COURSE GUIDE
P r o f . M ar i u s Jan u s au s ka s
BOOK DESIGN GUIDE
A ssoc . P r of . N a ndi ta Sh ah
STUDY & CONTENT RESEARCH K rit ik a Sin h a | A th i r a P an am u k k i l | S a kshi Cha ndr a ni | N a ba ni t a D a s | Cha ndr a ma Ma l l ick
M.DES. FASHION STYLING & COMMUNICATION 2019-2021 Unitedworld Institute of Design, Karnavati University
Contents
History of Eras 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9
Egypt Greco Roman Romanesque Gothic Renaissance Baroque Rococo French Revolution Empire
Modern Art Movements 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14
Pre-Raphaelite Impressionism Post Impressionism Fauvism Expressionism Abstract Art Cubism Futurism Suprematism De Stijl Surrealism Dadaism Art Nouveau Art Deco
Modern Indian Art 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5
British School of Art Raja Ravi Verma Bengal School of Art Shantiniketan School of Art Post Independence
History of Fashion Designers 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.3
Charles Frederick Worth Paul Poiret Elsa Schiaparelli Sonia Delaunay
Contents
Contemporary Art Style 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14
Minimalism Pop Art Street Art Conceptual Art Performance Art Hyperrealism Op Art Lowbrow New Media Art Psychedelic Art Kitsch Art Feminist Art Queer Art Arte Povera
20th and 21st Century Decades 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 6.10 6.11 6.12
Style in the 1900s Style in the 1910s Style in the 1920s Style in the 1930s Style in the 1940s Style in the 1950s Style in the 1960s Style in the 1970s Style in the 1980s Style in the 1990s Style in the 2000s Style in the 2010s
20th and 21st Century Semiotics 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 7.10 7.11 7.12
Style semiotics 1900s Style semiotics 1910s Style semiotics 1920s Style semiotics 1930s Style semiotics 1940s Style semiotics 1950s Style semiotics 1960s Style semiotics 1970s Style semiotics 1980s Style semiotics 1990s Style semiotics 2000s Style semiotics 2010s
history of
ERAS
Tutankhamen and his wife, B.C. 13
EGYPT Ancient Egyptian fashion consisted of clothes adorned with a variety of colors and precious gems and jewels. Scholars of ancient Egypt get most of their knowledge of Egyptian beauty standards from statues and wall paintings, although some examples of clothing were found in tombs and houses. They wore clothes made of linen throughout the hot weather. Egyptian clothes were mostly of the draping type, held in place by knots, and waist belts placed in the fabric itself. The ancient Egyptians built their pyramids, tombs, temples and palaces out of stone, the most durable of all building materials.Apart from the pyramids, Egyptian buildings were decorated with paintings, carved stone images, hieroglyphs and three-dimensional statues. The art tells the story of the pharaohs, the gods, the common people and the natural world of plants, birds and animals. The beauty and grandeur of these sites are beyond compare.
(clockwise from top) Tutankhamen | Ancient Egyptian Jewellery | Ancient Egyptian book of Dead- Kha & his wife | Pyramids of Giza | Guardians of Karnak
Seljaci Tomb of Nakht
Vatican museum - Statue of Augustus
GRECO ROMAN Ancient Greeks and Romans wore similar clothing, usually made at home. The women wove a single square or rectangular piece of clothing that could have multiple uses. It could be a garment, a blanket, or even a shroud. GrecoRoman clothing for both Women and men consisted of two main garments—a tunic and a cloak. Both women and men wore sandals, slippers, soft shoes, or boots, although at home they usually went barefoot. Classical Art encompasses the cultures of Greece and Rome and endures as the cornerstone of Western civilization. Including innovations in painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and architecture, Classical Art pursued ideals of beauty, harmony, and proportion, even as those ideals shifted and changed over the centuries. The human figure and the human experience of space and their relationship with the gods were central to Classical Art.
(clockwise from top) Greco Roman floral mosaic | Ancient Greco Roman artefact | Temple of Zeus - Roman Architecture
(clockwise from top) Ancient Greek mosaic of Medusa | Apollo Belvedere - Vatican Museum Perseus | Acropolis of Athens
Master of the Morgan Leaf - Scenes from the Life of David
ROMANESQUE “Romanesque” was the period during 19 th century where art historians describe the architecture of the 11 th & 12 th centuries which echoed features of classical Roman architecture like round-headed arches, barrel vaults, and the use of acanthus-leaf decoration. Throughout the entire Middle Ages clothes mostly remained unchanged, and novelties were introduced gradually. The 12 th century showed little essential modification, except that the tunic was more closely fitting and sleeves showed a sudden widening at the wrist. The hood, which originally had formed part of the cloak, became a separate garment in the second half of the century, with a small shoulder-length cape attached to it. In female dress a new style appeared about 1130, the bodice of gowns, at least for the upper classes, being moulded so as to fit tightly down to the hips, the skirt below that being cut wide and falling in folds to the feet.
Albani Psalter
(clockwise from top) Saint John | Carolingian Art | Gothic Cathedral | Painting from the Middle Ages
(clockwise from top) Gothic stained glass window at cathedral | Gothic Art & Sculpture | Gothic Cathedral at night | Early Middle Ages clothing | (facing page) Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck
GOTHIC The clothes that were worn during the Romanesque, with some minor novelties, remain the same in Gothic period. The novelty however, are long woolen tunics in vivid colours. There were a few types, for example: longer and shorter double adjusted to a broader skirt worn by both the genders, then, a skirt with narrow sleeves for the upper body, and a long hooded robe with wide and narrow. In the middle of the 14th century there is a fundamental change outfits were rather similar, since it did not accentuate the body line. Major breakthrough in men’s clothes which became shorter, they’re embroidered and stitched to follow the shape of the body, while the women’s clothes remain long and swaying. Men started to wear a kind of narrow coatee, that stretched to the thighs, and buttoned on the front, and was tightened in the waist by a stitch.
(clockwise from top) Family of Henry VIII, an Allegory of the Tudor Succession | Maddalena Doni | Mona Lisa
RENAISSANCE In the Renaissance Era, the monarch used to set these trends for both men and women while in today’s era, the style icons are celebrities. There are many monarchs who have a strong impact on Renaissance fashion, but the Tudor Monarch of England had a major impact on the Renaissance fashion of the 16th century. From all of them, King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I was the most influential. The invasion of Italy by the French King Charles VIII doubtless introduced the Italians to French fashions, but in general the influence was the other way. The Renaissance was, so to speak, transplanted over the Alps, and if Charles VIII was still a medieval king, Francis I was a Renaissance monarch. It is true that the reign of his father, Henry VII, had already seen many modifications in medieval costume. The line, instead of being vertical, was now horizontal; the shoes, instead of being excessively pointed, became broad-toed, as if to echo the new style of architecture with its flattened arch. Ladies’ headdresses ceased to be replicas of Gothic pinnacles and began to resemble Tudor windows.
