Jiehui chen

Fill the Void

i. Spring ’97, Body meets Dress, Dress meets Body collection ii. Autumn/Winter 2016 ( Source: Dazed 25th Anniversary Issue, 2017) iii. Spring/Summer 2015, Blood & Roses Collection ( Source: Dazed Vol. IV, Spring 2015) iv. Spring/Summer 1997 ( Source: Dazed Vol. 2 Issue 17, September 2004) v. Autumn/Winter 2017, The Future of Silhouette Collection (Source: Lillie Eiger) vi. Autumn/Winter Campaign 1993, Photography by Ken Ohara vii. Spring Campaign 1993, Photography by Ken Ohara viii.CDG Shirt Campaign, Artwork by Abraham Mignon and Lyrics by Pet Shop Boys ix. Campaign 2008, Artwork by Mondongo

Plain and Not-so-Plain White Tees Avery Chen Jiehui Tutor: Judith Clark

Fill the Void Plain and Not-so-Plain White Tees

Introduction:

This essay and exhibition design traces the genealogy and historiography of the white T-shirt, beginning in

the 1890s, when its invention was prompted by advances in technology and more significantly in social attitudes; in terms of a shift in womens’ preference for more comfortable undergarments. The article of clothing embodies the paragon of contradiction; it is casual yet a symbol of luxury, unisex in form yet simultaneously masculine and feminine.

This lies in its potential to be extremely sensual despite its lack of body consciousness and display of curves.

The classic white T-shirt’s form could not be more basic; comprising a plain white cotton jersey crewneck,

featuring two short sleeves. Its blank-page quality functions as a screen on which people project their current cultural preoccupations, and concomitantly the identity that they wish to identify with. Its very plainness serves the root of the American dream; it allows innocuity and feigns nonchalance, but also aspires to be exceptional. Despite the white Tshirt’s association with cheap production—modern versions were made in mass with a circular loom, and its contemporary production is highly automated, composed of machines cutting fabric with a water jet or laser— its price tag is very diverse, ranging from a mere couple of dollars, to almost half of a thousand; a Gucci washed cotton tee costs $430. The exhibition disregards the cheap, mass-made and somewhat disposable characteristic of the T-shirt, instead every T-shirt in the exhibition is treated as a precious item; displayed on canvas mannequins specially crafted for the exhibition, or in wooden display glass cabinets with velvet display boards traditionally used for jewellery. Very few other fabrics and garments are used in the exhibition to emphasise the white, cotton material of the T-shirt; only translucent, light Tulle is used to illustrate curtains and silhouettes.

This essay | exhibition is a collection of moments of convergence of certain distinctive themes and forms of

contradiction of identity that the white T-shirt has undergone; its role in blurring and emphasising class boundaries, or in accentuating and disregarding body and gender consciousness. The display of every piece of garment considers and augments the ever-constant void and tension between luxury and the apparent common-ness, that is inherent within the culture of the T-shirt and remains a consistent theme throughout. Each phase of the T-shirt is transient and momentary, yet themes are perpetually re-emerging and manifesting themselves in cycles, contradicting their past apparitions. The essay resolves to fill the void between all these phases through a mapping of an exhibition layout, and to use the blank Tshirt as a medium to project a commentary on the cultures and contexts which have affected or were embodied by the T-shirt.

Contents:

I.

Commodified Luxury | Cult Status Symbol

1. Unisex T-shirt, Commes Des Garcons Play 2017

II.

Private | Comfort that is secluded within the Private

2. Ladies Union Suit, Victorian Era Undergarment, 1900s 3. Men’s Bachelor Undershirt, Cooper’s Underwear Company, New York City, 1904

III.

Uniform | Utility that derives from Comfort

4. Cotton undershirt standard issue, US Navy, 1905 5. crew neck T-shirt, Jockey International Inc. for University of South California,1932

IV.

Masculinity // Celebrity that derives from Everyday Utility

V.

Celebrity // Femininity in response to Masculinity

8. Unisex White T-shirt, worn by Brigitte Bardot in A Very Private Affair, 1962 9. Ladies fit Spandex T-Shirt, worn by Barbara Bach in a Photoshoot as a Bond Girl, 1976

VI.

Celebrity // Femininity that now has a Cult Status. And a Price Tag.

10. ‘We Should All be Feminists’ T-shirt, £490, Dior spring/summer ’17, 2017

VII.

Cult Status Icon // a Price Tag on Celebrity

11. Supreme X Commes Des Garcons Collaboration T-shirt, £300-500, Spring/summer ’17, 2017

(VII)I.

Commodified Mass-Made Luxury | Cult Status Symbol

12. ‘Fake’ Supreme T-Shirt, $7.45, ebay, 2017

6. Spandex Tee, Marlon Brando’s costume in A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951 7. Draped T-Shirt, worn by Bruce Springsteen in Concert, 1980s

Venue

The exhibition’s venue is at the Old Truman Brewery at Brick Lane, situated in the first floor of the block, that

comprises 50,000 square feet. The building was previously leased to house London’s largest brewery in the 17th century1, and is at present East London's primary destination for the public and creative businesses. Brick lane is the ideal backdrop for the exhibition; it is an artistic hub that draws a youthful demographic and is famous for its secondhand, vintage markets and bric-a-brac. The old brewery space has served as a cultural venue to a wide array of events in recent years; from public street markets every other Sunday, giving it an undertone of commonness, but also as an exhibition hall for luxury fashion houses such as Hermes and Hussein Chalayan.

