Fashion Icons

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IS

THE BUSINESS CARD FOR WOMEN.

FA S H I O N

IS THE CODE.

L E E N DE ME E S T E R

‘Fashion changes every day. Fashion trends throughout the centuries are a fascinating topic. The history of fashion proves that women have attached great importance to outward appearance for more than 2000 years. Beauty is our business card and fashion our code.’ In Fashion Icons, Leen Demeester explores fashion trends throughout the centuries and answers questions about the evolution of fashion and emancipation of women in the Western world. She traces the origins of items of clothing such as the corset, the bra, the dress, the mini-skirt, trousers, accessories and high heels. These 'icons' show a distinct parallel between the history of fashion and women. Top designers such as Manolo Blahnik, Yves Saint Laurent, JP Gaultier and Marlies Dekkers confirm that the image of a woman and her place in society depends on her appearance and especially on the clothes she wears. www.lannoo.com

FASHION ICONS

APPEARANCE

LEEN DEMEESTER

Fashion Trends throughout the Centuries

FASHION

ICONS

Hairdresser Gladys McAllister styling the hair of Marilyn Monroe, 1950’s. © TopFoto / ImageGlobe

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THE

CORSET The histor y of th e c or s e t p rov e s that women ha v e attac h e d g re at i m p or tan c e to o u twar d ap p e ar an c e fo r mo re th an 2 0 0 0 y e ar s .

Š Jean-Baptiste Mondino

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THE CORSET

JEAN-PAUL

GAULTIER

© Istockphoto

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THE BRA

– b lac k & wh i te v e r s i on –

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THE BRA // THE FEMINIST VIEW The bra is sometimes viewed as an icon of popular culture that eroticizes female breasts as sexual objects. Marlies Dekkers says about the erotic effect of the bra: ‘I make a statement with my underwear. Wearing my underwear shows that you take the initiative into your own hands.’ The erotic object has as much power as the erotic subject. The theory of seduction according to Marlies Dekkers is: ‘It is not the subject that longs for sex but the object that seduces.’

One cannot talk about object and subject without mentioning feminist Simone de Beauvoir and her theory of the One (Man) and the Other (Woman).

In her famous and controversial book The Second Sex, first published in 1949, de Beauvoir explains the inferior position of women in our society.

‘Thus humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being... She is simply what man decrees; thus she is called “the sex”, by which is meant that she appears essentially to the male as a sexual being. For him she is sex – absolute sex, no less. She is defined and differentiated with reference to man and not he with reference to her; she is the incidental, the inessential as opposed to the essential. He is the Subject, he is the Absolute – she is the Other.’

This was Simone de Beauvoir in 1949. Does she have a point here? Do you think she is still right today?

57 THE BRA // FEMINIST VIEW

According to Simone de Beauvoir, the consequence of this point of view for women in our society is that ‘at the present time, when women are beginning to take part in the affairs of the world, it is still a world that belongs to men – of this they have no doubt at all and women scarcely any. To decline to be the Other, to refuse to be a party to the deal, this would be for women to renounce all the advantages conferred upon them by their alliance with the superior caste.’

© Manolo Blahník

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MANOLO BLAHNÍK – re d h i g h h e e l –

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HIGH HEELS // MANOLO BLAHNÍK Manolo Blahník comments on feminism and shoes: ‘I always loved Germaine Greer and love her commentary. At the time what she was saying was very interesting.

However I cannot really say that it influenced my designs.’ Nevertheless, Blahník loves designing shoes for women. He says: ‘Also, I always say that shoes help transform a woman. When a woman puts high heels on, they change the way she walks. She has more confidence and very often they put a smile on her face.’ He comments on fashion history: ‘I always look back in history which is so rich and interesting when it comes to fashion.

I very often think of the past and the books that I have read or am reading at the moment and they often bring ideas for new shoes and details. Also I collect old films and watch at least two per night since I suffer of insomnia. Those films are an unlimited resource or fantastic visuals which inspire me all the time.’

Designer Blahník has his own vision on high heels. He says: ‘You put high heels on and you change.’ Obviously, according to Blahník, high heels transform women. He also thinks that shoes are something special to women. He adds: ‘My shoes are special shoes for discerning feet.’

