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By its very definition, fashion is something that is constantly changing. From the drape jacket and
skinny, drainpipe trousers of 1950’s teddy boys, through the disco-influenced three-piece flared suits of the 1970s
and on to the urban ‘trainers and loose-fit jeans’ look of the 1990s. Fashion has always been influenced by culture
and it reflects how ‘in’ someone is with the current popular mode of expression.
Whilst the 1990s saw ‘casual’
become more popular than ever, such fashion understatements could only ever have so much shelf-life before the next generation
of trend-setting trailblazers came along and created their own identity.By its very definition, fashion is something that
is constantly changing. From the drape jacket and skinny, drainpipe trousers of 1950’s teddy boys, through the disco-influenced three-piece flared suits of
the 1970s and on to the urban ‘trainers and loose-fit jeans’ look of the 1990s. Fashion has always been influenced
by culture and it reflects how ‘in’ someone is with the current popular mode of expression.
Whilst the 1990s saw ‘casual’ become
more popular than ever, such fashion understatements could only ever have so much shelf-life before the next generation of
trend-setting trailblazers came along and created their own identity. 
Indeed, the hottest look this season,
whilst borrowing a little from previous fashion styles, is very different to the fashion of only ten years ago. The dressing-down,
anti-fashion statements of the 90s has been replaced with much smarter attire, combining the slender cut of 1950s and 1960s
style, with a more modern look. Without doubt, suits are back in a big way.
As with most new trends, it only takes a browse
through the latest music magazines to see what the latest fashions are. The tracksuit top and baggy jeans of the 1990s rock
and pop star has now been replaced with a skinny black suit and slim tie. Indeed, it is now fashionable again to wear a
suit informally as well as formally. That is to say, they are no longer reserved for special occasions such as job interviews
or weddings.
Of
course, most men have at least one suit in their closet that they dust down for job interviews, weddings and any other occasion
that is deemed special enough to merit smart attire. And some men maybe even have a few suits if they are in a job that
has a strict dress code.
but a generic, bland suit still won’t
convey the right image in the workplace. If the suit is more than a few years old it may look dated and it may not even
fit as well as it once did.
Also, it’s important to look smart whilst not looking too stuffy. Investing in this new trend
is sure to create a better impression at work, as it’s well known that the way we dress not only affects the way we
are perceived by other people, but also the way we feel about ourselves; if we dress sharp, we’ll act sharp.
So, whether it’s
a new job in the New Year, or a night on the town with a group of friends, this season’s hottest look will ensure
the right image is portrayed. A skinny black suit is the height of fashion, and complimented with a slim tie and white shirt,
this will go a long way towards looking the part. A little effort can go a long way!
Max Azria is a fashion designer of
Tunisian descent who founded the popular midscale women's clothing line BCBG in 1989.
Originally from Tunisia, Max Azria was born
in SFAX (Tunisia); he entered the fashion industry in PARIS. Moving to California in the 1980s, he created BCBG, an acronym
for the French saying bon chic, bon genre, which in English means "good style, good attitude."
Max Azria's wife Lubov Azria
runs all aspects of the company with him, she decides on the style influences for each season and the store decor.
BCBG was designed to
bring European sophistication to American women. BCBG's trendy, chic, and unique styles and patterns were immediately
popularized in California and throughout the West Coast, becoming particularly favored in Washington, Arizona and Nevada.
After the company opened a flagship store in New York City, BCBG became internationally known in the fashion world.
Max Azria later
created an upscale collection known as The Max Azria Collection sold only through selected company-owned boutique stores,
before launching BCBGirls, BCBG//Attitude, To The Max, Parallel and acquiring the Hervé Léger label. The company
has recently taken over the Rave, G+G, and Ravegirls stores and created Max Rave - a line of clothes that are for juniors
and are accessible at more affordable prices than the couture brands but with the same high quality. The company opened
its first freestanding "Max Azria" boutique on Los Angeles' Melrose Avenue in 1993. Newly added are shops in
West Palm Beach, New York's SoHo, Montreal and Southern California's Newport Beach. More recently the BCBG Max Azria
brand sells in the United Kingdom as a concession within Harvey Nichols stores in London,
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.
The revolution in men's fashion
has been gaining pace for some years now. First, the rise of the world 'metrosexual' - used to refer to trendy men
who took care to dress well and look good - brought the growing male awareness of style to the forefront. However, in the
last couple of years, so many men have begun to take an interest in fashion and clothing that singling certain males out
as 'metrosexual' seems to have little meaning: everyone's in on it.
In large part, the rise in male fashion consciousness
has to do with the emergence of popular style icons as household names. Trends in men's fashion have often been swayed
by cultural figures: from the distinctive clothes of Mick Jagger and David Bowie to the original haircuts of anyone from
The Beatles to Kevin Keegan. But with the meteoric success of David Beckham as a well-dressed celebrity in the limelight
throughout the 1990s, it became 'stylish' to be stylish again - and men seemed to start taking acute care of their
clothes, hair and general appearance.
