Fashion can sometimes be looked upon the way a couple dances, with one of the partners being fashion, the other being the public. And in that dance sometimes it is fashion that leads. It is fashion that takes the reigns and inspires the public to look a new way, to live life in a new costume that celebrates the moment and lives in the middle of it. And yet, sometimes it is the reverse, with the public taking the lead and inspiring fashion to go a new direction, an about-face from established convention. It is rebellious, it is exciting, and it is inevitable as the growth and evolution of humanity.
When the documentary of the work of Bill Cunningham, “Bill Cunningham New York”, recently came out on screen it demonstrated the potential an observant photographer had in conjunction with the media to play a role in a more intricate incarnation. But in the large scheme of trend shifts, amidst the zigzag within each decade, the shift is more dramatic and is responsible for changes that herald not only a new look but a uniform for a shift in consciousness and it is better documented in our last century.
The start of the 20th century signalled a new age where technological advances shined a range of possibilities for mankind to live a more advanced life. Unfortunately, this progress was interrupted by the First World War, but after that ended there grew a rebelliousness within the youth to live a more modern and less restrained life. The flapper rejected the corset, long tresses and low hemlines in favour of the less fussy and streamlined look we are familiar with of that day. Referred to as "flappers" because they tore out their boot laces and let the tongues of the footwear flap about, these women smoked, drank, swore, had a driver’s license and never felt more alive. From the restrictiveness of the war and the possibilities of the future and its advances she rose to live a level playing field, and fashion took to her in kind.
Rebellion following social constriction also set the stage for the 60s. It was the youth that outright rejected the controlled lifestyle offered in the 50s. Gone were the prim and meticulous hairstyles, gone were the fitted waists, and gone were the sensible shoes and petticoats during the Dior years. In leaving behind the adage of better living through chemistry and fear from the Red Scare, the flower children of that generation lived for today, and lived wild and free. They came in numbers, they had purchase power, the attention of the world, and they had fun. And again, it was fashion that followed their lead.
We would later witness renewed youthful insurrection with the emergence of punk, another rejection of convention. Although the movement seemed more closely tied to the music in the eye of a casual observer, it was a way of life to those that pioneered the look, an all-round assault on the sensibilities that preceded it. It was fostered by a grim realization of the ugliness of the superficialities of a world amidst the toxicity it was creating. They lived to spite the world they grew up in and found freedom amidst the anarchy this movement supported. But like every faction, after the shock factor wears off it got harnessed for its look and marketed to the masses.
The economic collapse in the late 80s/early 90s shut down the excess of fashion for a while, and amidst the fallout a new attitude emerged with an anti-wardrobe as a statement of the next propagation to accompany it. They had a different priority, and saw those expensive choices and the status those clothes from the previous decade meant to convey as not making sense when the world was on a budget and there were more pressing realities to face that they were inheriting. Again, free from convention, grunge was born, and it was the thorn in the side of every manufacturer and every hair salon. It was rough, haphazard, unkempt and easy. It was democratic, and it wasn’t long before savvy designers and marketers took that to the runways to recapture a buying public and capitalize on this new expression.
What is different in our time period is the level of accessible technology available. Production times had shortened to a matter of weeks to translate a new trend from sidewalk to showroom more readily. Whereas the public once had to wait until the seasons approached to get the full story from magazines, collections are now streamed and blogged about upon release and full collections are posted online for immediate dissemination not only in photo format but also on video. Further, street looks are posted with the same immediacy. Thus the designer, already with a plethora of choices to draw upon for influence, now can see the potential of a new trend from a clever and creative individual with no connection to the system and translate it into a new look almost instantly thanks to those with a camera and a good eye.
And whereas one had a full waltz before witnessing the switch, the immediacy of information exchange had rendered that into a new choreography where both sides lead and follow at once, affording the public equal constant participation in shaping the evolution of fashion. We have conformity and individuality at our disposal, and with that perhaps we may see that this shift for the future may be, barring another world war or economic calamity, a new and more integrated way to dance.