Fashion Through Millennial-Pink Colored Glasses

fashion through

millennial pink

From bubblegum to Barbie, it seems that everyone has capitalized on the power of pink. However, recently, the millennial generation has gotten their share of the hue: a soft, dusty blush color, cleverly dubbed “millennial pink.” However, unlike the pinks before it, millennial pink is transcending the label of color and venturing into the realm of gender notions, particularly in the fashion industry. The fashion industry has long been recognized as being at the forefront of challenging traditional ideas of gender, despite its setbacks. For fashion designers, pushing fashion boundaries often involves pushing social norms as well. Take, for instance, Alexander McQueen who used his designs to encourage discussion of social and political issues through controversy. His runway shows were VM^MZ_Q\PW]\ILMMXMZUWZITUMIVQVO\PI\ZMÆMK\ML[KIVLIT[WN \PM \QUM[[]KPI[*QTT+TQV\WV¼[IٺIQZWZJZWILMZ[WKQITQ[[]M[TQSM\PMOIa ZQOP\[ UW^MUMV\ +TW\PQVO Q[ WVM WN \PM UW[\ ZMÆMK\Q^M UMLQ]U[ of self representation, it is most literally the paint we use to depict our individuality, personality, and identity. Because of this, it is only natural that the issue of gender notions, an integral part of identity, JM\IKSTMLJa\PMQVL][\Za-^MZ[QVKM\PMÅZ[\NI[PQWVPW][MWXMVML its doors in Paris, designers and other creators have explored gender VWZU[NZWUIU]T\Q\]LMWN LQٺMZMV\IVOTM[8I]T8WQZM\NWZM`IUXTM _I[\PMÅZ[\NI[PQWVLM[QOVMZ\WLM[QOV\ZW][MZ[NWZ_WUMVQV! rejecting the expectation of women to wear dresses and skirts. Today, the industry continues to pursue the issue head on. Just in the past few years, more and more designers have been merging their mens and womens collections on the runways during fashion week. Gucci, Paul Smith, and Burberry are among the labels who have rejected the notion of gendered lines and accepted their pieces as belonging to the brand, not to a gender. This trend on the runway stems from the increasingly common tendency of consumers to shop and buy from the collections of their opposite gender. The trend of menswear styles in women’s lines has a long history. From Katherine Hepburn’s wide-leg trousers to Diane Keaton’s vest and tie in Annie Hall, women have continued

millennial pink

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\W MUJZIKM JWaQ[P TWW[MÅ\\QVO [\aTM[ IVL NW]VL U]KP WN  \PMQZ inspirations from the men’s section. Men, on the other hand, have had less of an outstanding history of borrowing clothing from women. However, designers such as Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent have found that, increasingly, men are buying blouses and sweaters from their women’s collections. To demonstrate the pervasiveness of this progress, many musicians and celebrities are also embracing the deteriorating boundaries of gender. Jaden Smith, Pharrell Williams, Harry Styles,and Kanye West for example, have all been sporting an array of women’s garments including skirts, blouses, and jeans. :MOIZLTM[[\PMaIZMPIZLTa\PMÅZ[\WN \PMQZSQVLI[\PMaNWTTW_QV\PM footsteps of legendary musicians such as Mick Jagger, Prince, Elton John, and Freddie Mercury. All of whom rejected traditional notions WN OMVLMZMLKTW\PQVOWX\QVONWZW]\Å\[\PI\IT\PW]OPKWV\ZW^MZ[QIT OW\XMWXTMMVOIOMLQV\PMQ[[]M[WN OMVLMZQLMV\Q\aIVLÆ]QLQ\a

Pink has played a vital role in the gradual blurring of gender lines over the past few decades, particularly through its use in fashion. It may seem that pink has always been associated with women and femininity, but only recently has the shade come to serve as a ZMXZM[MV\I\QWVWN \PMNMUITMOMVLMZ*MNWZM\PM![\PMQLMIWN  gendered colors was non-existent. Boys and girls wore pink without IVaQVLQKI\QWV\PI\\PMKWTWZ_I[JM\\MZÅ\\QVONWZWVMOMVLMZW^MZ\PM other. Ironically, after World War I, blue became recognized as a girl color, being described as softer and more delicate than pink, which was recognized as a boy color for its strength. Moreover, clothing in general for children was never gendered; boy and girl infants and toddlers wore dresses and lace without any questions. However, as companies began to pick up on consumer habits to buy pink for girls, the color became increasingly feminized. Today, walking through the girl’s section in a clothing store, it is evident that the color pink still reigns as the dominant color for girls. With millennial pink recently emerging as a much talked about color, questions about pink representing women and femininity also arise. For those working in the fashion industry looking to challenge traditional notions of gender, the popularity of millennial pink is the perfect vehicle to do so. Fendi, Gucci, and Christopher Shannon are just a few brands that have all recently used shades of pink in their men’s lines. Flashes of pink down the men’s runway have opened the door to ideas of gender identity as it is expressed through clothing. The color pink has led the way for designers to further push gender boundaries by designing dresses for their menswear lines or featuring elements traditionally deemed feminine on the men’s runway (see Burberry’s lace overcoat in their Spring/Summer men’s collection). Using pink’s feminine reputation, designers are challenging traditional gendered colors and clothing on the runway, which naturally manifest themselves as trends in everyday fashion. In this way, the fashion industry’s push to question gender norms with pink has found its way into the clothing choices of everyday people. As a result, questioning gender identities through fashion is not just practiced by the designers creating the trends, but rather, much more pervasively, by individuals everywhere who follow these trends and promote this questioning. Millennial pink is proving to be more than just the hue of a OMVMZI\QWV:I\PMZQ\Q[ÅVLQVOQ\[_IaQV\WVMIZTaM^MZaI[XMK\WN W]Z lives, from the ever popular rose gold iPhone to the latest Starbucks concoction dubbed “Pink Drink.”Although so pervasive in popular culture, its role in fashion has pushed the boundaries of what a single color can do by evoking questions of gender identity in clothing. Pink’s connection with the female gender has made it a useful tool to bend that association to not only prove that pink isn’t just for girls, but also that clothing is not limited to gender. The color has come full circle: from being recognized as a color of strength for boys, to now expressing its strength in eliminating the idea of gendered colors and clothing all together, truly proving the power of pink.

By Ella Jermyn Layout by Paige Wilson