The Birth of Venus by Por Sandro Botticeli
(clockwise from top) Judith Leyster - A boy & a girl | Santa Maria della Vittoria | Sophia Trip, wife of Balthasar Coymans | Anthony van Dyck’s Lord John Stuart & his Brother
BAROQUE The Baroque was a time in art history mainly defined by the exuberant ornamentation in the different artistic works. It developed in Italy after the Renaissance by the turn of the 17th century and spread to most parts of Europe, lasting until the early 18th century. Baroque art was originally promoted by the Catholic Church. During the Baroque period, silk was the preferred fabric, and sometimes velvet was used as well. Linen was common for the inner layers of clothes. The silhouettes gradually softened as hard corsets from the Renaissance were replaced by flexible stays. The neckline was low, and lace collars were used for decoration. Shoes were usually covered by the dress, so they were very simple. Men’s clothing adopted a militaristic look. A tight jacket known as a doublet was popular. Tight boots high up to the knee were worn, often turned down with lace. The attire was completed with a long sword.
Baroque Ceiling Art
(clockwise from top) Madame de Pompadour Francois Boucher | Marie_Antoinette | 18th century man portrait | Rococo Architecture | Marriage of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa
ROCOCO A significant shift in culture occurred in France and elsewhere at the beginning of the 18th century, known as the Enlightenment, which valued reason over authority. The new fashions introduced affecting not only royalty and aristocrats, but also middle and even lower classes. Ironically, the single most important figure to establish Rococo fashions was Louis XV’s mistress Madame Pompadour. She adored pastel colors and the light, happy style which came to be known as Rococo, and subsequently light stripe and floral patterns became popular. Men generally wore different variations of the habit à la française: a coat, waistcoat, and breeches. The waistcoat was the most decorative piece, usually lavishly embroidered or displaying patterned fabrics. Lace jabots were still worn tied around the neck. The Rococo era was defined by seemingly contrasting aspects: extravagance and a quest for simplicity, light colors and heavy materials, aristocrats and the bourgeoisie.
Rococo Art
(clockwise from top) French Revolution | Maximilien Robespierre | Sans Culottes - French Revolution
FRENCH REVOLUTION The years following the Revolution in France in 1789 brought massive upheaval and changes in French society, which, in turn, produced profound changes in dress and fashion. Clothing had long served in France as one of the most visible markers of social privilege and aristocratic status, so it is hardly surprising, then, that fashion was deeply affected by the course of revolutionary changes. Women’s clothing styles maintained an emphasis on the conical shape of the torso while the shape of the skirts changed throughout the period. The wide panniers for the most part disappeared by 1780 for all but the most formal court functions, and false rumps were worn for a time. Marie Antoinette had a marked influence on French fashion beginning in the 1780s. The usual fashion at the beginning of the period was a low-necked gown, worn over a petticoat.
Declaration of rights of men and citizens
(clockwise from top) Portrait of Madame Recamier | Lord Byron | Portrait of Felicite Louise de Durfort Marechale de Beurnonville
EMPIRE Empire silhouette, Empire line, Empire waist or just Empire is a style in clothing in which the dress has a fitted bodice ending just below the bust, giving a high-waisted appearance, and a gathered skirt which is long and loosely fitting but skims the body rather than being supported by voluminous petticoats. While the style goes back to the late 18th century, the term “Empire silhouette” arose over a century later in early 20th-century Britain; here the word empire refers to the period of the First French Empire; Napoleon’s first Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais was influential in popularizing the style around Europe. Very light and loose dresses, usually white and often with shockingly bare arms, rose sheer from the ankle to just below the bodice, where there was a strongly emphasized thin hem or tie round the body, often in a different color.
Coronation of Napoleon and Josephine
m odern
ART
movements
PRE-RAP
HAELITE The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was formed in 1848 by three Royal Academy students: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who was a gifted poet as well as a painter, William Holman Hunt, and John Everett Millais. They formed a secret society in London with the aim of creating a new British Art. The group’s intention was to reform art by rejecting what it considered the mechanistic approach first adopted by Mannerist artists who succeeded Raphael and Michelangelo. Its members believed the Classical poses and elegant compositions of Raphael in particular had been a corrupting influence on the academic teaching of art, hence the name “Pre-Raphaelite” Their aim was threefold: to revive British art; to make it as dynamic, powerful and creative as the late medieval and early Renaissance works created before the time of the Italian artist Raphael; and to find ways of expressing both nature and true emotions in art.
‘Boreas’ by John William Waterhouse, Pre Raphaelite
Anna Sui | SS 14
IMPRESS
SIONISM Impressionist art is a style in which the artist captures the image of an object as someone would see it if they just caught a glimpse of it. The Impressionists incorporated new scientific research into the physics of colour to achieve a more exact representation of colour and tone.They paint the pictures with a lot of color and most of their pictures are outdoor scenes. Their pictures are very bright and vibrant. The artists like to capture their images without detail but with bold colors. The sudden change in the look of these paintings was brought about by a change in methodology: applying paint in small touches of pure colour rather than broader strokes, and painting out of doors to catch a particular fleeting impression of colour and light. The result was to emphasise the artist’s perception of the subject matter as much as the subject itself.
‘The Water Lily Pond’ by Claude Monet, Impressionism
Alexander McQueen, SS 12
POST IMPR
ESSIONISM Post-Impressionism was the reaction in the 1880s against Impressionism. It was led by Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh and Georges Seurat. The Post-Impressionists rejected Impressionism concern with the spontaneous and naturalistic rendering of light and color. Instead they favored an emphasis on more symbolic content, formal order and structure. The PostImpressionists believed that color could be independent from form and composition as an emotional and aesthetic bearer of meaning. While their styles, therefore, wildly varied, paintings completed in the Post-Impressionist manner share some similar qualities. These include symbolic motifs, unnatural color, and painterly brushstrokes.
‘Ia Orana Maria’ by Paul Gauguin, Post Impressionism
Martin Margiela, SS 14
FAUV
VISM The first avant-garde European art movement of the 20th century, Fauvism the name of which means “wild beasts.” To a contemporary eye, the intensely colorful landscape and portrait paintings of the Fauvists, often characterized by a rough application of paint rendered directly from the tube, might read as more joyful and celebratory than savage in their bright, non-naturalistic hues and energetic vitality—but these were very different times. Fauves produced bright cheery landscapes and figure paintings, characterized by pure vivid color and bold distinctive brushwork. Another of Fauvism central artistic concerns was the overall balance of the composition. The Fauves’ simplified forms and saturated colors drew attention to the inherent flatness of the canvas or paper; within that pictorial space, each element played a specific role. The immediate visual impression of the work is to be strong and unified.
