Street Trends

Beatnik

A person who participated in a social movement of the 1950s and early 1960s which stressed artistic self-expression and the rejection of the mores of conventional society. Usually a young and artistic person who rejects the mores of conventional society. 

Beatniks on the bank of the Seine in Paris, France from Life magazine 1963

Lauren Conrad -  Fall 2008 RTW

Gianni Versace -  Fall 2007 RTW

Disco

Disco is a genre of dance music that had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, psychedelic and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Disco was a reaction primarily among New York City gays against both the domination of rock music and the demonetization of dance music by the counterculture during this period.

"Disco Fashion" by Chet King

Chloé - Fall 2000 RTW

Diane von Furstenberg - Spring 2001 RTW

Hip Hop

Hip-hop fashion is a distinctive style of dress originating with African-American youth on the scene of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, The San Francisco Bay Area, Detroit, Atlanta and Miami 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.

Jay Z

William Rast - Spring 2009 RTW

Kanye West Clothing Line - 2009

Hippie

The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. These people inherited the countercultural values of the Beat Generation, created their own communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs such as marijuana and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness.

Woodstock 1969

Dries Van Noten - spring 2008 RTW

Gucci - 2007 Cruise Wear

Mod

Mod is a subculture that originated in London, England in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s. Significant elements of the mod subculture include: fashion, pop music, including African American soul, Jamaican ska, and British beat music and R&B; and Italian motor scooters. The original mod scene was also associated with amphetamine-fuelled all-night dancing at clubs. 

Twiggy - 1968

Saint Augustine Academy - Spring/Summer 2009/2010

 

Paco  Rabanne - Spring 2006  

Punk

The punk subculture is a subculture based around punk rock. It includes music, ideologies, fashion, visual art, dance, literature and film. The punk scene is composed of an assortment of smaller factions that distinguish themselves from one another through unique variations. Several of these factions have developed out of punk to become subcultures in their own right.

SidVicious - Paris1978

Buddhist Punk - Spring 2005 RTW

Mulberry - 2009 RTW

Teddy Boys

Wearing oversized draped jackets and quiffed hair, they emulate the Teddy boy fashion of the 1950s Breaking from convention, teenage youths embraced the casual and affordable American-influenced style and culture.

Boys smoking, Portland Road - 1956

Jens Laugesen - Fall 2008 RTW

Topshop Unique - spring 2009 RTW

 Zoot Suit

The zoot suit, popularized by African-American and Mexican-American teens during the late 1930s and early 1940s, didn’t look like your average workday attire. It had broad shoulders, a tapered waist, and baggy pants that ended in neat, pegged cuffs. The excess fabric and tailoring made it a defiant luxury item – a sign that the wearer wasn’t affected by Depression-era poverty or World War II fabric rationing.

Zoot suit - 1942

John Galliano - Spring 2002 RTW

Dior Homme - Fall 2008 Men’s Collection

Leggings

Lindsay Lohan - Hollywood

Balenciaga - Spring 2007 RTW

Elise Overland - Fall 2009 RTW

Over The Knee Boots

"Gossip Girl" - 2009

Stella McCartney - Fall 2005 RTW

Givenchy - Spring 2009

Art and Fashion

MODERN ART

Fashion Designer - Paul Poiret French couturier

Known as "Poiret the Magnificent" and "The Pasha of Paris" for his exuberant personality and his fascination with the exotic East, Paul Poiret played an important role in the launch of 20th-century modernism. In fashion, he helped revolutionize 19th-century dress codes, freeing women first from the petticoat in 1903 and then in 1906 from the constrictions of the corset.

Art-Francis Picabia

The Fauvist painter Francis Picabia was his friend, 

and they shared a love of bright color.

EGYPTIAN ART

Fashion Designer-Ashima-Leena 

Bead-studded blouses, blunt cut wigs and special eye make-up presented a very Nefertiti-like look at India Fashion Week

Art- Egyptian Art, Nefertari

ROMAN ART

Fashion Designer- Donna Karen

Chanel

Art- Sculpture 510 B.C.

