Sign of the times
Razorback Runway
Natalie Johnson
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Lifestyles
Fashion is subject to change as time progresses, but it isn't always moving forward.
Think about something you're wearing today. It is probably a recycled style of some other decade.
Just blue jeans? Well, Levi Strauss didn't have casual daily wear in mind when he created rugged blue jean overalls for the coal miners of the 1850s.
One of my favorite fashion quotes is from Miranda Priestly, a character from the novel, "The Devil Wears Prada."
Priestly is offended when her new assistant, Andy Sachs, refers to fashion as "stuff." She quickly corrects Sachs by explaining that the blue sweater she is wearing is a product of the trickle-down process and the color, in fact, originated from an Oscar de la Renta collection of cerulean blue gowns.
During World War I, while men were overseas, women began taking on traditionally male roles and, suddenly, restricting corsets and layers of petticoats were impractical.
More comfortable clothes were fit to wear to work in factories or to go to women's clubs. Women's clothing included military-cut suits and jackets.
Between the two world wars, the Roaring Twenties celebrated flirty, fancy fashion until the stock market crash of 1929 caused an economic standstill in fashion.
During World War II, a textiles shortage quickly changed the composition of their garments.
The effects of time hold true to even the seasons of the year.
Don't mind the snow last weekend because spring is still just around the corner. Stores are filled with spring and summer clothes, but the styles are not new - most are just creatively redesigned.
In Payless Shoe Stores, there is a pair of oxford peep-toe pumps that exemplify the shoes of the 1940s. Although they are a fairly new addition to department stores, the same style began almost a year ago in high fashion.
Just as marketing experts can track the cycles of promotion, fashion forecasters can track the cycles of trends.
This year, trends show that canary yellow, hot pink and bright red are huge for the warm seasons.
The economic struggle right now appears to be influencing designers to focus on colors or textures rather than the quality of textiles, just as it was in the 1940s.
InStyle magazine shows that the hourglass shape is popular for spring. The silhouette of fashion has been changing since its existence, transitioning from straight, curvy, loose, tight, short or long during each fashion period.
The cyclical process of fashion is brilliant, I think, as it celebrates our history and the geniuses of the past.
Although we might pick fun at our parents for the bouffant hairstyles of the 1960s or frizzy curls of the 1970s, those styles will probably come back around.
Right now, we are an eclectic culture of fashion.
Ladies wear summer scarves like those of the 1950s, "hippie" symbols of the 1960s and pantsuits of the 1970s.
Men are wearing more colors like the men of the 1960s, patterned clothes of the 1970s and punk styles of the 1980s.
The recreations of our past offer a great variety of clothing styles now.
Natalie Johnson is a staff columnist for The Arkansas Traveler. Her column appears every other Wednesday.
Think about something you're wearing today. It is probably a recycled style of some other decade.
Just blue jeans? Well, Levi Strauss didn't have casual daily wear in mind when he created rugged blue jean overalls for the coal miners of the 1850s.
One of my favorite fashion quotes is from Miranda Priestly, a character from the novel, "The Devil Wears Prada."
Priestly is offended when her new assistant, Andy Sachs, refers to fashion as "stuff." She quickly corrects Sachs by explaining that the blue sweater she is wearing is a product of the trickle-down process and the color, in fact, originated from an Oscar de la Renta collection of cerulean blue gowns.
During World War I, while men were overseas, women began taking on traditionally male roles and, suddenly, restricting corsets and layers of petticoats were impractical.
More comfortable clothes were fit to wear to work in factories or to go to women's clubs. Women's clothing included military-cut suits and jackets.
Between the two world wars, the Roaring Twenties celebrated flirty, fancy fashion until the stock market crash of 1929 caused an economic standstill in fashion.
During World War II, a textiles shortage quickly changed the composition of their garments.
The effects of time hold true to even the seasons of the year.
Don't mind the snow last weekend because spring is still just around the corner. Stores are filled with spring and summer clothes, but the styles are not new - most are just creatively redesigned.
In Payless Shoe Stores, there is a pair of oxford peep-toe pumps that exemplify the shoes of the 1940s. Although they are a fairly new addition to department stores, the same style began almost a year ago in high fashion.
Just as marketing experts can track the cycles of promotion, fashion forecasters can track the cycles of trends.
This year, trends show that canary yellow, hot pink and bright red are huge for the warm seasons.
The economic struggle right now appears to be influencing designers to focus on colors or textures rather than the quality of textiles, just as it was in the 1940s.
InStyle magazine shows that the hourglass shape is popular for spring. The silhouette of fashion has been changing since its existence, transitioning from straight, curvy, loose, tight, short or long during each fashion period.
The cyclical process of fashion is brilliant, I think, as it celebrates our history and the geniuses of the past.
Although we might pick fun at our parents for the bouffant hairstyles of the 1960s or frizzy curls of the 1970s, those styles will probably come back around.
Right now, we are an eclectic culture of fashion.
Ladies wear summer scarves like those of the 1950s, "hippie" symbols of the 1960s and pantsuits of the 1970s.
Men are wearing more colors like the men of the 1960s, patterned clothes of the 1970s and punk styles of the 1980s.
The recreations of our past offer a great variety of clothing styles now.
Natalie Johnson is a staff columnist for The Arkansas Traveler. Her column appears every other Wednesday.
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