The success of the TV series for Manolo Blahník was so overwhelming that the designer said that he had never wanted to be a ‘celebrity designer’. But after years of having his name bandied about in reverential tones that is exactly what happened.

Blahník told the Sunday Telegraph, ‘If people talk to me about Sex and the City I get sick...

It becomes too much and I don't feel comfortable.’

89 HIGH HEELS // MANOLO BLAHNÍK

Thanks in part to the TV series Sex and the City, Manolo Blahník has become one of the handfuls of designers whose name is synonymous with their product. In his case it is his forename, because ‘Manolo’ is now used as slang to describe very expensive, very beautiful shoes, even by the millions of people who have never actually seen a pair of Manolo Blahník shoes and could not dream of spending $300 or $400 to buy them.

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German woman fashion – Late Middle Ages (1450-1500), vintage illustration from Die Frau als hausarztin, 1911. © Shutterstock.com Maurice Quentin de La Tour, Portrait of la marquise de Pompadour, pastels, 175 x 128 cm, Département des Arts graphiques. © akg-images / Erich Lessing / ImageGlobe

Also less famous women have some in their wardrobe. The dress cannot be missed. Why is it so popular? The dress is timeless and has always been the same concept: a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice creating the effect of a one-piece garment. In Western culture, dresses are usually considered to be items of women's and girls' apparel.

THE DRESS // HISTORY

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Dresses can be long or short, with the hemline as high as the upper thigh or as low as the ground, depending on the whims of fashion and the personal taste of the wearer.

The history of the dress coincides with the history of the corset and hoop skirt. Dresses increased dramatically in size to the crinoline-supported styles of the 1860s. Their fullness was draped and drawn to the back. ‘Day’ dresses had high necklines and long sleeves whereas ‘evening’ or Empire dresses had a low necklines or décolletés and very short sleeves.

In the 19th century, the length of fashionable dresses varied only slightly, between ankle-length and floor-length.

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Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961. © Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection / Corbis Images

In the 20th century, dresses existed in many styles and lengths. Up to today they can be short or long. With the fashion trend of the mini-skirt, the dress also became short.

During the seventies, dresses were extremely long and combined with high heels. In the new millennium we see a variety of dresses ranging from short to long.

There is a great choice of dresses. For each woman there is a dress. There is a dress for each purpose. There are cocktail dresses or evening gowns for receptions or balls.

But dresses are also worn on less formal occasions.

The most famous dress is the black dress, eternalised

by Audrey Hepburn’s appearance in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

This black dress was worn for a special event in town.

Famous too is the shirtwaist, a dress with a bodice (shirt) and an attached skirt. The shift is a straight dress with no waist shaping or seam (1960s).

There are dresses for any kind of weather. In summertime women like to wear the sundress which is made in lightweight fabric and which is sleeveless.

121 THE DRESS // HISTORY

Then there is the wrap dress, a dress with a front closure formed by wrapping one side across the other and knotting the attached ties on the side, or fastening buttons.

This forms a V-shaped neckline and hugs a woman's curves. The wrap dress is often combined with a floral design. The wrap dress was especially popular in the 1970s and renewed its popularity from late 1990s. The creator of the wrap dress was BelgianAmerican designer Diane von Furstenberg. This wrap dress turned her into an icon of contemporary world of fashion and became a classic from the seventies onwards. Thanks

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Tuxedo with pants, Haute couture collection, Fall-Winter 1996. © Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Tuxedo with pants, Haute couture collection, Fall-Winter 1991. © Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent

His own words ‘Fashions fade, style is eternal’ have become very meaningful. Yves Saint Laurent had the right intuition to know what women wanted to wear at a particular moment in their lives but also what women wanted to wear in history. He represented the sex appeal of the female form and conjured up a world of sophistication and sensuality. He made women feel attractive within the new limits of women’s wear.

The tuxedo suit or le smoking for women became his trademark, and he would design one in every collection.

It became a true classic in fashion history.

Saint Laurent’s partner Pierre Bergé said: ‘Chanel has liberated women, Saint Laurent has given them power.’

