Saturday, June 5, 2010

Vintage 1970’s Fashion

Clothing of 1970s'

The 1970s were literally the “anything goes” decade. For some, the uglier and clunkier the fashion, the better. For others, soft and feminine was the answer. No matter what you “dug” though, making a fashion statement reached its apex in the 1970s.
The 1970s were an intensely tumultuous time, with various cultures and subcultures coming out into the open at once. Cynicism abounded as militant feminism, Civil Rights, the Watergate scandal, and the Vietnam War brought gritty reality to the forefront. These influences gave designers new ammunition, and the public was eager for the latest fashion wave.
The idealism of the 1960s had long since disappeared into the wind. There were increasing anxieties about global pollution and the exhaustion of the earth’s natural resources. The 1970s had seen war in the Middle East, the war in Vietnam had ended, there was corruption in the highest levels of American government with Watergate and Nixon’s resignation, an oil crisis, and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia had turned its fertile land into killing fields. There was a daily diet of the world’s troubles brought into the homes of the West through television.

Movies and television shows such as Charlie’s Angels were having an increasingly profound affect on fashion. Cultural icons such as Wonder Woman created a lust for interesting boots-often teamed with hot pants or short skirts. Boots might be shiny, textured, bejeweled, or covered with psychedelic or floral designs, but they were seldom boring.
Dressing to shock was popular, and the Punk and Glam movements took it to an extreme. Designers pushed the envelope by decorating shoes for adoring-and outrageous-customers such as Elton John, David Bowie, and Cher. Designers took platform shoes to new heights, building 7- to 8-inch stacked heels and covering them in rhinestones, sequins, and other adornments.

This era’s fashions are also frequently marked by designers such as Givenchy, Norell, and Oscar de la Renta. The 1960s trend of mini skirts, bell bottoms, and long hair, lasted through this decade. Polyster knitted fabrics broke the ground to expand the continuing look. If you didn’t wear polyster, the preferred textile was denim blue jeans. Skirts came in three lengths in the 1970s, mini, midi, and maxi. Television and film reflected the way people dressed such as Annie Hall and Saturday Night Fever. The latter half of the decade’s fashions were heavily influenced by glam Rock ‘n’ Roll and Disco music.

Speaking of shoes, Nike debuted in 1972; the result of a fateful bit of ingenuity meeting a waffle iron. Running became a popular pastime, and running shoes were a functional necessity, especially for men (and Farrah Fawcett – see ‘Charlie’s Angels’!) The athletic craze was only just beginning though (see the 80s).
Not only did Nike hit the scene in 1972, but David Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust came out…..in a big way. According to Bowie, the name “Ziggy” came primarily from the title of a London tailor’s shop (called “Ziggy’s”) that Bowie observed from a train one day. In an interview he said that it was his private joke that because Ziggy Stardust was going to be largely about clothes, he had named him “Ziggy”. But I digress….with a wham, bam thank you ma’am, GLAM was suddenly all the rage, on both sides of the pond. Boys borrowed girls’ boas, blouses, slinky shirts and sometimes even their makeup. Bands like the New York Dolls had followings bigger than Elvis and it was hard to tell the girls from the boys! Fashion was all over the place by this point and in 1975 there was the natural romantics (think Gunne Sax), the earth mothers (think earth shoes and chukka boots), and now it was the girls turn to try out the boys’ style.

Diane Keaton, Woody Allen’s chanteuse in the neurotic 1977 venture movie ‘Annie Hall‘, was very much unlike other leading ladies in one all-important area-this lady looked like a man (fashion-wise only of course). Men’s shirts, ties, fedoras you name it. In the late 70’s, women’s lib was breaking free from the chains of old-fashioned female constrictions. There was a collective gasp in the late 60’s when girls donned ‘boys clothes’ and wore pantsuits outside the house, but this&ldots; this was outright stealing from their father’s closet! That wacky Annie wore men’s blazers, baggy pants, vests, oversized shirts, ties and floppy hats-sometimes all at once, or sometimes just a men’s jacket was an accessory.

Popular 70s Trademarks: Feathered hair, bell bottoms, short shorts, mopeds, disco and glam, roller skating, 8-track tapes, puka beads, – mini, midi and maxi skirt lengths, movie Thank God It’s Friday, movie Roller Boogie, movie Saturday Night Fever, movie Grease, chukka boots, STUDIO 54, Pet Rocks, Star Wars, Wacky Packs (trading cards), KC & the Sunshine Band, ABBA, arena rock, David Bowie, Boston, Kansas, Styx, fringe, angel flights (pants), Happy Days & Laverne and Shirley (TV shows)

More 1970’s info
FashionEra.com
Wikipedia
Costume Gallery
1970s Fashion
More 1970’s
1970’s icons
David Bowie
Elton John
Cher
ABBA
The Rolling Stones

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Vintage 1960s' fashion

Clothing of 1960s'

Youth predominated the culture of the 1960’s. The post World War II Baby Boom had created 70 million teenagers for the sixties, and these youth swayed the fashion, the fads and the politics of the decade. California surfers took to skateboards as a way to stay fit out of season, and by 1963, the fad had spread across the country. Barbie dolls, introduced by Mattel in 1959, became a huge success in the sixties, so much so that rival toy manufacturer Hasbro came up with G.I. Joe, 12 inches tall and the first action figure for boys.

