It is universally known that, people only wear certain 'outfits' because it looks cool, trendy and is the latest craze.
Over time fashion has become a key element to society, from the 1920s Flappers to the 1980s 'Madonna' look.
We have come a long way since then. So now in 2011, ANYTHING GOES! Right(?)
We are more diverse in fashion than ever before, music and history being our biggest influence. Comfort largely contributes, but has been overlooked by 'popular culture'.
But individuals who dress the way they dress, do they actually know the origin of their 'style'? And if they did, would they still dress the same? In today's day and age, clothes are made from the 'styles' of different subcultures and after the long process of the fashion world and magazines, its origin is lost and somewhere along the line facts are forgotten.
So, I have created this blog not only to entertain you, but to also educate you on the origin of subcultures and their affects on the fashion world.
I have a lot questions which I would love for people to answer, so check out my blog and don't hesitate to leave a comment or ask me questions :)
Ok so, we are going to start with 'Emo'. I went on the urban dictionary to find out its meaning and characteristics, and this is what it came up with:
"Emo is a Genre of soft core punk music that integrates unenthusiastic melodramatic 17 year olds who don't smile, high pitched overwrought lyrics and inaudible guitar rifts with tight wool sweaters, tighter jeans, itchy scarfs (even in the summer), ripped chucks with favorite bands signature, black square rimmed glasses,"
Is this correct or just insulting? The reason I got this information from the urban dictionary, was because it tends to portray peoples actual views and opinions, as well as interpretations on a specific matter.So the website seemed ideal for my research.
I then did further research and this is what I found:
Emo is a melodious, expressive, and confessional form of punk rock dating back to 1985, to the hard-core punk scene of 80s. The style was recontextualized in the early 1990s by groups such as Jawbreaker and Sunny Day Real Estate. Today the "Emo" label is often used as a universal term by critics to describe multiplatinum acts such as 'Fall Out Boy' and 'My Chemical Romance', as well as disparate artists such as 'Coheed and Cambria' and 'Panic! at the Disco'. In addition to music, "emo" is often used more generally to signify a particular relationship between fans and artists, and to describe related aspects of fashion, culture, and behaviour.
Fall Out Boy
I actually listened to a few of their tracks and watched their music videos, and I have to say it wasn't bad at all. It was quite catchy, it had a bit more drum and bass than I'm used to - like a soft rock'n'roll, but i can definitely see why people like their music.Their videos were fun and not 'melodramatic' or as dark as I expected.
Panic at the Disco
My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na
I quite like this song :)
Paramore
Now this band is not listed above, and that's because I randomly found them. I had heard of them before, especially their lead singer Hayley Williams who collaborated with American rapper B.o.B on his song, 'Airplanes' last year. By the way she has an amazing voice. Her band is supposedly the personification of Emo. I love their songs and will definitely be adding them to my playlist.
'Having looked on the Internet for pictures, I found loads. I wasn't surprised that they were dark, gruesome or sad. Stereotypes portray them this way, but is that what being an Emo is all about?
I also found that, the subculture had been attacked by the Daily Mail, which described "Emo" as a teenage trend that started in the US in the 1980s and was "characterized by depression, self-injury and suicide". Its followers, the tabloid said, wore tight jeans, studded belts and wristbands and had dyed-black hair and long fringes obscuring their faces. This came after the death of 13 year old Hannah Bond. This is an extract from the website:
Hannah was a happy 13-year-old until she became an 'Emo' - part of a sinister teenage craze that romanticizes death. Three months later she hanged herself.
Is it fair for this subculture to be targeted and picked on for being different?
Despite these technicalities, Emo is a trend which has also been deployed into the mainstream fashion scene.Many celebrities have conform to this style.
Here are some popular Emo pieces; black skinny jeans, retro tee, Chuck Taylor and some lively accessories
Isn't it sweet when you see a little girl dressed in a pretty little dress with her hair neatly collected in a curly ponytail. She smiles sweetly and her innocence is blatant and her parents wish she can stay young forever.
In my opinion that is the whole purpose of Harajuku and Lolita, these two subculture embrace youth and see 'childlike innocence' as being beautiful. Many teenagers cant wait to grow up and look/ feel like an adult. Yet 'Harajuku Barbies' embrace their youth and cling to it well into their late twenties, I have always been curious as to why dressing like a 'porcelain doll' is appealing to some people.
Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Statiom in Tokyo, Japan. Every Sunday, young people dressed in a variety of styles including: Gothic Lolita
Gothic Lolita is a fashion style that started among teens and girls in Japan; adherents present themselves more as Victorian youth or porcelain dolls and prefer to look "cute" or "beautiful" rather than "sexy". People who wear Lolita in public are usually looked-down. The look typically includes bell shaped, A-line, empire- or high-waisted, pleated, flared, scalloped or bustled black dress or skirt with tulle and lace that may be short or long. Lolita style contains aspects of Alice in Wonderland: platform, heeled mary-janes, sandals or ballet slippers are worn for this look.
The fashion styles of these youths rarely conform to one particular style and are usually a mesh of many. Harajuku is also a fashion capital of the world, renowned for its unique street fashion. Many prominent designers and fashion ideas have sprung from Harajuku and incorporated themselves into other fashions throughout the world.
Back in 2007, Gwen Stefani came on scene with her Harajuku girls and even wrote a song in honour of their fashion.
Designers have taken this trend to the mainstream, through fragrances and crazy new designs.
Maxi dresses covered in floral prints, with a comfortable pair of sandals in the summer is a great fashion statement. So is the whole flower in your hair and plaits. The question of how this trend/fashion evolved is not entirely complex and can be simply answered. First, the name of the trend is Hippie Chic.
Hippies, started as a youth movement in the United States in the mid-1960s. An influence that expanded across not only the United States but many other countries including England. This subculture adopted many of its ideologies from the Beat Generation, which included beatnik Jimi Hendrix. The beat generation was a literary movement in the 1950s and 60s, of anti-conformists youths.
Hippies were all about peace and love in the 1970s. They were said to be fun-loving, war-hating people. Somewhere in the magic of the 70s, hippies developed their own brand of fashion. It was a convenience, easy style that still inspires two generations later.
Hippie fashion can best be described as comfortable and chic. They weren’t interested in structured looks, and this showed through their free-flowing and open clothes.They were also counter-culture and sought to do what was different from mainstream society. Hippies would never have worn a suit and tie, or cut their hair.
The film, 'Almost Famous' depict their fashion sense as well as common activities and pass times. The 'hippie' era was a stepping stone for 'rock and roll' music, influenced by sex, drugs and alcohol.
The 70s bohemian chic has return to the fashion scene. Flower prints, flowing maxi dresses with billowing sleeves, wide-leg pants, fabrics like lace, silk and chiffon, soft leather and suede, macrame detailing and fringes are the key features of this romantic look. Charlie’s Angels inspired wide-leg pants and jumpsuits, leather vests and suede suits while soft fringes in brown recreates a rodeo show vibe. All these bring back a cool, fresh look, something between innocence and sassy flair. These traits being, convinient for people - designers have opted to create lines inspired by this era.
The Preppy style has come to London, and everyone is rocking the look. From Varsity Jackets to Ray Bans. But where did this trend originate?
Peoples first guess would be America, and they would be right but not entirely. Here let me explain:
Preppy or prep, are abbreviations of the word preparatory, traditionally used in relation to north-eastern private university-preparatory schools and denotes a person seen as characteristic of an attendee of these schools. Characteristics of a prep includes; a particular subcultural speech, vocabulary, accent, dress, mannerisms, and etiquette.
The word ‘Preppy’ is particularly well-known amongst American teenagers, as it is quite often used to refer to a particular subculture present within most populous American high schools: the ‘Popular Kids’. The ‘Popular Kids’, generally consist of middle to upper class children, who are typically characterized as a shallow, transparent group. They are primarily concerned with social standing/hierarchy, physical appearance and material possessions.
Vintage Hollywood films such as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Clueless emphasise these characteristics.
These ideologies have been revived by TV series Gossip Girl, Veronica Mars, 90210 and Gilmore Girls .
