November 28, 2014
| Valerie Hayes
| Business & Web Development, Fashion Research, View All Articles & Photos
In the eighties and nineties I organized a few vintage fashion shows and did some basic research in order to do the narration for each show. What I learned then, is that fashion has traditionally had a thirty-five year cycle, where the styles of one era would be revived and re-created again, with some innovative variations. Because of this, there were distinctive things that “dated” clothing. For example, in the seventies, we wore bell-bottoms that were so wide and long that the bottoms became frayed and you tripped over them while crossing the street. Or, when those high-rise jeans that fit snugly around your waist went to the other extreme, followed by several years with clothing racks full of jeans and slacks that were so low in the rise that they had a one-inch long zipper. If you wore the style from a previous decade – it was ridiculed. But, let’s face it – some styles are ridiculous. Absurd actually. But, it’s not necessarily their age that makes them absurd.
Sometime into the eighties the fashion cycle began to shrink. During that time the frequency of the changes in fashion began to increase. The thirty-five year cycle went to twenty years, then ten, and early in the millennium, I recall reading that it had shrunk to seven years. This rapid cycling has become known as fast fashion. The mass produced disposable end of the clothing market has been churning out vintage inspired trends faster than we can follow. The underlying reason for this is that constantly changing trends and low prices will drive volume sales and increase the fashion industries profits. But ironically, what it has also done, is to increase individual freedom and create a much broader horizon for individual style and choice. Sort of an “anything goes” scenario that is a fairly new concept in the scope of fashion history. Therefore, this rapid spin of fast fashion might be losing its point, or its sustainability, as others predicted would happen years ago. On the up side, it has resulted in a significant blurring of the line between what’s in and what’s not in style. Since things so often swing to extremes, and fast fashion is filling up the landfills – maybe now we can swing back to the foundational quality and garment care that our wiser forefathers embraced.
To be rational about all the vintage buzz, a high percentage of vintage clothing is not worth keeping or copying. Just because it is vintage doesn’t mean it has style. And just because it is second hand doesn’t mean it is vintage. When clothing is advertised as vintage inspired or vintage styled – it is simply a capitalization of a now popular buzz-word, in order to increase the sales of their mass produced clothing. The other thing to be aware of – is that a percentage of authentic vintage clothing is made with exceptional style, quality of workmanship and material – yet it may not have a designer label. I know this statement seemingly contradicts a previous post I wrote about licensing brands, fakes and knock-offs, but in that case, the reference is to designer and contemporary clothing. Vintage has a different knowledge base regarding fabrics and sewing techniques, with some unusual quirks in the placement and types of labels used. Some of the beautiful and professionally made dresses from the thirties, forties and fifties don’t have designer labels.
There will always be trends. I believe the trend that is developing now is one of a much more sophisticated consumer. One who is inclined to research, to be more environmentally aware – and will wear what suits her personality and body type without being swayed so much by the spin surrounding fashion trends. Perhaps another off the grid trend is a reduced willingness to sacrifice comfort or mobility for style. After all, it’s pretty difficult to look effortlessly chic with a grimace on your face, or by tripping over twenty-four inch wide bell-bottoms. The truly fashion savvy women will seek both form and function – without sacrificing too much of either.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2014). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
September 27, 2014
| Valerie Hayes
| Business & Web Development, Designer History, Fashion Research, View All Articles & Photos
The fashion industry is a complex one, increasingly so as time goes on, since both the licensed brands and the fakes are outsourced and mass-produced in China. If the brand has a legitimate licensing agreement, then it can be argued that the item is legally not a fake. Therefore how do you tell what is fake and what is not on these high-ticket items? Do you stop to google the corporate history, bankruptcies and mergers before you buy that Armani or Fendi blazer? In a sense, mass produced luxury brand is an oxymoron. There is a fundamental contradiction when it comes to value.
The changes in the fashion industry since the nineties or so has been staggering. One of the biggest changes is the upsurge of luxury brand outsourcing. I believe that the mass produced licensed brands should not be passed off as anything other than mass-produced and should be priced accordingly. The notion that a blazer that is mass produced in China is in the same price range as a one-off blazer made in Italy, France or Germany (with attention to detail, hand stitching and quality fabric), just because of a licensing agreement – is not fair to the consumer. The design is not everything. The fabric, workmanship and country of origin do matter.
As an example, a vintage Fendi blazer is made of 100% wool, has hand stitched trim and is very well constructed. It has all labels including where it was made. In contrast, a contemporary Fendi blazer that is a more recent purchase, has a nice style – but it is flimsy, a polyester blend. It has the Fendi label inside the jacket but no tags to indicate where it was made.
