ogparisian

Bonjour! We are Karina, Cameron, and Julie and we will blog about all kinds of topics concerning fashion and the influence it has on generations. Hope you enjoy ♥

[ogparisian]

The Leather Jacket. Who wears it?

When we think of the leather jacket, we immediately think: cool. The person who wears one just comes off as cool no matter who they are. Although, you could also argue that wearing a leather jacket makes you seem trendy. 

It has become iconic and timeless.

The leather jacket can come in many different styles, for example, as a bomber or moto-jacket style.

The question is, however, who wears a leather jacket? Is it the “rebel without a cause” individual as its always been known? Or has its timeless and trendy look become appealing to all people?

Well, from my observations of mainstream media and personal preferences, I’d say the leather jacket is worn by people of various personalities and backgrounds. 

The leather jacket is just so versatile and gives an edge to the simplest of outfits. They can also be very statement by adding spikes or gems to them. Just throw on a leather jacket and boom: you look very edgy and cool, but put together at the same time.

So do you agree that just anyone wears a leather jacket? Or could it represent some kind of personality trait one has? AND do you think more men or more women wear it?

-K

[ogparisian]

Our Exhibition of Dress

Bryan Turner in The Body and Society (1984), argues that all societies, however large or small, have to control, contain and manage bodies, and the mechanisms and techniques for coordinating bodies. Dress seems to serve as a kind of visual metaphor for identity; social in that it is structured by social forces and subject to social and moral pressures. Our ways of being in the body are crucially shaped by the social practices of our culture. Thus, the social situation imposes itself upon the body and constrains it to act in particular ways. The looser the social constraints, the freer the body is to laugh out loud. Wearing the right clothes and looking our best, we feel at ease with our body, and the opposite is true also: turning up for a situation inappropriately dressed, we feel ill at ease in our bodies, out of place and vulnerable.

In my exploration of how clothing affects the public, I found striking explanations for why brands choose the textiles they do. Our bodies play a huge role subconsciously in how we feel the way we do while wearing certain fabrics. Dress is the intermediary between the self and the other; forming a second skin that is usually dismissed in our consciousness.  Our consciousness is only heightened when something is out of place; when either our clothes do not fit us or they do not fit the situation. Dress and our experience of the body can make us aware of the skinniness of our legs in jeans, or the breadth of our shoulder blades in a shirt.

[ogparisian]

Muslim fashion

Fashion, in general reflects the identity of the person but we usually make false ideas about the person through his coat. Just because this person has let himself be carried away by this trend which is not necessarily in harmony with his personality.Is Muslim religion has an influence on fashion?

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In Morocco, the traditional garment is the djellaba, long dress with hood and wide sleeves. For special occasions, men also wear hats called tarbouchs or fez. Men of Berber origin will wear a white turban, goat leather sandals and finely worked daggers. Moroccan women remain numerous to follow the Islamic tradition and to wear the veil in public. At home and at receptions, they dress in long dresses, or cafetans. While many Moroccans still wear traditional clothing, western fashion is becoming more and more popular.

The origin of the djelaba:

The djellaba never intended to cover the woman for religious reasons, besides originally it was a masculine garment that women took for practical reasons.

The djellaba is a long garment of Muslim culture. In the beginning, the djellaba was carried by principle of modesty in reference to the Koran. Originally the djellaba is a garment that was worn by men in relation to the absolute comfort it brings. The djellaba is a garment declined in different materials to adapt to the various climates. It is also different according to whether it is worn for a marriage, a birth, a funeral, etc. But gradually the djellaba arouses a real craze on the part of Western stylists. The djellaba is originally an official and traditional costume. For centuries, the djellaba was worn by the monarchs of Morocco during religious celebrations or more formal ceremonies. The djellaba is perceived as the most representative garment of the Moroccan woman. Thanks to the stylistic creation, the djellaba has adapted over the centuries. She is now a source of inspiration in the world of Haute Couture. So we can say that Muslim religion has a sort of impact on what  dress people wear. 

Why adopting dress and not pants?

It must be remembered that trousers are a recent invention, and that the religious have remained dressed in traditional costumes, that is to say that the clothing revolution which affected civil society did not affect them.  

-J

[ogparisian]

Fashion and Disability

Do you think it's a good idea to put disable models in  shops? Can they change our look at the disability in a diferent way or it will scare off people?