‘Monique Bourgeois’ by Henri Matisse, Fauvism Art
Celine, SS 14
EXPRESS
SIONISM A term used to denote the use of distortion and exaggeration for emotional effect, which first surfaced in the art literature of the early twentieth century. When applied in a stylistic sense, with reference in particular to the use of intense color, agitated brushstrokes, and disjointed space. Rather than a single style, it was a climate that affected not only the fine arts but also dance, cinema, literature and the theatre. Expressionism is an artistic style in which the artist attempts to depict not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in him. He accomplishes his aim through distortion, exaggeration, primitivism, and fantasy and through the vivid, jarring, violent, or dynamic application of formal elements. In a broader sense Expressionism is one of the main currents of art in the later 19 th and the 20 th centuries, and its qualities of highly subjective, personal, spontaneous self-expression are typical of a wide range of modern artists and art movements.
Painting by Jackson Pollock, Expressionism Art
Evey, Rainbow dress, SS12
ABSTRA
ACT ART Abstract art, encompasses a diverse variety of general styles, ranging from the purist geometric abstraction and minimalism, thru gesturalism and action-painting, to organic abstraction, color field painting and word art. The term can be applied to art that is based an object, figure or landscape, where forms have been simplified. It is also applied to art that uses forms, such as geometric shapes, which have no source at all in an external visual reality. Some artists of this ‘pure’ abstraction have preferred terms such as concrete art , but in practice the word abstract is used across the board and the distinction between the two is not always obvious. Abstract art is often seen as carrying a moral dimension, in that it can be seen to stand for virtues such as order, purity, simplicity and spirituality.
‘Cardinal’ by Franz Kline, Abstract Art
Craig Green, FW 16-17
CUB
ISM The Cubist art movement began in Paris around 1907. Led by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, the Cubists broke from centuries of tradition in their painting by rejecting the single viewpoint. . Pablo Picasso was also inspired by African tribal masks which are highly stylised, or nonnaturalistic, but nevertheless present a vivid human image. ‘A head’, said Picasso, ‘is a matter of eyes, nose, mouth, which can be distributed in any way you like’. Instead they used an analytical system in which three-dimensional subjects were fragmented and redefined from several different points of view simultaneously. The movement was conceived as ‘a new way of representing the world’, and assimilated outside influences, such as African art, as well as new theories on the nature of reality, such as Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
‘Girl with a Mandolin’ by Pablo Picasso, Cubism Art
Viktor & Rolf, FW 15
FUTU
RISM Futurism portrayed the dynamic character of 20th century life, glorified war and the machine age, and favored the growth of Fascism. it is one of the most important art movements to emerge from Italy. The movement was at its strongest from 1909, when Filippo Marinetti’s first manifesto of Futurism appeared, until the end of World War One. Futurism was unique in that it was a selfinvented art movement. The idea of Futurism came first, followed by a fanfare of publicity; it was only afterwards that artists could find a means to express it. Marinetti’s manifesto, printed on the front page of Le Figaro, was bombastic and inflammatory in tone – “set fire to the library shelves… flood the museums” – suggesting that he was more interested in shocking the public than exploring Futurism’s themes.
‘Speeding Train’ by Pannaggi, Futurism Art
Dusan Jaukovic, Futuristic Warrior, 2012
SUPREM
MATISM The word “Suprematism” was coined to describe the movement, as one that would lead to the supremacy of pure feeling or perception in the pictorial arts. Suprematism was founded in Russia during the First World War. The Suprematists were interested in pure abstraction, and searched for the ‘zero degree’ of painting, the point beyond which the medium could not go without ceasing to be art. In order to achieve this point, simple motifs were used which best articulated the shape and the flat surface of the canvas. The square, circle, and cross became the group’s favourite motifs. Aside from these motifs, texture was an important quality for the Suprematists to work with. For Suprematist artists, the visual phenomena of the objective world were in themselves meaningless; what was instead significant was feeling.
‘Non-Objective Art’ by Kazimir Malevich, Suprematism
Kim Shui, 15
DE S
TIJL A term describing the abstraction pioneered by the Dutch journal De Stijl (The Style), founded in 1917 by Theo van Doesburg. This international group of artists working in all mediums renounced naturalistic representation in favor of a stripped-down formal vocabulary principally consisting of straight lines, rectangular planes, and primary color. In a response to the devastation wreaked by World War I, de Stijl artists aimed to achieve a visual harmony in art that could provide a blueprint for restoring order and balance to everyday life. . De Stijl is also the name of a journal that was published by the Dutch painter, designer, writer, and critic Theo van Doesburg that served to propagate the group’s theories. The Publication De Stijl represents the most significant work of graphic design from the movement, but the ideas of reduction of form and color are major influences on the development of graphic design as well.
Piet Mondrian’s De Stijl Art
Balmain, SS 15
SURRE
ALISM Founded by the poet André Breton in Paris in 1924 surrealism aimed to revolutionize human experience, rejecting a rational vision of life in favor of one that asserted the value of the unconscious and dreams. The movement’s poets and artists found magic and strange beauty in the unexpected and the uncanny, the disregarded and the unconventional. The word ‘surrealist’ (suggesting ‘beyond reality’) was coined by the French avant-garde poet Guillaume Apollinaire in a play written in 1903 and performed in 1917. Many surrealist artists used automatic drawing or writing to unlock ideas and images from their unconscious minds, and others sought to depict dream worlds or hidden psychological tensions. Many argue that surrealism, as an identifiable cultural movement, ended with the death of Breton in 1966. Others believe that it remains a vital and relevant force today. While ‘surreal’ is often used loosely to mean simply ‘strange’ or ‘dreamlike’, it is not to be confused with ‘surrealist’ which describes a substantial connection with the philosophy and manifestations of the surrealist movement.
‘The Face of War’ by Salvador Dali, Surrealism
Hyein Seo, Ghost fur coat, AW 12
DADA
AISM Dada was the direct antecedent to the Conceptual Art movement, where the focus of the artists was not on crafting aesthetically pleasing objects but on making works that often upended bourgeois sensibilities and that generated difficult questions about society, the role of the artist, and the purpose of art. So intent were members of Dada on opposing all norms of bourgeois culture that the group was barely in favor of itself: “Dada is anti-Dada,” they often cried. The group’s founding in the Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich was appropriate: the Cabaret was named after the 18th century French satirist, Voltaire, whose novella Candide mocked the idiocies of his society. As Hugo Ball, one of the founders of both the Cabaret and Dada wrote, “This is our Candide against the times.”
