|
Surveying the life and career of Vivienne
Westwood is, as Westwood herself has described it, like trying to get a ship into a bottle, for her story is an extraordinary
one. She was a central figure in the London Punk movement in the mid 1970s and has gone from being a subversive shop owner
to a pillar of the British fashion establishment. As an independent female in a highly competitive industry she has survived
without compromising her ideals. Her vision has at times been at odds with the rest of the fashion world, yet her work has
often been prescient. She has provoked outrage, amusement and ultimately respect. Her overriding gift to fashion is a conviction
that clothing can change the way people think. She once said: 'I think that the real link that connects all my clothes
is this idea of the heroic'. As a self-taught designer, Westwood has brought an utterly original slant to fashion, and
been responsible for many fashion ideas that are now taken for granted. Although her clothes are often revolutionary, she
has embraced traditional British fabrics and materials, and made them her own. While her work in the 1980s, post Punk, was
wildly eclectic, the dominant theme of the 1990s was historicism. Westwood is ambitious for her craft. She has great faith
in fashion as personal propaganda, as mental and physical stimulation, saying 'clothes can give you a better life'.
Vivienne Westwood was born in Derbyshire in 1941. Her family moved to London when she was a teenager and in 1965 she
met art student Malcolm McLaren. Their working relationship lasted from 1970 until 1983, and memorably launched Punk. Fashion
became for Westwood 'a baby I picked up and never put down'. Between 1971 and 1981 the couple ran a shop at 430 Kings
Road in London which became the centre of the emerging Punk movement.
The absorption of this outrageous and provocative
cultural phenomenon by the mainstream and a growing disillusionment with working on the fringes led Westwood and McLaren to
reassess their position. McLaren became increasingly involved in music although he continued to contribute ideas for their
collections. Westwood recalled: 'I didn't know what to do ... Malcolm said "look at history"'. She began
to research in the National Art Library in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London and found patterns for 18th-century men's
clothing. These formed the basis for the billowing shirt and exaggerated trousers of the colourful, romantic 1981 Pirate collection,
their first to be shown on the catwalk. The Pirate collection entered the bloodstream of mainstream fashion immediately. It
also came to the attention of the Victoria & Albert Museum curators who acquired the Museum's first outfit from World's
End (the many times re-named outlet at 430 Kings Road).
Westwood is one of Britain’s best known and
most admired fashion designers and her work has been an important influence on international fashion for over three decades.
She was awarded British Designer of the Year in 1990 and 1991, and in 1992 was honoured with the Order of the British Empire
for her outstanding contribution to fashion.
Westwood’s first commercial ventures into clothes were with
Malcolm McLaren, with whom she set up a clothes shop, Let it Rock, in London’s Kings Road in 1971. Recreating the mood
and detail of early 1950s Teddy-boy and Rocker clothes, Westwood began to look to the past for inspiration for clothing that
would reflect the present. With later name changes to Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die (1972), SEX (1974), Seditionaries
(1976) and, finally, World’s End (1979), Westwood’s and McLaren’s shop became the epicentre for Punk, their
slashed t-shirts, rubber clothes, anarchic imagery and bondage details giving visual form to the movement, while McLaren’s
group, the Sex Pistols provided the anarchic soundtrack. Later borrowings from the worlds of pornography, sado-masochism and
fetishism layered more stylistic influences into the amalgam of their work.
With the inevitable decline of the
Punk movement’s power to shock and the absorption of its anti-Establishment imagery into mainstream fashion, Westwood
began to direct her interest in the politics and theatricality of dress to the examination of the very idea of Englishness
and the forces it has exerted on conventions of dress and sexual politics over the past two hundred years. Ready access to
the Victoria and Albert Museum’s National Art Library and its great collections of dress and costume allowed her to
explore historical costume and, from it, to develop a completely new range of clothes that would form her first catwalk collection
in 1981. The Pirate collection drew inspiration from historical men’s clothing and became the look for the emergent
New Romantics, while providing Westwood with a vastly expanded repertoire of styles of cutting and tailoring, construction,
fabric design and manufacture, pattern, colour and texture.
