October 2018
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RUFFLES
This trend has been a staple in Couture and evening wear since Marie Antionette but the past fashion weeks have seen this trend come into full play in casual, evening and couture wear. Get ready to see an abundance of Ruffles in languid and smooth shapes and frills in childlike reminiscence. This trend goes in hand with lightweight and transparent textiles as well as extremely feminine silhouettes that use frills to either decorate a streamlined figure or create and exaggerate volume. Ruffles and frills can be added anywhere from the sleeves cascading down to the mid-calf.
ORIGIN
The ruffle first became prominent in the early 1500’s when German soldiers began slicing colourful patterns into their outer decorative layers on their outfits. It is said to have caught on as it mimicked the ragged look of returning from war, which was seen as honourable at the time. Soon the idea developed into a man-made ruff. It quickly became popular amongst the nobility of the time, most notably Queen Elizabeth I who was continually painted wearing oversized ‘cartwheel ruffs'. As time developed the fashion turned towards a more natural form. However the ruffle was still very much in fashion but this time as a more subtle decoration on almost all edges of the garment. In the 1700’s The French style icon, Marie Antoinette really took to the style and was consistently seen in it in public, private and paitings. From that point on the ruffle earned its place in fashion history (Livey, 2016).
TAILORING
The main elements of this trend are; Stripes, oversizing, block shaped blazers and doubled breasted closures. Double-breasted blazer closures were an omnipresentfeature during this season’s Paris Fashion Week shows. Amongst a plethora of different textiles, the length of the blazer was either above the knee or just below the pelvis. For the hem lines that found themselves reaching for the knees, a sense of fluidity eased into the length of its tailoring. This is the biggest comeback of tailoring since power dressing in the 70's. This season’s tailored trend seems to be creating its own sense of power dressing but with no reference to shoulder pads. While the aesthetic and silhouette of tailored wear is the close relative to menswear, this season’s trend is about either oversized, textured/patterned or fluid silhouettes. Instead of enclosing or emulating the male understanding or tailored wear, the female suit complements the contemporary women and is defining a new female armour- one of feminine fluidity.
ORIGIN
The first Tailored suit came to fruition in the 17thcentury. Until the beginning of the 1900’s it was for the prime and exclusive use of men only. Women were continually subjected to the restrictive stain of the corset until the first wave of feminism. The politics of gender equality had a severe impact on women’s wear and in order to liberate women’s clothing- and the female body, female dress needed to adapt certain aspects of menswear that allowed for more physical movement. Tailoring slowly crept into women’s wear but it crescendoed into the mainstream thanks to Coco Chanel’s tweed suit, which in its own way, had contested the restrictive Romantic view of feminine fashion and the female figure (Coehen, 2016).
UTILITARIAN
This trend is based as equally on accessories as it is on structure and silhouette. Color is not as import a factor as layering is. The key to the layering is not in layering multiple garments on top of one another but instead adding utilitarian style pieces to simple silhouettes like jumpsuits, combat trousersand oversized anoraks that are structurally modern and cut from weighted natural fibres for strong shape definition. Deep-cut necklines and asymmetric designs bring a new sense of feminism to the classically masculine utilitarian aesthetic, moving the look in a contemporary direction through muted forest tones; army green, camo, beige, and dark denim.
ORIGIN
Utilitarian wear stems from the practicality of military wear. Military gear and garments were first adopted into sportswear during the 70’s by the teenagers of counter culture. It was their way of revolting against the war. Those who had returned from the war had begun wearing their military gear to protest and soon the army green military style jacket had become a staple amongst the youth of the counter culture. This continued much into the 90’s. Designers then started producing entire collections that were inspired and clearly mimicked military wear. Designers of the time had no socially justified reason to be inspired by military wear but one speculation is that images from wartimes tend to be absorbed into fashion when the clothing no longer serves its original function (Patterson, 2015). From the 90’s on Military patterns and the structure of basic silhouettes- like army pants, army jackets and jumpsuits, have been became a staple. Utilitarian wear is simply the luxury street wear take on military wear.
