Audrey Hepburn And Fashion: Comparing The Work Of Two Designers From Different Decades Of The Twentieth Century

downloadDownload
  • Words 3219
  • Pages 7
Download PDF

Intro:

This essay will be discussing the significance and the impact that designers had in the post WW2 era, along with the impact that Punk Rock music had on society and influenced designers work. Various subcultures and trends will also be discussed in this essay, such as the ‘Teenage Culture’, ‘Matching Outfits’, Marilyn Monroe and the comparison tabloids created between her and Audrey Hepburn (MAYBE), ‘Teddy Boys’, discussions of the ‘Hippie Movement’ and their trends, along with various other 1970s trends and the context behind it all. The post-World War 2 era will be narrowed down in order to discuss the stereotypical housewife and the ideal family, along with consumerism and the fashion trends that followed. The Punk Rock decade will be assessed through the Punk subculture and how they questioned societies social expectations. The focus of discussion will mostly be the importance of Hubert De Givenchy and his work he created during the 1950s economic boom, along with the significance of Vivienne Westwood’s work during the 1970s and the impact that had on society. In order to do this, society, social norms, conformity, cultural and economic factors will be discussed throughout. The 1950s impact on fashion shifted as there were no restrictions on fabric or detailing on garments like there was in the previous decade due to rationing during World War 2. This gave society and designers, such as Givenchy, more freedom to experiment with pleats, folds and detailing within their garments. The 1970s impact on fashion shifted heavily due to rebellion and society questioning gender, sexuality, beauty and political views- this was helped by Vivienne Westwood’s collections and collaborations with Malcom Mclaren as they were inspired by the shock value of punk. To demonstrate the contrast in fashion in the 1950s and 1970s, this essay will analyze both Hubert De Givenchy and Vivienne Westwood and the impact they had during their decades with how they are similar, and how they differ from each other. Givenchy creating feminine garments for the ideal housewife compared to Westwood’s gender-neutral shock value garments.

1st body paragraph:

Hubert De Givenchy played an important role during the fifties as he set new trends and created outfits no other designer had thought to create. He was born in 1927 into a Protestant family who also had a small background in the artistic professions- his grandmother was a set designer, which implies why he was influenced to work in the arts industry himself. She designed sets for Beauvais College, where Hubert De Givenchy attended before moving to Paris at 17 years old. He took a role as an apprentice for Jacques Fath while he continued to study in Paris in 1944. From then he took assistant designer jobs for brands such as Elsa Schiaparelli and Robert Piguet where he gained experience. Givenchy opened up his own couture house in 1951 at the young age of 24 where he created the successful ‘Bettina Blouse’ which was named after his favourite model, Bettina Graziani. He gained many friendships with celebrities and designers which encouraged him to create beautiful designs and collections. Givenchy’s fashion house and work were seen to be eccentric, out there and very feminine, with bright colours and lots detail. He was recognised to launch the first ready-to-wear collection along with changing fashion by creating mix and match garments that could be sold separately which encouraged the masses to be creative within what garments they put together. He moved onto selling his company in the late 80s, yet he was still the head designer of the brand which implies he wanted to ensure the company would stay intact. Once he retired designers such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Riccardo Tisci took over the company to carry on Givenchy’s work and make it the successful brand it is today by selling garments, perfumes, bags, shoes and accessories and keeping up with the latest trends.

