The haze of the Cold War has gradually dissipated, the global economy has developed rapidly, and the mainstream ideology has undergone a fundamental transformation and a tendency toward liberalization. Never-ending partying, increasingly sexy and bold advertising campaigns, light-hearted and inclusive women's fashion... People break the shackles of their thoughts and enjoy life to the fullest. At the same time, the talents of Christian Lacroix and Halston began to show, and the era of global fashion was coming.
In fact, the American fashion industry also had a stage of "copying and pasting" French design. It wasn't until The Battle of Versailles Fashion Show in 1973 that that the situation began to change.
Kenneth Paul Block's illustration for this "race."
On November 28, 1973, in preparation for the renovation of the Palace of Versailles, five big-name French fashion designers (Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro and Pierre Cardin) and five American designers (Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows, Bill Blass, Oscar de la) were put in order to prepare funds for the renovation of the Palace of Versailles Renta and Halston) were invited to co-host a fashion show. In this unprecedented "competition", American designers brought African-American models and local music, breaking down racial barriers in the fashion industry and leading a new trend in American fashion.
"France and the United States are completely different in terms of economy and fashion, WWD reports. To use an apt analogy, France has two orchestras and four conductors, enough to stage an opera, and the United States can only build tape recorders, but they know how to express themselves. The era of American fashion has arrived. ”
Liz Claiborne didn't do anything, she just rewrote the rules of American fashion companies.
In 1976, Liz Claiborne co-founded a sportswear company with her husband and friends to provide decent clothing for the growing number of women entering the workforce. Later, the company's fashionable and cost-effective clothing was loved by more and more professional women, and it became one of the most successful clothing companies in the world. "My plan is to provide clothing for working women, but it's not really suitable for all situations. Many times, it's energetic, young-minded consumers who want to buy a full set of clothing for less than $150. I tried to get rid of the useless gimmicks and provide them with affordable clothes. In an interview with WWD, Liz Claiborne said.
Liz Claiborne，1978
In 1981, the Liz Claiborne brand went public, and Liz Claiborne herself became the first female chairman and CEO to enter the Fortune 500. By the time she announced her retirement in 1989, the company had grown into a $1.2 billion fashion group with an annual profit of $110.3 million. In 2000, Liz Claiborne talked to WWD about her career, and she believed that her greatest value was to be the first to provide people with a price-performance and stylish design of clothing. "At that time, there were designer brands on the market, and there were also sportswear, but there was a blank space in the middle," she said. I know what women need and have a rapport with them. ”
At the end of the 1970s, fashion trends moved from the runway to the dance floor of nightclubs. For many, the center of the world at the time was Studio 54, a nightclub that was hailed as "defining an era."
Steve Rubell
WWD reports on an anecdotes from Studio 54 almost daily, from the grand opening night to Bianca Jagger's birthday party on a white horse a month later, to Valentino's circus-themed birthday party. Joanna Dendel told WWD on studio 54's opening night: "I lost my clothes when I went in. ”
There are few episodes that perfectly embody the fashion trends of the eighties like Melanie Griffith's "Working Girl". At that time, thousands of professional women were like the heroine of the film, Daisy, commuting in professional clothes and comfortable little white shoes, and changing into high heels before entering the office. The trend originated in the April 1980 Strike of New York City's public transportation system, when subways and buses in all five boroughs stopped functioning. The strike lasted 11 days, people were forced to consider walking, cycling, rollerblading and other ways to get to work, and women who needed to wear high heels in the workplace also prepared comfortable shoes for commuting.
Professional attire with small white shoes, 1980
The WWD said in the report that the public transportation system strike not only had an impact on fashion, but also slowed clothing sales in New York, with out-of-town buyers canceling orders. But hipsters always find reasons to shop, and in an interview, Gabriela Segovia, who visits New York, said there was only one way for her to shop, saying: "To shop, we have been riding in this limousine since we entered New York. ”
There is a small group of women whose dynamics are of the greatest concern to WWD. Jacqueline Kennedy is one of them, Coco Chanel is one of them, and among Hollywood stars, WWD is the heroine of Love Story, Ali MacGraw.
Ali MacGraw，1969
When she filmed Love Story, WWD recorded the entire process. On August 30, 1972, WWD reported on the film she starred in, Outlaws. Although Ali MacGraw is tight-lipped about her scandals with Steve McQueen, she actively expresses her opinions on many things. For example, the report "Who Will Always Be Charming?" that broke the stereotype of her sweet girl? ", her reflections on politics, "I am embarrassed by the stupid comments of movie stars who know nothing about politicians" and so on. Even though she lost the opportunity to star as the heroine of The Marvelous Gatsby in 1974, WWD still cared deeply about everything about her. The former Vogue magazine assistant, who led the knitted hat trend with her fresh beauty, was one of the most influential fashion icons of the 1970s.
