs gave up control of the company to Invest Corp., who planned to turn the business around, did it truly begin to enjoy the kind of success it enjoys in the present day. Employing an unknown designer, Tom Ford, as design director in 1994, the fashion house was endowed with a great prestige, as Ford triggered a tidal wave with his chic and shocking collections, perfumes for men and women, revamped boutiques, and advertising campaigns. In 1998 Gucci is named "European Company of the year" by European Business Press Federation. [1] Today it is the second biggest-selling fashion brand (after LVMH) worldwide with US$7 billion worldwide of revenue in 2006 according to BusinessWeek magazine. [2] Most importantly Gucci is the biggest-selling Italian brand in the world. [3]
In the '90s the designer label Prada became a true creative force in the fashion industry. The Milanese company was first established in 1923, two years after Gucci, and like Gucci, it was a firm that sold high-quality shoes and leather. It was not until the Eighties that Miuccia Prada, the niece of the company's founder, began to produce ready-to-wear fashion, gaining fame for her subtle, streamlined, yet unquestionably luxurious style, that catered for the privileged young woman who prefers understatement to flamboyant extravagance.
In America three of the most influential fashion designers of the time were Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, and Calvin Klein. Michael Kors set up his own business in 1980. However, it was not until the Nineties that the designer reached the peak of his popularity. His knowledge and consciousness of trends enabled him to produce simple well-cut garments, whose sophistication and elegance appealed to a whole new breed of wealthy American customers drawn to the new vogue for minimalist chic. Marc Jacobs is one of the most notable American designers of the period in that, unlike many American fashion designers in the past, he was not so much the co-ordinator of a mass-produced garment as a designer in the European sense of the word. One of the most promising talents in the fashion industry at the time, the LVMH (Louis Vuitton-Moet Henessy) group offered him the job of designing a line of ready-to-wear to compliment the de-luxe products of luggage specialist Louis Vuitton in the late '90s. One of the first fashion designers to anticipate the globalization of world markets, the already well-known designer Calvin Klein started to market his fashions, perfumes, and accessories not only right across the US, but also in Europe and Asia, achieving an unequaled success. A brilliant artistic director, Klein used carefully constructed advertisements containing images tinted with eroticism to promote his sophisticatedly functional mass-produced designs, which won massive popularity among the urban youth of the 1990s.
The group of designers known as the 'Antwerp Six' (so named because all of them were graduates of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp), who first emerged in the 1980s, came to prominence in the 1990s. Three of the most influential of the group were Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, and Walter Van Beirendonck. Ann Demeulemeester, from her first collection in 1991, demonstrated a great deal of confidence and inventiveness. Naturally inclined to understatement, she built her designs on contradictions, introducing contrasting elements into her fluid and streamlined fashions, which appealed to women who dressed, above all, to please themselves. The work of Dries Van Noten was founded on a solid mastery of the art of tailoring, to which the young designer added discreet touches of fantasy in a highly personal style. Managing to be both classical and original, his fashions appealed to those who preferred to express their individuality rather than slavishly follow trends. Walter Van Beirendonck, who erupted onto the fashion scene in 1995, produced decidedly futuristic designs under his label W & LT (Wild and Lethal Trash). Deliberately using fabrics developed by the very latest technologies, in violently contrasting colors, he produced clothes that were full of erotic and sadomasochistic references, touched with a caustic adolescent humor. His highly distinctive approach related to a resurgence of anti-fashion, but this time an anti-fashion with nothing in the least ethnic about its origins, instead based on science fiction that provided the inspiration for displays of such high-spirited provocation.
In Italy, Gianni Versace, with his brilliant, sexy, and colorful designs, and Dolce & Gabbana, with their superfeminine and fantastical style, broke away from the serious and sober-minded fashions that dominated during much of the Nineties. The British designer Vivienne Westwood produced many influential and popular collections in the early '90s, which included outfits inspired by eighteenth-century courtesans and the Marquis de Sade, with rounded hips, corsets, and platform heels. The London-based designer Rifat Ozbek was also popular, particularly in New York and Milan. His youthful style, which mixed references to India, Africa, and his native Turkey with clever takes on historical clothing, was reminiscent of hippest nightclubs and the more outrageous street fashions of the time. Rap music was a prominent influence on popular and street fashion during the early- and mid-Nineties. Followers of hip hop adopted huge baggy jeans, similar to those worn in American prisons, with big patterned shirts and heavy black shoes. The sports label Nike had great popularity and materials such as Lycra and Spandex were increasingly used for sportswear. Increasing eco-awareness and animal rights made even top couture houses such as Chanel introduce fake fur and natural fibers into their collect
2000s
In the '00s, as the future began to seem increasingly bleak, fashion, and indeed the Arts in general, looked to the past for inspiration, arguably more so than in previous decades. Vintage clothing, especially from the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties (the eighties idea of clashing, electric colours becoming especially popular in mid-late 2007) became extremely popular and fashion designers often sought to emulate bygone styles in their collections. The early '00s saw a continuation of the minimalist look of the Nineties in high fashion. Later on, designers began to adopt a more colorful, feminine, excessive, and 'anti-modern' look. Name brands became of particular importance among young people and many celebrities launched their own lines of clothing. Tighter fit clothing and longer hair became mainstream for many men and women. Rap music also had a considerable influence on popular fashion, in the early part of the 2000s.
For many of the own-label designers who emerged in the early years of the twenty-first century, financial factors became increasingly critical. Many new young talents found they now depended on investors (to whom, in extreme cases, they would even surrender their names) and were always burdened by the risk that their partners, motivated by market realism and the desire for quick returns, would severely restrict their autonomy.
The mid 2000s celebrated the return of a more feminine look. This began with the comeback of the dress. The figure-hugging look was disbanded in the summer of 2007, when designers began to experiment with flowy, tunic shapes. Bright, block colour also became a focus. Menswear has become increasingly more important as well and has too gone in a slightly feminine direction, especially apparent after the middle of the decade.
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