Menu

Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

Follow  on Twitter:         @FashionObserved
              on Instagram:   @fashion_observed_ 
              on Facebook:      /FashionObserved
              on Pinterest:      /FashionObserved

Maybe it’s the price of gas. Maybe it’s the fear that, despite recent lower prices of cotton that demand in the face of limited supply could drive it and garments made from it higher. Maybe it’s the recent spate of bolder apocalyptic predictions. Or maybe it’s all of the above. Whatever the reason, the resort collections continue to trickle into the webosphere and much is a continuation of themes that were anticipated (and mentioned in prior articles) mixed with new developments as fashion is a continuous evolution of ideas, each inspiring the next in a concept-association game globally played out.

Of course the 70s/90s bandwagon is full. Roberto Cavalli’s resort collection had some longer dresses that looked like 70s garden-party interpretations of 30s column dresses while anything with pants was definitely 90s territory in silhouette, although one sequined pair seemed very 70s rock and roll glam. The claim was that the 60s was referenced but somewhere, perhaps because this had more of an ease, it seemed more conservative 70s with a 90s polish.

Meanwhile, Armani Collezioni was very much the 70s/90s. One pair of jeans had some width and flare to it, while the Emporio line was very much 90s with slim silhouette and minimalism. Rachel Zoe’s resort collection was also in the 70s-through-a-90s lens interpretation. It was clean, lean and one long sweater was very 70s inspired (if I were to reference the 70s American television character “Maude” would you know what I meant?).

Elie Tahari’s collection was reminiscent of YSL’s love for Morocco, but many of the turbaned looks seemed like 70s interpretations of the 40s while more flowing items seemed like 70s Biba looks. But when it came to pants and day looks, it was the 90s lean and clean silhouette. The more layered blocked items did have a 60s feel to them; one fur vest looked like a sharper version of something out of Sonny & Cher’s wardrobe from their early days.

Max Mara also was waxing exotic, with some Middle Eastern detailing in necklines on some tops that you would see on a traditional caftan. This, of course, was amidst clean spare looks and some very wide 70s-style collars on trenches and some 70s colour blocking. 

Wide collars were also seen on items in the Sportsmax collection. This seemed to have a mix of 70s/90s cut, some colouring (hot accents on darks) that was very late 80s and accessories that seemed more recent in inspiration, like those at the turn of our millennium.

Not everyone and not everything in the resort collections were clean and minimalist. Moschino’s Cheap & Chic resort collection was chock full of pop art mixed with prints and textures even though the silhouette was simple in its boxiness like the 60s. Some collections, like those of Roberto Cavalli & Armani, had an occasional print although the print size was noticeably large in scale. Also definitely in the 60s was M Missoni, with the looks right out of Twiggy’s archival closet or the set of “Dark Shadows”. They were short, structured, graphic and bold. Some were optical (stripes on a couple of items) while others were generously colourblocked. It had the kind of fun youthful spirit one associates with the swinging 60s in the UK, a country that is gaining in spotlight.

If things were looser and more organic, the resort collections seemed to be more orderly and cleaner. Usually when there is an observation of an apparent lack of control in one’s life, society tend to compensate by embracing more orderly. So we see a growing hardness, overall apparent in sharper lines, cleaner silhouettes, more geometry and exactness in cut.

Gucci had the 60s boxiness and 70s disco glam in a few gold-sequined items mixed with clourblocking in some separates. Also noticeable was the clean execution and some sharp pleating, one in a drop-waisted day dress.  Roberto Cavalli also had a short dress with a drop waist and pleated skirt in his resort collection. And, as indicated in the last article, a few other designers had this Deco tennis inspired item mixed in their collections. Ther may be good reason to see this seemingly left-field influence.

Film can sometimes be a source of inspiration, picking up on the public’s need to escape when the world becomes too serious. In every post-war decade this has been evident as film plays a part in shaping our culture. Film has the capacity to both take us away while tapping into the mood of the moment, with fashion taking inspiration to interact with the public caught in the moment (e.g. Titanic and the Edwardian influence in the 90s).

In the early 70s (heavily referenced in recent collections), amidst the problems that are eerily similar there was also an awareness of the failure of the “American dream” coupled with a loss of innocence that not all possibilities are available to all people as so hoped for by the young boomer generation growing into maturity. It’s nothing new as each new hopeful generation (and the one before that) crosses the threshold from hopeful idealism to awareness that, despite being in a democratic society, not all people are equal; this is especially where money is a factor. This was well-captured in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”, which was made into a film in 1926, 1949, 1974 and (on television) in 2000. It is interesting that, during those years, there was a similar awareness of disillusionment in the face of economic class gaps.

With economic uncertainties stirring disenchantment in the face of glamorized conspicuous consumption, the time is ripe for this classic to be retold, which it is:  Baz Luhrmann is directing an adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” with a reportedly star-studded cast due to be released in 3D in 2012. As fashion is sensitive to cultural developments and potential impact and as the most famous version of this film is in line with current trend influences, perhaps some of the designers are hedging their bets. In addition to the drop waist and pleated short skirting, we also have been seeing a pastel colour palette incorporated by more designers, something first noticed in couture collections last year.

Many of those Deco looks in that film version aren’t as literal. In earlier decades like the 70s, filmmakers wanted the audience to identify with the characters so hair, make-up and costume were more an interpretation of the period rather than exact in execution. The costumes, in fact, look oddly more contemporary and in line with what designers have been recently (and are still) offering, and thus seems like a good launching point for the next diversion that fits with where society’s mind is at.

Of course, Tim Burton is tackling “Dark Shadows”, the cult television soap opera that predates Twilight and had a lot more going on besides the run-of-the-mill vampires. It covered many periods yet also couldn’t shake the late 60s styling and those “groovy” hairstyles. With some of the FW2011 collections referencing the 60s (and as indicated, some of the 2012 resort has as well) and given that the remake is supposed to end up in the early 70s, we could see some cross-referencing that we have been enjoying as of late.

Where does this lead us? We won’t know until after they get released. It won’t be the only influence as designers as well as the public are bombarded with multiple choices but it’s something we can mull over while having a Sidecar (or a Bloody Mary) on a terrace or someone’s patio next summer.

Go Back

Post a Comment
Created using the new Bravenet Siteblocks builder. (Report Abuse)