The exhibition area itself has a minimal, raw, industrial appearance; which complements the nature of the T-

shirt, and possesses the same blank page quality for the projection of the cultural context of the specific time period in each exhibit space. It also lends a surreal, detached quality to the luxurious props used in the exhibits; wooden display cabinets, mannequins and four poster frames seem out of place in a white-washed empty setting, within a forest-like grid of columns.

The layout of the exhibition is circular; visitors start and end in the same room, and experience the first space

twice, allowing it to open and close with the same them of commodified luxury, which is represented in the Commes des Garcons' PLAY T-shirt. (article 1.1) There is a large room and courtyard in the centre of the circulation which serves as a gift shop/ cafe, and functions as a peripheral space outside the exhibition. Stairwells and spaces highlighted in dark grey (figure 0) are back-of-house areas or otherwise cordoned off for public use, to reinforce only the use of specific entrances and exits to the exhibition. The exhibition space is vast for only 12 exhibits, and intentionally extremely spaced out to give each exhibit breathing space from each other, and a floating, isolated quality.

1

Hornsey, Ian Spencer (2003). A History of Beer and Brewing. Royal Society of Chemistry. pp. 540–550.

5.

B.

4.

3.

2.

A

C. 7.

1.

6.

E.

12.

D.

11.

8.

10.

9.

Scale 5.00 m

25.00 m

A. Commodified | Luxury

Toilets

B. Uniform | Undergarment

Back-of-House Space

C. Masculinity | Utility

D. Feminity | Celebrity

E. Peripheral to Exhibition Space: Cafe/ Giftshop

1. Unisex T-shirt, Commes Des Garcons Play 2017 2. Ladies Union Suit, Victorian Era Undergarment, 3. Men’s Bachelor Undershirt, Cooper’s Underwear 4. Cotton undershirt standard issue, US Navy, 1905 5. crew neck T-shirt, Jockey International Inc. for University of South California,1932 6. Spandex Tee, Marlon Brando’s costume in A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951 7. Draped T-Shirt, worn by Bruce Springsteen in Concert, 1980s 8. Unisex White T-shirt, worn by Brigitte Bardot in A Very Private Affair, 1962 9. Ladies fit Spandex T-shirt, worn by Barbara Bach in Photoshoot as a Bond Girl, 1976 10. ‘We Should All be Feminists’ T-shirt, £490, Dior spring/summer ’17, 2017 11. Supreme X Commes Des Garcons Collaboration T-shirt, £300-500, Spring/summer ’17, 2017 12. ‘Fake’ Supreme T-Shirt, $7.45, ebay, 2017

I.

Commodified Luxury | Cult Status Symbol

The exhibition | essay chooses a more achronological, anachronistic narrative by opening with a current theme

that is pervasive and well-known in present day; that of commodified luxury, which I think is the most ostensible selfcontradiction that a T-shirt has consistently represented. This segment of the exhibition is also appropriate at present time, serving as a anti-thesis, or perhaps a complement, to the “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the InBetween” exhibition2 at the Met’s Costume Institute, which is showing at present time. Rei Kawakubo’s3 designs transcend gender and deconstruct the human silhouette4, acting as a commentary on female body image and possibly alluding to androgyny in the manner in which her clothes seemingly disregard or embrace the classic feminine hourglass figure. Her designs parallel the unisex and slightly ill-fitting nature of the white T-shirt; in fact Kawakubo has stated that she does not believe in the concept of male or female – just ‘human’.5 Her use of techniques such as infusing padding at random places in garments to accentuates curves at unexpected, seemingly ‘wrong’ places, creates ungainly, voluminous shapes that obscure and twist the body6; serving as an antithesis to the whole myriad of ideal women’s figures enforced by various corsetry during the Victoria era. Her designs would be considered avant garde even to the most wellinformed fashion maven, yet she sees them as commercial, as evidenced in this quote from her, “but all art is commercial. It’s always been commercial – more today, in fact, than ever before”.7

The commerciality of her designs is not at all apparent, unlike the white T-shirt that is almost always

aesthetically pleasing and easy of the eyes. The Commes des Garcons' PLAY T-shirt (article 1.1) is the exception to this, acting as an affordable8, low-key, and most importantly accessible alternative to the insular high-fashion extroverted collections. It is the exhibition’s first, and seminal title T-shirt. Its design is peculiar and divergent from Kawakubo’s other work as it is extremely plain; there are no unique cuts or fits, and the sole thing that makes it unique and furthermore, commercially coveted, is its iconic heart logo. The heart shaped Commes des Garcons’ PLAY logo has become synonymous with the brand; it is more familiar and popular to fashion outsiders than any of Kawakubo’s other work; serving as commercial alternative that is wearable but still inducts its wearer into part of the CDG avant grade identity, blanketing him or her with the brand’s name and all the insular art and cultural references that CDG and its fans are associated with. The shirt thus encapsulates the void between luxury and commodity; it blurs class boundaries and closes the gap between high-fashion insiders and trend-following outsiders.

2

The Costume Institute's spring 2017 exhibition Metropolitan Museum of Art:https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2017/rei-kawakubo

3

Rei Kuwakubo started Commes des Garcons label in 1969.

Bodine, S., & Idzelis, D. (2002). Kawakubo, Rei. In T. Benbow-Pfalzgraf (Ed.), Contemporary Fashion. St. James Press. p. 365-368.

