DANCING IN(TO) THE 50’s

We were dancing in a dim room. Piano. Frank Sinatra is playing in the vinyl record player. We go round and round. Saxophone. We are smiling. Voice. I fix my hair band and my flared red skirt. Piano again. The set changes. "I’ve got you under my skin". And in a glance of a song we danced all the way into the 50’s.

Dancing has a way of making us travel (or is it the red shoes? I’m actually wearing them…). But we must keep on moving; otherwise we will miss all the beauty. We must take in the greatness of the show that is surrounding us. We went all the way from a 50’s theme party to a party that is actually taking place in the 50’s. We can see the people around us but they don’t seem to notice us. It’s like we are in a transparent invisible box that moves as long as we keep on dancing (can these trips get more amazing?). Now that I understood the mechanism, I should tell you what I’m seeing. Women are wearing sack dresses or LBDs and they all possess satin gloves and pearls. Ballerina and femininity are the key-words. Men seem to embrace the “Bold Look” introduced by Esquire Magazine in 1948: wide shoulders, broad lapels, and an emphasis on bold, coordinated accessories, or the "New Edwardian Look” (flared jackets, natural shoulders, and an overall narrower cut, worn with a curly-brimmed bowler hat and a long slender overcoat with velvet collar and cuffs). The party is all about glamour and we don’t get the chance to experience much of it. We are already spinning towards a different situation.

We went back in time. It’s 1947 and we can finally sit to witness a definable moment in the history of fashion: the launch of the “New Look” by Christian Dior. In the post-war period, the fashion houses reopened and a tailored, feminine look was prized. Dior defined a signature shape characterized by a below-mid-calf length, full-skirt, pointed bust, small waist, rounded shoulder line and curved jacket peplum. Jackets with peplums were usually worn with a long, narrow pencil skirt. This radical new silhouette would become extremely popular in the 50’s, influencing designers throughout many years, including Cristóbal Balenciaga. Something is pushing us from our chairs and in a blink of an eye we are dancing again. This time we are in a beautiful park.

I believe we are in the 50’s again. Floral halter-top dresses and shirtdresses are plentiful. Some have jewels, low-cut necklines or Peter Pan collars. These dresses are gorgeous but what I found more interesting is that some women are actually wearing trousers. Women who had worn trousers during the war refused to abandon them. In the 1950s, pants became very narrow, and were worn ankle-length. Cigarette pants were popularized by Audrey Hepburn. Men are wearing knit shirts, sweaters and Bermudas and the older ones are wearing corduroy jackets with leather buttons. The breeze is changing and I can know hear the sound of the waves calling.

We are dancing on the beach. And what a wonderful beach! It is filled with families and groups of teenagers. Women are wearing two-piece swimsuits. By this time bikinis started to be popular in Europe but not in America, only for sport training. Brigitte Bardot popularized the bikini that would become a major hit in the 60’s. Some women are wearing shorts that were very short in this decade, and loosed printed or knit tops. And suddenly, after we took a deep breath near the sea, the set changes completely and serenity and calm are no longer welcome.

I believe we are in a “beatnik party”. Kids are dancing to the sound of jazz and rock n’ roll and we have to join the dance so that we don’t have to leave.  "Beat" girls have their hair long and straight, but some teenagers adopted the ponytail, short or long. Most of all they want to be different from their mothers who wore curly poodle cuts and the beehive. Some young men are wearing tight trousers or jeans, white tee shirts and leather jackets in a James Dean style. Teenagers and young adults have become a strong force in fashion. “Is that Jack Kerouac?!” Grrrr…  I shouldn’t have stop dancing; now I can’t know if that was him for sure. We are moving again…

                               

New York had become an American design center during the war and cinema, music and television would allow the “American way of life” to prevail. We are now on the setting of “I Love Lucy”, one of the most popular shows of the 50’s that brought attention to maternity wear. Even Givenchy created a maternity wear clothing line. Due to the baby boom, there was a high demand for clothing for children. Many boys started to wear jeans to Elementary school and girls wore dresses that resembled their mother’s. It is a quick visit. We are getting to the end of our tip but we still have time to watch Marilyn Monroe singing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”, to watch a little bit of an Elvis Presley concert (and to notice how much he has influenced fashion with his pompadour hairstyle) and to a perfect ending, to dance in Rome while watching Audrey Hepburn (I absolutely love that scarf, blouse and skirt) and Gregory Peck riding a motorcycle in “Roman Holidays”.