159 TUXEDOS // YSL

Besides this, as early as 1965, Yves Saint Laurent paid tribute to artists in his haute couture collections with the famous Mondrian dresses, then in 1966 with the pop art dresses. This was followed in 1967 with his major homage to Africa. In the 1970s he presented his Picasso and Diaghilev collections and tributes to Matisse, Cocteau, Braque, Van Gogh, Apollinaire in

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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, attending The Epsom Derby Meeting at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey, 4th June 2011. © Simon Burchell / Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Kate Middleton has become world famous for her wardrobe, and recently it seems like every item she wears is sold out within hours.

After graduating from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Middleton worked as an accessories buyer for Jigsaw, a British mass clothing store. During her time there, she collaborated with jewellery designer Claudia Bradby on a necklace that is now being reissued for $71.

Designer Reiss, who created her beautiful white engagement dress, is currently reissuing his old designs to keep up with consumer demand, while other retailers are creating knock-offs to capitalize on Middleton's great taste. The first public appearance together with Prince William became an unforgettable event for Kate Middleton lovers because she appeared with a small but beautiful hat which was named ‘a fascinator’ and served not only as a hat but was used strategically to avoid the hair being blown into the future duchess’s face. It is clear that the hat has made a comeback. Proof of this is the return of the hat to the catwalks. Especially American designers such as Tommy Hilfiger introduced the hat in their collections of 2010 and 2011. Together with seventies dresses, the hat gets a special place in the wardrobe of modern women. The hat is no longer an upper-class garment, but a trendy item that is fashionable in the streets of big cities all over the world.

ACCESSORIES // HISTORY

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Dutch designers Victor and Rolf also use the hat to complete their collections. This is in the same colour as the clothes and adds a sense of style to the whole outfit.

Another accessory is the handbag. Women not only have large collections of shoes, but also of handbags. For each pair of shoes there is another handbag. Handbags are important Handbag produced by the company Louis Vuitton also called LVMH with the famous LV monogram. Truro, MA USA, October 11, 2011. © evemilla / Istockphoto

© Shutterstock.com

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for designers such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Chanel, Gerard Darel and Salvatore Ferragamo to promote their fashion label. Their collections are the result of great artistic talent. Their marketing strategy to promote their collections with major campaigns in Vogue or Elle and other fashion magazines has proven successful. Famous handbag label Longchamps is famous for its controversial ads with Kate Moss who made her first public appearance for the French brand after her drugs scandal. Grace Kelly made the so-called ‘Kelly Bag’ unforgettable. Still today celebrities and other women wear this item from the fifties. Celebrities just love designer bags and are often photo-graphed wearing one. Gerard Darel became world famous when Angelina Jolie wore his bags.

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld too thinks handbags add to his house’s image and chose Blake Lively, a rising star from the American movie scene, as the official face of the Mademoiselle handbag line. French clothing brand Gerard Darel is very successful with its beautiful collections of handbags that surprise the fashion lover in each new season.

There is no price limit on jewels. Celebrities make it a competition to wear the most expensive jewels at the events before or after Oscars or Grammies.

© Shutterstock.com

Other accessories are jewels such as bracelets, rings, watches etc...

ICONS_cover_Opmaak 1 10/09/12 10:04 Pagina 1

IS

THE BUSINESS CARD FOR WOMEN.

FA S H I O N

IS THE CODE.

L E E N DE ME E S T E R

‘Fashion changes every day. Fashion trends throughout the centuries are a fascinating topic. The history of fashion proves that women have attached great importance to outward appearance for more than 2000 years. Beauty is our business card and fashion our code.’ In Fashion Icons, Leen Demeester explores fashion trends throughout the centuries and answers questions about the evolution of fashion and emancipation of women in the Western world. She traces the origins of items of clothing such as the corset, the bra, the dress, the mini-skirt, trousers, accessories and high heels. These 'icons' show a distinct parallel between the history of fashion and women. Top designers such as Manolo Blahnik, Yves Saint Laurent, JP Gaultier and Marlies Dekkers confirm that the image of a woman and her place in society depends on her appearance and especially on the clothes she wears. www.lannoo.com

FASHION ICONS

APPEARANCE

LEEN DEMEESTER

Fashion Trends throughout the Centuries

FASHION

ICONS