4

Andrew Bolton. (2017). Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between. Metropolitan Museum of Art

5

Dazed Article: http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/35770/1/comme-des-garcons-met-ball-rei-kawakubo-dover-street-market Written By: Jack Sunnucks

6

Body Meets Dress–Dress Meets Body Collection for Commes Des Garcons’, Spring/Summer 97’ Dazed Article: http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/35770/1/comme-des-garcons-met-ball-rei-kawakubo-dover-street-market Written By: Jack Sunnucks

7

Dazed Article: http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/35770/1/comme-des-garcons-met-ball-rei-kawakubo-dover-street-market Written By: Jack Sunnucks

8

https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2017/05/01/7-wonders-comme-des-garcon/

i. Spring ’97, Body meets Dress, Dress meets Body collection ii. Autumn/Winter 2016 ( Source: Dazed 25th Anniversary Issue, 2017) iii. Spring/Summer 2015, Blood & Roses Collection ( Source: Dazed Vol. IV, Spring 2015) iv. Spring/Summer 1997 ( Source: Dazed Vol. 2 Issue 17, September 2004) v. Autumn/Winter 2017, The Future of Silhouette Collection (Source: Lillie Eiger) vi. Autumn/Winter Campaign 1993, Photography by Ken Ohara vii. Spring Campaign 1993, Photography by Ken Ohara viii.CDG Shirt Campaign, Artwork by Abraham Mignon and Lyrics by Pet Shop Boys ix. Campaign 2008, Artwork by Mondongo

Canvas

figure 1.1 Mannequins in the shape of abstracted Commes Des Garcons’ iconic dresses with an outerskin of canvas and the iconic CDG PLAY emblem of a heart printed on to the different mannequins. using silkscreen method. figure 1.2 Wooden glass display cabinet filled with past Commes Des Garcons’ campaigns designed by various artists against a velvet display board.

Velvet Scale article 1.1 Unisex T-shirt from Commes Des Garcons PLAY Placed, not worn on mannequin.

1.00 m

Plan of Exhibition

1.

A. Commodified | Luxury

1. Unisex T-shirt, Commes Des Garcons Play, 2017 2. Ladies Union Suit, Victorian Era Undergarment

Scale 5.00 m

II.

Private | Comfort that is secluded within the Private

The T-shirt was a inventive adaptation of undergarments used in the 19th century, stemming from an all-in-

one underwear made from flannel known as the "union suit”. The union suit, was based on a similar type of underwear that had been promoted during the dress reform movement (1850s-1890s) as a preferred alternative to corsetry; the "emancipation union under flannel”, itself a later incarnation of the emancipation bodice.

Victorian dress reform occurred during middle to late Victorian era, necessitating the invention of

undergarments that were more practical and comfortable than the ‘sophisticated’ and ‘feminine’ fashions of the time.

Dress reformists were chiefly first wave feminists who opposed undergarment trends during the era, such as crinolines, bustles and padded busts with tiny waists laced into ‘steam-moulded corsetry’.9 They asserted that these body-conscious, rigid forms prevented natural movement, and were detrimental to health.10 The Victorian woman would suffer through these pains in order to achieve the figure of a wasp-waisted, firmly-corseted lady; the ideal image of femininity that she was constantly besieged by, in all forms of media and influence. Reformists did not see these fashions as empowering in their purpose of flaunting and embracing the ideal feminine figure, but viewed them as “the results of male conspiracy to make women subservient by cultivating them in slave psychology.”11 They believed that a more practical garment would unfetter woman and enable her to have greater social mobility and marital independence.12 In this manner, the emancipation bodice (article 2.1) was a garment with the potential to rid its wearer of class boundaries, and femininity of its body conscious, figure accentuating manifestations.

The Men’s Union Suit was cheap but impractical as an undergarment for hot weather, and many workers took

to self-innovation by cutting garments into half, inadvertently creating the top half of what many would recognise today as "Long Johns”. Sometime in the 19th century, undergarments manufacturers began experimenting with fabrics that could stretch back into shape to make the product more comfortable than the standard itchy, warm flannel used at the time. T-shirts were the buttonless innovation of garment makers who were experimenting with methods that would allow the fabric to stretch over the head and then snap back into shape.13

The T-shirt was popularised as a standard undergarment crew-neck shirt in 1904, when the Cooper

Underwear Company began marketing them to single men with no wives and no sewing skills. The Cooper Underwear T-shirts (article 3.1) were advertised as "bachelor undershirts” with a tagline that simply read: "No safety pins — no buttons — no needle — no thread.”14 The advertisement played up to the fact that the "undershirt"consisted of a single piece of fabric that had no buttons, meaning it would be more durable than its buttoned counterpart, with less maintenance.

The T-shirt was still perceived as underwear at the time, and wearing it in public was considered

scandalous behaviour.

9

Dress and Morality by Aileen Ribeiro, (1986). Homes and Meier Publishers Inc. p. 134

10

“ …harmed internal organs and threatened childbearing potential” Dress and Morality by Aileen Ribeiro, (1986). Homes and Meier Publishers Inc. p. 134

11

“Women's Clothes and Women's Right,” Robert E. Riegel, American Quarterly, 15 (1963): 390

12

“Women's Clothes and Women's Right,” Robert E. Riegel, American Quarterly, 15 (1963): 391

13

New York Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/magazine/who-made-that-t-shirt.html Written By: Pagan Kennedy

14

New York Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/magazine/who-made-that-t-shirt.html Written By: Pagan Kennedy

i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi.

Timeline of dresses from 1800 to 1930 Edwardian Corset in the 1910s, worn by the ‘Gibson Girl’ ( Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edwardian.jpg) Ladies Summer Union Suits, Instructions on Taking Measurements, Issue No.16 Sears, Roebuck and Co. (Inc.) Catalogue Lewis Knitting Co., Summer Union Suits Advertisement Reformkleidung aus Figaro-illustré, 1891

i. ii. iii. iv. v.