Click to get a unique essay

Our writers can write you a new plagiarism-free essay on any topic

2nd Body paragraph:

Vivienne Westwood came to the public’s attention when she created garments for Malcom McLaren’s boutique down Kings Road in London. Vivienne Westwood was born during the Second World War in 1941 in Cheshire. She took a jewellery course at the age of 17 at the Harrow Art School which is now known as the University of Westminster. She left the course after one term stating that ‘I didn’t know how a working-class girl like me could possibly make a living in the art world’ (Bullard N, 2016) which depicts that she thought only high-class society can earn money in the arts industry along with doubting her creativity and potential. She moved onto becoming a primary school teacher while creating her jewellery at the same time which she sold down Portobello Road in London- this encouraged her to start designing clothes. She then met Malcom Mclaren who inspired her punk fashion designs, but also led to Westwood’s divorce with her husband Derek Westwood- the 2 ended up forming a relationship, lived together as well as have a son together as she was recently divorced. She continued to teach until 1971 when she started to create McLaren’s designs which were sold in his boutique which was largely influenced by the shock value of punk such as bikers, sex workers, fetishes and rebellion. Westwood and Mclaren would often rebrand the boutique with provoking names such as “Let it Rock” as the controversy would heighten public interest, they wanted to keep pushing boundaries which went against the social expectations and horrified the older generation. The more negativity they were receiving, the bigger the brand grew due to the public’s curiosity. Eventually, Westwood moved away from punk after it became mainstream but carried on using her platform to self-express as she believes fashion is a carrier for social and political messages.

3rd Body paragraph: 1950s.

Fashion played a big role in the 1950s as new trends were set and designers became more innovative with their designs. Dior pushed boundaries with his collection the ‘New Look’ as that silhouette hadn’t been created before, Balenciaga and Givenchy set new trends too with the ‘Balloon Dress’ along with the ‘Sack Dress’ and ‘Bettina Blouse’. Social expectations and conformity also played a big part in the 1950s- the idea of the ideal family was really promoted at this time, the man of the house would go to work, the children would be looked after by the stay at home mother, the ‘Housewife’. The stereotypical housewife would look very polished, wore pearls and the dress would be sinched in at the waist and would often be worn with an apron. Now that the UK had financially recovered from the war, there were no restrictions on fabrics, buttons and ribbons anymore, which denotes that fashion would become more detailed with pleats and gatherings as society was embracing their new reality. During this time, the US encountered a financial economic boom which led to mass production and consumerism. During the war, families would build up savings which led families to a more luxurious lifestyle, such as moving to the suburbs and purchasing new advanced technologies such as cars and televisions, where the ideal family would be promoted. Marketing was often promoted towards the housewife to encourage them to go back to being a housewife as men went back to work as during the war women kept the country going by doing their jobs while the men were away. Advanced technology such as washing machines and other household equipment would be promoted towards the housewife in order to convince her that going back to this role was better than going to work- she was considered a big consumer. Along with this, patterns for aprons became for detailed and styled to sell the role as a housewife as well as to emphasise their financial status. With this, pattern companies would promote their product to teenagers by editing their patterns to fit in with the new styles that the ‘Teenage Culture’ had created. ‘Teenage Culture’ consisted of hanging out at diners, driving around in pastel cars and starting new trends for themselves which included jeans, t-shirts and casual wear which at first was considered as risqué. Prior to this, if a child was young, they were dressed as an infant, then when they got to a certain size, they would dress like an adult- there was no in-between. Teens at this point were having part time jobs for fun whereas in previous decades, work wasn’t available as it was to provide for the family. With this, children from a young age was preparing for their future. By the time a girl was 12, she should know how to cook, clean, sew and have someone in line to marry. For boys, they would often go into the military or take over the family business to provide for the family. Trends such as the ‘Teddy Boys’ look had a play on the Edwardian era but was looser and more casual. This trend consisted of narrow trousers, velvet jackets, textural waistcoats, greased, quiffed hair-this signified rebellion and was the UK’s version of the bad biker looks with the influence of James Dean and Marlon Brando. Menswear during the 50s was similar to the previous decades with suits and hats in order to conform to society. ‘Mommy and Me’ outfits were also a trend set in the 1950s which included a mum and her children in a matching outfit with new patterns such as checks which was only worn by men prior to this. This was to show stability and conform to societies expectation of a happy family. Another option was for the mother to dress like her daughter which was marketed as it was to appeal to her husband and please him. Mothers would often do this in order to conform to societies expectations as the 1950s was all about conformity and stability.