While other famous sportsmen - like
Amir Khan and Kevin Pietersen - have been making inroads into the fashion industry, it's musicians that are leading
the new generation of male style icons today. Pete Doherty's relationship with Kate Moss, each chapter of which has been
meticulously catalogued in the press, instantly projected him into the consciousness of style gurus the world over, making
him an instant fashion idol of men keen to keep up with up-and-coming clothing trends.
Since then, the dandy-esque ways of a range
of men in the public eye have become an inspiration to the fashion-conscious in Britain: from Russell Brand to David Tennant,
men's fashion trends have been immortalised on TV, in film and photography. The result has been that investment in male
retail stores has increased considerably, with leading British fashion retailer Topman having recently opened a new flagship
store in Cardiff - the store's biggest premises outside of London.
Moreover, the recent upturn in the men's fashion stakes has
had an equally influential effect on teenagers, as much so as on young professionals and the under-40s. Harry Potter star
Daniel Radcliffe, for example, is often held up as an exemplary model of men's fashion, while young bands like the Arctic
Monkeys, The Klaxons and The View are frequently lauded for their irreverent approach to clothing and hairstyles.
Christian Marie Marc Lacroix (May 16,
1951 in Arles, France) is a high-end French fashion designer. Born in Arles, France, at a young age he began sketching historical
costumes and fashions. He studied history of art at the University of Montpellier and then enrolled at the Sorbonne in Paris.
While working on a dissertation on dress in French 18th-century painting, Lacroix also pursued a program in museum studies
at the Louvre Museum. In 1978 he joined the French firm Hermès, where he worked on color schemes and the execution
of designs.
From
1981 to 1987 Lacroix worked at the fashion house of Jean Patou, and in 1987 he opened his own couture and ready-to-wear
business. With his background in historical costume and clothing, Lacroix soon made headlines with his opulent, fantasy
creations, including the short puffball skirt (“le pouf”), rose prints, and low décolleté necklines.
He quoted widely from other styles—from fashion history (the corset and the crinoline), from folklore, and from many
parts of the world—and he mixed his quotations in a topsy-turvy manner. He favored the hot colors of the Mediterranean
region, a hodgepodge of patterns, and experimental fabrics, sometimes handwoven in local workshops.
Mulberry is a British fashion company
known for creating luxury leather goods for men and women. The brand has since grown and now includes womenswear, menswear,
and most recently, footwear for women.
Mulberry was established in 1971 with modest roots in Somerset, England, and on the shelves of
London fashion emporium, Biba. The Mulberry quickly grew to become the first British lifestyle brand, and at the time, favourites
from Mulberry included the leather agenda and the poacher bags. The start of the 21st century saw the creation of two timeless
and iconic Mulberry bags – The Bayswater and The Roxanne – which only seem to gain in popularity as the seasons
go by. Other best sellers include the unisex Antony messenger-style bag and the mabel bag for women. Stylish British celebrities
Kate Moss, Keira Knightly and Sienna Miller are often seen carrying Mulberry bags and wearing Mulberry clothing.
Mulberry is
the only British luxury brand retaining and investing in its UK factory. Instead of closing down the factory, (called The
Rookery and located in Somerset, England), to save production costs, Mulberry has plans on expanding the factory to increase
the number of their bags produced in the UK.
In 2006, Mulberry launched an apprenticeship program to encourage local youths to learn production
skills, sustaining a way of working that has lasted generations and providing training and employment for the local community.
When the apprentices graduate from the program, they are guaranteed a job at the factory and are encouraged to work their
way up through the ranks to become managers.
Mulberry has stores all over the world, including Europe, America and Asia. In England there are
Mulberry stores located in London, Manchester and Leeds.
Fashion will always be a part of our
lives. Not all people are attracted to what is new and hip, and styles vary with every person’s tastes. Even so, every
time you walk out the door and stop to look in the mirror if your clothes are suited accordingly, you are trying to make
a good fashionable impression.
Fashion is a general term that describes whether something fits with the popular mode of expression
at a given time. But, at that specific time there may be a lot of expression modes taking place, and none related to the
other. If something is fashionable at that point, that means it fits one of those styles. Let’s talk about the evolution
of hip hop clothing.
This is a trend that started with the
early hip hop singers like LL Cool J, Run DMC, Kurtis Blow and many others. While there were a lot of things that made a
statement about the newly founded culture, like haircuts and jewelry, the most important of them all was hip hop clothing.
Back then, the
clothes were mostly black-green-and-red. The 80s hip hop fashion also implied dreadlocks as haircuts and Africa chains as
jewelry, which stated that this culture was a part of your life. With the passing of time and the evolution of the music,
hip hop clothing also took a turn.
