Jessica Martin Business of Fashion 1 Portfolio
C O N T E N T S
1) Intro to my theme of cheerleading 2) Postcard Task 3) Debbie Harry image
4) Primary cheerleading reearch and my Instagram collage 5) Primary research collage 6) Editors letter 7) Diana exhibition review 8) Front cover ideas 9) Final front cover
10) Mary Quant: Radical designer
I created two collages using Adobe Photoshop to portray how something I’m passionate about, such as cheerleading, can demonstrate the way in which fashion changes through history from many influencing factors. Additionally, some trends repeat themselves and designers within the fashion industry often try to create vintage or retro looks based on old trends and styles. This is shown in recent ss/18 collections for example, in the recent runway show in Paris, Mugler showcased new garments in the ready to wear collection which emphasise a ‘feminine’ figure by exaggerating the shape of the hips to create the illusion of curves. One garment specifically shows off the cleavage area too, which suggests how fashion is influenced by sexualisation of women. These styles and influences relate back to the 1800’s era when women would use corsets and gathering in the fabrics to create illusions of their body shape. In the 1900’s women were more likely to cover up and begin to wear trousers and garments that were for themselves and not to attract men. It seems like now fashion Is taking a step back and encouraging women to show off their bodies to create a ‘perfect’ image to attract attention. When looking at how cheerleading uniforms have changed over the years, you can see similar patterns here. In the early 1900’s cheer uniforms started off with long sleeves and long skirts. Slowly the skirt turned into a shorter pleated skirt and eventually the long sleeves were ditched for a vest top or sports bra style crop top. The fabrics used have also become much skimpier by using Lycra rather than cotton and polyester. However, from my own experience in competitive all-star cheerleading I’ve noticed many more teams are going back to long sleeved tops and leggings but still made from Lycra. Due to cheerleading becoming a much more extreme and acrobatic sport, it simply wouldn’t be safe or possible to go back to long pleated skirts as competitors will struggle to complete certain movements and stunts in them. Overall, the fashion industry and sporting uniforms both show how women dressed with much more modesty and dignity during early-mid 1900’s which was soon lost by females discovering trouser suits for women and wearing clothes that don’t distort their figure. In today’s society, readyto-wear designers are trying to bring back that element of sexy whilst classy by enlarging the cleavage and the hips, however the Cheerleading industry is creating trends of covering up more and more. I find interesting how both started so similar but are now heading in different directions. It will be interesting to see what both industries will look like in a few years’ time.
POSTCARD TASK Being too young to experience the punk era first hand, I felt like I lived it through my parents’ old archives and collections of music. My dad singing along to the words of White Riot and Anarchy In The U.K as he would drive me to school are some of my favourite memories. I’m thankful to my parents for introducing me to an era of art, music, fashion and culture which I never would have known without them. When I think of the 70’s punk image of Deborah Harry, the last thing that comes to mind is soft make-up, flowing hair and plain, white clothing. However, this is the way in which Robert Mapplethorpe chose to present her through his use of photography. The 1979 portrait consists of his famous use of black and white photography to capture Debbie Harry in a much more serious and simplistic form rather than her usual punk style. It’s very captivating and interesting to me because of the contrast between the photo and the 70’s punk era which Deborah was so strongly involved in. With the likes of The Ramones, Sex Pistols and The Clash (just to name a few) blowing up the music industry in the 1970’s, it would have been hard to stay away from the punk culture in that time. Naturally the music genre was influencing trends within the fashion industry too, especially involving designer Vivienne Westwood. The most iconic look was definitely the red tartan print which is now associated with British punk culture. The tartan colours make it appear very English and was used on not just clothing but accessories too. 40 years later, the print is still being used in her AW17 collection which suggests just how successful it was. As a pair, Westwood and her partner Malcom McLaren (manager of Sex Pistols) dominated the music and fashion scene in the 1970’s thanks to their talents and high profiles. She was known for her unique sense of punk fashion whilst McLaren was daring and even maybe stupid enough to be arrested to gain publicity for the band he was managing and their most recent song “God Save The Queen”. It was released for the