rewind…
Just wrapped up my final class for the summer. It was a wonderful learning experience and it absolutely helped to have a badass instructor; a perfect condiment to the delectably appetising serving of history.
Looking at the evolution of fashion, beginning all the way in Egypt, was quite an eye opener. But before I go there, I’d like to share with you the 20th Century style icons. The list is overwhelming but i picked and chose the ones that truly appealed to me, those who were quite revolutionary.
I threw them all in a little scrapbook of sorts. It maybe a little crowded, but they’ll live.
1900 - 1909 Gibson Girl & Mata Hari
Charles Dana Gibson’s “Gibson Girl” was quite the talk of the town. Although a maya of sorts, this imaginary perfection of a woman brewing in his head perfectly encapsulates the mood of that decade. Since she wasn’t a living breathing mortal, a little contest to find someone who met her match was held, America’s next top model of sorts. Belgian - American stage actress, Camille Clifford came close.
Mata Hari, the beautiful dancer, courtesan & accused spy for Germany during the Great War, rests perfectly on the other end of the spectrum. As the French firing squad got ready for her execution she boldly stated, “Harlot yes, traitor never!”
And oh, yes, the Titanic sank!
1910 - 1919 Marchesa Casati & Mary Pickford
Georgina Chapman’s eponymous brand Marchesa is moulded after this “work of art”. Casati, europe’s most notorious eccentric, shocked the continent with her bizarre lifestyle. Nude servants gilded in gold leaf, evening strolls with parading pet cheetahs in diamond studded collars, breathing snakes coiled around her neck as jewellery. Marchesa Luisa Casati craved immortality and so she embarked on a journey of innumerable portraits of herself. Pitiable death of her mortal life, she remains a constant source of inspiration to designers; John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld, her legacy definitely lives on.
Mary Pickford, the silent movie star, golden locks and childlike innocence, a phenomenon the like of which the world had never seen. She would not be the last. Charlie Chaplin, a comparatively new kid on the block, would eclipse her, just slightly. At the peak of her career she was making $2000 a week. Author Eileen Whitfield called her in her 1997 biography: “The Woman Who Made Hollywood.”
1920 - 1929 Josephine “Banana” Baker & Clara Bow
Jo Baker, the original diva, the “Black Pearl”, the Creole Goddess, the exotic dancer that shook the shades off France. This sultry number could give the Pussycat Dolls a run for their money; see the (in)famous banana dance . She served France in WWII, fought racism in America and the original harbor for a “brangelina” brood. Prada pays tribute in their S/S 2011 collection to the icon; campaigns, clothing, jewellery, hair & makeup, the whole nine yards!
Clara Bow, the original, world’s very first “IT” girl. In the 20’s, out of sheer modesty, sex was referred to as “It”; today we welcome the phrase “doing it” into the urban dictionary. Ms. Bow was known as “the royal mounted policeman of sex who always gets her man”. She invented the notion of sex on the silver screen. From the harrowing early childhood to the ascent into Hollywood super stardom, she remains an icon.
1930 - 1939 Anna May Wong & Marlene Dietrich
In the quarter-century of Hollywood feature films before 1940, only two non-white actors had been regularly cast in starring roles. One, Sessue Hayakawa from Japan, was a stalwart heartthrob in the late teens. The other was all-American: born in California, a native English speaker, and with a sensual, intelligent allure that even the studio bosses could not ignore. She was Anna May Wong. Eric Maschwitz wrote the dreamy lyrics to the pop standard These Foolish Things in Wong’s honor and in 2007 released Frosted Yellow Willows a documentary film on the life, time and legend.
Marlene “I am not a myth” Dietrich, for me, truly brought androgyny to the forefront of women’s fashion. Her low sensual voice was mesmerising, thanks to the lemon wedges she sucked on between takes to keep her mouth muscles tight. In her Paris apartment she kept her shoes in a Louis Vuitton trunk placed under a grand piano. The muse for their Pre Fall 2011 collection. By far the most entertaining quotes come from her.