The 1990s brought with them baseball caps and colored clothes for some. Other singers were inspired
by prison uniforms, which turned into the no belt fashion. The hip hop clothing trends in America were also divided according
to regions. The west favored flannel shirts and sneakers, while the east was often represented by hooded tops and boots.
Southern trend introduced gold teeth as fashionable.
The late 1990s also introduced new
entries. Mafioso style became popular with alligator skin shoes and hats, with Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. as the pioneers,
but also shiny suits with platinum jewelry were then a pleasant combination, something usually worn by P. Diddy.
All fashion
trends started from a hip hop star. Whatever they decided was fashionable, the hip hop honeys embraced without a second thought.
Everyone was free to decide what clothes they would wear to make a statement, but not all clothes were in tone with the
current trends.
You
may wonder what I mean by hip hop honeys. Well, these are the people that follow this culture anytime, anywhere. They know
exactly what the new trends are, the kind of clothes that can be matched and what jewelry to wear with those clothes.
In the early
days, hip hop honeys could find clothes to fit their tastes and culture in a relatively small number of brick and mortar
stores. However, since the internet has now become more like a necessity than a whim, the stores have taken a virtual form.
It takes only a computer, an internet connection and a few clicks to reach a reliable source of hip hop clothing.
Madonna has lived in the limelight
for over a decade. She succeeded in adapting to her constantly changing environment and even succeeding in making her environment
adapt to her.
Back
in the 80's, Madonna first came out, clothed in leather and accessorized with bows, lace, fishnet stocking and religious
effigies draped her neck. The virginal rebel was an instant hit, with platinum locks, a beauty mark and a vocal range what
was not to like? Her fashion sense was a slew of edgy plus girly an effective eye catcher.
Madonna was like the seasons, her music and
changed to fit her lifestyle more than needing to fit into other people's lifestyles.
She was a hit because she brought fashion
onto the stage, she created different looks that was copied again and again. Perhaps her cone shaped bra wasn't street
vogue but every performer had without a doubt copied the dominatrix fashion.
Her island look in La Isla Bonita has graced dozens
of magazine fashion spreads. Material Girl was not only top of the music list but was additional advertising for jewelers
like Tiffany & Co.
During her portrayal in the movie Argentina, she was dressed in tailored dark suits favored by Evita Peron.
The wardrobe gave way to many hit songs that spawned from the lifestyle that was Evita and Argentina.
In the 1990's when
most of the music was centered towards rock and grunge groups, Madonna still permeated the airwaves and the fashion world.
Designers here and there clamoured to have the honour of dressing her up during the Awards Nights and various functions that
would definitely keep her in the spotlight for more than your average 15 minutes of fame.
Born in the East End of London, he
is the son of a taxi driver, Alexander McQueen started making dresses for his three sisters at a young age and announced
his intention of becoming a fashion designer.
McQueen left Rokeby School at 16, landing himself an apprenticeship with Savile Row tailors Anderson
& Sheppard, then working for Gieves & Hawkes and the famous theatrical costumiers Angels and Bermans. Whilst on
Savile Row, McQueen's clients included Mikhail Gorbachev and Charles, Prince of Wales. At the age of 20, he spent a period
of time working for Koji Tatsuno before traveling to Milan, Italy and working for Romeo Gigli.
McQueen returned to London in 1994 and applied
to London's most prestigious fashion school, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design to work as a pattern cutter
tutor. Due to the strength of his portfolio he was persuaded by the Head of the Masters course to enroll on the course as
a student. He received his Masters degree in Fashion design and famously, his graduation collection was bought in its entirety
by influential fashion stylist Isabella Blow, who was said to have persuaded McQueen to change his name from Lee to Alexander
(his middle name) when he subsequently launched his fashion career.
Alexander McQueen's early runway collections developed his
reputation for controversy and shock tactics (earning the title "enfant terrible" and "the hooligan of English
fashion"), with trousers aptly named "bumsters", and a collection entitled "Highland Rape". It has
also been claimed that he was on income support and that he needed to change his name for his first show so that he could
continue to receive benefits. McQueen is known for his lavish, unconventional runway shows, such as a recreation of a shipwreck
for his spring 2003 collection, spring 2005’s human chess game and his fall 2006 show, Widows of Culloden, which featured
a life-sized hologram of supermodel Kate Moss, dressed in yards of rippling fabric.
Stella McCartney was born in London, the second child of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and Linda
Eastman. She is named after her maternal great-grandmothers: both of Linda McCartney's grandmothers were named Stella.