Queens Jubilee and McLaren hired a boat down the Thames and the band performed outside the Houses of Parliament, which lead to his arrest after the boat was raided by police. There was a lot going on within society in the 1970’s and lot of punk music was written relating to these themes in an opposing manner. The lyrics were aimed to argue against conventional political and social principles at the time. A main issue in this era is that women, lesbians, gays and African-Americans were still fighting for equality and this affected a large population of people. This is relative to the photo by Mapplethorpe as he himself was a gay man who produced a lot of work showcasing gay relationships whilst portraying them in a very controversial yet positive way. Unfortunately, he actually passed away after contracting AIDS in 1989. A while after, Deborah actually went on to do work for charities relating to AIDS and HIV as she was inspired by Elton John and realising she had the privilege to be able to help such an important cause. The photo does however create many contrasts. It’s unusual to see Debbie Harry in such a way where she’s stripped back from her grunge style. Growing up listening to Blondie songs, and my mum showing me her favourite punk music videos makes it almost strange for me to see Debbie in such a simplified form. Her messy hair has been brushed neatly and although she still wore eye make-up, it created a much more ‘feminine’ look. Her baggy t-shirts have been ditched and the vest reminds me of what my mum would dress me in under my uniform before school; which gives the impression she’s not properly dressed. The necklace, being very small, adds a dash of delicateness and innocence to the photo. After all, small jewellery isn’t known to be tough or to be worn at punk gigs. Another surprising point is that the lack of colour almost ignores the most iconic part of her – her blonde hair. The photo draws much more attention to her face, presenting her cheek bones and perky lips rather than just concentrating on the hair. Also, her facial expression doesn’t seem particularly happy and actually looks rather tired or disappointed. To me, this reflects her opinions and views towards the issues in society at the time which makes sense as her music was known to be very anti-establishment. The image doesn’t present Deborah to look like a stereotypical punk artist but I think that’s what makes it so powerful and thought-provoking.
“Yes!” was my reaction when I decided upon the idea of focusing this issue Varsity on
telling the story of fashion through the story of cheerleading. Famously, people debate whether cheerleading is rightfully a sport or not but my personal experience tells me that it definitely is; and that the athletes who take part deserve as much recognition as those who do football, gymnastics, swimming etc. With factors such as politics, social influences and the arts, Cheerleading has grown and evolved since it first begun in the late 1800s. If it wasn’t for both World War I and World War II, women may have never taken over as cheerleading athletes, meaning that the uniforms and routines would have possibly been very different today. I wanted to combine my passion for both cheerleading and fashion by portraying how they have grown together; starting at 1910 and exploring every decade up until today. It was important for me to go into detail for each decade to really show in- depth how cheer’ has deservedly became a recognised sport and how its uniforms reflected the trends within fashion from each period. So get your pom-poms out as this zine inspires you with varsity spirit as we delve into the exhilarating world of Cheerleading and fashion. Editor-in-chief, Jessica Martin
DIANA: HER FASHION STORY As I took my first step into such an intriguing exhibition, my eyes were fixated on the amazing wall patterns resembling lace, with lights behind to make it really stand out. The elegant connotations of lace really make It obvious I was inside a palace made for royal family members. This was the beginning of Diana: Her Fashion Story at Kensington Palace. I was specifically excited to see this exhibition as the usual ones I attend are inside a gallery or themed on one designer only, but this was focusing on iconic outfits that Diana wore before she was unfortunately killed in 1997. The collection was not aimed to create sadness or mourning but to celebrate the life she had and how she was loved by millions in so many different ways. I felt a feeling very similar to when I visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. To know that such an amazing person once wore those clothes or walked in those very hallways. It’s a strange feeling that words simply cannot describe but it creates a sense of awareness to what that person has been through and how they died. The exhibition was beautiful and it really did Diana justice. The white walls created an impression of purity and innocence. Some walls were filled with quotes whereas some were left bare. An example of the quotes are “She was a princess. She had style. She did everything with grace and charm.”