Big hair, big hoops and big on glitz,
the Eighties were defined by over-the-top glamour but ruled by the “Big Six”. No catwalk show or fashion editorial
was complete without the gracing faces of Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista
and Kate Moss. The ubiquitous six that make up an exclusive order of original “supermodel” babes epitomised conventional
beauty and achieved first-name status in households across the globe. But their reign over the fashion industry soon
came to a halt and by the mid-1990s,
the era of the supermodel was over. Now, 20 years since Moss was discovered in New York’s JFK Airport, the supermodels
are set to return. When this month’s autumn/winter fashion issues hit the stands and the season’s new high-fashion
campaigns are officially unveiled, readers might find themselves caught in a time warp. American bombshell Stephanie Seymour
plays dark and dangerous in Loewe’s new campaign shot by Steven Meisel, Eva Herzigova shows off Marc Jacob’s latest
for Louis Vuitton, Evangelista is adorned in Prada’s swiss couture lace, Turlington is impeccably chic for Escada, and
a brunette Schiffer reprises her 1992 role as the face of Chanel. All this is a far cry from the Jennifer Lopezs and Lindsay
Lohans of seasons past. So why the sudden change in sponsorship? It was the shifting fashions of the Nineties, as well as
the “I won’t get out of bed for less than US$10,000 a day” diva demands, that led to the demise of
the supermodels and opened the doors to the world of the celebrity cover. Fashion was moving away from the flash and
brash to a quieter aesthetic. Designers opted for models that suited the new look and so as fashion changed
There were some pretty unfathomable hairstyles in fashion
during the Eighties, but this was the most inexplicable. Popularised by rock stars, footballer Chris Waddle and the DJ Pat
Sharpe, it involved having your hair cut short on top, while growing it long at the back, so it usually hung down in lank
looking strips like a nest of rat's tails.
Like the fashion of all modern decades,
1980s fashion in popular culture incorporated distinct trends from different eras. This helped form a cultivating movement
of style. . The most conservative, more masculine fashion look that was most indicative of the 1980s was the wide use of
shoulder pads. While in the 1970s the silhouette of fashion tended to be characterized by close fitting clothes on top with
wider, looser clothes on the bottom, this trend completely reversed itself in the early 1980s as both men and women began
to wear looser shirts and tight, close-fitting pants. Men wore power suits as a result of the greater tendency for people
to display their wealth. Brand names became increasingly important in this decade, making Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein
household names. In the United States, Madonna was titled the "Material Girl" and many teenage girls looked to
her for fashion statements. The popular movie Flashdance (1983) made ripped sweatshirts well-known in the general public.
The television shows Dallas and Dynasty also had a similar impact.
The New Romantic was a New Wave and
fashion movement that occurred primarily in British nightclubs. New romanticism emerged in the UK music scene in the early
80s as a direct backlash against the austerity of the punk movement. Where punk railed against life in Britain's council
estates, the New Romantics celebrated glamour and partied regularly at local nightclubs. The make-up was streaky and bold.
The notoriously outlandish designer/club host Leigh Bowery, known for his exuberant designs, became a muse for artists such
as Boy George and had grown a huge status in the early 1980s underground club scene. The early designer of the romantic
look was Vivienne Westwood who designed clothing specifically for bands, such as Adam & the Ants and later developed
the "pirate look." The pirate look featured frilled "buccaneer" shirts often made of expensive fabrics.
One element of this trend that went mainstream and remained popular for most of the decade were short shirt collars worn
unfolded against the neck with the top one or two buttons unfastened. Except in the most conservative communities this became
standard casual wear for both men and women. With the exception of business suits, to wear one's collar folded appeared
awkward or stuffy. Leggings were also very popular.
Headbands became fashionable in 1982.
The trend started in California and spread across the nation. Other associated trends were leg warmers and miniskirts. Leg
warmers, which had long been staple gear for professional dancers during rehearsals, became a teen trend in 1982. Miniskirts
returned for the first time since the early 1970s. These styles became associated with the Valley Girl trend that was popular
at the time, based on a popular song by Frank Zappa and Moon Unit Zappa. The other fads soon spent themselves, but miniskirts
remained in style and became an option for women's business suits throughout the 'eighties and early 1990s with
dolly shoes. Frequently, these mini skirts were worn with leggings.
Shoulder pads, popularized perhaps by Linda Evans from the soap
opera Dynasty, remained popular throughout the 1980s and even the first three years of the 1990s. The reason behind the
sudden popularity of shoulderpads for women in the 1980s may be that women in the workplace were no longer unusual, and wanted
to "power dress" to show that they were the equals of men at the office. Many women's outfits had velcro on
the inside of the shoulder where various sized shoulderpads could be attached.
