Bank Holiday Film Day - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Hotsy-Totsy 1900-1920

 The Western World, in the last 100 years or so, has been a highly charged social petri dish of incessant and rapid change in innovation, perhaps more than in any other century before it. Developments in invention, culture, science, entertainment, to name just a few of the vast number of aspects of a functioning society, has changed the manner in which humans proceed through their day-to-day existence in the most unfathomable of contexts.

The effects of war, politics, prejudice and globalisation in the 20th Century have sent slow burning oscillations through communities, sculpting everything in its path like a social tsunami, not at least, fashion.

Coming into September, with preparations for S/S 14 having their I's dotted and their T's crossed, most publications flashing the ever-so engrossing sneak peeks at what you're going to ache and yearn for in your wardrobe come March 2014 and the attempted transition between the caspm of S/S and A/W outfits are all in a revolving and bloodied tussle for attention in your head.

As imperatively marked trend prediction is, being the oxygen for designers, retailers, writers and consumers a-like, once the time for seasonal transition arrives, I enjoy taking a reflective back seat in order to see a bigger picture of magnetism. I feel some people perhaps leak the capacity to learn of the past and sacrifice such in order to perpetually follow the intoxicating hunt for the next big thing and in conjunction neglect the wider elements of what aids piece the fashion jigsaw together.

Fashion followers may possess vast knowledge of their inspirational style icons dating back 60 or 70 years in their periphery but alongside this may only possess patchy wisdom in way of the detailed dissections of the 20th Century fashion evolution.

Understanding of the effect outside factors have had upon the construction of fashion, leading into the substantial global sculpture it is in the early 21st Century, I personally see, as an exciting storyboard of avant-garde progression.



With such, this is the beginning of a sequence of blog posts examining the period of fashion progression from 1900 to the present day in an attempt to draw a timeline of instrumental changes that has come to produce the engrossing display of form we witness in the contemporary dimensions of fashion today.

Christened the haute couture era, 1900-1920 saw Paris stake it's claim as the artistic capital of the world. Silhouettes of the late 19th Century had seen narrow skirts and raised waist lines then flourish into the fashionable ideals of the early 20th century of a confident woman with a full low chest and curvy hips, making an appearance beforehand in 1830.

Parisian couturiers dipped their toes into a new century and aided in mapping the journey of women's fashion for the western world. Moreover, In 1908, a new profile presented itself from the likes of Callot Soeurs, Vionnet at the house of Doucet and most significantly Paul Poiret, a pioneer of Paris fashion, producing harem pantaloons, lampshade tunics and monumental draping

With the formerly prominent corset being described as "indispensable", pigeon breast blouses and the newly honed, popular S-Bend corset were more in demand.
The S-Bend corset aided to thrust hips backwards and forced the chest forwards to create a desired pouter-pigeon shape. Alongside this, puffed, frilly blouses aided in pronouncing this figure with embellishments of lace collars, ribbon ties and increased sleeve sizes.

As the 1900's gave way to a new decade, the hourglass silhouettes buckled to also give way to a slimmer and narrower counterpart, continuing to do so up until The Great War. Emphasis was made upon the necessity of a flatter bust and slimmer hips, in utter diverse nature to the preceding period of the century.

Upon contemplation of the 20th Century, an abundance of people would unquestionably think of only World War 2 having the most considerable impact on flowering fashion but The First World War between the years of 1914 and 1918 mutilated the line of development. Women began adopting more practical working clothes and often overalls or trousers. In the provisions of design, no significant advancement was made during this span of time and attention to detail and materials became lost in a gulf.

As previously referred to, couturier Paul Poiret danced the elegant dance of oriental opulence by introducing fluidity into his fashion house. Designs that were exotic and decadent, curating turbans, kimonos and draping. Bustles and trains were dissolved from dresses and long tunic-like tops would be worn over an ankle length a-line skirt, cinched in at the hem, creating ever-lasting appeal.

Poiret went to the places that few in fashion had the foresight, nor inclination to go, laying the foundations for subsequent generations.

Perhaps a reason as to why Poiret isn't such a powerhouse like design equivalents such as Chanel in the present day almost certainly lie at the doorstep of World War 1. Poiret served in the military until 1919 and upon return, the fashion house was flirting with bancruptcy. His designs were now viewed as "dowdy" and "ill-manufactured" in contraposition to opposing prospective fashion houses.
His considerable leverage and influence modified women's apparel forever, although often forgotten, still retains a legacy and a slice of modern women's fashion. Present day women's fashion will forever have the soft plasmas of Poiret running through its veins.

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Reading List

It's very much time to get your specs on humbugs and swot up on this week's reading list!




Firstly, have a ganders at the swell article via Queens Of Vintage on the troubled and dazzling 40's icon, Gene Tierney. Her beauty and star status, mixed with scandal and mental illness, she truly is a vision to behold.