In fashion, the 1960’s began with crew cuts on men and bouffant hairstyles on women. Men’s casual shirts were often plaid and buttoned down the front, while knee-length dresses were required wear for women in most public places. By mid-decade though, miniskirts or hot pants, often worn with go-go boots, were revealing legs and women’s hair was either very short or long and lanky. Men’s hair became longer and wider along with beards and moustaches. Menswear too had a much needed renaissance; bright colors, double-breasted sports jackets, polyester pants suits with Nehru jackets, and turtlenecks were in vogue.

By 1964 the teenage influence caused the hemlines to creep up, and most teenagers were wearing mid-thigh length shifts as daywear. The sweater-dress was also very popular with young girls from 1961 onwards, until the mid-60s when other innovative designs were introduced. 1965 saw the premiere of culotte dresses in op-art or vibrant coloured patters (think Peter Max or Pucci) and these were most popular as evening or party wear; culottes had the freedom of trousers but the look of a full skirt. 1966’s dress was the tent, or “baby doll dress”, sometimes in transparent chiffon, worn over a contrasting slip, and often sewn-in.

1966 was the year of the mini-skirt! Widely acknowledged as the brainchild of designer Mary Quant, within a year anybody who had the body to pull it off was wearing a mini, many of whose hemlines were 4-5 inches above the knee in New York and 7-8 inches above the knee in London! Throughout this time skirts were often paired with a matching sweater and matching set of tights for a uniform look. 1965 and 66 also saw the mini-coat, perfectly straight and virtually shapeless; also the pop-inspired dyed furs and PVC designs. By 1967 capes were popular, and were often made with matching deerstalker hats.

In ladies’ tops or blouses, from 1960 onwards the turtleneck, or polo neck, sweater was common, especially under a collarless jacket, and in 1966 Aran sweaters, with their thick knit, became trendy. Sleeve length was usually ¾ length, with long sleeves often pushed partway up the arms for a ¾ look (think Jackie O style suits and jackets). Sleeveless tops did not become popular until the mid 1960s.

By the end of the decade, men’s ties, when worn, were up to 5″ wide; most were patterned even when worn with stripes. Women wore peasant skirts or granny dresses and chunky shoes. Unisex dressing was very popular, featuring the bell bottomed jeans, love beads, and embellished t-shirts. Clothing was as likely to be purchased at surplus stores as boutiques. Blacks of both genders wore their hair in an afro; whites of both genders wore their hair either big and frizzy or long and straight.

More 1960’s info

1960’s Icons

Jackie Kennedy

Costume ideas:

Mod

Hippy

Teddy Boys

Beatnick

Men in the 1960s:

Men’s suits finally became more fitting. Tailored jackets and narrow lapels worn with narrow collared shirts and skinny ties became popular thanks to Italian designers’ influence. Men’s fashion palettes expanded, which was not surprising, considering that clothing choices for men during the 1950s could hardly have become more conservative. The result is sleek and modern suits that we can see on tv series Mad Men. Popular shoes for men at the time were winkle pickers, an exaggerated pointy toe shoe.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Vintage 1950s' fashion

Optimism abounded during the post-war years of the 1950s. The focus was on the baby-booming family and being a good housewife which was the ultimate measure of success.
The United States had emerged victorious from another bitter war. Television was now in many households, and the TV culture of I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners reflected ideals of the time. Stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, and Elvis Presley introduced a smoldering sex appeal into an age of conservatism.

Consumerism became a popular pastime in the 1950s, as the post-war boom provided a sense of economic optimism. New gadgets and gizmos proclaimed the future was here and liberated women from many onerous household tasks. Homemaking, it seemed, was not so bad when you had electric stoves, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, and the like. Women could now concentrate on making a comfortable home for their families, and still have time to have a life outside of the kitchen.

The constant rounds of barbecues, cocktail parties, and other social events all required dressing up. Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ influenced fashion, but so did the conservative elegance of Coco Chanel. Charles Jourdan introduced a new kind of shoe style, the stiletto heel, in 1951. As time went on the goal was for the slimmest possible heel, eliminating earlier “chunky” styles. The pump was the basic shoe, but its toes might be cut, the vamps curved or cut in enticing ‘V’s, or the heels molded into a variety of shapes. Every color of the rainbow was used; shoes were intended to match an outfit perfectly.
Men in the 50s seemed to be seeking more security (post war). Conservatism was the new catch phrase and this is especially reflected in the menswear of the early 1950s when the trim quiet look was in vogue. This was a distinct change from the late 1940s bright colors. Now dark colors and shades of blues, browns and gray took over the scene. In 1953 the gray flannel suit began its reign. It was in 1953 that President Eisenhower refused to bow to tradition at his inauguration and chose to wear a jacket and homburg with his striped trousers instead of the usual top hat and cutaway. Looking back on his decision, it now seems merely to be the choice of a man who wanted more informality and a less rigid way of dealing with ordinary affairs. In all actuality it was merely a ripple on the surface of what was to become a full scale revolt by the young. Elvis Presley was just waiting in the wings with his suede shoes!

Teenagers were basically the focal point of this era. Films such as ‘Rebel without a Cause’ were influential in how teenagers dressed. The Beatnik culture, inspired by authors such as Jack Kerouac, was also in vogue. Leather, Levi’s, and Converse sneakers helped create the look. Along with the famous circle and poodle skirts, ponytails, saddle shoes, penny loafers, and colored sneakers were popular with teenaged bobby-soxers. Sandals, ballet slippers, and other casual footwear became increasingly fashionable, as pool parties and other casual outdoor activities became popular.