The Dynasty television show, watched by over 250 million viewers
around the world in the 1980s, influenced the fashion styles in mainstream America. The show, targeted towards females,
influenced women to wear jewelry often to show one's economic status. Synthetic fabrics went out of style in the 1980s.
Wool, cotton, and silk returned to popularity for their perceived quality.
Men's business attire saw a return of pinstripes for the first
time since the 1970s. The new pinstripes were narrower and subtler than 1930s and 1940s suits but similar to the 1970s styles.
Three piece suits gradually went out of fashion in the early 'eighties and lapels on suits became very narrow (similar
to 1950s styles). While vests in the 1970s had commonly been worn high with six or five buttons, those made in the early
1980s often had only four buttons and were made to be worn low. Neckties also became narrower in the 1980s and skinny versions
appeared in leather. Button down collars made a return, both for business and casual wear.
Meanwhile women's fashion and business
shoes returned to styles that had been popular in the 1950s and early 1960s with pointed toes and spiked heels. Some stores
stocked canvas or satin covered fashion shoes in white and dyed them to the customer's preferred colour. While the most
popular shoes amongst young women were bright colored high heels, a trend started to emerge which saw 'Jellies' -
colourful, transparent plastic flats - become popular.
BBW is an acronym for “Big Beautiful
Women.” In the past, a big beautiful body was associated with health and wealth. As a matter of fact, up until the
1960’s, BBW and plus size
women were lauded for their beautiful physiques. The plus size woman appeared in almost all of the fashion
photographs, films, and paintings of the 1920’s-1950’s. When did all of this change?
In the 1960’s, plus size fashion rapidly
disappeared from the covers of magazines and on the silver screen. Many people attribute this changing trend to the first
teenage supermodel --Twiggy. Ironically, Twiggy’s name suited her slender frame quite well. Instead of plus size blouses,
plus size dresses, and skirts, Twiggy wore slinky dresses which hugged her small frame. In 1967, Marshall McLuhan boldly
said: “Twiggy is an Xray, not a picture.”
Unlike plus size BBW, who portray a
picture of health and happiness, Twiggy looked ill at a mere 95 pounds. Unfortunately, women all over the world quickly
became unhappy with their bodies and fashion choices. Clothes that were made for small-framed girls were bright, fashionable,
and affordable. The options for plus size BBW? Well, let’s just say they weren’t so glamorous in the 1960’s.
BBW and plus size women
were largely ignored in the 1970’s and 1980’s as well. It wasn’t until the 1990’s that BBW and plus
size women had enough. Curvy women and full-figured women were tired of trying to obtain an idea of perfection that was
sold to them through every media median. Billboards, magazines, television shows, radio commercials and films portrayed Anna
Nicole Smith, Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, and Kate Moss with their “perfect” bodies in the hottest designer
fashions.
Then, as the millennium approached,
the world watched in shock as something happened: tabloids and reality television began sharing the private lives of these
models. Being thin wasn’t as glitzy, glamorous, and easy as it seemed. When the cameras weren’t rolling and the
photographers weren’t around, many of these models struggled to stay thin. BBW and plus size women were finally able
to let out a sign of relief. In a fashion-conscious world that oppressed plus size women and BBW for so long, BBW were finally
recognized as being healthier than the small-framed models. But, at what cost? How many BBW and plus size women developed
eating disorders in their pursuits of thinner bodies? We may never know.
In 2002, the world tuned in to watch the shocking reality sitcom
the “Anna Nicole Show.” Although Anna Nicole’s life inarguably looked disastrous, no one could deny that
she had gone from a slim Guess model in the 90’s to a plus size BBW over the course of a decade. She eventually experienced
success, not only from her reality sitcom, but as a plus size clothing designer. Unfortunately, Anna Nicole Smith died as
a result of an overdose. Her untimely death, as well as her son’s, is still shrouded by mystery.
Many people wonder if Anna Nicole Smith was the
first famous BBW plus size model. It’s safe to say that this is disputable. Emme (Melissa) Aronson is recognized as
the first BBW plus size model by many high-standing members of the fashion world, and Angellika is the first plus-size model
that was inducted into the modeling Hall of Fame. It’s all subjective, really.
