Final Project Part III

This new street trend (the wrap around scarf and combat boots) can be seen here paired together in the photograph above and below. Both are from Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall 2009 Runway Collection. 

Combat Boots are back and are no longer associated purely with the punk look. Designers from Marc Jacobs to Armani to DSquared have all featured combat boots heavily in their Fall 2009 Runway Collections. It is another example of how a classic associated with one look can be reused and reinterpreted to create an entirely different aesthetic. 

The latest street trend is the wrap around scarf. While the above look is punk-inspired, the wrap around scarf can and is being used by many to create a variety of looks from punk to teddy boy to beatnik. It can also stand alone in creating a new look not before seen. 

Final Project Part II

Rarely do the runways capture exactly the look which inspired the collection. This is true for Gucci's Fall 2009 Runway Collection that clearly has taken elements from the Punk movement, but has revamped it for the current times and for the elite - as anyone who can afford Gucci is not living on the streets. 

The Hip-Hop movement began on the streets and in its initial phases its fashion was very unpolished. However, as those leading the Hip-Hop movement gained fame and fortune their look has been fine tuned and has evolved into something completely different than what it started as. Iceberg's Fall 2009 Runway Collection encapsulates the look of what Hip-Hop has become. 

It has been said that 'it's all been done before' and therefore each collection is a reinterpretation of a former look. For Chloe's Spring 2009 Ready to Wear Collection the look is that of an ultra polished Hippie. The Hippie movement was one of rebellion and thus in turn a very laid back, unwashed, almost homeless-like costume evolved. However, Chloe has taken the basic design structure of the Hippie's clothing and turned it into something spectacular. 

Helmut Lang's Fall 2009 Runway Collection draws upon many past looks for inspiration. However, the more prevalent clearly comes from the Mod look of the 1960's. As one can clearly see in the images (above and below) it is almost as if one were looking at the modern - male version of Twiggy. 

Comme Des Garcons is forever breaking down the barriers of what is considered 'normal' or appropriate. As one can see in both images (above and below) inspiration is drawn from the classic Zoot Suit; however reinterpreted in very different ways from the original. The outfit below is complete with a high waist (as was the classic Zoot Suit) however in this interpretation pants are replaced with a skort. The above outfit keeps in more in accord to a traditional Zoot Suit, however the pants are the remodeled aspect in this instance too, as they are cut quite slim in contrast to the traditional Zoot Suit which normally had very baggy high waisted pants. 

Roberto Cavalli is famous for his outlandish and sexy designs. His Spring 2009 Runway Collection is reminiscent of another era, to be more precise the Disco era. As one can see in the images (above and below) through his use of certain materials and prints it is as if the photos were taken at Sutdio 54. 

Italian Fashion House Costume National is always on the cutting edge. In their Fall 2009 Runway Collection (seen above and below) their inspiration in part was clearly taken from the Beatnik look of the 1950's. Dark and brooding - intellectual and poetic was the original Beatnik look and Costume National resembles it greatly in their latest collection. 

The images, above and below, are both modern reinterpretations of the Teddy Boy look. Both are from Band of Outsiders Fall 2009 Runway Collection. 

Final Project Part I

Hip Hop

 

Hip Hop is a movement that centered around music. Music unlike most any other heard before it. One may consider it the Jazz of the 1980’s. Stars who personify this ideal include Missy Elliot, Kayne West, and Sean Puffy Combs. The hip-hop costume has transformed itself over the years. What began as somewhat rough is now a very polished high-end look. Classy and elegant but still somewhat rough around the edges – this can be seen in such hip-hop lines as Sean John.

Punk

 

The late 1970’s saw a movement of rebellion, but unlike that of its late 1960’s counterpart. The punk ideal started with music and revolved around drugs and sex. However, unlike a decade before its message was not peace and love, but more that of anarchy. The punk look is harsh: leather, outlandish spiked hair, and an overall aesthetic of ‘the tough guy’. 

Disco

 

The era of disco came after what is considered to be the mod period. The disco movement, as were many others, fueled by excessive drug use and sex. Although the drugs seemed to vary from decade to decade, the disco era was all about cocaine. Perhaps the most iconic symbol of the era was Studio 54. A nightclub in Manhattan where anyone who was anyone could be found, as well as those ‘wanna-bes’. Stars such as Diana Ross of the Supremes were regulars at Studio 54. 

Hippie

 

The hippie movement really began in San Francisco, in the now iconic Haight district. Their form of dress was designed to contradict that of the establishment. The 1960’s was filled with turmoil from the war in Vietnam to violent campus unrest such as what occurred at Kent State University in Ohio. There were many iconic figures of the day who personified this personality, but Janis Joplin was perhaps the greatest. 

Mod

 

The Mod look was all the rage during the 1960’s. As trends often do, this one too seemed to start in Europe, exemplified by such models of the time as Twiggy. This look has resurfaced again, in a big way, on the runways for Fall 2009. 

Beatniks

 

The beatniks stemmed from downtown Manhattan in neighborhoods such as Greenwich Village and SoHo. They were intellectuals, or at least liked to think of themselves as such. They would sit in coffee houses and discuss philosophy or write poetry. Their form of dress differed from the norm at the time and can be characterized as somewhat dark and brooding.

Teddy Boys

 

The Teddy Boy style began, as many other movements have, in Britain. It was widely popular in London during the 1950’s and was inspired by the Edwardian period. The look was what would now be considered somewhat preppy; very Band of Outsiders.

Zoot Suit

 

A zoot suit is a high waisted – wide legged suit popular in the 1930’s mostly in the African American and Latino communities.  Here is pictured actor Edward Olmos wearing a zoot suit.