This time there is no need to wake up.  I’m actually flying to Rome tomorrow so we can stay here. I'm finding it hard to leave the 50's but sonner or later it will happen. But I can always dream and dance. Thank you for joining me. 

Red Shoes

SAY YES (OR NO) TO GLOBAL FASHION

                In the other night, the red shoes and I were looking at street style photos of different cities of the world. Despite the differences between a New Yorker and an Indian girl, the discrepancies are not so remarkable any more. We all know we live in a globalized world but have you ever wondered if that’s an advantage concerning fashion? Is style getting richer or poorer?

                Some say that street style didn’t suffer with globalization, in fact, «it was born that way» (Will Welch, senior editor at GQ), meaning that street style actually exists online. It first started by photographing unique casual styles, especially during fashion weeks but lately it has became «self-aware rather than accidental culture». Despite some exceptions, some people are actually getting dressed for the cameras. The impact of street style on fashion industry is enormous. It is more relevant to people in general than runway shoes. And that impact may have caused the loss of diversity since we can have free style tips from someone living in China but it may also have enriched the way we dress. Ultimately, a person in China may dress like me but I can also dress like her. So, the outcome may be a “salad bowl” of fashion.

                If we actually consider the three positions regarding Globalization, I would say that we are experiencing the “salad bowl”. There are numerous cultures that influence each other without melting. They mix like the ingredients of a salad, a global salad. We have learned to live with diversity and in my opinion it looks like a great benefit to style. We have almost lived in a cultural mosaic before the discoveries of the 15^th and 16^th century, when cultures from different continents barely influenced each other. When we discover the seas, we discover different styles, clothes and accessories. We have even experiencing a little of the “melting pot” in Europe. In the 18^th century and the 19^th century, the nobles in Europe tried to dress like the French court. They would really make an effort to dress like Louis XV and (unfortunately) to buy a wig that was exactly like his. In the 20^th century, especially after World War II, the focus shifted to the “America way of life” with movies, TV shows and music advertising a certain way of dressing, but European designers like Coco Chanel, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent were the ones who revolutionized the way women dress and created global icons of the wardrobe that almost every woman wishes worldwide. Nowadays, we are not so obsessed with Paris, New York, Milan and London. They are still the most influential cities to the fashion industry but cities like Bombay, Berlin, São Paulo, Cape Town, Cairo and Antwerp are getting more influentional day by day with the rise of new designers and especially in street style.

                But fashion is not all about style. It is an industry of billions and that is only possible due to globalization. Economically speaking, globalization allowed the growth of many brands and especially the development of the fast fashion phenomenon seems to have no limits. Designers have to keep in mind that they are not creating for the typical “western” man/ woman. They have to have a wider target in mind. Although a girl in Cape Town may wear the same shirt I’m wearing she won’t use it the same way. Like Valerie Steel, the director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, said, «Despite the homogenization created by fast fashion, young people around the world remain concerned with individual self-expression» and also the same piece of clothing adapts to our social, political, cultural and religious context.  

                                                             (Chanel Pre-Fall 2012)

                To conclude, globalization has its down and positive aspects in fashion. I would personally love to arrive to Japan and to see typical and historical pieces worn by its people but I will probably found a style that is a global dialogue between tradition and influences of British and New York street style. As we have access to information, we cannot expect others not to have it. The fashion industry has changed along with communication, arts, politics and almost every single aspect of our daily lives. We cannot stop things from growing. Development is essential. To me, as long as fashion keeps its courage, its ability to transform and reinvent and its magic and fantasy, I’m happy. As long as we keep on balancing the desire to fit in and the desire to stand out, individuality won’t end. I don’t believe in a completely standardized world because that will mean the death of creativity and fortunately there are millions of creative people in the world. I do believe in a (balanced) globalization. If were not part of a globalized society, I wouldn’t be wearing these shoes and I wouldn’t certainly be writing this blog. 

(Street style photos from different cities of the world)

              If you want to check out really great street style photos go to oalfaiatelisboeta.blogspot.pt . You can also check  http://ilikemystyle.net/ to see photos posted by people from several countries.

                                               

                                                        (by O Alfaiate Lisboeta)

              Red Shoes