Nevertheless, all of these women paved the way for plus size BBW
all over the world. Women, finally, have been recognized and accepted in every shape and form. Beauty is no longer defined
by single digit clothing sizes. BBW and plus size women are beautiful and deserve the opportunity to flaunt their assets
and feel comfortable in their own skin.
Does BBW fashion emulate the fashion
seen on the runway? It doesn’t emulate runway fashion, it is runway fashion. Take a look at what the stars are wearing
the next time you seem them in magazines. You’re just as likely to find a designer gown on a star like Queen Latifah
as you are to see it on a smaller-framed celebrity like Kate Hudson. Designers are finally catering to bigger women. The
BBW plus size woman doesn’t have to feel ashamed of her wardrobe anymore!
BBW plus size women’s fashion is carried by most retailers.
Nevertheless, it may feel tricky to find designer BBW clothing, especially if you don’t live in the city. Fortunately,
online retailers provide a convenient way to shop for BBW plus size pants, shirts, dresses, jackets, and skirts. Shopping
for BBW plus size clothing has never been easier or more convenient than it is now. It’s time for you to accept your
body and love your body the way it is. Find inspiration from plus size models that paved the way for acceptance, self-love,
and designer BBW plus size fashion.
London night clubs started to change
their format from Friday and Saturday nights as being the only important music nights. The club 'Gossips' in Soho
began to do David Bowie nights on Tuesdays and then more one night specials for niche tastes. That set the scene for special
one night club evenings throughout London. Narrow tastes could be catered for. Dresses in slinky satins and foulard silks
or polyesters were often batwing or with set in sleeves. Both styles had shoulder pads and frequently swathes of fabric
were gathered and ruched onto hip bands, with falling silk, crepe de chine or chiffon asymmetric draped swirling skirts.
Lace was popular for evening, especially cream lace bound with cream satin collars. Lace collars made an appearance after
being worn by the Princess of Wales. Mohair sweaters were over-sized, but covered with lavish beading and satin appliqué
they could be worn for evening too. Highly styled intarsia knit jumpers became fashionable. Glamorous occasion wear was
a reaction and an alternative to the dressing down that was emerging from the wearing of sport and fitness wear as casual
wear, due to the fitness craze inspired by Flashdance and Olivia Newton-John's popular single "Let's Get Physical".
The shell suit became
a commonly-worn item, especially in the UK. In the UK as well as most of Europe, Italy in particular, black was the preferred
colour for teenage girls and young women.
Dress shoes are categorized by smooth
and supple leather uppers, leather soles, and narrow sleek figure. Casual shoes are characterized by sturdy leather uppers,
non-leather outsoles, and wide profile.
Some designs of dress shoes can be worn by either gender. The majority of dress shoes have an upper
covering, commonly made of leather, enclosing most of the lower foot, but not covering the ankles. This upper part of the
shoe is often made without apertures or openings, but may also be made with openings or even itself consist of a series of
straps, e.g. an open toe featured in women's shoes. Shoes with uppers made high to cover the ankles are also available;
a shoe with the upper rising above the ankle is usually considered a boot but certain styles may be referred to as high-topped
shoes or high-tops. Usually, a high-topped shoe is secured by laces or zippers, although some styles have elastic inserts
to ease slipping the shoe on.
The 1980s brought the “cult of self” and
innovative jeans in specialised cuts were part of the way that we defined ourselves.” The fashion world became a place
where you made your own statements and where trends became increasingly short lived. Lee Cooper expanded its activities by
developing a complete range of fashion leisure clothes in more sizes, colours and fabrics than any other brand. The decade
began with the Lee Cooper sponsorship of the Rolling Stones concert in the UK and ended with comfort wear jeans that reflected
the grunge
lifestyle. The evolution of jeans and casual wear in the 1980s ranged from super skin tight "paint on"
jeans in 1981 to “jogging jeans” with a drawstring in 1983, to jeans with holes in them (otherwise know as distressed”
jeans) in 1988. As the decade continued, wash finishes turned denim into a new fashion fabric as “bleach”, “river”,
“rear” and “sand” joined “stonewash” in the range. In 1985, Lee Cooper launched a new,
softer range of denim, emphasising its European origin. But the year after, music and fashion were Punk, inspiring Lee Cooper
to offer unwashed jeans for the first time in 5 years. At decade’s end, girls’ jeans had returned to stretch denim
and the fashion world was awash in Lee Cooper’s “acid washed” jeans.
