Throughout the world of men’s fashion in the 50’s, a few men rose above social normalities and created a style everyone man wanted to follow. One of these men was Elvis Presley who was highly regarded in the music industry for his unique style. This originality carried through to his fashion choices with an obvious distaste of adhering to social standards. Elvis wore whatever pleased him; this included bright colours, patterns, large belts and even wearing his favourite colour of pink. Another key icon in men’s fashion was James dean. His simplistic yet edgy style became the ‘cool’ thing. His bad boy persona made the girls heart melt, making men all across the world try to achieve his look.
Coming out of the war, conformity was a major fashion rule throughout men with miserable and restrictive fashion choices on offer. There was also not many options like today when it came to buying clothes. When a man was at work, it was only socially acceptable for his to wear a suit in the shade of either charcoal, dark blue or brown. The suit had to be nicely fitted
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to create the desired business look. They would also wear a tie, these wold be dark, plain and would usually be quite thin as they were versatile in both working and casual scenarios. Hats and watches were also expected on men to make them look intelligent and respectful. Under this suit and tie, a white shirt would be essential with cufflinks, highlighting the sleeves. By the mid 50’s the economy slowly began to improve, people began to stop restricting money and things began to improve.
Clothing also began to change dramatically; people began to rebel against societies ideas on what is appropriate making a revelation in variety of clothing men could choose from. Patterns such as checks, stripes and argyle also became widely used by fashion designers. Along with new patterns, colours also began to make an appearance with pastel colours also being used. Around the same time, a ‘pink rage’ took effect. This involved men wearing pink in their outfit through the form of tops and ties to help break gender stereotypes, which was a big issue at the time. Boys were expected to be strong, silent and assertive opposed to women who were portrayed as weak and emotional. They also expected women to be the least intelligent of the couple to help make the male feel smarter and more
evolved. Teens also dressed quite different to the stereotypical male of the time. Teenagers as who dominate styles at time, conservative and rebellious. The conservative boys were more common with polo shirts, cardigans, varsity athlete jackets and pleated, wider legged pants occupying their wardrobe. These boys were more acceptable in the eyes of adults with rebellious teenagers frowned upon. It was quite easy to tell these boys from the others, their white shirt with a leather jacket was an obvious trademark. Another captivating feature was their slicked back hair, which was easily recognisable.
When a person thinks of rock music in the 50s, they usually think of Elvis Presley, “the King of rock and roll”. However, he seems to exhibit a more stereotypical American approach to music. As Americans, we like everything that entertains us to be bigger and better than before. Presley certainly delivers this idea through his outfit,
There were no major trend changes from 1975 compared to the earlier ‘70’s. Layering was a major theme, neutral colors with contrasting bright colors layered over it was the evening scene. Fatigues, olive drab, khakis, and corduroys were banging at the king of loungewear’s door, the jeans. The oriental designs in silk, and cottons also made a very brief appearance in the summer.
Over 84 years ago New York was the city of swing. In a realm where culture clashed with politics, race with class and gender with society most teenagers spent an ample amount of their spare time dancing to the music of Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and the likes of others. With the music, blasting in their ears and sweat dripping of their skin the youth was engulfed in a period that would come to stand as a turning point for African-Americans. Despite the rage of the music, there is no question that appearances and the right attire also played a prominent role in the culture of that time. In a society wherein which, Blacks were discriminated and stereotyped against their clothing distinguished and set them apart. The Zoot-Suit, one of the significant symbols of fashion during the era of Swing music was more than embellished get-up. It was a statement, a rebellion, a cultural identification even, but mainly it was a reminder of the social order of society that failed to express and identify certain races1. Although many have argued that racial tensions leading up to the riots emerged from the attitudes of the various races, I stand that fashion choices chosen by the youth of that period played a substantial role in the insurgence. This paper explores the history of the suit, its social and political contexts, its connection to music as well as the implications of fashion choices during the 1930’s and 1940’s.
New fashions were surfacing in both men’s and women’s fashions. Men were wearing Bermuda pants, baggy pants that were cut off at the knee, while women were wearing capris, tight pants that cut off just below the knee. Men were wearing tailored jackets and making a slight move towards the casual dress of today’s workplace. Women were wearing natural shoulders as opposed to the heavily padded ones of the war years. Flat, neck-hugging collars replaced the mannish collars of the late 1940’s. Waists were tightly fitted and skirts were long (Melinkoff 46). The jeans of the time were often lined with plaid flanel and dungarees were worn to the most casual occasions. The sandals of the fifties were not much different than the sandals of today.
Towards the end of the decade the Hippie movement had a huge impact on the way people started to view clothing. This group rebelled against war, encouraged peace and love. Their presence had a major influence on fashion. They opted for clothing that was natural and comfortable. Accessories w...
"Kanye West: The Evolution of an Icon's Clothes." Esquirecom Article. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar.
Prior to the onset of the 1920s, the idea of being fashionable went in tandem with the concept of being acceptable and presentable. Appropriate traditional dress was what separated the popular elite from meager lower-class (Glamourdraze.com). Symbols of wealth such as pale skin, elegant and luxurious outfits, and etiquette signified the pinnacle of beauty for this time period. To maintain such facades of perfection, women forced themselves into corsets and layers of undergarments to create the proper appearance.