Topkis Brothers Company, $1 Athletic Underwear Advertisement in the Saturday Evening Post Bachelor Undershirt Advertisement by Cooper Underwear Co. Cooper’s ‘Spring Needle-Knit’ Underwear, 1909 Cooper’s Closed-Crotch Union Suits Advertisement Cooper’s Advertisement for Jocky Junior Underwear

1900 before 1800

1800

1820

1850

1860

1880

1890

1910

1925 Tulle

Canvas figure 2.1 Mannequins in the shape of abstracted feminine figure accentuated or created by different rigid corsetry, such as crinolines and corsets. The emphasis is on the form of the female body idealised in society in each specific decade, and hence mannequins are simple, clad in canvas outerskin. They are not dressed in any specific attires, but with an abstracted garment of the dress worn during each decade , made of translucent tulle material, in order not to detract from the mannequin’s shape. figure 2.2 Wooden glass display cabinet filled with various store catalogues selling Victorian corsetry, as well as dress reform undergarments, against a velvet display board.

figure 3.1 Four Poster Minimal Frame with Mannequin in the center.

article 2.1 Ladies Union Suit Victorian Era Undergarment, 1900 which comprised a tight sleeveless vest, buttoning up the front, with rows of buttons along the bottom.

Velvet Scale 1.00 m

1900

article 3.1 Men’s Bachelor Undershirt Cooper’s Underwear Company, 1904

Mannequin made of canvas, with men’s union suit draped, not worn, on the mannequin.

figure 3.2 Wooden glass display cabinet filled with various catalogues selling Men’s Union Suits and Bachelor undershirts, against a velvet display board.

Velvet

III.

Uniform | Utility that derives from Comfort

A year after Cooper Underwear Company’s advertisement ran, the United States Navy, whose recruits

comprised mainly of young bachelors with limited sewing skills, officially incorporated the button-less white undershirt into its uniform- issue no. 218- lightweight flat knit white cotton undershirt, high neckline, 5” sleeve.15 (article 4.1) In 1913, right before the First World War, the Army began issuing the white T-shirts as undergarments, to be worn under a uniform, after it was noted that their soldiers were sweating in their woollen uniforms while their European counterparts were less restricted in their lightweight cotton undershirts. It became common for soldiers and marines in to remove their uniform jacket at informal events such as work parties and in hot, tropical climates; wearing, and soiling only their undershirts.16 This commenced the T-shirt’s shift in identity from a private garment to an outer garment, but also as a standard piece of uniform and utility that was still associated with casual. The idea of it as a uniform removes all forms of class boundaries and statements of luxury; the white T-shirt was blank and had no embellishments or emblems that indicated class status or family background, it created homogenity and a common sense of identity amongst the soldiers.

By the 1920s, the T-shirt had become an official term in the American-English dictionary, and had appeared

in print for the first time17, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, This Side of Paradise, as one of the items the main character takes with him to university. Fitzgerald presumed that it would be familiar to readers and associated it with the visual of “white-flannelled, bareheaded youths”18 of New England prep schools. This was well-timed with the adaptation of the "crew-neck t-shirt” by university institutions, that added slight tweaks to the previous design of early T-shirts. These Tshirts (article 5.1) were manufactured in 1932 by Jockey International Inc at the bequest of the University of South California.19 T-shirts became ubiquitous in high schools and universities as the choice outerwear in the 1940s; a newspaper columnist named Nancy Pepper20 wrote that teenagers owned closets full of T-shirts and customized them with sew-on patches and fringe. It was not as commonly worn by adults, except amongst blue-collar workers; labourers, factory workers, dockworkers, miners, and farmers in hot environments. The final push for mainstream acceptance of the t-shirt as an outer garment started at the end of WWII, when soldiers returning home began incorporating them into their casual wardrobe, keeping up with their habits of wearing them during the war. In this epoch, the T-shirt came to represent the uniform for the working class and the casual everyman, and just as before it did not indicate any class boundaries, although it remained primarily a male garment.

15

Harris, Alice. (1996). The White T. Harper Collins.

16

Harris, Alice. (1996). The White T. Harper Collins.

17

New York Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/magazine/who-made-that-t-shirt.html Written By: Pagan Kennedy

18

New York Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/magazine/who-made-that-t-shirt.html Written By: Pagan Kennedy

19

https://www.sanctuarycitizen.org/pages/history-of-the-t-shirt

20

New York Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/magazine/who-made-that-t-shirt.html Written By: Pagan Kennedy

i. ii. iii. iv. v.

Topkis Brothers Company, $1 Athletic Underwear Advertisement in the Saturday Evening Post Bachelor Undershirt Advertisement by Cooper Underwear Co. Cooper’s ‘Spring Needle-Knit’ Underwear, 1909 Cooper’s Closed-Crotch Union Suits Advertisement Cooper’s Advertisement for Jocky Junior Underwear

i. ii. iii. iv. v.

Brooklyn students in the 1950s, Matther Strickland (Source: Life Magazine) world war II soldiers just wearing issued undershirts 1944 Undershirt as unofficial uniform (Source: wikimedia commons) Factory workers at willow run bomber plant (Source: library of congress photo collection) This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Velvet article 4.1 Cotton undershirt standard issue by the US Navy, 1905

article 5.1 crew neck T-shirt Jockey International Inc.1932

figure 4.1 Wooden glass display cabinet filled with a Standard Issue pressed, flat cotton undershirt against a velvet display board, with photographs of Navy marines and army soldiers in white T-shirts.