‘Magical World of Art’ by Mandy Chilvers, Dadaism Art
Craig Green, FW 12
ART NO
OUVEAU The term Art Nouveau first appeared in the Belgian art journal L’Art Moderne in 1884 to describe the work of Les Vingt, a society of 20 progressive artists that included James Ensor. These painters responded to leading theories by French architect Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and British critic John Ruskin, who advocated for the unity of all arts. In December 1895, the German-born art dealer Siegfried Bing opened a gallery in Paris named “Maison l’Art Nouveau.” Branching out from the Japanese ceramics and ukiyo-e prints for which he had become known, Bing promoted this “new art” in the gallery, selling a selection of furniture, fabrics, wallpaper, and objets d’art. Encouraging the organic forms and patterns of Art Nouveau to flow from one object to another, the movement’s theorists championed a greater coordination of art and design.
Alphonse Mucha’s art poster, Art Nouveau
Irish Lace Gown, Augustus Auction, 1908
ART D
DECO Art Deco, also called style moderne, movement in the decorative arts and architecture that originated in the 1920s and developed into a major style in western Europe and the United States during the 1930s. Its name was derived from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, held in Paris in 1925, where the style was first exhibited. Art Deco design represented modernism turned into fashion. Its products included both individually crafted luxury items and massproduced wares, but, in either case, the intention was to create a sleek and anti traditional elegance that symbolizes wealth and sophistication.
Staircase at restaurant Prunier, Art Deco
The Deco Haus, Scallop Panel 1920’s Gown
m odern INDIAN
arts
BRITISH SCHOOL OF ART The eighteenth and nineteenth century India witnessed a new genre of painting popularly known as ‘Company School’. It was so named because it emerged primarily under the patronage of the British East India Company. The officials of the company were interested in paintings that could capture the ‘picturesque’ and ;the exotic’ aspect of the land,besides recording the variety in the Indian way of life which they encountered. Indian artist of that time, with declining traditional patronage, fulfilled the growing demand for paintings of flora and fauna,landscapes,historical monuments,durbar scenes,images of native rulers,trades and occupations,festivals,ceremonies,dance music as well as portraits. The British School paintings display an amalgam of naturalistic representation and the lingering nostalgia for the intimacy and stylization of medieval indian miniatures.
‘Banquet at the Palace of Rais’, British School of Art
Gucci, AW 18
RAJA RAVI VERMA Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter and artist, considered as one of the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. Raja Ravi Varma is known for his amazing paintings, which revolve mainly around the Puranas (ancient mythological stories) and the great Indian epics - Mahabharata and Ramayana. Ravi Varma is one of the few painters who managed to accomplish a beautiful union of Indian tradition with the techniques of European academic art.He was one of the first Indian artists to use oil paints and to master the art of lithographic reproduction of his work. In addition to incidents in Hindu mythology, Varma painted many portraits of both Indians and British in India. While the Europeans and other art lovers admired his technique, the laymen of India enjoyed his work for its simplicity. More often than not, Varma’s paintings highlighted the beauty of South Indian women which were admired by all. His portrayal of Hindu gods and goddesses went on to become worship material for many people belonging to the lower castes. Varma adapted Western realism to pioneer a new movement in Indian art.
Raja Ravi Verma’s painting
Sanjay Garg, Raw Mango, 2019
BENGAL SCHOOL OF ART In Bengal a new group of artists gathered around Abanindranath tagore. This new group of painters rejected the art of raja ravi verma as imitative and westernized. They declared that such a style was unsuitable for depicting the nations ancient myths and legends. This group felt that a genuine Indian style of painting must draw inspiration from the non western art tradition and should try to capture the spiritual essence of the east. In Bengal a new group of nationalist artists gathered around Abanindranath tagore. This new group of painters rejected the art of raja ravi verma as imitative and westernized. They declared that such a style was unsuitable for depicting the nations ancient myths and legends. This group felt that a genuine Indian style of painting must draw the inspiration from the non western art tradition and should try to capture the spiritual essence of the east. Abanindranath painted a number of works influenced by Mughal art, a style that he and Havel believed to be expressive of India’s distinct spiritual qualities, as opposed to the “materialism” of the West. His best-known painting, Bharat Mata (Mother India), depicted a young woman, portrayed with four arms in the manner of Hindu deities, holding objects symbolic of India’s national aspirations. The other prominent figures of the Bengal school of art were Gaganendranath Tagore, Abanindranath elder brother, and Ram Kinker Baij, who is more famous as the pioneer of Modern Indian Sculpture.
Painting by Abanindranath Tagore, Bengal School of Art
Hermes, SS 08
SHANTINIKETAN SCHOOL OF ART The mantle of the Bengal School was taken up when Rabindranath Tagore established the visionary university of Santiniketan, a university focussed on the preservation and upliftment of Indian culture, values and heritage.The school taught music, art and performance art ‘for the coordinated study of the different cultures’ and eventually became the symbol of harmonious coexistence of western and eastern cultures. It was meant to serve as the center for exploration and research into the vast Indian cultural heritage, but one can see influences from all over the world in the member artists’ works.The Shantiniketan school of thought emphasised that “an aesthetic was also an ethos, that art’s role was more than life-enhancing, it was worldshaping”.The Shantiniketan school of thought emphasised that “an aesthetic was also an ethos, that art’s role was more than life-enhancing, it was world-shaping”.
Painting by K.G Subramanyam, Shantiniketan school of Art
Waltervan Beirendonck, FW 19
POST INDEPENDENCE Indian thought and expression had been suppressed for a long time under the foreign dominance but after independence it was blossomed forth in varied forms of creativity. The Indian artists makes break through from all the traditions, norms established by British and nationalist style of Bengal school to develop a creativity of their own, they had explored new techniques and new material and their feelings have been expressed freely. Abstraction emerges in the visual art to free the painting from representational subject matter. Abstract art generally understood to mean art that does not depict object in the natural world but instead uses shapes, texture and color in non-representational way. In abstraction, imagination and invention concentrated on pictorial surface and arrangement of shapes, colors, texture and patterns are invariably used to achieve the abstract image. The objective is to conceive the sheer visual. It is this practice, which is leading the artist to experiment with in the depth of his expressions.