As a young girl, McCartney travelled the globe with her parents and their pop group Wings, along with her siblings: older
half-sister Heather (who was legally adopted by Paul McCartney), older sister Mary, and younger brother James. According to
her father, the name of Wings was inspired by Stella's difficult birth. As his daughter was being born by emergency caesarean
section, Paul sat outside the operating room and prayed that she be born "on the wings of an angel." Wings toured
from shortly after her birth in 1971 until 1980.
Despite their fame, the McCartneys wanted their children to lead as normal a life as possible so
Stella and her siblings attended the local state school in East Sussex, one of them being Bexhill College. McCartney has said
that while attending state school, she was a victim of bullying, as well as a bully herself. Stella McCartney became interested
designing clothes at age 12, when she made her first jacket. Three years later, she interned for Christian Lacroix, working
on his first fashion design collection, honing her skills on Savile Row for a number of years.
She studied fashion design at Central Saint
Martins College of Art and Design in the early 1990s. Her graduation collection in 1995 was modelled by friends and supermodels
Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon and Kate Moss – for free – at the graduation runway show. The collection was shown
to a song penned by her famous father, called "Stella May Day." The show made front-page news, and the entire
collection was sold to Tokio, a London boutique. The designs were licensed to Browns, Joseph, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman
Marcus. In
1998 she designed her sister Mary's wedding dress for her wedding to television producer Alistair Donald. As a strict vegetarian,
McCartney does not use fur or leather in her designs and supports PETA. Some of McCartney's designs have text that elaborates
on her "no animal" policy; for example, one of her jackets for Adidas says, "suitable for sporty vegetarians"
on the sleeve. Her father is also known for supporting PETA by protesting against designers who use animal fur and those
who wear it. However, Stella will use wool, silk, and other animal-derived fabrics in her designs.
Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton
(pronounced /lwi vɥitɔ̃/), or sometimes shortened to LV, is a French luxury fashion and leather goods brand
and company, one of the main divisions of LVMH headquartered in Paris, France. Known especially for bags and trunks, the company
collaborates with prominent figures for marketing and design (most notably supermodel Gisele Bündchen and fashion designer
Marc Jacobs). Internationally renowned and highly regarded for name recognition in the fashion world, as a result LV has become
one of the most counterfeited contemporary luxury brands.
LV is also
one of the oldest fashion houses in the world, having started in 1854. It sells its products strictly through its own retail
stores, small boutiques in high-end department stores, and online (as an effort against counterfeit). It primarily competes
with Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Armani, Prada and similar luxury fashion brands.
Riccardo Tisci (b. 1974 or 1975) is
an Italian fashion designer. He graduated from London's Central Saint Martins Academy, and in 2005 was named creative
director for Givenchy womenswear, haute couture and in May 2008 he was named as menswear and accessories designer of the
Givenchy men's division.
His apparent fascination with Gothic touches (dark, languid dresses on sickly models for fall couture)
and space-age minimalism (one ready-to-wear show featured white-clad models drifting aimlessly around a sterile-white sphere)
have drawn new attention to the Givenchy brand. Reviews and output so far have been mixed and inconsistent, but many, including
influential fashion critics (such as Cathy Horyn of the New York Times and Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune)
have homed in on Tisci's conceptual leanings, as well as his future potential for revitalizing the Givenchy brand and
infusing it with his precision and imagination.
Seventeen magazine made its debut in the 1940s, teen
magazines have been one of the most successful genres of magazines. But in the late 1990s, the teen magazine market exploded,
with scores of new titles entering the playing fi eld in response to the largest youth market since the Baby Boomers—an
estimated 33 million 12- to 19-year-olds who spend upwards of $175 billion annually.1 The sheer size of this group of “Echo
Boomers” and the competing media choices available to them have splintered the youth audience in more ways than ever
before. Niche journals for boys interested in extreme sports, “little sister” magazines spun off from popular
women’s titles, online companions to print editions, and alternative ‘zines—all these trends and more are
reshaping the world of teens and magazines in new ways. During the 1990s, teens constituted the fastest-growing segment of
the population, which signaled to publishers that the market could support more teen titles: the number of new teen magazines
more than tripled from 5 in 1990 to 19 in 2000 Up until the late 1990s, Seventeen, Teen, and YM were the top three teen
magazines, with a total of 6.3 million readers. Then the teen magazine market became more crowded and competitive with adult-to-teen
crossovers that shifted the balance, starting with Teen People in 1998, followed by CosmoGirl!, Elle Girl, and Teen Vogue.
These changes ultimately forced Teen to fold, Seventeen’s ad revenues to drop, and YM’s circulation to decline.
The fallout eventually led Seventeen and YM to reposition themselves to target older teens 17 and up. Each of these
so-called “little sister” startups has its own istinct take: CosmoGirl! is targeted to the Cosmo reader’s
younger sister but without the explicit sex talk, Elle Girl is for the off-beat, street-chic girl with a multicultural fl
air, and Teen Vogue is aimed at the fashion-conscious adolescent female.
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