Scale figure 5.1 Wooden table displaying different kinds of old 1.00 m 1920s suitcases owned by people of different classes and statuses; working class adults and university students, with a white T-shirt hanging in two open trunks.

Plan of Exhibition

5.

4.

3.

2.

Scale 5.00 m

B. Uniform | Undergarment

3. Men’s Bachelor Undershirt, Cooper’s Underwear 4. Cotton undershirt standard issue, US Navy, 1905 5. crew neck T-shirt, Jockey International Inc. 1932

IV.

Masculinity // Celebrity that derives from Everyday Utility Hollywood further blurred class boundaries with the appropriation of the T-shirt, sending a strong message of

the celebrity being just like the everyman when Marlon Brando donned a thin,, white T-shirt in his role as Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire”, in 1951. (article 6.1) The T-shirt was sweat drenched, tight fitting, bicep caressing , and only served to accentuate Brando’s smouldering good looks and performance. Thus, the idea of masculinity and sensuality was illustrated for the first time by the T-shirt; a rise in body consciousness in the wearer.

The T-shirt’s sensuality entered around the axis of the human body; accentuating the torso, muscles, nipples

and sexual characteristics of the wearer hidden only vaguely beneath it.. Just as the T-shirt conceals, it also reveals partially; Marlon Brando’s T-shirt was not simply an item of underclothing protecting his modesty, but also a sexual threat. This prompted the emergence of the T-shirt from under- to outer-wear, a flagrant act of rebellion against established social taboos. The T-shirt finally qualified as a fashionable, stand-alone, outerwear garment that went beyond uniform and utility, with sexual as well as rebellious connotations that made it even more desirable as an item of clothing to youth of the day.

The T-shirt in its draped form (article 7.1) almost alludes to the ancient Roman toga, remembered in

contemporary society in the form of classical statuary; Rome’s abundant statuaries reinforces the notion that all Rome's great men wore togas, and must always have in ancient Rome.21 The toga, while seemingly modest just as a white Tshirt, also reveals and conceals partially, covering the perfectly proportioned Roman muscular, athletic body. It was the symbol of nationality and inclusion; every male Roman citizen was entitled to wear some kind of toga, albeit in different forms22. Once a boy came of age, he adopted the plain white toga virilis; which symbolised his freedom and manhood to start his own household, marry, and vote.23 However, the toga was also class dividing, it was a costly material, and the quality and quantity of the fabric of the togas alluded to an individual’s role and status in society; citizens cherished their toga as a valuable item, and used it to represent their rank, reputation and Romanitas.24 The toga could signify corruption or indecency, if worn too loosely, or woven too fine and thin, near transparent,25 and thus the draped, revealing T-shirt almost seems like this corrupted version of the Imperial toga.

21

Edmondson, J., in Edmondson, J. C., and Keith, A., ed. (2008). Roman Dress and the Fabrics of Roman Culture, University of Toronto Press. p. 38

22

a lesser citizen’s “ small toga” and a poor man’s "little toga” or togatulus Stone, S., in Sebesta, Judith Lynn, and Bonfante, Larissa, ed. (1994). The World of Roman Costume: Wisconsin Studies in Classics.

The University of Wisconsin Press. p. 43

23

Bradley, Mark. (2011). Colour and Meaning in Ancient Rome, Cambridge Classical Studies, Cambridge University Press. p. 189, 194-195

24

George, M., in Edmondson, J. C., and Keith, A. ed. (2008). Roman Dress and the Fabrics of Roman Culture, University of Toronto Press. p. 96

25

Braund, Susanna, and Osgood, Josiah, ed. (2012). A Companion to Persius and Juvenal, Wiley-Blackwell. "transparent" toga, following Juvenal's Satire, 2, 65-78.

i. ii. iii. iv. v.

James Dean, Rebel without a Cause, 1955 Montgomery Clift, A Place in the Sun, 1951 Marlon Brando, The Wild One, 1953 David by Michelangelo, 1501 The Thinker by Rodin, 1902

i. Cincinnatus leaving the plow to make laws in Rome by Juan Antonio Ribera, 1806 ii. Augustus the Capitoline Jupiter, 1st century AD iii. Unknown ( Source: The White T, Alice Harris)

figure 7.1 Marble Semi-Circle ‘Forum’ Terrace Steps, specially casted for the exhibition, as well as a Roman Classical Statuary replica, and a statue of Bruce Springsteen wearing a draped T-shirt casted specially for the exhibition.

article 7.1 Draped T-Shirt

figure 6.1 Marble Semi-Circle ‘Forum’ Terrace Steps, specially casted for the exhibition, as well as a replicas of famous Roman Classical Statuaries, and a statues of famous movie stars wearing a white T-shirts casted specially for the exhibition.

article 6.1 Muscle Tee Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire,1951 Scale 1.00 m Plan of Exhibition

7.

C. Masculinity | Utility

6. Muscle Tee, Marlon Brando’s costume in A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951 7. Draped T-Shirt, worn by Bruce Springsteen in Concert, 1980s

6.

Scale 5.00 m

V.

Celebrity // Femininity in response to Masculinity Once a common item bought in bulk, over time, the classic white tee was adopted by high-fashion houses and

designers; Chanel famously adapted jersey, a fabric traditionally used for underwear, into fashionable womenswear in the 1920s26, but this was decades before the T-shirt’s progression to outerwear, and the T-shirt gradually morphing from a masculine to a unisex garment. T-shirts which were which seen as part of the male wardrobe up till the 1950s were perceived as mostly taboo for women. This taboo association invariably exists with the genders swapping their clothing; it is an erotic act for a woman to don traditionally male outfits. The unisex T-shirt become flirtatious when donned by a woman; both revealing and simultaneously concealing partially the female body’s curves.