Coco Chanel once said, "Fashion
is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way
we live, what is happening." Fashion is confidence and an art. Although the outfit may be laid back and messy, everything
has been strategically placed; that's the art of it.
Throughout the decades, there is always at least one fashion
icon that sets the standards. In the 1960s, the top fashionistas were Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O. and Edie Sedgewick. In the
1980s, icons Madonna and Cyndi Lauper were huge. Today, the forefront of fashion is dictated by worldwide superstars like
Lady Gaga and her outrageous get-ups.
Fashion, like history, music and art, tends to run in cycles. What was "in"
when our parents were young has swung back to the limelight. Right now the 1960s and 1980s are huge. Everything about these
generations rocked: the music, the hair and especially the fashion. Not only are the threads of the Terminator's day back;
they are ready for their close up.
From the 1960s we have copied the fur vests (faux of course), the adorable fedora
hat, and the high-waisted pant. From the 1980s, bold neon prints and colors are all the rage, along with oversized jewelry,
perfected layered clothes, knee high boots and leggings.
The challenging part about all these looks is that they require
certain masteries. The previous generations were more about music and fashion because they had no Internet, and much less
to distract from everyday life. Thanks to Google and iTunes, we are able to relive these generations and not just read about
them.
Take some tips from Madonna and her "Desperately Seeking Susan" era. Madonna is the epitome of the 1980s,
and lucky for us, she and her daughter Lourdes (Lola) Leon have created their own clothing line called Material Girl. These
outfits seem to have literally come out of her virginal closet.
The term 'yuppie' first came to prominence during
last year's US presidential campaign. At the time it seemed, from this side of the Atlantic, a mere sociological category,
a particular demographic group • young urban (or upwardly mobile) professionals. They were said to be important because
observers wondered which way they would go. Well, now we know - they went for Reagan (only the blacks and Jews didn't).
Indeed, they are the face - but not the heart and soul - of Reagan's America. Curiously enough it is hard to find people
who think of themselves as yuppies. Yuppies are always other people. The label is a construction, produced somewhere between
journalism and psephology. Yet yuppiedom is there, a potent image, a potent visible lifestyle that is widely taken to characterise
US society today. Yuppie culture is what life looks like in the big US city centres - in gentrified older quarters, in warehouses
turned into markets (a la Covent Garden, Britain's most yuppie invention), in restaurants, clubs and shops. Only black
culture - hip-hop, ghetto blasters, street rapping, the larger part of cinema audiences - is as visibly present, and
in glaring contrast to yuppie culture's affluent materialism.
We all know that each decade is marked
by different fashion trends. Fashion has become a visual timeline, marking each year with different trends.
American society has been greatly influenced
by fashion and style. We are in constant search looking for clothes and accessories which are “in style”, and
the 20th century is probably the time when people saw major changes in fashion. The 1900s was influenced by cars where girls had to wear a dustcoat
to avoid their clothes from being dirtied by dust from the road. The 1920s was a time when jazz music flourished and the
flapper style short fringed dresses glammed up with long pearls were in. 1930s was a time when the women just copied the
fashion trend of movie stars. 1940s was a time of war so the fashion was towards a uniform like attire with padded shoulders,
close tailored outfits and short skirts.
The 1950s saw the comeback of full
skirts
which are
cinched in the waist. This is the time when Marilyn Monroe was so famous. The 1960s saw fashion which was patterned from
influential women such as Jacqueline Kennedy. The 1970s was the disco period, tie dye shirts and bell bottom pants. The
1980s was changed by Madonna and everyone copied her off the shoulder sweat-shirt, leggings and skirt. 1990s was sleek and
sophisticated with acid jeans. Fashion
is forever changing, but what would not change is the big influence and major statements that each decade makes with their
fashion trends.
Even though one can still find boys that are wearing tube socks
today, during the 1980s tube socks were the in thing to wear for girls and they wore it with almost any kind of outfit. However,
just plain old tube socks were not enough during the 1980s. They had to be a ruffled to make the girls look really in step
with fashion.