Also blanket concocting how-to's courtesy of the delightful Meet Me At Mikes

A happiness to-do list from The Glamourous Housewife

Vixen Vintage's helpful guide to 40's hairstyles

And a quick lesson in learning to date vintage again from Queens Of Vintage - my sugared blogging addiction of late.

The Music To My Ears insight into vintage music and it's melodic seduction from The Glamourous Housewife

ANNA SUI FALL 2013

Well by gum that didn't last long!

Not two weeks have passed since the sounds of hissing and booing travelled the mediterranean ocean as exuberant outpouring of gush from rolling news about SPF 50 outbreaks and scantilly clad british ladies frolicking into the sea at Brighton in little more than fluro nylon wire. Safe to say whilst in Spain, BBC news was banned to avoid weather angst.

Glastonbury is done, visit to Nerja is done and the British air is now moist and disappointing. Being nostalgic of autumnal hues already, it's time to sound the A/W 2013 klaxon. I can almost feel the crochet capes. All that early 2013 revision shalt finally be put into rousing practise, but along with that comes yet more season straddling for when new SS 14 collections seep into the thought process.

High levels of execution, innate eccentricity and gentle geometrics make Anna Sui A/W 2013 my first point of call for inspiriation for the upcoming dark chill-fest.

Say howdy to the tightly focussed and rigorous collection of burnt orange geometrics, high decibel print amalgamations and crocheted, seaweed shaded knit dresses.

Saturating factors of late 50's/early 60's Paris, Blair Warldorf Constance Billard school uniform and Nouvelle Vague, Anna Sui oh so heavy heartedly aids us all into chilly transition with neat effect volumous furs in jewelled tones, go-go girl Pringle-esque knee high schoolgirl socks and woven lapel lined blazers. This without even mentioning the dazzling power ties and THAT choreographed joie de vivre introduction.

Colour palettes veered into the ever shyed away combinations of cerise pink and plum, developing into psychadelic tweeds of royal blue and tiled dartmouth green.

Music was coveted by main muse of runway music, Frederic Sanchez, who used inkeeping punchy 60's french pop, met with optical illusion garments, wool berets, medieval cross pendants and the best use of a tie on a woman I may have ever came across. Charming geometric prints, boucle and block colour hosiery played a constant lead role, alongside the winter ready textiles which made for an engrossing show report.

This confident collection was approached with sporadic and tired generalisations of "trashy models", "lack of imagination and visionary approach" and "tacky and disappointing in line with Sui's previous collections". In contrast, I was under the blanket of opinion that seemingly enjoyed the cohesive approach and silmultaneous simplicity.

Whispers of Godard & Gainsbourg flowed around the room as freely as the spherical pussybow prints. After flirting with the 70's in previous collections, as much as such a niche is relied on in multiple outputs, the inspiration behind the collection doesn't stop it from reaching the dizzying heights of being accepted as a eyewatering & gluttenous use of mood imagery, rich with creativity, no matter the muse.

Whether is were the space-age sunglasses, figure filling knit dresses, decadent wide bell sleeves, mid thigh hemlines, chevroned cigarette trousers or the insanely pretty hosiery, it has helped pop ideas into the brain for the AW I've looked forward to the most for an age.

Etsy's best....

HATS

  all via Poppycock Vintage

 

 

 

 

peek from this week

Thursday afternoon, escaping from work with upmost haste 

upon the eerie scenario of not having enough work to do!!!! Some would complain, but being able to cut a slice of charity shop & vintage boutique pie and swallow it down was a lovely option. 

I've been experimenting of late with different hemlines, skirt lengths and silhouettes. The 1950's silhouette of cocoon and hourglass shapes, small waists, great full skirts and slimline pencils embroidered with elements of bullet bras, seamed stockings, pin curls, petticoats and structured headwear. In the late 50's, Dior was not only seen as the sole dictator of the trend driven silhouette, Balenciaga played an important role in the timeline of post war fashion evolution.

I start my university Fashion Journalism course in around 6 weeks and I'm in post "please like me fellow students" outfit scrawling and I'm a wee bit obsessed with getting my wartime mutts on a Goodwood-esqe World War II, 1940's full skirt suit. 

Ala. many lovely fellow bloggers

Miss Turnstiles

The Vintage Mafia

Some Lovely ladies and gentlemen at Goodwood

This isn't me in a suit, but on the hunt. New skirt and shoes, two-tone grey, lengthy, cotton 50's skirt from Flip Vintage based in Newcastle Upon Tyne and cream snakeskin slingbacks from The Salvation Army.

With pond green and black jacket with black velvet lapels, purchased at a Vintage Kilo Sale, white sleeveless blouse with large collar from The Salvation Army and beige cat eye sunglasses bought Vintage in London