Anti-fashion

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Woman wearing plaid shirt and jeans, an example of anti-fashion dress Cooling Her Fingers In The Fountain (14860692988).jpg
Woman wearing plaid shirt and jeans, an example of anti-fashion dress

Anti-fashion is an umbrella term for various styles of dress that are explicitly contrary to the fashion of the day. Anti-fashion styles may represent an attitude of indifference or may arise from political or practical goals which make fashion a secondary priority. The term is sometimes even used for styles championed by high-profile designers, when they encourage or create trends that do not follow the mainstream fashion of the time.

Contents

Anti-fashion is considered radical creativity in apparel. It recombines a hodgepodge of details that dramatically alters current fashions. The newly transformed styles are later incorporated into the mainstream through media hype and commercial sales which reduce its stature. Grunge is an example of the oppositional style of dress while the rational dress of the Victorian era, which allowed ladies to swim or bicycle, is an example of a functional anti-fashion. [1]

Overview

Woman wearing a plain white shirt and jeans Abigail Villegas.jpg
Woman wearing a plain white shirt and jeans

In discussing fashion and the nature of clothes, researchers Robert and Jeanette Lauer discuss the eight meanings of clothing as non-verbal communication, representing people's personalities, clothing as a reflection of moral character, immoral clothing, clothing and conformity, and apparel as indicators of status and desirability. They believe that clothes can be as far-reaching to represent the state of a nation. Fashions, fads, and anti-fashion trends can be connected to one or more of these eight principles. There were practical health reasons that a minority of women promoted radical changes in feminine dress in the early part of the 18th century. [2]

A trend for feminist women to dress in ways that do not follow the norms for women's clothing has been described as anti-fashion, though research suggested many women who dress this way do not choose to label themselves this way, in the opinion of author Samantha Holland this is because the women do not like the confrontational overtones of the term. [1]

An example, this time from the early 20th century, was promoted by the legendary designer Gabrielle Chanel – a "poor girl" woman's style where rich ladies could look like regular women while still dressing in clothes that showed their quality under close inspection. [3] The dress sense of Charles III of the United Kingdom has been described as anti-fashion, in that it reflects indifference to current fashion in favor of traditional style. [4] Anti-fashion has also been used to describe simple fashion adopted by hardcore punks in the 1980s. At its strictest, it consists of a plain white T-shirt, black trousers or plain jeans and black boots, with the hair cut short. In the exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons Art of the In-Between , fashion/anti-fashion was one of the thematic fashion pairings which were examined.

History

19th century

The burden of wearing extremely heavy dresses in all seasons that could not be washed was a health hazard, especially for frail women who might be overly susceptible to disease. Long dresses dragged on unpaved streets and floors carrying filth and germs indoors that affected household members, especially small children. In homes, long dresses were also fire hazards with open fireplaces. Fashionable styles requiring tight corsets, thin shoes or heavy tight hats—although considered beautiful at the time—restricted the wearer's movement and breathing.

Alternative forms of daywear were promoted by women's clubs of the time, especially The Dress Reform Association which began in Seneca Falls, NY. in the 1850s, and thus the Bloomer costume was born. It consisted of a bifurcated skirt held close to the ankles, a softly fitted-over dress that required only a non-restricting soft corset. This newsworthy pants-like costume created a huge fashion stir, both positive and negative, nationwide, and only the most daring feminists adopted it. It was not considered ladylike or beautiful by those who thought that only unfeminine non-conformists would dare to wear the new style. [5]

1950s–1980s

Man in striped shirt and jeans, which became in style from the late 80's to 90's Dominik Graf 01.jpg
Man in striped shirt and jeans, which became in style from the late 80's to 90's

A period of anti-fashion took place in the 1950s with the advent of rock and roll, especially with young adolescent women. Many young women wore jeans and plaid shirts, simple plain T shirts, and surplus military clothes in rebellion against the feminine gender roles and societal norms of the time. These fashions were the root of many modern anti-fashion trends, such as punk and grunge, decades later. The word grunge originated in the mid-1960s.