Movies played a huge part in influencing
the 1980s fashion. Do you remember the movie Flashdance? That movie defined the new 1980s fashion look for young girls. Suddenly
everyone had to wear large sweaters that exposed one shoulder with the gym bra strap exposed over the shoulder. The girls also wore their hair in ponytails that sat on one side
of the head.
Stonewashed jeans were the very big
fashion item in the nineteen eighties. They had to be so skin tight that you always wondered how people got into them in
the first place. These jeans that were worn by men were accompanied by very colorful and decorative shirts or T-shirts.
Leg warmers were also very
popular during the nineteen eighties. Once again, very well-known celebrities influenced the fashion choices of teenage girls
through a music video that they made. Girls were wearing leg warmers with shorts, skirts, and many other types of pants.
As far as jewelry goes, one
of the very popular items was the bracelet. And of course these could not be just any bracelets; they had to be flashy bangle
bracelets. The more of these flashy bangles a girl could fit on her arm, the more hip she was.
The 1980s were truly a very colourful time. Remember
the popular male fashion accessory, those very brightly coloured shoelaces? Do you think anybody would dare wear them today
without looking like a complete fool?
Hats decorated with flowers or other types of prints were also very popular during that time. That is one
of the 1980s fashion trends that continued into the 90s.
Probably the one distinctive concept that would define 1980s fashion would be uniqueness.
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.
.
Like the fashion of all modern decades,
1980s fashion in popular culture incorporated distinct trends from different eras. This helped form a cultivating movement
of style. The most conservative, more masculine fashion look that was most indicative of the 1980s was the wide use of shoulder
pads.
While
in the 1970s the silhouette of fashion tended to be characterized by close fitting clothes on top with wider, looser clothes
on the bottom, this trend completely reversed itself in the early 1980s as both men and women began to wear looser shirts
and tight, close-fitting pants. Men wore power suits as a result of the greater tendency for people to display their wealth.
Brand names became increasingly important in this decade, making Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein household names.
In the United States,
Madonna was titled the "Material Girl" and many teenage girls looked to her for fashion statements. The popular
movie Flashdance (1983) made ripped sweatshirts well-known in the general public. The television shows Dallas and Dynasty
also had a similar impact.
New Romantic was a New Wave and fashion
movement that occurred primarily in British nightclubs. New romanticism emerged in the UK music scene in the early '80s
as a direct backlash against the austerity of the punk movement. Where punk railed against life in Britain's council
estates, the New Romantics celebrated glamour and partied regularly at local nightclubs. The make-up was streaky and bold.
The notoriously outlandish designer/club host Leigh Bowery, known for his exuberant designs, became a muse for artists such
as Boy George and had grown a huge status in the early 1980s underground club scene. The early designer of the romantic
look was Vivienne Westwood who designed clothing specifically for bands, such as Adam & the Ants and later developed
the "pirate look." The pirate look featured full-sleeved, frilled "buccaneer" shirts often made of expensive
fabrics. Hussar-style jackets with gold-braiding were worn with the shirts as well as high-waisted, baggy trousers which
tapered at the ankle. One element of this trend that went mainstream and remained popular for most of the decade were short
shirt collars worn unfolded against the neck with the top one or two buttons unfastened. Except in the most conservative
communities this became standard casual wear for both men and women. With the exception of business suits, to wear one's
collar folded appeared awkward or stuffy. Leggings were also very popular.
Former punk posers had taken to glamour and romance in clothing
and the club venues offered them a chance to show off that glamour at dedicated evenings. Theatrical ensembles were worn
to selected clubs in London such as Blitz and St. Moritz. These were the recognized venues where the new romantic movement
started.
Shoulder pads, popularized perhaps
by Linda Evans from the soap opera Dynasty, remained popular throughout the 1980s and even the first three years of the
1990s. The reason behind the sudden popularity of shoulderpads for women in the 1980s may be that women in the workplace
were no longer unusual, and wanted to "power dress" to show that they were the equals of men at the office. Many
women's outfits had Velcro on the inside of the shoulder where various sized shoulder pads could be attached.
The Dynasty television
show, watched by over 250 million viewers around the world in the 1980s, influenced the fashion styles in mainstream America.
The show, targeted towards females, influenced women to wear jewelry often to show one's economic status. Synthetic fabrics
went out of style in the 1980s. Wool, cotton, and silk returned to popularity for their perceived quality.