RENAISSANCE ART

Fashion Designer- Christian Lacroix

Art- Renaissance Painting of Woman

17TH CENTURY ART

Fashion Designer- Christian Siriano

Art- Bartolome Esteban Murillo

Self Portrait

18TH CENTURY ART

Fashion Designer- Carl Bengtsson

Art- Jean Honore Fragonard

1772 - Ultana on an Ottoman

19TH CENTURY ART

Fashion Designer- Alexander McQueen

Pre-Fall 2009 Collection

Inspiration: Dickensian London

Art-Vaclav Brozlk

Lady and a Greyhound

1895-1897

History of Neckwear

(1618-1648)

The Beginning

The history of neckwear dates back to the Thirty Years War, when Croation soldiers decided to visit Paris in celebration of their victory over the Ottoman Empire. The soldiers wore brightly colored handkerchiefs made of silk around their necks when they were presented as heroes to Louis XIV. Louis was a monarch known for his interest in fashion and was immediately inspired by the soldier’s neckwear. He made them an insignia of royalty when he created a regiment of Royal Cravattes. The word “cravat” is derived from the word Croat.

(1700’s)

Lace Cravats

In the late seventeenth century and into the eighteenth, the men wore Lace Cravats that took a large amount of time and effort to arrange. These cravats were often tied in place by cravat strings, arranged neatly and tied in a bow.

(1800-1850)

Neckclothitania

By this time there was much interest in the way to tie a proper cravat and this led to a series of publications. This began with the Neckclothitania, which is a book that contained instructions and illustrations on how to tie 14 different cravats. It was also the first book to use the work “tie” in association with neckwear.

(1860-1920)

The Ascot

The industrial revolution created a need for neckwear that was easy to put on, comfortable and would last an entire workday. The modern necktie, as is still worn by millions of men today, was born. It was long, thin and easy to knot and it didn’t come undone.

The English called it the “four in hand” because the knot resembled the reins of the four horse carriage used by the British upper class. By this time, the sometimes complicated, array of knots and styles of neckwear gave way to the neckties and bow ties, the latter a much smaller, more convenient version of the cravat. In formal dinner parties and when attending races, another type of neckwear was considered de rigueur; this was the Ascot tie, which had wide flaps that were crossed and pinned together on the chest.

(Present Day)

New York tie maker, Jesse Langsdorf came up with a method of cutting the fabric on the bias and sewing it in three segments. This technique improved elasticity. Since that time, most men have worn the “Langsdorf” tie.

In Britain, Regimental stripes have been continuously used in tie designs since the 1920s. Traditionally, English stripes ran from the left shoulder down to the right side; however, when Brooks Brothers introduced the striped ties in the United States around the beginning of the 20th century, they had theirs cut in the opposite direction.

Ties in the present day come in any design and size you can imagine. Before WW2, ties were cut shorter because men wore their pants at their natural waist line. Also, since three piece suits were so popular, ties had to be cut shorter because a tie sticking out below the vest was a serious faux paux.

Around 1944, ties became much bolder. Men wanted to depart from the uniformity of military wear and make a statement with their neckwear. Designs such as Art Deco, Hunting Scenes, and Scenic Photographs all made their way to neckwear. The Bold Look lasted until about 1951, when the "Mister T" look (so termed by Esquire magazine), was introduced. The new style, characterized by tapered suits, slimmer lapels, and smaller hat brims, included thinner and not so wild ties.

Neckwear continued to evolve, the 1960’s introduced Pop Art themed neckwear and Paisley, the 1980’s brought thinner ties and eventually the 1990’s brought kitschey ties that had cartoon characters and pop culture icons that were meant to make a statement. 

One thing that has not changed in neckwear, however, is the necessity of neckwear in our daily lives.