‘Ankuran’ by S.H Raza, Post Independence
Manish Arora, FW 17
hi s t o r y o f FASHION
d e si gn e r s
CHARLES FREDRICK WORTH Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895) was an English fashion designer and the founder of a fashion house called House of Worth, which was one of the leading fashion houses of 19th and 20th centuries, usually credited with establishing the highest level of fashion creativity: haute couture. He is termed as the father of the haute couture or high fashion. He was the first to promote his garments by using live models rather than mannequins to display designs to buyers. He is especially noted for designing sumptuous crinolined gowns that reflected the elegance of the era and for popularizing the bustle, which became a standard in women’s fashion throughout the 1870s and ’80s. Most of the Worth’s dresses were sewn with hands and they were known for lavish fabrics and trimmings.
PAUL POIRET Paul Poiret, (born April 20, 1879, Paris, France—died April 30, 1944, Paris), French couturier, the most fashionable dress designer of pre-World War I was particularly noted for his Neoclassical and Orientalist styles, for advocating the replacement of the corset with the brassiere, and for the introduction of the harem pants, “lampshade” tunic and hobble skirt, a vertical tight-bottomed style that confined women to mincing steps. Inspired by a widespread interest in Eastern art and Russian ballet, he created flamboyant theatrical designs. Poiret’s major contribution to fashion was his development of the dressmaking technique known as draping, a departure from the tailoring and pattern-making of the past. Poiret was influenced by antique and regional dress, and favored clothing cut along straight lines and constructed of rectangular motifs.The structural simplicity of his clothing represented a “pivotal moment in the emergence of modernism” generally, and “effectively established the paradigm of modern fashion, irrevocably changing the direction of costume history.
ELSA SCHIAPARELLI Elsa Schiaparelli, (born Sept. 10, 1890, Rome, Italy—died Nov. 13, 1973, Paris, France), Italian-born fashion designer who established an important couture house in Paris. She was famous for her Surrealist fashions of the 1930s and for her witty accessories, such as a purse in the shape of a telephone. Schiaparelli ran away from her upper-class family and worked in the United States briefly as a translator. Then in the late 1920s she settled in Paris, where she opened her couture house. By 1935 she was a leader in haute couture and was quickly expanding into jewelry, perfume, cosmetics, lingerie, and swimsuits. Her designs were noted for combining eccentricity with simplicity and a trim neatness with flamboyant colour. In 1947 Schiaparelli’s new colour, “shocking pink,” was the sensation of the fashion world.
SONIA DELAUNAY Sonia Delaunay, original name Sofia Ilinitchna Terk, (born November 14, 1885, Gradizhsk, Ukraine, Russian Empire [now Ukraine]—died December 5, 1979, Paris, France), Russian painter, illustrator, and textile designer who was a pioneer of abstract art in the years before World War I noted for its use of strong colors and geometric shapes. Delaunay grew up in St. Petersburg. She studied drawing in Karlsruhe, Germany, and in 1905 moved to Paris, where she was influenced by the Post-Impressionists and the Fauvists. She married the artist Robert Delaunay in 1910, by which time she was painting in the style known as Orphism, which involved the harmonious juxtaposition of areas of pure colour. During the 1920s Delaunay designed textiles and dresses, and her use of abstract colour harmonies had a strong influence on international fashion.
co ntem porary
ART
st y l e s
MINIM
ALISM Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts. One major reason for it to be such an important art style. Sometimes (or mostly) less is more. The general public tends to be unimpressed by minimalism, yet there are many artists who insist on introducing this style in their works. This growing sea of sculptors and painters keeps showing us that sometimes it’s possible to represent the inherent intricacy and complexity of an idea with very few elements, and that this is exactly what makes the work of art so powerful. Some important artists are, Frank Stella; Larry Bell.
Dan Flavin, Minimalism Art
Calvin Klein, SS 1995
POP
ART “Pop is everything art hasn’t been for the last two decades. It’s basically a U-turn back to a representational visual communication, moving at a break-away speed...Pop is a re-enlistment in the world...It is the American Dream, optimistic, generous and naïve.”- Robert Indiana. One of its aims is to use images of popular (as opposed to elitist) culture in art, emphasizing the banal or kitschy elements of any culture, most often through the use of irony. It is also associated with the artists’ use of mechanical means of reproduction or rendering techniques. In pop art, material is sometimes visually removed from its known context, isolated, or combined with unrelated material. Pop art asserted the primacy of representation – the irreducibility of the image – but it was also characterized by a thoroughgoing irreverence towards “high art.” It lived to provoke.
Andy Warhol, Pop Art
Versace, SS 18
STREE
ET ART Street art can be a powerful platform for reaching the public, and motivations of street artists can be as varied as the artists themselves. the universal theme in most, if not all street art, is that adapting visual artwork into a format which utilizes public space, allows artists who may otherwise feel disenfranchised, to reach a much broader audience than traditional artwork and galleries normally allow. Street art has received popularity in the past decade, with international artists like Banksy and Shepard Fairey (known as “Obey”) leading the movement. These two artists have been known for their politically infused artwork, from Banksy’s “Guantanamo prisoner in Disneyland” to Fairey’s “Hope” Poster.
Graffiti on a Malaysian Street, Street Art
Manish Arora, FW 12
CONCE
EPTUAL ART Conceptual art is art for which the idea (or concept) behind the work is more important than the finished art object. When compared to historical Conceptual Art, contemporary conceptual works more often embrace interdisciplinary approaches, audience participation, or the critique of institutions, political systems, and social and cultural hierarchies. It can also often easily be identified with other broad categories, particularly performance art, new media, and installation. It is a movement that prizes ideas over the formal or visual components of art works. An amalgam of various tendencies rather than a tightly cohesive movement, Conceptualism took myriad forms, such as performances, happenings, and ephemera. The articulation of an artistic idea suffices as a work of art implied that concerns such as aesthetics, expression, skill and marketability were all irrelevant standards by which art was usually judged.
Lygia Clark, Conceptual Art
Rei Kawakubo, AW 15
PERFOR
RMANCE ART Performance is a genre in which art is presented “live,” usually by the artist but sometimes with collaborators or performers. It has had a role in avant-garde art throughout the 20th century, playing an important part in anarchic movements such as Futurism and Dada. Indeed, whenever artists have become discontented with conventional forms of art, such as painting and traditional modes of sculpture, they have often turned to performance as a means to rejuvenate their work. The most significant flourishing of performance art took place following the decline of modernism and Abstract Expressionism in the 1960s, and it found exponents across the world. Performance art of this period was particularly focused on the body, and is often referred to as Body art. This reflects the period’s socalled “dematerialization of the art object,” and the flight from traditional media.
