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The exhibition Alexander Vassiliev, “Revolt in the boudoir. Fashion 1970“ (read)



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All panoramas of this object: Museum of applied arts (40)

Description

“Rebellion in a Boudoir. Fashion of the 1970s”

Student revolution which started in France in 1968 and turned against the lifestyle and morality of bourgeoisie had a resounding impact on the development of fashion. The Vietnam War initiated the hippie pacifist movement in California. “Flower children” gave preference to the unisex clothing style and this lead to the victory of denim jeans across the world.
The hippie movement introduced colourful, printed cotton and satin fabrics, long and loose dresses of Indian origin, ethnic ornaments, embroidery and the fashion of Asian footwear. But the most significant feature of the rebellious youth was long and straight hairstyle, worn by both sexes. Accordingly, also the American musical “Hair” – a product of the hippie counterculture and sexual revolution gathered full house at Broadway. The attitude towards underwear also changed – women broke social conventions and went topless and wore no tights in public. The popularity of the hippie counterculture was so great that it influenced musicians, as well as fashion designers who started to design hippie style clothing. Yves Saint Laurent, Kenzo and Pucci applied the hippie fashion trends at their own will – seeking inspiration either in Russian or Japanese folk art, or psychedelia.
The hippie fashion was followed by ethnic style. Suddenly there was a passionate infatuation with clothing showing European folk dress references. There were ruffled gypsy skirts, small floral pattern peasant gowns in full length maxi, basket-weave wide brim hats in the retro style of the 1930s and sabots. The safari look or the so-called “colonial style” also became popular. The fashion of the 1970s was influenced not only by the youth movement and music, but also by the movies of the time.
Retro films, the idealized pre-war fashion style examples, seen, for example, in the films such as “Cabaret”, “Death on the Nile”, “The Great Gatsby”, “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Bonnie and Clyde” created a fascinating aura for the adaptation of the 1920s-30s fashion. The 1970s fashion eagerly borrowed all the best items from this past, and many fashion designers created new interpretations of clothing based exactly on these times. The elegant clothing outfits of the celebrated fashion houses Balmain, Givenchy, Chanel, Dior, Cardin, YSL (Yves Saint Laurent) were frequently grounded on the “citations” taken over from the style of the inter-war period. Platform shoes or wedges came back into fashion and were worn by both men and women.
Mid-1970s saw the rise of disco music which became one of the biggest genres of the decade. The greatest popularity was won by the Swedish group ABBA, Jamaican-born singer group Boney M and African-American singers Diana Ross and Donna Summer. The disco style fashion completely depended on the taste of these stars, provoking their fans to copy and wear close-fitting, light reflecting suits with gold and silver trims. The fashion houses Couregge and Halston introduced tight jumpsuits and thin-soled pointed-toe pumps on high heels. Men’s fashion copied that of John Travolta – bell-bottoms that flared from the knee down, close-fitting skirts and jackets. This was exactly the time when women said “yes” to trousers and tuxedos provoking a rebellion in the heart, mind and soul of the society.
Glam rock fashion style was akin to disco style, and it followed the trends set by the rock groups and singers – superstars of the time. The 1970s fashion allowed freedom of choice, which made it possible to join together different incompatible colours, fabrics, accessories and trims. Earlier the adoption of this approach was unbelievable. Many of Haute couture rules fell into oblivion exactly during this rebellious time which rejected the life-long traditions of elegance and refinedness.
In 1976 the punk style, which had originated in London, replenished the already existing myriad of fashion styles. Punk fashion introduced leather, metallic trims, tartan patterns, exaggerated shoulders and shorter haircuts. Boldly dyed hair, shoulder pads and black leather clothes gradually won public acclaim. At the end of the 1970s this trend of fashion was represented by the fashion houses Claude Montane and Tierry Mugler. The broad shoulder silhouette became the symbol of the early 1980s style.
For the first time in the history of Alexandre Vassiliev's fashion collection presentations the exhibition will comprise also men's fashion. The exhibition abounding in more than a hundred fashion outfits of the extraordinary 1970s will be a surprise. Hopefully it will charge everybody with positive energy, though it might create also feelings of nostalgia for the bygone era. Rebellion in a boudoir is a really capturing experience – a kaleidoscope of colours, shapes and ideas.

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