In 1957, a group of French movie starlets began appropriating their boyfriends’ white cotton t-shirts27; giving

rise to the notion that women could wear their boyfriends’ shapeless cotton tee and still remain desirable, beautiful and feminine. A year later Vachon, the St Tropez-based design house, was selling white cotton T-shirts which was based on one of the early designs first worn and championed by Coco Chanel as a pullover in the 1930s.28 The T-shirt was establishing itself as the casual version of the more formal “little black dress.” By 1975, fashion magazines were already of the opinion that the T-shirt had become so culturally entrenched that it would never go out of style29

The scene in A very Private Affair30, showing the iconic and beautiful Brigette Bardot modelling one of

Vachon’s T-shirt without much else, is femininity’s response to the sensual masculinity of the T-shirt, but this femininity is unlike its previous body conscious manifestations in the crinoline and corset; it nonchalantly disregards the female body curves, and in this way almost transcends gender boundaries. Yet Bardot in a white T-shirt is in no way unfeminine; its androgyny serves as a contrast to highlight her womanhood and emphasises her beauty and youth.

The Vachon T-shirt predated the invention of the women’s spandex Tee which seemed like a direct response

(article 9.1); a modern, much less rigid version of a corset, that like its earlier predecessor it led it a rise in body consciousness as it accentuated the female body’s curves, and was generally unforgiving to any figure less than a perfect hourglass. It imposed gender boundaries again, as T-shirts began to be sold in a range of woman’s cuts; in cropped fits, tight fits, with capped sleeves, in order to show off the female figure, while the men’s ‘unisex’ tee remained a standard fit with not much deviation.

26

Vogue Article: https://www.vogue.com/article/best-classic-white-t-shirts-of-all-time Written by: Laird Borrelli-Perrson, Vogue’s Archive Editor

27

https://www.spectratees.com/history-t-shirts-3-t-shirt-revolution/

28

https://www.spectratees.com/history-t-shirts-3-t-shirt-revolution/

29

http://www.curiositorium.org/curiositorium-copywriting-essay-portfolio/fashion-writing-t-shirt-history/

30

A very Private Affair, Pathe Films,1962

i. ii. iii. iv.

Brigitte Bardot wearing a full skirted dress, 1956 Brigitte Bardot wearing a full skirt gingham in Voulez-Vous Danser Avec Moi, 1958 Brigitte Bardot at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival Marilyn Monroe in a T-Shirt, early 1950s

i. Timeline of dresses from 1800 to 1930 ii. Edwardian Corset in the 1910s, worn by the ‘Gibson Girl’ ( Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edwardian.jpg)

article 9.1 tight, spandex ladies fittingT-shirt, as worn by Barbara Bach in Photoshoot as a Bond Girl, 1976

Scale 1.00 m

article 8.1 Brigitte Bardot, Vachon T-shirt A Very Private Affair, 1962 figure 8.1 An abstracted version of a Square bedframe with tall 4-Poster bedposts on an elevated stage specially crafted for the exhibition, with ‘curtain’draped fabrics and textiles from Brigitte Bardot’s feminine iconic looks hanging on the bed frame, and a white Vachon T-shirt lying on a 1960s sofa in the center of the stage.

figure 9.1 Four Poster Minimal Frame with Mannequin in the center.

Photographs of the Gibson Girl in 1900 and Barbara Bach in 1976 to illustrate the continuity of body conscious female clothing from the corset to the ladies fitting T-shirt.

Plan of Exhibition

8.

9.

Scale 5.00 m

D. Feminity | Celebrity

8. Unisex White T-shirt, worn by Brigitte Bardot in A Very Private Affair, 1962 9. Ladies fit Spandex T-shirt, worn by Barbara Bach in a Photoshoot as a Bond Girl, 1976

VI.

Identity // Femininity that now has a Cult Status. And a Price Tag.

It was also around the 1960s that a variety of interpretations and departures from the original pure white

canvas became culturally significant.31 Printed T-shirts were in limited use by 1942, but soon gained popularity as a medium for self-expression as well for commercial advertisements and souvenirs, but also protest art and antiestablishment slogans. The original, plain white canvas advertised brand loyalty through logos and brands and declared political sentiment through the display of icons and messages.

High Fashion seized the opportunity presented by this socio-political climate; T-shirts with prominent designer-

name logos rose in popularity in the 1980s, providing consumers a medium to flaunt their taste for designer brands in an inexpensive but overt way. Katharine Hamnett's infamous slogans stood out particularly as feminist social messages, that could be read from 20 or 30ft away. She stated that slogans were “almost subliminal. They're also a way of people aligning themselves to a cause. They're tribal. Wearing one is like branding yourself."32

Fast forward to today, being politically active and Feminist is embazoned with a cult status, and an edge of

celebrity. Fashion houses such as Prabal Gurung, Vetements, DKNY and Alexander Wang33 have designed slogan-Tshirt s as part of their runway collections over the last few seasons; T-shirts made of inexpensive cotton are sold at luxurious prices, almost like as if there is a price tag on being a feminist, or at least part of this exclusive wave of celebrity-feminists. Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first collection for Dior34 in October debuted her 'We should all be feminists' white T-shirt (article 10.1), that eclipsed her extravagant, ornate looking tulle gowns on the runway, and was also modelled in Dior Campaigns by Jennifer Lawrence, a famous actress and proclaimed feminist. The T-shirt, previously an affordable piece of staple clothing in the wardrobe, has filled the void between its common status and luxury, and become a coveted item of luxury.