Ley Bowery, Performance Art
Alexander McQueen, FW 09
HYPERR
EALISM Hyperrealism is a genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph. Hyperrealism is considered an advancement of Photorealism by the methods used to create the resulting paintings or sculptures. The term is primarily applied to an independent art movement and art style in the United States and Europe. Carole Feuerman is the forerunner in the hyperrealism movement along with Duane Hanson and John De Andrea. Subject matter ranges from portraits, figurative art, still life, landscapes, cityscapes and narrative scenes. The more recent hyperrealist style is much more literal than Photorealism as to exact pictorial detail with an emphasis on social, cultural or political themes. This also is in stark contrast to the newer concurrent Photorealism with its continued avoidance of photographic anomalies.
Claudia Bravo, Hyperrealism
Mark Peckmezian, Vogue Italia, 19
OP A
ART Op art, short for optical art, is a style of visual art that uses optical illusions. Op art works are abstract, with many better-known pieces created in black and white. Typically, they give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibrating patterns, or of swelling or warping. Op Art artists have frequently operated at the forefront of technology; such technical proficiency can be seen in works like Travess Smalley’s “Vector Weaves, ” a series created by continually passing an image between digital and analogue formats to produce a glitchy effect that is at once a photograph, a print, and a painting.
Victor Vasarely, Op Art
Mary Katrantzou, SS 17
LOWB
BROW Lowbrow art, also known as pop surrealism, began as a populist, visual art movement. With roots in underground comix, punk music, and hot-rod cultures of the street, lowbrow art has captivated the world with its gleeful, impish, sometimes sarcastic sense of humour, thanks in part by the success of Juxtapose and prominent, early enthusiasts such as Escalante and Williams. Lowbrow artists were difficult to be adopted in the arts and design fields in the first years of the movement, because they did not have a diploma in fine arts and came from the street culture. But in recent years, Lowbrow artists have proved themselves and have begun to produce art and design works that are exhibited in different fields.
Emek, Lowbrow
Thom Browne, SS 18
NEW ME
DIA ART New media art is an umbrella term for artwork produced using new media. It includes a diverse set of categories such digital art, computer graphics, computer animation, virtual art, Internet art, interactive art technologies, but may also pertain to such fields as computer robotics or art as biotechnology. New media art is characterized by spanning practices ranging from conceptual and virtual art to performances and installations. Very often, new media art acts like a platform for communication and interaction rather than a closed work. This course is intended to serve as an introduction to the subject of new media art, with the aim of presenting the general domains, artists, and themes that are associated with the production of art in new media.
Maja Petric, New Media Art
Alexander McQueen, SS 10
PSYCHE
EDELIC ART Psychedelic art is something we usually proclaim as kitschy or banal, but if we return to that point in history when psychedelic art first emerged, we might discover some interesting facts about the movement that would change our opinion. Usually referred to as art influenced by hallucinogenic drugs like LSD or mescaline, psychedelic art was more than just a visual representation of the artists’ trippy-hippy experiences. To discover all features of psychedelic art, we must travel beyond the world of lava-lamp decorations and hallucinogenic trips into the very center of American social and political context in the sixties and the birth of a counterculture movement.
Peace, Rainbow splatter, Psychedelic Art
The Camilla, SS 12-13
KITSC
H ART Kitsch can be defined as a low-brow style of massproduced art or design using popular or cultural icons. However, it can also be defined as art, decorative objects or design considered by many people to be ugly, lacking in style, or false but enjoyed by other people, often because they are funny. According to the Oxford art dictionary, kitsch is “art, objects or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.” Many art critics argue that kitsch art is characterized by exaggerated sentimentality and melodrama.
Frederick Dielman, Kitsch Art
Pandemonia, FW 11
FEMINI
ST ART Feminist artists sought to create a dialogue between the viewer and the artwork through the inclusion of women’s perspective. Art was not merely an object for aesthetic admiration, but could also incite the viewer to question the social and political landscape, and through this questioning, possibly affect the world and bring change toward equality. Before feminism, the majority of women artists were invisible to the public eye. They were oftentimes denied exhibitions and gallery representation based on the sole fact of their gender. The art world was largely known, or promoted as, a boy’s club, of which sects like the hard drinking, womanizing members of Abstract Expressionism were glamorized. To combat this, Feminist artists created alternative venues as well as worked to change established institutions’ policies to promote women artists’ visibility within the market.
Barbara Kruger, Feminist Art
Dior, SS 07
QUEER
R ART Because of the early criminalization of homosexual acts and the social stigma connected to homosexuality, much Queer Art employs coded visual language that would not arouse suspicion among the general public but would allow those familiar with the tropes of the subculture to glean the hidden meaning. With the rise of activism in the wake of the Civil Rights protests and the AIDS epidemic, Queer Art became franker and more political in its subject matter, forcing the viewers to recognize queer culture and to underscore the institutional inequities and hypocrisy that fuelled homophobia. The Identity Politics surrounding Queer Art has sparked much debate, with some artists embracing Identity Politics and other eschewing it as not important for their work.
Robbert Mapplethorpe, Queer Art
Palomo Spain, FW 19
ARTE P
POVERA Arte Povera - the Italian phrase for “poor art” or “impoverished art” - was one of the most significant and influential avant-garde movements to emerge in Southern Europe in the late 1960s. It included the work of around a dozen Italian artists whose most distinctly recognizable trait was their use of commonplace materials that evoked a pre-industrial age, such as earth, rocks, clothing, paper and rope: literally ‘poor’ or cheap materials that they repurposed for their practice. These practices presented a challenge to established notions of value and propriety, as well as subtly critiquing the industrialization and mechanization of Italy at the time.
Tony Craig, Arte Povera
Viktor & Rolf, FW 16
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1900s “The S-bend corset was fashionable during the 1900s. It thrust the hips backwards and forced the chest forward into a fashionable pouter-pigeon shape, emphasised with puffed, frilly blouses that were often embellished with decorations like lace collars and broad ribbon ties. Separates were popular, with skirts fitted over the hip and fluted towards the hem. Hair was worn in a centre parting, often looped around pads and false hair to create a wide ‘brim’ of hair around the hairline. This hairstyle was worn under vast, broad-brim hats with low crowns, and adorned all over with flowers, lace, ribbons and feathers.” “Men wore three-piece lounge suits with bowler or cloth caps. Jackets were narrow with small, high lapels. Most
collars were starched and upstanding, with the corners pointing downwards. Some men wore their collars turned down, with rounded edges and modern knotted ties. Beards were now reserved for mainly older men, and most young men sported neat moustaches and short hair.”