In general the word “Fashion” is something aimed to a lot of categories of person but what’s about disable person? Most magazine, like vogue, in the world show us how to dress, show us the new trend of the week etc… it’s often represented by beautiful models who are mostly retouched by Photoshop to make them more beautiful they already are. Meanwhile some are retouched by the computer some would dream to join this fashion world.

Finding shoes or clothes that are both comfortable and in the trend of the week, is a challenge when you are in a handicap situation. Disable person are forgotten in this fashion world and not only in fashion, There is a lack of accessibility of many shops, today it’s hard to find a shop for disable person, even catwalk are made of women who have to be 5’9’’ tall and sometimes have to lose weight, if not they are often hired. Is it normal work condition? If some women cannot make part of this fashion world because they are not enough thin, what’s the opportunity for disable? Fashion imposes other barriers, like the simple fact to be thought for very normed bodies. It prescribes trends, confirms norms, and in fact excludes many from its perpetual movement. Nevertheless, the needs exist, as well as an appropriate clothing offer!

The “shopping” operation turns into a challenge, and the potential customer cannot benefit from any suitable advice. He desperately seeks the rare pearl that he can easily put on and endure all day long ... How to participate fully in social life, to flourish, to work, to seduce ... in a "default" dress, which does not correspond to us really ?

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Today, people start to think about the disability, more and more magazine with disable models are created and some catwalk are organised with disable models. I think it’s important to show every kind of person in fashion whether they are disable or not because people have to be aware that they are not alone on earth and that everybody is not perfect.

Xoxo

-J

[ogparisian]

Spotlight - The Father of Couture

How did the system of Haute Couture come to be? Originally the typical dressmaker sewed clothes to the customer’s specifications, and men’s clothes were styled by tailors. This occurred during the period of 1860 to 1960. Charles Frederick Worth decided to go beyond this limitation.  Trained in London and moved to Paris in 1845, he decided to unveil a seasonal line that would be presented to customers at live showings.

His time in Paris began over the counter where learned the tastes and attitudes of the French woman. With specialized awareness, those twelve years put him in the position to be able to open a dressmaking shop in 1858.  His creations were always of superb fabrics and his rich materials gave the manufacturers of Lyon a needed boost in demand.  Worth provided his clients with the conception, the fabrics, the details, and the execution. Working with important clients to individualize the costume according to his own creative view of the lady, Worth became the first and only true fashion dictatorship.

What made Worth unique was how he made the enterprise seem serious: a man in a woman’s business was looked upon as an artist. Worth was the first dressmaker to demonstrate publicly the importance of control over the way clothes look.  Proving that details are always a way to make yourself stand out from the crowd.

[ogparisian]

Influence of music and television on fashion

1960 was the decade where the music and TV have a huge influence on fashion. Thanks to the progress of new technologies, people could see their favourite television programme, their favourite musicians perform on TV and even commercial adds which have an important  impact on how people dress themselves. Specific fashion trend emerged at the same time. The first major fashion movement of the Sixties emerged from Great Britain, where The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and various other pop and rock bands were enjoying immense popularity. It was the beginning of the shirt, tie and hair’s fashion. Designer Mary Quant created the iconic miniskirt in response to the youthful, fun-loving attitude that was spreading throughout the country. The capital became known as “Swinging London” and soon brightly coloured streamlined fashions were all the rage in Europe and America.

Celebrated movie star and fashion icon like Audrey Hepburn became the face of classic 1960s trend. If you're one of the millions of women with a little black dress in your closet, you have Audrey Hepburn to thank. Breakfast at Tiffany's style launched the little black dress —perfect for a glam evening out.

The 1970s were marked by the “Hippies” movement, originate from San Francisco, especially with Jimi Hendrix who has influenced many people. Free love, recreational drugs and psychedelic music became visible in fashion. Both men and women let their hair long. New styles of denim jeans emerged, such as the bell-bottomed, tie-dyed, marbled and painted jeans. Hippy fashion was represented as a rebellion against consumerism and the clothes and accessories were often handmade or purchased from flea markets.

The 80's: Disco years, with flashy clothes, Punk with his leather or latex pants, Metal, Gothic and the Hip-Hop music with highly marked clothing styles, 'baggy' style cuts and wide clothes.  

 We can see that all these musics influenced with more or less importance our ways of dressing. When is it today?