VII.

Cult Status Icon // a Price Tag on Celebrity

The ritual of embellishing clothing with items goes far back to ancient time; in the form of heraldic, tribal,

political, and religious symbols being used on armor and clothes in various cultures as primitive as Ancient Greek and Roman times, in the form of crude style paint over woven fabric or perhaps over fur to signify roles and ranks. Today, methods as Air brushing and silk screening are employed in a similar manner to add modern day emblems; symbols of representation and identity, to clothing. The emblems, just as in ancient times, are worth more than the garments they are attached to; they give garments their value, not only in terms of price but also in its identity and status. The Supreme X Commes Des Garcons Collaboration T-shirt (article 11.1) is the personification of this, marrying Supreme’s commercial iconicity with Commes Des Garcons’ creative and artistic credibility.

31

http://www.teefetch.com/history-of-the-t-Shirt/

32

Katherine Hamnett, in an interview with The Guardian The Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/jun/19/slogan-t-shirts-hamnett

33

Harper’s Bazaar Article: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/news/a39193/the-history-of-the-slogan-t-shirt/

34

Dior website: https://www.dior.com/couture/en_gb/womens-fashion/accessories/scarves/white-cotton-and-linen-we-should-all-be-feminists-

i. ii. iii. iv. v.

Benedict Cumberbatch wearing ‘This is what a feminist looks like’, designed by Elle magazine for The Fawcett Society Jennifer Lawrence wearing ‘We should all be feminists’ T-Shirt, Dior Campaign Bella Hadid modelling ‘The Future is Female’ T-Shirt, by Prabal Gurung, 2017 Katherine Hamnett’s ‘Vote Tactically’ T-shirt, modelled by designer and activist herself in the 1980s Katherine Hamnett’s Slogan T-shirts in 1983

article 10.1 ‘We Should All be Feminists’ T-shirt, Dior spring/summer ‘17, £490

figure 10.1 3.0m tall mannequin to elevate white T-shirt over black Dior tulle dress, and translucent tulle train that reaches the floor.

Translucent tulle Curtains hanging on Stage posts and glass floor specially installed for this exhibition that follows iconic Dior quilt design, that is commonly seen in Dior store facades.

6 square black frames, displaying Printed designs of Slogan T-shirts (1:1 scale) designed by Katherine Harnett flanking stage, that can be seen from 20 to 30ft away.

Scale 1.00 m

Plan of Exhibition

D. Feminity | Celebrity

10. ‘We Should All be Feminists’ T-shirt, £490 Dior spring/summer ’17 11. Supreme X Commes Des Garcons Collaboration T-shirt, £300-500, Spring/summer ’17, 2017 12. ‘Fake’ Supreme T-Shirt, $7.45, ebay, 2017

11.

10.

Scale 5.00 m

12.

Supreme35 was established in New York City in 1994, but experienced a meteoric rise in popularity in recent

years; queues of youngsters waiting to enter Supreme stores never seem to subside. The appeal lies in its exclusivity, people buy it for its emblem; the red box logo, to show everyone that they are wearing Supreme, and not for the quality or cut of its T-shirts. The identity associated with wearing Supreme is an important psychological factor in the brand's success. Supreme was started in an ‘edgy, cool’ area in New York by skaters, which gave it the perception of streetwear authenticity, that was in turn is perceived as being adopted by anyone who wears its T-shirts and thus associates himself or herself with the brandname and its culture.36 Similar to the case of the Commes des Garcon PLAY T-shirt, the brand’s history and other artistic endeavours lends the blank, understated canvas of the white T-shirt credibility and a host of associations that the wearer wants to be associated with.

Johnathan Gabay states that “A brand is an extension of one's self – psychologically, in terms of how you want

the world to see you, or what you want the world to believe you are. But deeper than that: what you believe you are, through that brand.” Donning Supreme automatically inducts the wearer into their exclusive club, and everything that it entails, including the array of youth cultures that it references. For example, some of their T-shirt releases were emblazoned with faces of Morrissey and William Burroughs, so that anyone associated with the brand is ‘in’ on the joke or reference as well, despite not having a clue who these people may be. Wearing a box logo T-shirt implies that the wearer has the same breadth of cultural knowledge as those behind the brand; that he or she is as authentic as the brand itself, though that could very well be a complete facade.37 But Supreme and its cult following is evidence that such authenticity and exclusivity, and cultural insight can be bought, at least superficially, so long as the wearer can afford it.

(VII)I.

Commodified Mass-Made Luxury | Cult Status Symbol Supreme’s red box logo is now highly coveted, an emblem that carries the whole culture that Supreme and its

various ‘cool’ cultural references project, in line with the appropriation that Dick Hebdige theorised of simple objects; the logo with its Futura font was ‘stolen’ by the subculture that Supreme represents and is made to carry not so ‘secret’ meanings which express a form of resistance.38 The font and red box characteristic was originally used by Barbara Kruger39, an American conceptual artist and collagist. Much of her work consisted of black-and-white photographs overlaid with declarative captions, in her trademark white-on-red Futura Bold Oblique font, that is synonymous with the Supreme Brand name today. The phrases in her works often include pronouns such as "you", "your", "I", "we", and "they", addressing cultural constructions of power, identity, and sexuality, and provoking thought on contemporary sociopolitical issues such as feminism, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire. Just as she had originally appropriated images from mainstream magazines and used her bold phrases to frame them in a new, original context, Supreme has taken her trademark White Futura Font within a Red Box artwork and juxtaposed it and reappropriated it to create their own exclusive subculture. Pirated and ‘fake’ imitations have continued this cycle of reappropriation, printing the Supreme red box logo on cheap T-shirts, and reselling them.