1910s
During this decade, frilly, puffed blouses and fluted skirts continued to be popular. A slightly high waistline was fashionable, as was a long tunic-like top worn over an ankle length A-line or ‘hobble’ skirt (cinched in at the hem). During World War I (1914–18), women adopted practical, working clothes and they sometimes wore uniform, overalls and trousers. Hair was worn in a centre parting, often looped around pads and false hair to create a wide ‘brim’ of hair around the hairline. This hairstyle was worn under vast, broad hats with shallow crowns, heavily trimmed with flowers, ribbons and feathers. Towards the end of the decade, younger women sported short bobs. The threepiece lounge suit was commonly worn, but from 1914 to the end of the decade, many men were photographed in military uniform. Hair was worn parted at the side or the middle. Older men sported beards, but younger men wore moustaches or went clean-shaven.
1920s At the very beginning of the 1920s it was fashionable for women to wear high-waisted, rather barrel-shaped outfits, and tunic-style tops were popular. However, between 1920-2 the waistline dropped to hip level, obscuring natural curves for a tubular, androgynous look. Young, very fashionable ‘flappers’ wore their hems at knee level, with neutral coloured stockings and colourful garters. Hemlines drifted between ankle and mid-calf for the duration of the decade. Jewellery was prominent, including large brooches and long strings of pearls. Hair was worn bobbed, sometimes close to the head, and the distinctive cloche hat (a close fitting, bell-shaped hat) was very popular. Men wore narrow-cut lounge suits, with pointed collars turned down, and plain or simply patterned modern knot
ties. Cloth caps were popular amongst the working class, though trilbies or homburgs were worn by the middle classes. Hair was cut very short at the sides, parted severely from the centre or the side and smoothed down with oil and brilliantine, or combed back over the top of the head.
1930s The drop-waist androgyny of the previous decade gave way to a slinky femininity in the 1930s. Parisian couturiers introduced the bias-cut into their designs, which caused the fabric to skim over the body’s curves. Long, simple and clinging evening gowns, made of satin were popular. Often the dresses had low scooping backs. During the day, wool suits with shoulder pads, and fluted knee-length skirts were worn. Fox fur stoles and collars were popular, as were small hats embellished with decorative feather or floral details, worn at an angle. Hair was set short and close to the head, often with gentle ‘finger waves’ at the hairline. Sports and beach-wear influenced fashionable dress, and the sun-tan was coveted for the first time. Men now generally wore three-piece suits for work or
formal occasions only. Two-piece suits (without a waistcoat) and casual day wear were becoming increasingly common, including knitted cardigans, tank-tops, and soft collared or open necked shirts. For the first time it was not obligatory to wear a tie. Trousers were very wide, with turned up hems and sharp creases down the leg. They were belted high at the abdomen. It was common for men to be cleanshaven, and bowler hats were now generally only seen by city businessmen.
1940s As a result of the war there were severe fabric shortages, which lasted until the end of the decade. Clothes were made with a minimum of fabric, few pleats and no trimmings. Skirts were a little below the knee and straight, worn with boxy jackets and broad, padded shoulders. Many men and women wore uniforms. From 1942 onwards some clothes were made under the government Utility Scheme that rationed materials. They are identifiable by a ‘CC41’ stamp, which is an abbreviation of the ‘Civilian Clothing Act of 1941’. During the war, accessories were important because of their relative affordability; tall platform shoes or sandals, and tall flowery hats were fashionable. Hair was worn long, with stylised waves and rolls on top of the head. In 1947, Christian Dior introduced his ‘New Look’, which revolutionised 1940s fashion. Skirts became longer
and fuller, and boxy shoulders were softened to become sloping. Waists were cinched and hats grew wide and saucer shaped. During the war, most men wore military uniform of some kind. Hair was short at the back and sides, and most men were clean shaven. Men in civilian clothing were often dressed in lounge suits with broad shoulders, with wide trousers belted high at the abdomen. After 1945 many men leaving the armed forces were issued with a ‘de-mob’ suit, consisting of shirt, tie, double-breasted jacket and loose fitting trousers.
1950s The 1950s continued the late 1940s style with very full skirts, cinched waists and sloping shoulders. Another popular silhouette was the narrow pencil-skirt look. Daywear consisted of skirts and jackets or day dresses in tweeds and woollens. Dresses with pencil or full skirts were seen in either plain fabrics or floral prints. Separates were popular, especially waist length cardigans. Hats were either small pill-box styles or large brimmed, saucer-like hats. Hair was often cropped quite short and set in curls, or kept long and tied in simple chignons or ponytails at the back. Men’s fashions still revolved around the suit. Grey flannel suits were common, worn with shirt, tie and pocket handkerchief. Tweed or check jackets worn with non-
matching trousers were also popular, and open collars were permitted for casual wear. Hair was worn with a side parting but slicked back with ‘Brill cream’. Teenagers began to appear as a separate group during the 1950s. Their fashions were influenced by American stars, who wore leather jackets and jeans. The Teddy Boys, who wore pointed shoes, tight trousers and long jackets with velvet trim, were also a significant teenage group.
1960s Young people’s income was at its highest since the end of the Second World War, creating the desire for a wardrobe which did more than simply copy adult dress. Designers like Mary Quant and Biba label provided clothes that were aimed specifically at young people, of which the miniskirt was the most distinctive introduction. Women wore pale foundation and emphasised their eyes with kohl, mascara and false eyelashes. Hair was long and straight or worn in a shaped bob or wedge. Towards the end of the decade the hippy movement from the west coast of America emerged, experimenting with colours, patterns and textures borrowed from non-Western cultures. Older or more conservative women still tended to dress in skirts below the knee with tailored jackets, coats or cardigans.
Perhaps the most remarkable development in 1960s dress was the dramatic change in menswear. For the past 150 years, clothing for men had been tailor-made, and plain and sombre in appearance. Now, colourful new elements were introduced, such as the collarless jacket, worn with slim-fitting trousers and boots. During the mid-1960s frills and cravats were worn with vividly printed shirts. Finally, lapels and trousers took on exaggeratedly wide dimensions. Clothing became increasingly unisex as men and women shopped at the same boutiques for similar items.
1970s The Seventies saw the progression of the sixties social values continue, starting off with the first world earth day in 1970. The antiwar movement in Vietnam took power and the arrival of a new music genre splashed across fashion with glam rock androgynous, disco glamour and the start of women’s tailoring. Arts and Culture With the Seventies came a new introduction to music – the Disco era arrived! The Punks Anarchy arrived in the 1970s as a group of young people defined themselves as anti-fashion. This anti establishment group cut up old clothes, destroyed, and refashioned outfits. Piercings, chains, safety pins and padlocks were all worn to help embellish the look. The punk rockers had their own way of expressing themselves and sported Mohican
hair styles usually dyed bright, outrageous colours. The mini skirt wasn’t as essential for the Seventies style, hot pants had taken. However, women weren’t restricted to just a short length style for their skirts. There were also maxi skirts, flared trousers, high waist pants and halter neck catsuits.