SHEER
Milan, Paris, London and South African runways have by far strutted the most transparent models this past season. Milan and Paris gave us more sensual forms and aesthetics, feminine tones whilst London saw more edgier and athleisure looks and South Africa gave us transparent evening wear. The main element behind this trend is to “veil rather than reveal the figure”. The trend is not about simply showing what isn’t supposed to be seen but combining traditional forms and silhouettes with sheer fabrics. One can expect many jackets, blazers, formal pants, tracksuit pants and skirts in sheer materials with the intention to be worn in layers. This trend appeals to all aesthetics (minimalism, luxury street wear, evening wear, sportswear, feminine and androgynous styles…)
As menswear moves out of the rigid conformity that is ‘pants and a T-shirt’ we find that Sheer is going to be a trend for both men and women. This trend would appeal to the man and women who feel extremely confident in their bodies and are not fashion risk takers but are trend literate and up to date. It would appeal to those who might also be confident not be confident enough to simply reveal their figure and so they chose to reveal it through a sheer veil instead.
ORIGIN
Sheer garments have been around since the begining of fashion history, going as far back as the ancient Greeks whose Ionic Chitons were made from wool or woven so fine it was almost transparent. Fast forward to the 19thcentury and for the first time using transparent materials, like tulle and sheer silk, it has become a trend on its own. It was used in the revival of ruffles as inspired (once again) by Queen Elizabeth I. The trend like many others were put on hold due to the wars but the 50’s saw the revival of sheer textiles but this time to create full garments. Due to its lightweight chiffon, organza and tulle became favourites amongst evening wear designers. It wasn’t until the 80’s when pop stars like Madonna who were consistently spotted wearing mesh and sheer lace tops did the trend become commercial This took the trend out of lady like evening wear and launched in into ready to wear for mass markets (Gill, 2013).
REFERENCES
Coehen, D. (2016). A Gendered History of the Tailored Suit. [online] The Cut. Available at: https://www.thecut.com/2016/08/sex-and-suits-anne-hollander-history-of-suits.html [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].
Gill, S. (2013). History and Evolution Behind Sheer. [online] Fashion Diary: Sheer Bedroom Eyes <br />Spring 2013<br />By: Sarina Gill. Available at: http://sheerfashiondiary.weebly.com/history-and-evolution-behind-sheer.html [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].
Livey, N. (2016). Charting the Unlikely History of Ruffles. [online] FASHION Magazine. Available at: https://fashionmagazine.com/fashion/history-of-ruffles/ [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].
Maxwellscottbags.com. (2018). Women's Tailoring Trends | Paris Fashion week AW17. [online] Available at: https://www.maxwellscottbags.com/journal/womens-tailoring-trends-paris-fashion-week-aw17/ [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].
Part, E. (2018). The Brief History of Floral Pattern. [online] Available at: https://www.fashionologiahistoriana.com/costume-history-legends-essays-in-english/the-brief-history-of-floral-pattern [Accessed 16 Oct. 2018].
Parute, E. (2018). The Brief History of Floral Pattern. [online] Available at: https://www.fashionologiahistoriana.com/costume-history-legends-essays-in-english/the-brief-history-of-floral-pattern [Accessed 16 Oct. 2018].
Patterson, T. (2015). How the Army Jacket Became a Staple of Civilian Garb. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/magazine/how-the-army-jacket-became-a-staple-of-civilian-garb.html [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].
Gill, S. (2013). History and Evolution Behind Sheer. [online] Fashion Diary: Sheer Bedroom Eyes <br />Spring 2013<br />By: Sarina Gill. Available at: http://sheerfashiondiary.weebly.com/history-and-evolution-behind-sheer.html [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].
Livey, N. (2016). Charting the Unlikely History of Ruffles. [online] FASHION Magazine. Available at: https://fashionmagazine.com/fashion/history-of-ruffles/ [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].
Maxwellscottbags.com. (2018). Women's Tailoring Trends | Paris Fashion week AW17. [online] Available at: https://www.maxwellscottbags.com/journal/womens-tailoring-trends-paris-fashion-week-aw17/ [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].
Part, E. (2018). The Brief History of Floral Pattern. [online] Available at: https://www.fashionologiahistoriana.com/costume-history-legends-essays-in-english/the-brief-history-of-floral-pattern [Accessed 16 Oct. 2018].
Parute, E. (2018). The Brief History of Floral Pattern. [online] Available at: https://www.fashionologiahistoriana.com/costume-history-legends-essays-in-english/the-brief-history-of-floral-pattern [Accessed 16 Oct. 2018].
Patterson, T. (2015). How the Army Jacket Became a Staple of Civilian Garb. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/magazine/how-the-army-jacket-became-a-staple-of-civilian-garb.html [Accessed 15 Oct. 2018].