Fashion & Subculture: The Japanese Revolution in Paris Fashion

By Jennifer LiuIn her article, "The Japanese Revolution in Paris Fashion," Yuniya Kawamura focuses on the occupation of designer as the focal point of the fashion system, under the argument that France offers the model of the fashion system that legitimizes designers on a worldwide platform. The author analyzes the entry of Japanese designers into the French fashion system from 1970 to 2003. She discusses three different relationships that designers have with the system: a complete assimilation with the French system and style ("frenchification"), the exoticism of the avant-garde, and the infusion tradition japanese designs with haute couture.Japanese...

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Subculture: The Unnatural Break

by Rebecca Ann WongIn his article �Subculture: The Unnatural Break�, Dick Hebdige addresses how the post-war British youth subcultures (which he defines as spectacular subcultures) disturbed and challenged orderly social systems, making them �unnatural� (153).Hebdige uses the example of punk to outline his theories, and in particular, he addresses the Sex Pistols as the band that brought the punk subculture towards the public eye. It just so happened that one of their television appearances coincided with the time in which the punk style was in its beginning stages of being discovered by the media. Hebdige then goes on to discuss how society...

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Fashion & Subcultural Identity: The Zoot Suit

Stuart Cosgrove's "The Zoot Suit and Style Warfare"by Sydney KipenIn his article �The Zoot Suit and Style Warfare,� Stuart Cosgrove confronts the importance of the zoot suit in the 1940s as an iconic symbol that arose in a time of conflict. He investigates the evolvement of the zoot suit from something associated with urban jazz culture to a symbol of revolt for young rebels, predominately African and Mexican Americans wanting to be heard. Coordinate with the rise of the zoot suit, were the �zoot suit riots;� the conflict that the suit caused with its rebellious connotations. Cosgrove asserts that the zoot suit was �an emblem of ethnicity and...

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Fashion & Subcultural Identity: Selling Culture

Debora Silverman's "Selling Culture in Reagan's America"by Sydney KipenIn her article �Selling Culture: Bloomingdale�s, Diana Vreeland, and the New Aristocracy of Taste in Reagan�s America,� Debora Silverman begins with a description of the Metropolitan Museum of Art�s Yves Saint-Laurent exhibit organized by Diana Vreeland. Silverman explains the success of Vreeland�s show as an advertising campaign for French haute couture in America and �as a glorification of woman as and objet d�art,� for whom life consists of displaying different extravagant outfits (305). Silverman asserts that the Saint-Laurent show was part of an important movement of...

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An Inconspicuous Influence: A Case Study on the Power of Androgynous Fashion

by Emily MannFrom the moment we're born, our clothing and accessories thrust us into a hegemonic expression of gender. Baby girls wear pink; boys wear blue. Our clothing defines to the rest of the world who we physically are. As we grow older and make conscious fashion decisions, we have the opportunity to solidify or redefine these gender stereotypes. Androgynous fashion subtly transcends these established societal gender codes by combining both genders' characteristics into one overall look.In the early 1920s, Coco Chanel introduced her signature suit in an early form of androgynous fashion. It was made from jersey fabric with a knee-high skirt...

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Case Study: Donna Karan vs. Diana Von Furstenberg: The Executive Woman vs. The Woman of Leisure

by Zo-Ee Chee Donna Karan and Diane Von Furstenberg are two contemporary American designers who possess Status and Power. However, it is the difference between what kind of power and status that they have that determines how they empower women. For example, Donna Karan came from a working class family and is known for dressing the Executive Woman. She gained status and power through becoming an influential CEO of a multi-million dollar company. Conversely, Diane von Furstenberg married into aristocracy at the age of 23 and instead represents the Woman of Leisure as someone with a noble title and money. Through their different styles, Karan...

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The Rise and Fall of the Hem-line: The Flight Attendant Uniform

by Tamara Tucci Think about the uniforms you see on your flights with Continental Airlines, United, and American. Today the woman�s flight attendant uniform is quite standard�usually a navy blue skirt paired with a white blouse�but there was once a time when the uniform was anything but ordinary.The 1960s was the peak of the glamour of air travel. Flying was for the elite. Passengers and crew members dressed their best. Airplane meals were prepared by gourmet chefs and served by stewardesses wearing haute couture uniforms. Airlines called upon fashion designers such as Pucci and Dior to create uniforms for the flight attendant that made her attractive...

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The Metrosexual Man

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