Punk fashion arrived later in Great Britain in the 1970s with fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. It was quickly adopted by disillusioned, discontented teenagers. A shop named SEX run by Malcolm McLaren sold clothes with a fetish focus; leather bondage pants, offensive jewelry and T-shirts, and jeans that were ripped and defaced; other materials used to invoke fetishism were rubber and PVC plastic. Punk clothing was often studded and slashed, and adorned with chains and safety pins. This anti-fashion was adopted in response to the fashion-consciousness exhibited by the fans of bands such as the Sex Pistols. [6]

Both Westwood and McLaren led the Punk movement which was short-lived, but newsworthy in the fashion press. It was easy to recognize those who followed the punk community with their spiky brightly-colored Mohawk haircuts, exotic makeup, tattoos, and body piercings. [7] [ failed verification ] According to Worsley, "Punk style showed how fashion could challenge stereotypes of gender and beauty". [8] By the 1980s, punk influences could be seen around Europe and America, although these blatant and provocative styles fell out of favor by the end of the decade, to be replaced by the anti-styles of the grunge movement.

1990s

In the 1990s, a minimalist style described as anti-fashion emerged on both sides of the Atlantic in which young people would typically wear simple clothes such as black jeans and white T-shirts without a visible brand name. At this time, grunge was considered street style, a departure from the emphasis on designer labels and ostentatious looks in the 1980s, seen for example in the exaggerated shoulder lines of the tops worn by both sexes.

Soon, designers such as Donna Karan, Anna Sui, Marc Jacobs, Perry Ellis, Ralph Lauren and others began to take inspiration from fashions on the streets and incorporate those trends into their own designer lines. The fad expired as quickly as it began and the designers looked in other directions for inspiration. [9]

Designers

Brennan Gilmore in a plaid shirt and jeans Brennan Gilmore Walker's Run Watermelon Park Fest 2009 03.jpg
Brennan Gilmore in a plaid shirt and jeans

During this period of time, anti-fashion designers started appearing in Europe and Asia, mainly Japan.

Vivienne Westwood

With the emergence of counter-mainstream consciousness, a punk style that catered to people's thoughts emerged in this context. Punk has a great impact on fashion. The well-known designer Vivienne Westwood, who is known as the mother of punk, started her fashion career with punk. The clothes she designed not only have punk's iconic fetish fashion, restraint elements, pins, chains, and other punk elements but also incorporate traditional designs such as Scottish plaid and court ballet.

The multi-wavy skirts, ruffled piping, pirate hats, and boots with romantic pirate styles published by Westwood in her early days immediately pushed her to the stage of international popularity and gained attention. By the mid-1980s, Westwood began to explore classical and British traditions. By the 1990s Westwood designed irregular, exaggerated and complicated structures by contrasting and matching different materials and colors, which have become Westwood's unique style.

Besides Westwood in Europe, three designers from Japan entered the European fashion scene during the 1980s.

Issey Miyake

Issey Miyake is a strong representative of Asian anti-era designers. The clothes he designs have a distinctive style and are extremely individual, giving the clothing a new aesthetic connotation with unbridled expression. Miyake released his first fashion show in 1971 with great success, and he has since entered the design career of a fashion master.

Rei Kawakubo

Rei Kawakubo is good at using low-chroma fabrics to design clothes. Many of them are designed in the same piece with the same color of black, which can be said it is Kawakubo's representative color. In 1981, Rei Kawakubo held her first press conference at the Paris Fashion Show, where she began to attract the attention of the global fashion industry. Then in the following year, her clothing had a simple nickname: the beggar's outfit; leading to a design trend of loose, deliberate three-dimensional, broken, asymmetric, and not revealing the shape of the body.

Yohji Yamamoto

For Yohji Yamamoto, the most basic concept of anti-fashion is not to follow the trend. Yohji Yamamoto's design style has always been unconventional and gender-neutral, such as designing women's clothing according to the concept of men's clothing. He likes to cover women's body shapes with exaggerated proportions, bringing out the androgynous, asexual aesthetic concept. This new dress concept, which runs counter to the European mainstream, has not only established itself in the fashion industry but has also influenced European designers.