Halston may have been known since 1961 when Jacqueline Kennedy wore a Halston classic top hat at her husband's inauguration, but the seventies were his real moment of brilliance. Bill Blass lamented in an interview with WWD: "Halston was the first designer to truly represent American style. ”
Halston, who is tweaking the Fall 1977 collection in the studio
In addition to the highly successful Ultrasuede shirt skirt, Halston has also made casualwear the most popular category. In 1972, Chicago retailer Stanley Korshak said in a conversation with WWD: "This is the best-selling series, and manufacturing always can't keep up with the speed of sales." "As a designer, Halston has boundless kindness to all women and their bodies, successfully changing how women feel about clothing and demonstrating the tremendous positive impact that designers can have on people's daily lives." Halston attributes his unpretentious, straightforward design style to his upbringing, saying, "I'm from the Midwest and have a pragmatic mind. ”
In 1977, Studio 54 opened and Halston became a regular at nightclubs. In February of the following year, he moved the company to the 21st floor of the Olympic Building. In 1983, Halston signed a contract with the American department store chain JC Penny to design clothing and homewares, but because the designer crossover concept was not yet popular at the time, he was abandoned by high-end retailers including Bergdorf shortly after the agreement. A year later, Halston was forced to leave his company. Halston died in 1990. Oscar de la Renta told WWD in an interview: "Halston was the most influential designer of the seventies and is still a source of inspiration for American designers. ”
On August 1, 1980, WWD published a seemingly unimportant article on page 17 that read: "The Puritan Fashion Company will begin a CK brand television campaign on August 11, with actress Brooke Shields as the main character in the advertisement."
Founded in 1968 by Calvin Klein and his business partner Barry Schwartz, the Calvin Klein brand was originally american sportswear. Calvin Klein pioneered the style before the Minimalist movement in the 1990s. Calvin Klein's advertising protagonists are the most beautiful, sexy, and most concerned stars in Hollywood, and the shooting scale is also very bold, which also makes Calvin Klein's popularity to a higher level, becoming the founder of avant-garde culture in the fashion industry, fashion, beauty, underwear... Calvin Klein has strategized in multiple fashion areas, and its marketing effectiveness seems like an impossible thing today.
Calvin Klein,1979
Following Brooke Shields' promotional video, supermodel Kate Moss also shot a promotional video for the brand's 1995 denim collection, led by Steven Meisel, the godfather of fashion photography. The overly bold propaganda video scene caused an uproar and even alarmed the Ministry of Justice. However, Calvin Klein has always said he will not cause controversy for the sake of causing controversy. In a 1994 interview with WWD, Calvin Klein said, "If people start with hype, they'll never succeed." But if something is really good, interesting, thought-provoking, it's worth taking risks, challenging traditional boundaries, questioning established values, and ultimately it can be controversial. ”
Once upon a time, perfumers ruled the perfume world. Fran ois Coty, a pioneer in the modern perfume industry, and the Guerlain family that created Shalimar perfumes are among the leaders.
In the 1920s, a perfume revolution initiated by fashion designers began. During this time, Chanel launched Chanel No.5 and Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, and Jean Patou launched Joy perfume. Thirty years later, designers introducing perfumes gradually became the norm. Norman Norell (1968), Bill Blass (1970), Halston (1975) and Oscar de la Renta (1977) all introduced perfumes. In 1978, Yves Saint Laurent released the Opium perfume, which triggered the rapid development of the designer perfume movement.
Opium perfume launch
Yves Saint Laurent 与 Marina Schiano，1978
WWD has covered the launch of Opium perfumes and dubbed the trend The Opium Wars. At the launch, "Saint Laurent unveiled the Opium perfume on the giant ship Beijing in an ultra-luxurious way in New York Harbor, decorated with 2,000 Hawaiian orchids, a Chinese temple and a giant $300,000 Buddha statue." When the fireworks set off at 10:30 p.m., art historian John Richardson commented, "It's even more beautiful than Jackson Pollock's work." At the time, Andy Warhol was also crying sadly in his diary because he had to miss the "grand and charming YSL Opium party" for an engagement ceremony in California.
The designer's perfume trend has risen.
WWD will be named the Nouvelle Society for the eighties social scene that was swallowed up by commercialism.
During these days, everyone is shopping, smoking, decorating their high-end homes and preparing for the evening party. As voices for the elite, people like Pat Buckley, Susan Gutfreund and Gayfryd Steinberg often increase their exposure in a variety of ways, hoping to host the most exclusive parties and showcase their influence. In 1987, Beverly Sills had a party in her premium apartment, and she told WWD, "Welcome to my East End apartment, you've all been to my West End apartment before. ”
Saul Steinberg 与 Gayfryd Steinberg，1985
During that time, they spent a lot of money, competing for the title of best hostess through their daughter's wedding and her husband's birthday party.
In the 1980s, the U.S. economy developed rapidly. Stereotypical haute couture fashion is out of place in the party frenzy, and as a result, it has lost the favor of consumers. It was at this time that Christian Lacroix came out, and his exaggerated, gorgeous and dazzling designs re-entered the Jean Patou Fashion House.
Prepared for the release of the Fall 1987 Couture Series
Christian Lacroix 与 Marie Seznec
In January 1987, WWD reported that he was "the newest and most exciting design genius in Paris." Christian Lacroix also took advantage of this shareholder wind to create its own eponymous brand with the support of the consortium Financière Agache. At the time, Bernard Arnault was Chairman of Financière Agache, and the following year he became LVMH's largest shareholder.
Christian Lacroix has a strong personal style, his haute couture fashion is handmade, with a focus on excellence and sophistication. He created many of the works that are still popular today and is considered one of the most loyal defenders of haute couture. This uncompromising insistence on haute couture clothing has also made it difficult for the Christian Lacroix brand to achieve profitability. In 2005, LVMH sold it to the Falic Group, which quickly closed the brand's couture and ready-to-wear collections, and Christian Lacroix was no longer involved in the design and operation of the brand. (To be continued) WWD
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Image source WWD 100th anniversary special issue, network