The mixture of musical genres, the current melting pot of sound, diversity, can still produce phenomena as striking as in the 60s or 70s. Not so sure. Would music have lost its influence on fashion? More than influence, we could talk about interactions. Of mixtures of the gender. There are taste for everyone, but contrary to early decade, there are no popular movements or masses as the "patte d’eph" could be. There were of course premises with jeans slim and the influence of indie rock, neo-punk without becoming a phenomenon of fashion large scale. It's obvious that 'fashion & music' are linked together and that for a long time. But our current society is no longer impregnated in the same way with certain currents. The 'fashion addict' reinterprets the trends, is inspired by different movements, we pick up a 'hip-hop' jeans here and a rock t-shirt over there.

So the influence of music on fashion is less felt. The 'dictates' of fashion are less blatant but they allow, to identify ourselves with a current. What used to be a constraint: "It's fashionable, then we dress like that", today offers more freedoms, since the choice is wider. One day look jean slim, black jacket… The next day rock look or whatever you want. It is also the fashion of today, more choice, more freedoms .... We will not complain, as long as the music is good!

Xoxo

-J

[ogparisian]

State of Sustainability

Sustainability encompasses the ideas of social equality, economic growth, and environmental protection.  Early supporters of the sustainability movement were architecture professionals who found feasible ways for “green” living.  Sustainability in relation to fashion involves the production of fibers and fabrics; design of garments and accessories; and manufacturing, distribution, and sale of goods and services.

Cotton currently uses large amounts of chemicals to prevent crop infestations, and it needs lots of fertilizer to obtain maximum yield per acre. Furthermore, U.S. cotton growers receive subsidies from the federal government, which undercuts the prices that small growers in underdeveloped African countries can charge.

Solutions:

Bamboo, grows quickly and does not require chemicals to achieve large yields. The only question to bear in mind is rather processing bamboo fiber is identical to rayon manufacturing.  Rayon is a regenerated cellulose that requires a chemically intensive process to achieve silk-like fibers. The honest label should say “Rayon made from Bamboo.”

IKEA sets a great example by not providing free shopping bags, which encourages consumers to bring their own or reuse the ones they bust buy to transport their purchases. In the long term, the planet cannot continue to produce increasing volumes of textile objects. A future that involves buying fewer (better?) clothes is more sustainable, but few companies (with the exception of Patagonia) embrace that concept.

[ogparisian]

Japanese Kimono

 Did you know that the word “kimono” originally was the word for “clothing” in Japanese? Now when we think of Kimonos, we think of this:

Source 

Which technically, nowadays, can be true. Now Kimono can be used to reference traditional Japanese clothing. Kimonos as they are known today, originated in the Heian Era (794-1192). Although, when we think of traditional Japanese clothing today, it closely resembles that of the Edo Period (1601-1867 A.D.).  Consisting of basic pieces such as the Kimono, Obi, and Hakama, Japanese clothing is as remarkably simple as it is complex and elegant.

After 250 years of being ruled by Tokugawa shoguns (equivalent of a dictator), Japan still maintained their traditional clothing even up to the end of WWII. This is because the shoguns isolated Japan from the western countries. Although this occurred, It was a time of economic prosperity and social stability.

The building block for all traditional Japanese clothing, regardless of class, begins with the Kimono. By the Edo Period, this had become an outer garment and was made of all types of fabric. Though, if your kimono was made of silk, you were part of the upper class. In fact, only the upper class could wear silk, otherwise it was against the law for other to wear.

The kimono was made with the same sizes and dimensions no matter what your size or gender was.  Age, social status and gender determined the appearance of the Kimono. A married woman would wear a Kimono made out of darker fabric and with shorter sleeves than a young unmarried girl. Children wore brighter colors than their adult counterparts. Fashion practices, based on rigid social hierarchy, were reinforced by law.

Today, the kimono has slowly come back to “fashion” in Japan. Especially in females, whom are the ones who are spotted wearing them most.ALTHOUGH the kimono style is being reflected in a lot of male clothing, using the tying around the waist method rather than buttons. Many describe as “getting back to the basics” and are embracing a part of their history through their clothing.

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From your observations, do you think the ‘Kimono’ has an influence on Japanese fashion today?

Stay tuned for next week, I’ll get into Japanese fashion today...maybe that’ll give you some more insight ♥

-K

[ogparisian]

1950s: New Look Style as a legend

1950s was known as a period with a lot of technical progress, the ready to wear was launched and the New look style was on every street corner. The New Look quickly became an iconographic symbol of youth and beauty, as well as a message for a hopeful and promising future. The video below will really give you an idea of  what this New Look was about.