4th Body paragraph:

Unlike the 1950s, the 1970s was a decade of change and instability due to riots, kidnappings and terrorism which played a big part in this, as well as women having more freedom and sexuality was being questioned. Society found a way to escape this instability by becoming a part of subcultures which varied from Hippies, Skinheads and Punks, these subcultures often pushed boundaries and questioned societies conventions with gender, time, place and identities. The Hippie movement consisted of long flowy maxi dresses, crochet garments and cardigans to portray a mother earth aesthetic along with love and peace. This movement can also be identified by natural fabrics such as cotton, linen and accessories made from wool, leather, shells and feathers along with colours and prints that were often inspired by other cultures such as Asia and Native America. The silhouettes were loose, and this style was fitting for both genders as they rebelled to conform to the normal standards of appearance and lifestyle. Their lifestyle included living outside of cities and growing their own vegetables and often smoking weed, they later on joined together with mainstream society to support the civil rights act and the Vietnam war, yet they didn’t protest. The Prairie dress was a long flowy, patterned dress, often worn with a bandana. This was also popular at the time of the Hippie movement. This look was derived from the hippie maxi dress which was associated with peace and love. The dress also consisted of high collars, long sleeves, printed fabric as well as lace and ribbon trimmings, this style dress evoked feelings from past eras such as the Victorian and Edwardian fashions. Although some styles reference the past, they were made from cheap, modern materials so they were affordable to mainstream society. Another subculture that emerged in the 1970s was the Punks which was the most popular movement of this time. This movement was centered on a loud, aggressive music genre which was punk rock music. Punk was an era of individual freedom along with rejection of conventional femininity, this was shown through studded vests and short/shaven hair and wore clothes that were meant for men which included black leather, sharp, studded fabrics which went against social conventions, along with multiple piercings and body art on their skin. Women would rebel against traditions of femininity and stereotypical beauty in order to express themselves as which was shocking for people to see. The punks also wanted the masses to question their own views on sexuality, gender and beauty which was aimed at changing the way mainstream society would think. The punk style was also characterised by BDSM and bondage with safety pins and dog collars while wearing makeup and having big or shaven hairstyles for both genders. Another subculture from the 1970s was Skinheads, this movement was revived at the end of the 70s from the 1960s. This subculture became associated with racist beliefs along with hooliganism. They would wear a clean button-down shirt with straight leg jeans. More trends such as the Afghan coat which consisted of sheep or goat skin was popular in the 1970s along with the monochromatic trend which was faux fur and suede would often be worn with trousers, tops or coats in the same tones was also an iconic trend for the 1970s. Men started to break free from the standard suit and wore velvet suits which consisted of large lapels, jumpsuit suits were worn along with big collars and blow dried hair as well as moustaches- this was a drastic change for men. Body suits were created for men so they could create a clean sharp look that were worn with bell bottom trousers, platform shoes were worn at this time too for both men and women as in the 1970s, sexuality, gender and social conventions were always being questioned.

5th Body paragraph:

Givenchy and his fashion house had a huge impact on 1950s fashion as he was seen to be eccentric and a genius as he launched new trends and set new fashion rules for the masses, yet his designs fit in perfectly (Zachery, C 2015) with the aesthetic of the 50s. The new rules consisted of launching the first ready-to-wear collection in order to sell this collection for consumers to purchase. The ready-to-wear collection was characterised by mix and match separate pieces of clothing in order to encourage the buyers to be creative in choosing which garments they put together with another, rather than purchasing the whole outfit, along with creating architectural lines and elegance. The detailed ‘Bettina Blouse’ he designed in in 1952 was illustrated with a tight pencil skirt and combined rich fabrics with aristocratic elegance (Vit, G 2019) which was inspired by model, Bettina Graziani. Audrey Hepburn was another muse for Givenchy as only he could design garments and costumes for her films, Each time I’m in a film, Givenchy dresses me (Zachery, C 2015). The pair collaborated on many of the films she starred in and formed a close friendship. Givenchy’s ‘Sack Dress’ is often associated with his 50s statements. The garment was a new invented look which is characterised by abandoning ideas of creating shape and hiding the female form rather than accentuating it like in his previous collections. By the end of the decade, his evening gowns consisted of pleating, uneven hemlines, puff sleeves with intricate detailing, along with shape formed from the idea of one single line from one piece of fabric to create a flowy, romantic look as there were no restrictions on fabrics as there was prior to this due to the war.