1940 - 1949 Rita Hayworth & Veronica Lake
Some say the Margarita cocktail was named Rita Hayworth when she was dancing under her real name in a Tijuana, Mexico nightclub. The image of her face was glued onto an A-bomb which was dropped on the Bikini Atoll during a test in 1946. Makes a very special appearance in Shawshank Redemption too!
Veronica “peek-a-boo” Lake was celebrated for that hair to the point where she was asked to change it because it endangered the hair of female workers with armaments machinery! Other pinups of Golden Hollywood may have been more racy (Bettie Page), more leggy (Bettie Grable), or more busty (Jane Russell), but none of them can touch her stunning beauty, poise and indelible mystique.
1950 - 1959 Marlon Brando & Elizabeth Taylor
Marlon Brando, the original “Mr Mumbles”!. His rebel style, careless leather jacket draped on his machismo, drooping lovelorn eyes, enough said. From his unbeatable style to his soaring Hollywood status, this man is all gold!.
Liz Taylor, ultimate screen legend, raven hair and rare violet eyes, dripping in diamonds and draped in the finest fur, innumerable walks up the aisle, and iconic style resource. Clearly one of Hollywoods greatest innovators.
1960 - 1969 Brigitte Bardot & Mia Farrow
BB, the sex kitten in ballet pumps, the founder of the “Hippie Delux”, the iconic streaks of eyeliner, Vadim’s And God Created Woman, a role that made Bardot known internationally. She embodied a natural yet innocent sexuality that was a precursor to the her women’s liberation movement of the 1960s. Sexy can very well be comfortable.
Mia Farrow’s “pixie” hair is washing back and forth every couple of fashion seasons. She has the big unblinking eyes, the plethora of peter pan collars, the sublime innocence of her smile, the crisp little cotton trapeze dresses. Pixie be right. Mia Farrow first made waves by becoming Mrs. Frank Sinatra. And this one had a brood of adopted darlings, one of whom would go on to marry her then-husband, Woody Allen. Today she’s an active UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.Oh! The Great Gatsby.
1970 - 1979 Bianca Jagger & Angelica Huston
Bianca Jagger sashayed into the public eye when she married Rolling Stones’ front man, Mick Jagger. Known for her jet-setting, party-going lifestyle and association with New York’s iconic Studio 54. But it is her inimitable style, Yves Saint Laurent menswear-style suits with strong shoulders, flowing Grecian maxi dresses and jumpsuits and extravagant furs that make her an icon. Jagger also became the muse of friend and designer Roy Halston. Today, the runway thrives on recreating that style; Badgley Mischka, Bally, Friend of Mine, ACNE, The Row…
Angelica “Mortica Addams” Huston is one cool player. If she was any cooler she’d be an ice-cube. Actually make that a slender ice sculpture with seductive almond shaped eyes and thin arched brows. At sixty years of age Huston is kicking on strong and still looking le smoking chic. Favouring pant suits and asymmetrical dresses, the actress’ refined style represents the very best of the eras she has lived through, particularly her seventies heyday. Huston’s signature looks include one shoulder dresses in bold jewel tones, monochrome pant suits and vermilion lips.
1980 - 1989 Grace Jones & Brooke Shields
I absolutely love Grace Jones. She’s a very powerful force. She embodies a fiercely independent and strong style that nothing in this universe can overshadow. Visit The World of Grace Jones for she says it best.
Brooke Shields has come a long way from being the youngest fashion model ever to appear on the cover of Vogue, the Ivory Soap commercial, the then scandalous Calvin Klein campaign, Suddenly Susan and her regular visits at Studio 54 to pioneering the big bad brows, rounded pout and luscious mane.
Doing this revisit to the style arena of past decades has given me an opportunity not only to witness the ways in which fashion was ushered but a peek into very strong personalities that did so.
I’d like to thank the World Wide Web for it’s constant support.