Video  

After WWI, a privation period in which “women” no longer rhymed with “to be feminine”. Women threw away the uniform worn in factories during the war in order to adopt the New look style created by Christian Dior. It is to Dior that the French owe this return to the femininity. The need to be more feminine, glamourous and elegant was the principal goal women wanted to reach. 

Photo 

-J

[ogparisian]

WWI and  Women’s Clothing

At the start of the war, many were convinced that it would be a short one. Wives, children, mothers, and daughters kissed their men goodbye in high hopes they would be seeing them soon. But as the war dragged on, the harsh reality of the war truly settled in. 

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There were not enough men around to keep cities and towns functioning. it became a necessity for women to take up roles that were once for men.

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As men were gone to war, women replaced them in order to gain money. So they adopted dresses more comfortable to work in factories.

At the end of the WWI, a new generation dreamed of a new world in which they could forget the misery of the war. And so, this decade symbolized a period of progress for women. They began to masculinize themselves by any way possible.

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The skirt evolved and made way to pants which occupied an important role for women. However, this was seen as a symbol of maturity as well as of masculinization. But it was not accepted by all people because in the customs of the time, this masculinization was seen sometimes as a “cross-dressing” of the woman. This may have been the start of women slowly moving away from dresses or skirts, thus erasing the norm that women only wore skirts or dresses.

Many cartoonists began to depict women in a derogatory manner because of their newfound adaptation to pants–as well as– jobs previously held by men.

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Evidently, we, as women, have come a far way from old gender roles in the way we dress. Its been a long and hard road for women when it comes to rights as well–not just clothing. 

So would it not be fair if men could acquire a more feminine taste in their clothing? After all, women have been successful in doing so. 

Leave your thoughts below ☺

-J and K

and C

[ogparisian]

Post World War Japan

In turn, the Japanese youth women would turn to pants that flare out towards the bottom and skirts became popular. Originally, the miniskirt was seen as not able to fit the japanese physique, however, English model “Twiggy” visited Japan which led to the acceptance. As western style began to dominate the Japanese market, influence in other sectors relating to film and textile.  Men also began to adapt an “Ivy style” that were worn by that of American Ivy league students. This consisted of dark grey clothes while at the same time red shoes were that of being likened by men in informal situations.

The monpe, a loose fitting japanese work pants to expand their freedom of movement, were replaced by western-style skirts. Kimonos began to lose their mass appeal as business casual became the norm for corporate employees.  To keep their nation’s identity in fashion, Kimonos were worn primarily in formal occasions. The hatsumode (year’s visit to shrines or temples), seijinshiki (when the youth reached the age of twenty), graduation ceremonies, and weddings.

[ogparisian]

La mode des années 1920 en France:

The "cloche and Flapper" decade!

It’s incredible to see how the different events in history have influenced and changed the way people have dressed throughout time.This decade was especially marked with the cloche hat and the flapper dress during “les années folles”.

Women's clothing:

The liberty that women won during the First World War was revealed in their clothing. Game over of the corset: left the place to freedom, let your legs breathe! Birth of short skirt, flapper dress and cloche hat.Throughout the decade the length of the flapper dress varied a little. At the begining of the 20s, the lengtht of dresses were pretty long and at the end of the era, the hemline was just below the knee. Women started to wear trousers, cut their hair, Coco Chanel  was the firt women to do that. Probably the most influential woman in fashion of the 20th century, Coco Chanel did much to further the emancipation and freedom of women's fashion.

Via http://dona.centerblog.net/95-mode-1920

The cloche hat (French for “bell")  was usually made of felt so that suited to the head, and were typically designed to be dressed low on the forehead which made visibility difficult. Women walked with their chins up and eyes cast down creating an air of conceitedness or feminine independence.

Via https://fr.pinterest.com/pin/385620786819959967/

Often the flapper style clothing and the cloche hat were worn together.

Men's clothing:

 As the 1920s was the "hat decade", hats was also worn by men and were usually worn depending on their class.

Via http://vintagedancer.com/1920s/1920s-fashion-men/ 

The men's suit today are still based, for the most part, on those worn in the late 1920s. Throughout the decade, men wore short suit  jackets, the old long jackets being used merely for formal occasions. This style of jacket seems to have been greatly influenced by the uniforms worn by the military during the First World War. Trousers were relatively narrow and straight and they were worn rather short so that a man's socks often showed.

- Julie

[ogparisian]

Classification in the midst of Chaos

Though industrialization has become a part of how we live, Generation Y would like to venture to the past when technology did not keep us inside. However, this allows for the youth to gain much intelligence concerning the world we live in.  With the rise of this awareness, I predict clothing will fall into these two categories. 

Athletic Person:

The athletic person does not show the sophistication and high style in their dress that characterize the dramatic type. An air of comfort, ease, and informality gives this person the ability to express themselves properly. Brown is the preferred color, although color choices also favor outdoor woodsy colors such as forest greens, dull gold or rust, and dulled yellow greens.

Eccentric Person:

The dramatic person has extreme yang qualities with a demeanor of theatrical quality. A reserved, quiet manner contributes to the feeling of formality which may make the very dramatic individual seem unapproachable. One must not judge a book by its cover. This person could be rather open with the decision not to engage in small talk.  The dramatic type is not overpowered by exotic fabric and color. Rather, bold severe lines serve to accentuate the striking characteristics while portraying an expression of strength and sophistication.

- Cameron

[ogparisian]

Do Celebrities have an influence in what you wear?

Scrolling down Facebook and Instagram you see some of your favorite people sharing posts about how their lives are going. This can be your family, friends, or just some acquaintances. Luckily (or unluckily however you see it), we also have the liberty of following some of our favorite celebrities--role models even. 

Their personalities appeal to the fans, but as well as the way they dress. When I say “wear” I am also referring to makeup and/or accessories. 

Personally, I can see how they do influence us in how we dress ourselves.

Let’s take Kylie Jenner, for example: she started selling her lip kits and has been massively successful. Now she’s got her on merchandise on sale and that is also selling out insanely fast.

photo via allure.com

The clothing that she is selling, to me, isn’t very apealling. Yet, thousands of people are going out of their way to buy them.

photos via @thekylieshop instagram 

Are there any other celebs who influence you to wear certain pieces of clothing? Or even just to go out and buy something similar to what they are wearing?

-K

[ogparisian]

Is our identity depending on how we dress?

Today I choose to talk about dress code and its impacts on our identity and I found this picture which in my opinion is a good representation of  how the clothes show a part of our identity and then how it creates some prejudice on people.

Picture from The Guardian

 The decision we make about clothes is usually something which reveal a part of us, it impacts how people see you. We have decided to wear something because we like it, so people are aware about what we like, they know our lifestyle which can reflect our personality. In some way, our dress code creates a communication between people. It can give information about person’s gender, social class, religious or many other things. For example, If we wear expensive clothes, it can reveal the wealthy of the person or if we wear a headscarf it shows our penchant for Muslim religion.

 At school, sometimes a uniform is required in order to stop judgment between students. Maybe if everyone wear the same clothes, nobody would revealed their personality and so their identity because we take out something from us, it’s like taking out our identity, something saying a lot of about us. Maybe, if everyone look the same it would reduce racial and gender bias but what about our identity then? What do you think about that?

  Our dress code, which make us what we are, is based on colours and colours have a huge effect to show our personality, how people perceive us but especially it shows our mood. Here you will find the different meaning of colours. Which colours do you wear the most? What it says about you? Do you agree?

Picture from http://thehealthflash.com

- Julie

[ogparisian]

Gender Fluidity

photo via buzzfeed.com

The way we dress always represents what we biologically are: male or female.  It’s in our DNA and we can’t help being either male or female. But the emergence of the “un-gendered” thoughts is becoming significantly more important in today’s society. This is causing a rise in the making of un-gendered clothing. Notable individuals such as Kanye West and Jaden Smith are a prime example of those who are taking risks with what they wear. In particular, the idea of “traditional masculinity” is being especially challenged. 

photo via buzzfeed.com

As expected, the decisions of stars like Kanye West and Jaden Smith has come with much criticism--good and bad. As for me, I am 100% supportive of their gender fluid choices. A girl can wear jeans and flannels and be called a tomboy. A man has all the right to do the same. If he wants to wear something more “feminine” then I say go right ahead. 

What do you guys think? Do you agree with gender fluidity in fashion?

-K

[ogparisian]

You are what you wear... your clothes reveal about you

Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner

Agree or not?

- Julie