Show:
Christian Dior
Cristobal Balenciaga
Fashions, Figures, & Places (Wildcard!)
Youth Culture, Undergarments, & Menswear
100
In what year did Christian Dior launch his first collection?
1947
100
Though he did not receive great acclaim until after World War II, in what year was the house of Balenciaga established?
1937
100
What innovative swim/beachwear garment was introduced in 1946 by French designer Louis Reard? Why was this significant?
The Bikini
100
What was the name given to the modified neo-Edwardian style that young men in London’s East End took on in the early 1950s?
Teddy boys/Teds
200
What nickname did Harper’s Bazaar editor Carmel Snow give to Dior’s now legendary first Spring collection?
The New Look
200
How did Balenciaga’s house models vary from Christian Dior’s?
He chose house models with more average looks and his designs accommodated women of all shapes and sizes
200
What were some of the beauty and cosmetics trends of the post-war period?
Late 1940s: red lips, by the end of the decade, focus shifted to eyes. Makeup was marketed to young women. A fashionable mask-like appearance was achieved by the use of thick foundations. Professional models flourished during this time. Women, after the war, now had the time to pamper themselves and indulge in beauty and hair treatments.
200
Which famed shoe designer is credited with introducing the reinforcing steel bar that gave rise to stiletto heels?
Salvatore Ferragamo
300
Describe the New Look. Was it really very “new?”
Narrow shoulders, gentle sloping profiles, waists were tiny, pulled in by an undergarment known as the waspie, skirts were enormously full and reached low down the calves. It revisited the miniscule waists and spreading skirts of historical dress, especially dress of the mid-19th century
300
Balenciaga was known for being a brilliant colorist. What were some of Balenciaga’s most frequently used colors? And where did he reportedly train his eye for color?
Black, white, grey, and vibrant pinks. His sense of color and drama stemmed from his Spanish roots and drew inspiration from Velazquez and Goya, bullfights, flamenco, and rituals of the Roman Catholic church.
300
What important fashion movements took place in Britain during the post-war period?
Clothing rationing remained in place until 1949, utility clothing until 1952. British royalty was not overtly fashion conscious. Princess Elizabeth’s wedding in 1947 – Norman Hartnell designed her wedding gown and 7th avenue copying network had a replica ready 8 weeks before the wedding. Not ration free and cost the princess 100 coupons. Britain turned to making their own clothing. Her wedding also ushered in a return to quintessentially English events, demanding proper attire, which meant good business for fashion makers tailors and retailers.
300
Looking at the undergarments of the 1950s, what was the fashionable breast shape of the period and how was this achieved?
Prominent, separated, and pointed, brassieres were constructed with conical cups, kept rigid by machine stitched concentric circles. Foam rubber falsies could be slipped into bras to aid the less well-endowed.
400
Why was the New Look considered controversial?
It rejected wartime styles and was a defiant challenge to rationing restrictions. “Costly splendor,” which required vast quantities of fabric at a time when materials were in short supply. The New look was also criticized as an inappropriate and irresponsible attempt to curtail women’s freedom.
400
Describe the garment that Carmel Snow called “the great suit of our time”
Semi-fitted jacket, with a collar that stood away from the neck, a simple skirt, either straight or with two or four slightly flared panels
400
How were the Paris Haute Couture collections disseminated? How did they curtail copying?
In return for an agreement to purchase toiled, buyers attended the collections and selected designs to put into production. Copies were available in the US by Henri Bendel and Marshall Field. Photography and sketching were forbidden. Espionage techniques! Clandestine notes and sketches were made, a photographic memory was a huge asset and pirating was a fact of life. Official press photographs and drawings of selected garments were permitted as soon as the audience left, but were stamped with instructions for use and release dates.
400
How did youth subcultures come about in the post-war period? What were some of the styles associated with 1950s youth?
Groups of young people, drawn together by shared ideologies and passions. Rebellious attitudes were deliberately anti-fashion, these groups developed visual identities and uniforms which made powerful style statements at the time and in later years fed back into top-level fashion. American beats – chinos and air force surplus flying jackets. Existentialists in black. Beatnik’s. Teddy boys. Bikers in black leather jackets.
500
Moving into the 1950s, what were Christian Dior’s contributions to fashion after the New Look? What were some of the silhouettes he introduced, what did he title his lines? How were his garments constructed?
Two silhouettes dominated until the arrival of the H-line and the sack in the mid-50s. First, fitted bodice which accented the breasts, a natural shoulderline, a tight waist, and immensely full mid-calf to ankle-length skirt. The second was differed in that the skirt was pencil slim with a long back vent or pleat to permit movement. He showed 200 models each season. Titles include: Zig-Zag, Vertical, Tulip, H-, A-, and Y-lines of 1954-55. Outer layers depended on form-making foundations. Ornate evening gowns relied on rigidly boned understructures with tiered tulle petticoats.
500
What were some of Balenciaga’s signature design features?
Collarless necklines which revealed the clavicles making the neck appear long and slender, raglan sleeves, waistlines above the natural waist to make wearers seem taller, skirts that were minimally flared. Garments were lined in Chinese silk and slipped on with ease. For his dramatic evening wear, Balenciaga manipulated bold planes of heavyweight silk in solid colors or constructed sumptuous tunics from heavily encrusted embroideries commissioned from Lesage.
500
Discuss the works of Charles James, Claire McCardell, and Norman Norell
James: he created extraordinary clothes in lavish fabrics for a devoted clientele of notable women. His evening wear explored contrasts of volume – dangerously tight bodices above perfectly balanced massive skirts in heavy satins. Four-leaf clover dress of 1953 was iconic, originally made for Mrs. William Randolph Hearst but James made subsequent copies. He was a bad businessman. McCardell: Came from Townley Frocks. Functional, elegant day wear and sporting clothes which were affordable and available off the peg. Unpretentious fabrics, avoided applied decoration and ornamentation. Unwaisted dresses with optional belts, cropped halter tops, Bermuda shorts, strongly colored shirtwaisters with circular skirts. Popover dress. Norell: Catered to wealthy women, creating expensive ready to wear. Wool jersey dresses, sharply tailored suits, and little overcoats. Sailor dresses in navy and white, and ultra romantic evening gowns.
500
Describe post-war menswear. Why didn’t menswear achieve the same sort of shocking transformation that womens dress enjoyed in the post war period?
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