For those who are familiar with changes in the clothing labels over the past few decades, or with vintage clothing, you will be familiar with some of the early union labels. The American International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) was formed in 1900 to protect the almost all female working population from being exploited in sweatshop factories in North America. Canadian clothing from 1968 to 1984 also has the union label. These union labels are very valuable in dating vintage clothing. They also signify the North American history of the recognition of fundamental economic rights of the women and children in “sweatshop factories” – garment workers who had been working under conditions of slave labour. It was part of the battle for women’s rights in general. This is an example of what a union label looks like. It is often found in the waist or side seam of a garment.
Licensing luxury brand names is a goldmine for the licensor. But, licensed and mass produced luxury brand is not the same as the original brand. In my opinion, the country of origin – where the item was manufactured – should be a tag that is required on all garments. That way, a licensed brand can be easily identified and the consumer can decide if it is worth it. If an item is manufactured without such a tag – such as the newer Fendi blazer that I described – it does not have the quality, workmanship or label to indicate where it was made. In my opinion, that Fendi blazer is worth far less, and even in the absence of a country of origin label, it would not be honest to pretend that it is not Made in China, because after awhile you can tell, almost the minute you pick something up, if it is Made in China. It can look pretty in a picture, but it’s not the same as the real thing. You can’t expect to create a luxury product by paying low wages, with lower quality fabrics, using standards of mass production – without compromising quality.
Just like the old adage “Size Matters” – So do labels. Don’t be fooled by zero sizes and omissions of labels, or so-called authentic brand licensing. There is a big difference between the original luxury brand products and the mass produced imitations.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2014). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
September 24, 2014
| Valerie Hayes
| Fashion Research, View All Articles & Photos, Vintage Outfits
The wiggle dress was used to describe a 1950’s dress style that has a narrow fit in the waist and torso. The defining trait is that it is narrower at the bottom than it is at the hips. It is a style that emphasizes an hourglass figure and was favoured for the pin-up girl photography.
The reason it was called the wiggle dress is because you have to take small steps while walking – thus creating a gait that causes the hips to sway. It may have been a style that rose out of a vintage inspired revival of the hobble skirt, which was in vogue from 1910 into the twenties. The hobble skirt was long and very narrow at the bottom. Even more of a challenge! When the corsets and caged hoops went out, next came a dress design that made it faster to hop than to walk! Now all that is needed with the fifties wiggle dress is five inch heels and there will be no running wild while wearing one of these outfits! It’s probably easiest to just strike a pose and look pretty.
Aside from hoops, corsets and bustles – the real wiggle dress is up there when it comes to impracticality. It feels like your legs are bound every time you take a stride. Nowadays, the wiggle dress is a term that is used to describe a variety of vintage and “vintage inspired” dresses. But, to reduce it to the origin of the actual wiggle – if it doesn’t constrict your stride – it’s not a wiggle dress! Here is an example of one. I did wear it once – and can attest to the baby steps it took to get anywhere.
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2014). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
August 23, 2014
| Valerie Hayes
| Business & Web Development, Fashion Research, Health & Wellness, My Story, Textile Art, View All Articles & Photos
The other night I was talking to a woman about how certain aptitudes seem to come down through the generations, like it is in your blood. She was telling me about her own history living in Prince Edward Island coming from a background of artists, and how she learned about, and developed an appreciation for beautiful things.
My earliest recollection of my Swedish grandmother, is of watching her spend hours upon hours, spinning and carding wool. I knew she found solace in the rhythmic constancy of the spinning.
She also made beautiful quilts. She fashioned bits of satin into flowers of all different colours, to create a big bouquet in the middle. Then she would embroider stems and apply the leaves. Sometimes she made the flowers out of a combination of fabrics – brocades, velvet or printed cottons. The quilt, with its layers of wool in the centre, was her canvas.
The spinning looked simple enough. As an adult, I have not had a chance to study many spinning wheels. When I did, I realized it is not that simple. I chatted with a woman who does spin, and is quite passionate about it. She said she had learned how to spin from watching You Tube videos, which makes a great deal of sense, since you can pause it and go over sections, you don’t yet grasp.
She also explained, how at first it is a real struggle, like you want to tear your hair out. But then – when you get it, you can’t understand why you found it so difficult. I told her about my grandmother and how it almost seemed like spinning was an escape for her, and a way to relax – while shutting the world out.
From what I have read, spinning is an art form. Like other art forms, there is a variety of ways to approach it. In essence it is the art of twisting fiber, fleece, wool, silk, alpaca, angora, mohair, flax, etc. into a continuous thread. It can be spun thick or thin, plyed or unplyed, dyed, or left natural.
The You Tube website is called “The Joy of Spinning”. It turns out spinning does have an effect on the limbic system, and pathways in the brain, to create a sort of Zen-like state. You get into a flow, yet at the same time, you have to maintain concentration.
Although I don’t know how to spin yarn in the real sense, I am most convinced there is joy and relaxation to be found in doing so.
Because my Grandma proved something to me long ago…Our brains like to spin!
Copyright Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage (2014). Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author/owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Valerie J. Hayes and Quiet West Vintage with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
