Over the last two centuries a fashion revolution occurred, which started with the rigid dress code ante-Poiret, passed through the hands of Coco Chanel and arrived to the unbounded concession of today. We all agree that the way we dress is an expression of personality, but up to what point is it possible to dare in order to affirm our uniqueness? Is good taste something not to be cared about anymore? Is elegance something debatable or a well defined concept? “Simplicity, good taste and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing”. This is what Monsieur Dior tried to teach to “the woman of today” in his Little Dictionary of…
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Gianni Versace
Today, 2nd December, 70 years ago, a genius of Fashion was born. His creativity and originality allowed him and his Maison to enter the Olympus of the greatest names of Fashion. However, as we all know, creativity and madness are just two sides of the same coin. And it is curious that it was this latter, the evil twin, madness, that caused Gianni Versace’s death on 15th July 1997, in his Miami Beach’s villa. Anyway, this piece is not meant to talk about his murder, still covered in mystery, but to celebrate the existence of an artist, whose life has contributed to write a page of the Fashion History Diary. …
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Black Magic
“The most popular and the most convenient and the most elegant of all colours. And I say colour on purpose, because black may be sometimes just as striking as a colour. It is the most slimming of all colours and, unless you have a bad complexion, it is one of the most flattering. You can wear black at any time. You can wear it at any age. You may wear it for almost every occasion. A “little black frock” is essential to a woman’s wardrobe. I could write a book about black…” It was with this words that Christian Dior defined black in his Little dictionary of fashion. Essential. But…
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Decades of Fashion: the Roaring Twenties
Here we are with our second edition of Decades of Fashion. After having looked at the Sixties, we will take a glimpse of the Roaring Twenties. These two decades actually have many common elements: both experienced post-war growth together with several social changes. At the beginning of the Twenties, while Europe was trying to recover from the damages brought by World War I, America went through a period of economic growth. The increase wide-spread wealth gave birth to a consumer society and mass culture. Radio as well as cinema became very popular with Hollywood becoming the world’s film capital. However, the main symbol of this time is the flapper, the new…
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Decades of Fashion: the 60s
“Hey mama hey mama – Look around -Everybody’s groovin’ to a brand new sound” Welcome to the 60s, Hairspray At the beginning of the Sixties, the world felt that something was changing. A rush of optimism was spreading around cities and, with the election of the new president of US, John F. Kennedy, in 1961, people believed that a new golden age had to start. The key actors of those years where those who were born after the World War II, also called the baby boomers. Having reached the teen age, the joyful, lighthearted youth embraced the pleasures of life without the knowledge of the dreads of past wars. They…
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Leather Jacket: The History of an Icon
From Fonzie to Tyler Durden, from Maverick to Indiana Jones, the leather jacket has been a symbol of coolness and a must have for many men and women. But do you really know what hides behind this item? Leather jacket isn’t just a simple jacket, it’s an iconic piece of fashion that finds its roots in the first World War, when it was worn as a protective outerwear layer by the Germany’s army pilots. It will appear on the fashion scene only in the late 20s, thanks to the Harley Davidson motorcycle jacket designed by Irving Schott. He decided to reproduce the military jacket but in a more versatile way,…
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From Yves to Hedi
Only a week ago I was discussing the fate of creative directors that nowadays don’t seem to keep their positions for long. Yesterday we saw the news about Hedi Slimane, and his departure from Saint Laurent is no April Fools. While Hedi’s four-year work is widely appreciated as revamping the iconic brand, looking at Yves Saint Laurent’s sketches I couldn’t help noticing similarities. Dropping the “Yves” from the brand’s name, the French designer still managed to keep the spirit, and today I suggest taking time to appreciate this. When I was writing about creative directors in fashion industry, I mentioned Hedi Slimane in connection with the buzz about him parting…
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Love for fashion from the early days- Juozas Statkevicius
You become what you wish to be. And this belief brings us to… Lithuania, country in the Eastern Europe. So small and where such a big person was born. Juozas Statkevicius knows what it means to go for your goal and to reach it. It is not only about success and “right people you meet”, it is also about hard work, sleepless nights and big dreams. Juozas Statkevicius (or Josef Statkus how he is called abroad) was born in the city of Lithuania which is known because of people wear work-out outfits even when they go out on dates or wear heels and sports bag for job meetings, Kaunas. And…