Demeulemeester, Maison Martin Margiela and Raf Simons

In addition, designers such as Ann Demeulemeester, Maison Martin Margiela and Raf Simons are all anti-fashion pioneers. During the 1990s, the anti-fashion movement was at its peak; more designers were willing to put themselves out there to question the idealistic beauty and traditional fashion style. One of the original Antwerp six Ann Demeulemeester debuted her first catwalk show in Paris in 1991, and she was famous for her asymmetry and unbalanced style. Maison Martin Margiela debuted his Salvation Armycollection in 1992; it was a sarcastic reaction towards the overflowing meaningless clothes in the fashion industry.

Raf Simons debuted his first menswear collection in 1997 to showcase a sense of rave and the opposite example of traditional men's fashion. The 1990s is a continuation of the 1980s anti-fashion movement but expanded into different aspects and perspectives.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punk fashion</span> Fashion of punk subculture

Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewellery, and body modifications of the punk counterculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited to the dressed-down look of North American hardcore. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including glam rock, skinheads, greasers, and mods have influenced punk fashion. Punk fashion has likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of popular culture. Many punks use clothing as a way of making a statement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivienne Westwood</span> British fashion designer (1941–2022)

Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 2022, Sky Arts ranked her the 4th most influential artist in Britain of the last 50 years.

Sex was a boutique run by Vivienne Westwood and her then-partner Malcolm McLaren at 430 King's Road, London between 1974 and 1976. It specialised in clothing that defined the look of the punk movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rei Kawakubo</span> Japanese fashion designer

Rei Kawakubo is a Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris. She is the founder of Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market. In recognition of the notable design contributions of Kawakubo, an exhibition of her designs entitled Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons, Art of the In-Between opened on 5 May 2017 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, modeled by Rihanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990s in fashion</span> Costume and fashion of the 1990s

Fashion in the 1990s was defined by a return to minimalist fashion, in contrast to the more elaborate and flashy trends of the 1980s. One notable shift was the mainstream adoption of tattoos, body piercings aside from ear piercing and, to a much lesser extent, other forms of body modification such as branding.

Japanese street fashion refers to a number of styles of contemporary modern clothing in Japan. Created from a mix of both local and foreign fashion brands, Japanese street fashions tend to have their own distinctive style, with some considered to be extreme and imaginative, with similarities to the haute couture styles seen on European catwalks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980s in fashion</span> Costume and fashion in the 1980s

Fashion of the 1980s was characterized by a rejection of 1970s fashion. Punk fashion began as a reaction against both the hippie movement of the past decades and the materialist values of the current decade. The first half of the decade was relatively tame in comparison to the second half, which was when apparel became very bright and vivid in appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000s in fashion</span> Fashion in the decade 2000–2009

The fashion of the 2000s is often described as a global mash up, where trends saw the fusion of vintage styles, global and ethnic clothing, as well as the fashions of numerous music-based subcultures. Hip-hop fashion generally was the most popular among young people of both sexes, followed by the retro-inspired indie look later in the decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970s in fashion</span> Costume and fashion in the 1970s

Fashion in the 1970s was about individuality. In the early 1970s, Vogue proclaimed "There are no rules in the fashion game now" due to overproduction flooding the market with cheap synthetic clothing. Common items included mini skirts, bell-bottoms popularized by hippies, vintage clothing from the 1950s and earlier, and the androgynous glam rock and disco styles that introduced platform shoes, bright colors, glitter, and satin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of fashion design</span> Evolution of fashion world

History of fashion design refers specifically to the development of the purpose and intention behind garments, shoes, accessories, and their design and construction. The modern industry, based around firms or fashion houses run by individual designers, started in the 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth who, beginning in 1858, was the first designer to have his label sewn into the garments he created.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion design</span> Art of applying design and aesthetics to clothing and accessories

Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates clothing, including dresses, suits, pants, and skirts, and accessories like shoes and handbags, for consumers. He or she can specialize in clothing, accessory, or jewelry design, or may work in more than one of these areas."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grunge fashion</span> Fashion trend peaking in the mid-1990s

Grunge fashion refers to the clothing, accessories and hairstyles of the grunge music genre. This subculture emerged in mid-1980s Seattle, and had reached wide popularity by the mid 1990s. Grunge fashion is characterized by durable and timeless thrift-store clothing, often worn in a loose, androgynous manner to de-emphasize the silhouette. The style was popularized by music bands Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street style</span> Fashion movement based on individualism

Street style is fashion that is considered to have emerged not from studios, but from the population at large. Street fashion is generally associated with youth culture, and is most often seen in major urban centers. Magazines and newspapers commonly feature candid photographs of individuals wearing urban, stylish clothing. Mainstream fashion often appropriates street fashion trends as influences. Most major youth subcultures have had an associated street fashion. Street style is different all around the globe.