6th body paragraph:

The punk visionaries, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm Mclaren, collaborated to design and create collections inspired by punk which was considered shocking to mainstream society during the 1970s. The pair sold the provocative garments in Mclaren’s controversial boutique ‘SEX’. The early collections were conceived by the shock value of punk along with bikers, sex workers and fetishes. The garments were characterised through oversized safety pins, rips, studs, leathers, chains, along with straps and buckles which were associated with bondage wear- the garments were not cheap, so punks would create their own versions of the garments. The Parachute jacket was launched which consisted of straps and buckles wrapping around the body, along with trousers that were designed to restrict movement joined by a bondage belt around the knees to give the wear a sense of empowerment, they also included zips at the center of the leg to create a changeable shape for a unique style. The Sex Pistols band was seen as leading the punk revolution- their style was considered less extreme punk yet were still renowned for their controversial looks. The band was often photographed wearing the controversial clothing that Westwood and Mclaren created which then elevated their brand even more. The Sex Pistols song ‘God Save the Queen’ hit number 1 in the charts yet was refused airtime by the BBC as it was seen as too controversial- Westwood, Mclaren and the band then collaborated through their mediums to design a graphic t-shirt to heighten the controversy. The 3 designed a t-shirt with the band’s single album cover with the song title at the top of the shirt which was pushing boundaries and was the epitome of shock value within their fashion. More provoking graphic t-shirts were designed, this included a printed crucifix with ‘Destroyer’ written over it which triggered the masses especially for religionists, along with a printed swastika which was offensive and horrified mainstream society especially the older generation. As this was so controversial, this only heightened the public’s interest as the mass’s curiosity grew which was Westwood’s and Mclaren’s aim.

Conclusion:

To conclude this essay, fashion has been a very effective platform for conveying social and political statements during the 1950s and especially the 1970s. From Givenchy’s ready-to-wear mix and match collection encouraging the masses to be creative with putting their own outfits together to show mainstream society that women can do it themselves, this was seen as a little risqué as no one had done this before- housewives would often follow the mainstream rules to conform to societies expectation, where-as this new trend allowed the housewives to have a little more freedom. Along with Westwood’s provocative statements on her graphic T-shirts as well as creating controversial and triggering clothing that both genders could wear, depicting that herself and the punks were questioning societies views on beauty and femininity along with gender and sexuality. Both designers took a risqué route with their designs, Givenchy’s (less risqué than Westwood) mix and match garments, as well as the structural ‘Sack Dress’, wasn’t seen as the right thing to do at first, the same goes for Westwood with ripped and studded designs which was not feminine- leaving mainstream society shocked and uncomfortable. Westwood used the Sex Pistols as a platform to broadcast her designs and political statements as well as push boundaries. Audrey Hepburn created a contract stating that only Givenchy could design and create her clothes and costumes for her films which depicts that this was Givenchy’s platform to show the work he created, meaning that both Givenchy and Westwood utilised their friendships and connections with celebrities to show their creations. Although the designs that both designers created were completely different from each other, Givenchy creating beautiful feminine designs- both ready-to-wear and bespoke for the stereotypical housewife and celebrities, and Westwood’s shocking creations for punks and the Sex Pistols, they both used their platform to set new fashion rules for mainstream society- housewives, and punks for the punk revolution.

image

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy.