Fashion Through the Decades: A reflection of economy/media or is it the other way around? Part III

By the 2000s there was the boom of internet start ups and popularity of computers which were no longer considered a luxury item but an everyday device. This also changed the method of media influence, which was becoming more influential than ever. It also gave way to more experimentation as it became easier to become a trendsetter rather than an influential consumer. The economy had been greatly affected by events such as 9/11 and in turn, perhaps as a dramatic opposition to the financial state of the world. people became more focused on fashion and appearance than ever before.

With the entrance of the internet was also the enhancement of globalization due to the rapidly easy sense of communication in the world. There was a sense of unity, which also lead to more influences on fashion as well as more conformity world wide. 

Today, with the economic collapse we are now experiencing after decades of inflation, the world is still in a strange confusion of priorities. While fashion in the past greatly reflected the state of the people (as people were more influenced by the government due to lack of subversive communication) it has no bearing on today's society. Almost as if in a state of denial, people who have deteriorated financially still manage to allow themselves technological toys such as ipods, ipads, etc. 

Media has transformed with the increasing popularity of social media websites, becoming more influential than ever before. 

Fashion currently is a revival of the many decades past, combining a little bit of everything on a mass scale. Perhaps it is that people are choosing to live in a nostalgic dream-like state as a form of emotional survival during such a time of economic unrest. 

Because of the internet fashion, television, and music has experienced a financial decline as an industry. Instead of purchasing items, it is easy to "steal" them through the very media that was once controlled by the industry. Now it is the people controlling the media. In a state of confusion, clothing has taken on an entirely new reflection. It is a mixture of practicality, experimentation, and nostalgia. 

So what does 2012 bring us with the return of reality as the economy slowly starts to recover or change it's own patterns of function? Hopefully it will continue to become more individualistic, free, and experimental. If anything, it would be nice to see that mindset of international connection predict a strong universal state of equality and relaxation, and with it a reflection of that current state in fashion.

With the decline of the industry of fashion will it become more of an artform and example of self expression than an exploitative commercial trade? Let's hope so if it is indeed the people and not the media who continue to rise in the decision.

Fin.

Fashion Through the Decades: A reflection of economy/media or is it the other way around? Part II

In the 1950's with the end of the war fabric was no longer rationed. This resulted in the use of large quantities of material to produce large full skirts, puff sleeves, and tailored men's suits. 

Cinema began to reach it's peak during this time and rock n'roll made it's entry, both forms of media greatly influenced the fashion of the masses. This experimentation was made possible by the economic rise.

 During the 1960s the United States experienced its longest uninterrupted period of economic expansion in history. It was also one of the biggest times of social change. Equality was extremely important not only in gender roles but also with race and class. 

Reflecting the 1920s with the women's suffrage movement, people began speaking their minds and with that, wearing whatever they wanted. The conformity of the 1930's and 40's gave way to experimentation and individuality. There was also the exploration of space which influenced the materials in fashion. Plastic, vinyl, and other synthetics became popular in the clothing people were wearing. With the entrance of social change also came the entrance of psychedelics and other forms of mental experimentation. By the end of the sixties the clothing was wild, dreamy, and revealing. Even the models used in fashion became more androgynous and thin, much like the 1920s, as opposed to the voluptuous curves of the 1950's.

The Vietnam War had several effects on the U.S. economy. The requirements of the war effort strained the nation's production capacities, leading to imbalances in the industrial sector. Factories that would have been producing consumer goods were being used to make items from the military, causing controversy over the government's handling of economic policy. In addition, the government's military spending caused several problems for the American economy. The funds were going overseas, which contributed to an imbalance in the balance of payments and a weak dollar, since no corresponding funds were returning to the country. In addition, military expenditures, combined with domestic social spending, created budget deficits which fueled inflation. Anti-war sentiments and dissatisfaction with government further eroded consumer confidence. Interest rates rose, restricting the amount of capital available for businesses and consumers. Despite the success of many Kennedy and Johnson economic policies, the Vietnam War was a important factor in bringing down the American economy from the growth and affluence of the early 1960s to the economic crises of the 1970s.

The difference was that people were no longer willing to conform as they did under the strain of the 1930's and 40's. Disagreement with the war and the social changes that occurred during this time caused people to fight back.

There was also the enhancement of education in the early sixties because of the economic growth at that time. More people of both genders were attending college which lead to deeper thinking in society. Clothing reflected the state of mind of the individual. 

In the 1970s much of this free thinking carried over, despite the economic crisis in the industrial world. The economic problems of the 1970s would result in a sluggish cynicism replacing the optimistic attitudes of the 1950s and 1960s. Faith in government was at an all-time low.

Clothing styles during the 1970s were influenced by outfits seen in popular music groups and in Hollywood films. In clothing, prints, especially from India and other parts of the world, were fashionable.

Much of the 1970s fashion styles were influenced by the hippie movement of the 60s.

With the continued exploration of gender dynamics, most of the musical performers, such as David Bowie, became more flamboyant and androgynous. 

Much like the 1700's, after the Vietnam war people wanted to enjoy themselves. Men, who were traditionally always more conventional in dress, became experimental and indulgent in their choices. Men wore women's clothing and vice versa. 

Much like the 1940's, shoulder pads became popular throughout the 1980s and even the first three years of the 1990s. The reason behind the sudden popularity of shoulder pads for women in the 1980s may be that women in the workplace were no longer unusual, and wanted to "power dress" to show that they were the equals of men at the office. 

Fashion became more and more influential as television, magazines, and other forms of social media became more affluent. Despite economic issues, the 80's were much like the 70's with people of any class prioritizing fashion over practicality. Perhaps it was the media, the continued rise of education, but people were no longer associating their state of dress to the political and economic events that surrounded them.

The early 1990s saw a continuation of 1980s fashion: women wore tight-fitting trousers with elastic boot-straps (stirrup pants/leggings), denim button down shirts, oversized sweaters, T-shirts, sweatshirts, and black leather jackets. Women also wore babydoll dresses, matching jeans and trenchcoats lined with fake fur.

The mid 1990s saw a revival of 1960s fashion, around this time in Europe and America it was also fashionable to dress entirely in black or wear designer brands displaying Italian or French labels as a way of demonstrating one's apparent (but not always true) social status and wealth.

Women's hair changed from the teased curls popular in the late 1970s to late 1980s to straight, smooth hair, which was a revival of late 1960s hairstyles gradually between 1989 and 1995. The pixie cut and other styles seen on television became very popular, this trend continued until mid 2000s.

In fact, from the 1970s-present day the media has become more and more influential on fashion. No matter the economic standing of the person, everyone wanted to wear clothes that personified whoever they emulated on television or in music. Perhaps this was like the 1920s in that dreams became more attainable in the minds of the people. 

To be continued.