Joe Saba is an Australian fashion designer and fashion business owner of Lebanese descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010s in fashion</span> Fashion-related events during the 2010s

The 2010s were defined by hipster fashion, athleisure, a revival of austerity-era period pieces and alternative fashions, swag-inspired outfits, 1980s-style neon streetwear, and unisex 1990s-style elements influenced by grunge and skater fashions. The later years of the decade witnessed the growing importance in the western world of social media influencers paid to promote fast fashion brands on Pinterest and Instagram.

Oversized fashion, distinct from plus-sized fashion, consists of clothing and other accessories that are larger than normal and reflect some sort of attitude, message, or trend of the period at hand. While oversized fashion trends from the 1920s to the turn of the century vary from decade to decade, there are many overarching themes that have been expressed during the past one hundred or so years. Masculinity, for example, has played a large role in many of the underlying communications of the fashions, although virility is manifested differently in the clothing depending on the era. Oversized fashion production, furthermore, runs largely parallel with the states of the American and global economies. Modernly, oversized fashion has taken on a new form - primarily in the realm of oversized accessories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fashion and clothing in the Philippines</span> Fashion and folk costume of the Philippines

The clothing style and fashion sense of the Philippines in the modern-day era have been influenced by the indigenous peoples, Chinese waves of immigration, the Spaniards, and the Americans, as evidenced by the chronology of events that occurred in Philippine history. At present, Filipinos conform their way of dressing based on classic fashion or prevailing fashion trends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trickle-up fashion</span> Fashion theory

The trickle-up effect in the fashion field, also known as bubble-up pattern, is an innovative fashion theory first described by Paul Blumberg in the 1970s. This effect describes when new trends are found on the streets, showing how innovation flows from the lower class to upper class. It is in contrast with classical theories of fashion consumption, such as those of Georg Simmel and Thorstein Veblen, who theorize that the upper classes are the ones who dictate the fashion flow.

Deconstruction is a fashion phenomenon of the 1980s and 1990s. It involves the use of costume forms that are based on identifying the structure of clothing - they are used as an external element of the costume. This phenomenon is associated with designers Martin Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo, Karl Lagerfeld, Ann Demeulemeester and Dries van Noten. Deconstructivism in fashion is considered as part of a philosophical system formed under the influence of the works of Jacques Derrida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music and fashion</span> Aspect of popular culture

Music and fashion have long been closely linked. Artistic movements in music have often been associated with distinct fashions. Both industries have also had considerable influence on each other. Many famous musicians have also had notable styles and influenced fashion.

References

  1. 1 2 Samantha Holland (2004). "Anti-fashion and feminism". Alternative femininities. Berg Publishers. ISBN   978-1-85973-808-5.
  2. Lauer, Robert H.; Lauer, Jeannette C. (1981). Fashion Power. Prentice Hall, Inc. pp. 33–65. ISBN   0-13-306712-2.
  3. Wilson, Elizabeth (1987). Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity. University of California Press. pp. 40, 184. ISBN   978-0-520-06212-2.
  4. Catin, D. Cecile (8 April 2020). "What is "Anti-Fashion"?". Gildshire Magazines. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  5. Lauer & .Lauer, Robert H. & Jeanette C. (1981). Fashion Power: The Meaning of Fashion in American Society. Prentice-Hall, Inc. pp. 246–259. ISBN   0-13-306712-2.
  6. Malcolm Barnard (2002), Fashion as communication, Routledge, pp. 12–19, ISBN   978-0-415-26018-3
  7. Sims, Josh; Peachey, Mal (1999). Rock Fashion. Omnibus. ISBN   978-0-7119-8749-4.
  8. Worsley, Harriet (2011). 100 Ideas That Changed Fashion. Laurence King Publishing Ltd. p. 167. ISBN   978-1-85669-733-0.
  9. Worsley, Harriet (2001). 100 Ideas That Changed Fashion. Laurence King Publishing Ltd. pp. 196–197. ISBN   978-1-85669-733-0.