- David Thomas and “There are loads of movie stars and celebrities but there will be only one Diana.”- Elizabeth Emanuel. The quotes back up the collection shown as every piece was really graceful and dignified – perfectly fitting for a Princess. One garment that really left an impression on me was the Jacques Azagury blue silk chiffon dress which was worn to the performance of Swan Lake by the English National Ballet at Royal Albert Hall in 1977. The icy shade of blue looks really delicate and soft which is exactly the image Diana would present, but also, I think my favourite part about the dress is that it seems almost very normal. By this I mean it’s subtle yet eye-catching and is perhaps something that someone outside the royal family would wear also. In one room there was also a slide show playing which showed dates and names of important events and photos of what Diana wore. Most of these events were humanitarian related and really presented her in such a positive light. The slide show worked well as it was a quick method of gaining a lot of information and it attracted a lot of attention from the exhibition visitors. I was also shocked at how busy it was inside. There were so many people it took a long time to walk round as the corridors and rooms were completely full. Overall, the exhibition was set out stunningly and it definitely served its purpose of presenting Diana’s exquisite fashion collection as well as teaching people a little bit more about her and her life. I came away feeling enlightened and inspired to be as good of a person as Diana.
MARY QUANT
When I think of radical designers, a few names come to mind for different reasons – Coco Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Paul Poiret to name a few – but the real questions are who changed fashion and who created timeless garments that would last beyond their time; whose designs were not only innovative but succinctly reflected society in that time? The answer to all these questions is one name: Mary Quant. I spent much of my childhood playing around in the kind of little skirts with coloured woollen tights that Quant made part of her signature look. And I see my 7-year-old sister wearing them just as I used to. It makes me realise how influential Mary Quant was back in the 1960s. Quant redefined fashion for women. Vogue has even spoken out about Quant saying she is “the most renowned fashion innovator in the world.” Although Quant didn’t literally invent the mini skirt – that was just the shortening of hems through time – she definitely popularised it and even named it after her favourite car: the mini. Born in 1934, Quant studied illustration at Goldsmiths College in London where she met her business partner and future husband Alexander Plunket Greene. Together, they opened a retail boutique called Bazaar that allowed women to buy affordable, off-the-peg clothing; a novelty at the time because most clothes were created by a local dressmaker. However, Quant didn’t like the limited-choice of clothing available for her to sell in Bazaar so she began to make her own. Cue the ‘mod’ or ‘London’ look which Quant created from knee-high patent plastic boots to be worn with a skinny rib sweater. Quant has spoken about how it was the customers that would ask for shorter skirts which led to the mini skirt. Quant would dress it with coloured tights which started the most iconic look of the 1960s. By 1963, Mary Quant had multiple stores and was exporting clothing to the US. Women liked the fact that she was of their age and not an older generation. The cost of the clothes also helped to entice customers to the boutiques. Even today, 50 years on, the mini skirt is still a vital piece of most western world females’ wardrobe. Quant wanted “relaxed clothes suited to the actions of normal life;” inspired as she was by the uniforms she had grown up wearing for school and dance. Quant’s designs reflect society of the 1960s. As her skirts got shorter, other women around the world loved them. It presented how women were now thought of as more ‘free’ and with the creation of the contraceptive pill women could now take charge of their own sex life which made them feel more independent. “The evolution of the mini skirt is a tale of post-wartime austerity, sexual liberation and youth rebellion,” states TheFashionSpot.com. This was the time of the sexual revolution and it was definitely presented through fashion. In relation to my exploration of 10 years of fashion history through the theme of cheerleading, it should be said that cheerleaders today are known for their short skirts which probably wouldn’t be the case were it not for Quant. As fashion skirts got shorter, so did cheerleaders’. It’s crazy to think that without these trends of the 1960s, Cheerleaders today may still be wearing skirts below the knee. However, it Is interesting that the ‘varsity’ style linked to cheerleading stereotypically includes a rib sweater or cardigan which is what Quant styled with the mini skirt.