35

Chaplin, Julia (October 3, 1999). "PULSE: LAFAYETTE STREET; 'Kids' Welcome, Dress: Baggy". The New York Times.

36

Jonathan Gabay, (2015). Brand Psychology: Consumer Perceptions, Corporate Reputations. Kogan Page.

“But importantly, Supreme was started in the right bit of New York by skaters. That makes it authentic, or seen to be authentic. The fact that they've brought in other designers over the years is irrelevant; it all goes back to the fact that the original people who wore this stuff were authentic – they weren't wearing it because it was trendy.”

37

Vice article: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/5gq393/supreme-and-the-psychology-of-brand-devotion Written by: Jamie Clifton

38

Dick Hebdige, (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of Style. Routledge. focusing on Britain's postwar youth subculture styles as symbolic forms of resistance, Drawing from Marxist theorists, literary critics, French structuralists, and American sociologists, Hebdige presents a model for analyzing youth subcultures

39

http://www.barbarakruger.com/biography.shtml

i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi.

Barbara Kruger’s ‘you’ve got money to burn’ Artwork, 1987 Barbara Kruger’s ‘Pro-life for the unborn, Pro-death for the born’ Artwork, 2000-2004 Barbara Kruger’s ‘Repeat after me’ Artwork, 1985-1994 Barbara Kruger’s ‘We don’t need another hero’ Artwork, 1986 Barbara Kruger’s ‘Your body is a battleground’ Artwork, 1989 Ellen Hochberg’s “Who does she think she is?” poster, 2012, inspired by Barbara Kruger

Scale article 11.1 Supreme X Commes Des Garcons Collaboration T-shirt Spring/summer ‘17, £300-500

1.00 m

figure 11.1 5.0m wall installed, with Supreme Poster pinned on the wall, and merchandise with iconic Supreme Box logo leaning against the wall.

article 12.1 ‘Fake’ Supreme T-Shirt, $7.45 ebay, 2017

figure 13.1 100 Supreme Bricks stacked in the centre of the brick wall, that bisects the two display areas for the two T-shirts.

figure 12.1 5.0m wall installed, with Barbara Kruger Slogan Art pinned on the wall, seperated by Supreme Box Logo Stickers.

The same Slogan Art is pinned at the bottom of the wall, but are changed to only show Supreme Logo instead of Barbara Kruger’s slogans, to illustrate the cultural appropriation of her art, and the messages lost as a result.

figure 11.2 Wooden glass display cabinet showcasing T-shirt, pressed, flat against a red velvet display board.

figure 12.2 Wooden glass display cabinet showcasing T-shirt, pressed, flat against a red velvet display board.

Velvet

Brick

Bibliography Harris, Alice. (1996). The White T. Harper Collins.

Dick Hebdige, (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of Style. Routledge.

Jonathan Gabay, (2015). Brand Psychology: Consumer Perceptions, Corporate Reputations. Kogan Page.

Bodine, S., & Idzelis, D. (2002). Kawakubo, Rei. In T. Benbow-Pfalzgraf (Ed.), Contemporary Fashion. St. James Press.

Andrew Bolton. (2017). Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between. Metropolitan Museum of Art Dress and Morality by Aileen Ribeiro, (1986). Homes and Meier Publishers Inc. Edmondson, J., in Edmondson, J. C., and Keith, A., ed. (2008). Roman Dress and the Fabrics of Roman Culture, University of Toronto Press.

Stone, S., in Sebesta, Judith Lynn, and Bonfante, Larissa, ed. (1994). The World of Roman Costume: Wisconsin Studies in Classics.

The University of Wisconsin Press, Bradley, Mark. (2011). Colour and Meaning in Ancient Rome, Cambridge Classical Studies, Cambridge University Press.

George, M., in Edmondson, J. C., and Keith, A. ed. (2008). Roman Dress and the Fabrics of Roman Culture, University of Toronto Press.

Braund, Susanna, and Osgood, Josiah, ed. (2012). A Companion to Persius and Juvenal, Wiley-Blackwell.

Online Articles: http://www.barbarakruger.com/biography.shtml Metropolitan Museum of Art:https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2017/rei-kawakubo Vogue Article: https://www.vogue.com/article/best-classic-white-t-shirts-of-all-time Written by: Laird Borrelli-Perrson, Vogue’s Archive Editor Vice article: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/5gq393/supreme-and-the-psychology-of-brand-devotion, Written by: Jamie Clifton Chaplin, Julia (October 3, 1999). "PULSE: LAFAYETTE STREET; 'Kids' Welcome, Dress: Baggy". The New York Times.

The Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/jun/19/slogan-t-shirts-hamnett Written by: Emma Sibbles Harper’s Bazaar Article: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/news/a39193/the-history-of-the-slogan-t-shirt/ Written by: Amy de Klerk Dazed Article: http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/35770/1/comme-des-garcons-met-ball-rei-kawakubo-dover-street-market Written by: Jack Sunnucks New York Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/magazine/who-made-that-t-shirt.html Written By: Pagan Kennedy http://www.teefetch.com/history-of-the-t-Shirt/ https://www.spectratees.com/history-t-shirts-3-t-shirt-revolution/ http://www.curiositorium.org/curiositorium-copywriting-essay-portfolio/fashion-writing-t-shirt-history/ https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2017/05/01/7-wonders-comme-des-garcon/ https://www.sanctuarycitizen.org/pages/history-of-the-t-shirt