Men's business attire saw a return of
pinstripes for the first time since the 1970s. The new pinstripes were narrower and subtler than 1930s and 1940s suits but
similar to the 1970s styles. Three piece suits gradually went out of fashion in the early '80s and lapels on suits became
very narrow (similar to 1950s styles). While vests in the 1970s had commonly been worn high with six or five buttons, those
made in the early 1980s often had only four buttons and were made to be worn low. Neckties also became narrower in the 1980s
and skinny versions appeared in leather. Button down collars made a return, both for business and casual wear.
Meanwhile women's
fashion and business shoes returned to styles that had been popular in the 1950s and early 1960s with pointed toes and spiked
heels. Some stores stocked canvas or satin covered fashion shoes in white and dyed them to the customer's preferred
color. While the most popular shoes amongst young women were bright colored high heels, a trend started to emerge which
saw 'Jellies'—colorful, transparent plastic flats—become popular. The top fashion models of the 1980s
were Carol Alt, Christie Brinkley, Elle McPherson, and Paulina Porizkova.
Dr. Martens shoes were worn by both
sexes in the 1980s. They were an essential fashion accessory for the skinhead and punk subcultures in Britain. Sometimes
Dr. Martens were paired with mini skirts or full, Laura Ashley- style dresses. They were an important feature of the post-punk
1980s Gothic look which featured long, back-combed hair, pale skin, dark eyeshadow, eyeliner, and lipstick, black nail varnish,
spiked bracelets and dog-collars, black clothing, often made of gabardine, leather or velvet trimmed in lace or fishnet
material. Corsettes were often worn by girls. British bands which inspired the gothic trend include The Cure, Siouxsie and
The Banshees, and The Cult. This trend would resurge in the 1990s and 2000s.
During the early 1980s there was a
resurgence of interest in the ladies' evening wear styles of the early 1940s: peplums, batwing sleeves and other design
elements of the times were re-interpreted for a new market. The shoulder pad helped defined the silhouette and were reintroduced
in cut foam versions - especially in well cut suits reminiscent of the WWII era. Before too long, these masculinized shapes
were adopted by women seeking success in the corporate world and became an icon of women's attempts to smash the glass
ceiling, a mission that was added by their notable appearance in TV series Dynasty.
As the decade wore on, shoulder pads became the
defining fashion statement of the era, known as power dressing and bestowing the perception of status and position onto
those who wore them. They became both larger and more populous -- every garment from the brassiere upwards would come with
its own set of shoulder pads. To prevent excessive shoulder padding, velcro was sewn onto the pads so that the wearer could
choose how many sets to wear. By the end of the era, some shoulder pads were the size of dinner plates -- it was inevitable
that as the cycle of fashion turned, they would lose favour in the early 1990s.
As Hollywood took over, the red
carpet became more influential than the catwalk. Tabloid magazines and online gossip sites would dedicate sections especially
to celebrity fashion giving designers more coverage than ever, prompting magazine editors and fashion houses to bump models
from their seasonal campaigns and covers in favour of “It-girls”. But how many more times can we hear about so-and-so’s
drug abuse and however will it affect her million-dollar fashion campaign? Or even perhaps so-and-so’s political diatribe
that may or may not affect her million-dollar beauty deal. Actresses, apparently, can be a bit of a liability, although this
is not the sole reason for reverting to familiar faces. Despite the reported growth in earnings for luxury goods houses this
past quarter, fashion brands are smartening up and re-assessing their target consumers. Scarlett Johansson may appeal to women
in their twenties, but the likes of Schiffer and Seymour will grab the attention of the generations above, and with it, attract
much-needed purchasing power. After all, women in their fifties and late forties may share an affinity with them, as they
were busy forging careers and starting families when the supermodels were not yet so super. Ivan Bart, senior vice-president
of IMG Models in New York, says: “In a downturn economy, companies want to engage a spokesperson that drives the business.
Despite their age, the supermodels have taken care of themselves. There is more information available on health and beauty
today so women have more opportunities to look good. These models inspire that. They will guarantee these luxury brands sales.”
There is also something to be said about being an original; it gives you premium rights to an untouchable status. And though
the Supers have flitted in and out of vogue during the past two decades, they remain as strong and iconic as ever. On working
with Schiffer, Karl Lagerfeld said: “She’s better now than when she was 20, she is a miracle of nature. Those
girls are miracles of nature.”
|