1980s The 1980s were a decade of bold style, colors, and silhouettes—permed hair included. With trends spanning from ripped tights and leather to polished oversized blazers, and style icons ranging from Joan Jett to Joan Collins, it was one of the most eclectic decades in fashion. And like it or not: the ‘80s are back in full force. From shoulder pads to power suits and all that’s in-between, some of the era’s key looks are making a comeback in fashion. Get inspired by taking a look back at some of the most memorable and defining style moments of the decade. Casual fashion in the ‘80s saw gents don dad jeans in full force, often with a matching denim jacket. T-shirts and loose shirts were also popular during the time while bomber jackets, leather jackets, windbreakers, and sweaters acted as the outerwear of choice.
1990s Many trends from the late 1980s carried over to the early ’90s, including the use of fluorescent colors on sweatpants, t-shirts, parachute pants, and jackets. The most popular clothing colors were blue, green, orange, pink, and yellow, often paired together in patterns inspired by comic book and pop art. Common looks for women were crop tops, babydoll dresses over leggings, black leather jackets with shoulder pads, and colored or embroidered jeans, with slouch socks, Keds, or ballet flats. Outfits for men included bright t-shirts, denim overalls, colored jeans, striped sweaters, and leather or letterman jackets, with slouch socks and sneakers.
2000s 2000s fashion is often described as being a global mash up, where trends saw the fusion of previous vintage styles, global and ethnic clothing (e.g. boho), as well as the fashions of numerous music-based subcultures. Hiphop fashion generally was the most popular among young people of both sexes, followed by the retro inspired indie look later in the decade. Globalization also influenced the decade’s clothing trends, with the incorporation of Middle Eastern and Asian dress into mainstream European, American and Australasian fashion.Furthermore, ecofriendly and ethical clothing, such as recycled fashions and fake fur, were prominent in the decade. Clothing was mostly made in black, though silver was also fashionable. An example of this would be a tracksuit,
Rockport boots, a dress shirt, a pair of pants, a camp shirt, or a jacket in a fancy metallic pattern for going out; while also including of items such as leather coats and pants, puffy vests and jackets, ribbed sweaters and shirts, and chunky dress shoes, usually in futuristic colors such as black, silver, light gray, and white. It lasted from late 1999 until late 2001.
2010s It was popular to wear Gucci, Chanel, or Versace designer clothing, and neon colors such as pink, green, teal, black, purple, magenta and yellow. Neon colors and elaborate T-shirts were popular for much of the early 2010s, especially graphic print hoodies, novelty socks, red or blue skinny jeans, studded belts with large buckles, and Ed Hardy T-shirts embellished with rhinestones. Many styles from the late 2000s remained fashionable in Europe, Australasia, and the Americas, with brands such as Polo Ralph Lauren and J Crew being well favored. Popular tops for men aged 20–50 included shawl collar cardigans, V-neck T-shirts, acid wash denim work shirts, cable
knit pullovers, Tartan flannel Western shirts with snap fastenings, grunge style padded tartan overshirts in red, navy blue or dark green, throwback basketball or baseball uniforms, denim jackets, Aloha shirts, car coats, 1930s style linen sportcoats, brown or black brogues, and black leather jackets like the Schott Perfecto motorcycle jacket.
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s e mi o t i c s
Cartwheel Hat with ribbons, bows, artificial flowers, feathers Cottage Loaf Hairs
Snooty Look
Pigeon breast with S-shaped corset
Cinched Waist
Hourglass silhouette
Fabrics used are Muslin, Cotton, Linen & Voile
Mermaid style long trail
1900s
Tousled, boyish, small hair
Women started embracing make-up
Sloped Shoulders
Higher Waistline
Freedom from tight, stiff corsets
Loose skirt with gathered folds
Narrow hemline with no trail
Flat T-shaped belted tunic dress hung from shoulder
1910s
Snug cloche hats to minimise head size
Bobbed Hairdo
Fully bare arms
Very flat chest
Detailed accessories, drop waistline
Very streamlined silhouette, no curves
Hemline to knee or mid-calf
Pumps/T-strap shoes
1920s
Slouch hats, tilt hats, knit berets
Softly waved short hair
Puffed-sleeves with broad shoulders
Knitted ribbed dress Belted waist, streamlined hips
Gauntlet gloves
More narrow skirts widen softly below the hip upto mid-calf
Oxford shoes with perforated details & evening T-strap heels
1930s
Whimsical, dramatic or silly hats
Penciled arched eyebrows, curly hair
Large padded broad shoulders
Fitted Waist
Strong silhouette, slinky fabric
Hemline rise to the knee or just below or above
Clumpy platform heeled shoes
1940s
Short & curly hair
Peter Pan collar blouses
Polka dots dress
Matching Accessories: Gloves, hats, belt, handbag
Tea length swing dresses with petticoats for fullness
Hemline rise to the knee or just below or above
Kitten heels, saddle shoes, stiletto heels
1950s
Twiggy beret
Short, blunt & straight hair
Turtleneck top
Detailed Accessories
Short, shapeless shift dresses, miniskirts
Low heels flats, shoes made of vinyl
1960s
Knitted headband hat
Jewellery made of wood, stones, feathers, beads
Wide collars
Homemade & decorated clothing - patches, fringe, embroidery
Bell bottom pants & jeans called flares or loons
Clunky clogs
1970s
Bucket hats
Big hairs
Oversized silhouette
Spandex fibre to make stretchable clothing
Leg warmers
Sneakers with fat lace
1980s
Long but messy hair
Loose plaid denim jackets or shirts
Wild, effortless, carefree attitude
Matching Accessories: Gloves, hats, belt, handbag
Plaid or tartan skirts, slip dresses
Mismatched combination of clothing
High boots
1990s
Mix-match culture &
Loose plaid denim jackets or shirts
Wild, effortless, carefree attitude
Matching Accessories: Gloves, hats, belt, handbag
Plaid or tartan skirts, slip dresses
Mismatched combination of clothing
High boots
2000s
In this decade, fashion became more experimental. Many of the fashion ideas are inspired by previous decades and eras.
2010s, a decade of digital world where technologies are on its peak and these technologies has a very important role in the field of fashion. People started experimenting with the help of new media art.
2010s
No t e s