Fashion is always changing now days. Each day a new trend is popular based on society consensus. Today there is not much said about fashion and what certain genders should be wearing. There are so many different styles that it does not have a big impact on gender roles within society. But during the 1920s, which was the most dramatic and influential fashion decade, fashion promoted independence for women from the stereotypical Edwardian and Victorian Era women. Women known as flappers helped carry this influential decade to where it is today. Flappers challenged society roles and fashion for women which caused many disputes among older generations and more conservative women of that era. The birth of the 1920s flapper created not only dramatic
Growing up with 80’s rock music was probably the best music still known till this day, at least to me it is. There were numerous different styles of rock, like metal and glam rock, and so many different bands with their own individual style. There are still many great bands from back then that are still amusing crowds today. Unlike most of today’s music, individuals could truly appreciate the lyrics to songs in the 80s. A lot of the song lyrics nowadays are rhymed so fast that they are nearly difficult to comprehend. Even though some tunes today tell a story through the lyrics, most, if not all, 80’s songs told a story. In his book Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'N' Roll, Greil Marcus presents a thoughtful declaration about
Singer,Actor,King are three words that tell you who Elvis Presley is. Many people know that Elvis Presley was a singer,but did so much to contribute to the world. As a well known singer,and actor,Elvis Presley inspired society that they can be themselves and change if themselves feel it is wrong or change if they want to. He left a lasting legacy as the King of Rock’n’Roll and his music shook the world.
Throughout each decade particular lifestyles have influenced the styles of fashion in many different aspects. History throughout each decade being a period of 10 years, has had certain lifestyles, referring to the way of life and the way an individual lives and these lifestyles throughout these years have influenced the fashion, fashion being a trend of either clothing, personal appearance and behaviour. Many life events or Historical events from the years 1960 to 2000’s have had reactions from the fashion industry; certain decades in particular lifestyles had either rebellion or a positive reaction. In 1960 there was a rebellion from young adults as well as women which influenced the fashion of that decade, in which fashion was similar to the 1970s fashion however 1970 was known as the disco age. Whereas the 1980 was a decade of entertainment in all forms which influenced mostly teenagers in their style of fashion. However the 1980s entertainment impact on teenagers carried on in the 1990 and 2000s although fashion focused more on the impact of music rather than all forms of entertainment, these decades were eras of grunge music and heavy metal. Therefore fashion became and becomes the portrayal of the lifestyle in a particular period of time or history.
Elvis Presley was both a musician and actor who endured rapid fame in the mid-1950s on televisions, radio, as well as silver screen and he remains to be one of the greatest names in rock ‘n’ roll music genre. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi on 8th January 1935, Elvis Presley rose from a humble beginning and became one of the most famous rock ‘n’ roll musicians. Presley grew up under the care of his parents who, despite having little money, had a great love for him. Presley had a profound devotion to his parents, especially his mother, Gladys, who raised him to have strong faith in God. His parents introduced him to Assembly of God Church where he developed an interest in music. Presley obtained his first guitar from his mother during his 11th birthday celebration in 1946, and he first tasted musical success a few years later after winning a talent show at Memphis’ Humes High School.
For instance, boy’s clothes tend to be darker in color and girl’s clothes are more neon, bright color. Girls wear more pink, yellow, purple and red because of the brightness of the color and boys wear more blue, black, green, and grey. In addition, another distinguishes between the clothes are the graphic tees with different kinds of cartoons that are geared towards the gender. The type of messages that we are sending to the girls by what they wear is that they must look cute, bright, and lady like. As for the boys, they are strong, independent, and more aggressive. These messages are seen through the clothes because of how society portrays them as. We are also sending the message of defining what each gender is and how different boys and girls are because of their
The overall idea of what a women should wear was extremely unpractible, causing women intense sickness and immobility due to things like “tight garters” and “corseted waists” (Riegl 176). Women could not wear loose, practical, comfortable clothes like mens fashion, but were confined to a life of solitude in their own clothing. Women’s fashion created a very large and unneeded burden (Riegl 176). Women felt violated that this uncomfortable and unhealthy way of life was being forced upon them. Eventually women got fed up by these Fashions and a sense of rebellion was triggered in many women. They finally felt they had to do something about the unfair treatment that took too large of a toll on their lives (Riegl 176)
Society has stereotyped the male figure as masculine and powerful through the formation of fashion, allowing women to use these characteristics to portray a stronger image. Masculinity in fashion is usually associated with the suit, broad shoulders, monochromatic colour schemes based on the traditional male attire. Women cross-dressing are associated as strong and independent because they are ‘wearing the pants’. ‘ Cropped hair, menswear suits, thin flanks-these are not only the signature characteristics of ‘cross-dressed’ entertainment figures like Annie Lennox or K.D Lang or Madonna, but also the high-style looks of the mainstream fashion magazines since the sixties’ (Garber, 1992). The female to male cross-dressing has bee...