And even modern films such as; Twelve, The Skulls, The Covenant, Mean Girls, The School of Rock, Cruel Intentions and Wild Child depict these stereotypes.
Preps often are associated with traditionalist, East Coast, upper class "WASP" families in the United States. WASP: White Anglo-Saxon Protestants - a closed group of high-status Americans of high status and of Western European descent (not necessarily British), with a Protestant background. They supposedly wield disparate financial and social power. The WASP’s exclude Catholics, Jews, African-Caribbean’s, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asians from their privileged society. The term also is used in Australia and Canada for similar powerful groups.WASP families are also highly associated to prestigious Ivy League schools such as Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Wellesley.
The preppy style originated in the 1950s. As the style is associated with the WASP ethnonym, prep’s do not follow the latest trends but frequently wear more traditional styles. Classical preps frequently dress formally and teenage preps often depict the appearance of a young professional adult.
Brands such as Brooks Brothers, L.L. Bean, Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer, Elizabeth McKay, Lacoste, J. Crew, and J. Press are frequently perceived as preppy styles. Examples of preppy attire include button down Oxford cloth shirts, argyle sweaters, cuffed chinos, Nantucket Reds, and boat shoes.
This video illustrates them.
In 1980, the author and private school alumna Lisa Birnbach edited The Official Preppy Handbook, a tongue-in-cheek guide to what she termed "prepdom". Birnbach, with Chip Kidd, have authored True Prep, a follow up to the 1980 handbook, published September 2010 by Knopf.
Celebrities have channeled this fashion, and have brought it to the fashion scene. Rapper Kanye West, singers Chris Brown, JLS and Kourtney Kardashian's boyfriend - Scott Disick are some of the prominent trend setters.I have created my own video, to illustrate the style further.
Lastly, we come to Glam Rock - My Personal Favourite. We have all seen the revival of leather jackets, raccoon inspired makeup lol and 'Bold' Rock & Roll inspired fashion choices. At a glance, Glam Rock embodies many Emo/Gothic traits but its so much more than that! Its more glamourised to make it stand out and look edgy and fierce. Most of the clothes are Balmain inspired giving it an edgy look, combined with ripped denim and crazy leather boots/shoes. Celebrities have embodied this trend to the max, Mary-Kate Olsen and Taylor Momsen are the reckless, bad-ass blondes who glamorize rock-inspired fashion. The term Glam Rock Girls is fitting for them because of their combination of beach blonde hair, dark eyes, bright lips, leather, plaid shirts, over-sized clothes, and so on... Here are a few of their outfits that illustrate their "It's just Rock n Roll" style.
Mary Kate Olsen & Taylor Momsen
Taylor Momsen
To begin with Glam rock, was not a fashion. It was actually a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 70s. The peformers wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, (particularly platform-soled boots and glitter) which broke the mould of mainstrem fashion. The flamboyant costumes and visual styles of glam performers were often camp or androgynous giving leway to a whole new era.
This subculture has taken the fashion world by storm; all the top designers have collaborated the look into their lines.
The glam rock inspired Almost Famous line from Wish.
Romantic yet Edgy
Editorial
Rock & Roll :P
Chanel & Rihanna
Beyonce's Dereon Campaign
To get a better, feel of the subculture - I wanted to hear someones experience of this overnight craze which expanded and has been revived. I found a blog written by someone who lived through it, check it out: http://www.70sglamrock.com/ To my understand the Glam Rock era was full of fun and it was a time where people really experimented and embraced all aspects of life. It might not be the same today but 'Glam Rock' still exists somwhere within the fashion.
As we come to the end of our journey, I would like to say a few words :) (I wont make it too long).
This blog has enabled me to venture into things 'Im not in to', but having explored I have learned a lot and have surprised myself. I listen to R&B/Hip-Hop but I loved some of the Emo music I've discovered and will continue to listen to them. Some of the subcultures have also inspired me, to be more open minded and not to be so dismissive. I know now where trends started and what they signify, so I wont wear clothes which I dont know what they signify.
Thank you for checking out my Blog, an dont forget to comment. x :)
