The 50's were a massivve era of change. The Teddy Boys, which is the look I chose in my video, were the first group of people to make their own style. They were the first group of people who didn't dress like their parents: it gives us the chance to dress how we like rather than our parents. The 50's were a time for social change and rebellion began. The film Grease is based on a 50's high school, the T-Birds are Greasers (American Teddy Boy). If you've seen the fulk, you'll know that they were cheeky, rebellious teenagers who all had a particular style.
Some popular trends in the 50's was faux fur, hoop earrings and creepers. Some key influences from the 50's are James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Chanel - who all still have a big impact on fashion today.
The 70's were the beginning of grunge & hippies. 2 very different subcultures. Glam rock and punk was the grunge side of the 70's. Angrogny emerged in the 70's: this is a non-gender specific style, which can be seen on the teddy girls of the 50's - they wore 'masculine' style clothing. The punk styles include lots of studs and leather. Punk music was often fast paced and politically influenced.
The funk/disco trend of the 70's came from African Americans who often wore bright colours and patterns. In my video, I looked at the retro/hippie style from the 70's. The 70's brought us suede, flares, bold patterns and colours.
The 90's were influence a lot by the 70's grunge and 80's casuals. Hip-hop developed from the 90's and brands were very popular. Brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, Fila and United Colours of Benetton. Baggy trousers and high top trainers were seen everywhere. Gangs and police brutality were sadly aparent in the 90's.
People seemed to turn to fashion to distract them from what was going on in their neighborhood and this was seen in music too. Friends was a very popular TV show that started in 1994. Rachel Green played by Jennifer Aniston was a huge fashion influence in the 90's. She would be seen wearing dungarees, oversized sweatshirts and tartan.
By Abi Tuffin
For Glory Magazine