Body Types and Their Trends

     Looking through pictures of myself compared to my friends, I noticed the variations between body types. Although I really admire boxy fashion styles, that type of clothing simply does not look good on me. Which made me think, "Well why does that style look so good on others? Like the models on the runway?"
     In a frenzy I researched all that I could find out about my own body type. Apparently I am an hourglass figure, which is where the shoulders and hips are the same width but the waist is smaller. There were three other common body types. The square(or rectangle), where the hips, waist, and shoulders are the same width. The triangle(or pear), where the hips are wider than both the shoulders and the waist or the reverse triangle where it is the opposite. Finally the apple, where the waist is fuller than the shoulders and hips.
     I have noticed how fashion trends go well together with the current body type that is in style. For example, in the fifties it was all about the wide and full Dior skirts, which accentuated the small waisted hourglass figure. In the twenties clothing dropped the hip and the square figure was in style.
     Each of these body types have different body lines and because of this, different clothing styles look better on each. It all comes down to following each of these figures lines. Because I am an hourglass figure I must wear clothing that accentuates my small waist. For example, high waisted pants, skirts and dresses and wrap around dresses. As for the models on the catwalk, most of them are a square figure. This is why they look good in squarish garments, because it follows their body lines.

My Favorite Fashion Era: 1920s

     The the Roaring Twenties was definitely an interesting decade. Although when I was younger I did not like twenties, I now think it was one of the most fascinating time in fashion history. Why? Because basically in ten years it went from long restricting dresses with corsets to flashy Flapper girls. Quite a big change, if you ask me. Corsets(which are my worst enemy when it comes to fashion), have been around since the 1600's. Then boom! In the twenties they were wiped away.

     Part of the reason why the twenties was such a big change I think, was because of the suffragette movement. Women were already in a rebellious mood during the twenties because it was literally right after the time they received the right to vote from the government. In 1919 it was made legal for women to vote, and ratified in 1920.
     On top of that, before there was WW1 too. The war also encouraged the major changes in fashion. Because of shortages/conservation in cloth, hems became shorter and simpler during WW1.

 

     Aside from political events and war, during the twenties iconic fashion designers were rising and shifting fashion in a new direction as well. Madeleine Vionnet, Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Paul Poiret all had something do to with the twenties. Firstly, Madeleine Vionnet greatly influenced fashion with her elegant greek inspired dresses, turning people into living sculptures.

  

Coco Chanel popularized the tan, dropped hip, and the color black through her invention of the little black dress.

While Paul Poiret may not have been successful during the twenties, he is still looked upon as a historical fashion figure during that time through his use of "Orientalism" and his iconic asian inspired "lampshade" tunics.

Elsa Schiaparelli, with her fun surreal fashion style, is remembered for her "divided skirt," "Tear Dress" and shoe hats.

All four designers rejected the corset and greatly influenced the twenties.
     I mentioned Orientalism before when I was talking about Paul Poiret, however I doubt you know what that is. I didn't. Orientalism is usually referred to as a style of art inspired by asia and the middles east, or "of the Orient."

In fashion, it is the same. If you look closely at fashion in the 1920s you will notice a correlation between Orientalism and fashion.

 

     Of course you cannot write about the Roaring Twenties without at least mentioning the Flappers. Though no one really knows where exactly the term "Flappers" came from(although there are great many guesses), but these girls were notorious for being the rebels of that age. They were the ones who really pushed the limits of breaking tradition. Higher hemlines, looser garments, and sleeveless clothing were all things the Flapper girls adopted. Who knows, maybe if the Flapper revolution never happened, women would still be wearing corsets today! When you think of a "Flapper," you probably think of those fringed dresses. 

Yes, Flappers did wear them, and yes, it was their trademark. They were known for having an inexhaustible appetite for dancing, and because of this, they wore those Flapper Dresses that flapped while dancing. However, the name "Flapper" simply meant a modern lady of the 1920s. 

Sadly, due to the Great Depression, Flappers came and went. This was the peak of the Roaring Twenties.

     So, in conclusion, the 1920's changed the course of fashion. Suffragettes and World War I forced some of that change. Madeleine Vionnet, Coco Chanel, Paul Poiret, and Elsa Schiaparelli were all alive and kicking during this time, influencing fashion as well. Flappers readily adopted this change in fashion and without them women would probably still be in long dresses and corsets.
     Change is why I love the Twenties so much. This decade was so different from any other time, I don't know how you could not like the Roaring Twenties.
   

Delpozo

     Josep Font is a fashion designer I discovered a while back and ever since he has been my favorite. Though, in all fairness my favorite fashion designer changes often. Josep Font, the creative director of Delpozo has a style that is elegant and refined. Creating collections that are seemingly simple at first, Delpozo's design are actually incredibly intricate. From afar the clothes look clean, but as you look closer and closer you can see the amount of thought that has been put into each detail to add to the bigger picture. Refreshing is an accurate word to describe this company. However, the just the illustrations done by Josep Font are beautiful by themselves. In fact I loved his illustrations so much that they inspired my own drawings. If you'd like to see mine, you can follow me on instagram: My Instagram
     In the video I embedded, Delpozo Spring/Summer 2015, the collection is based off of the perception of color.
Delpozo's Website

                                      

Buccal Cone

     Buccal cone is a new Japanese fashion brand that has a cyber punk feel to their new collection "Virtual Busters." Frequently they use designs that have numerable pockets and camouflage reminding me of army uniforms. Personally, I enjoy this side of Japanese fashion because it is edgy. Some Japanese fashions are very frilly, like Lolita, which uses an excessive amount of lace and pink. Though, that is a whole other subject. Buccal Cone, however, is not definitely afraid to put a little grit in their designs. One thing I like about the designs are how loose they are, the shapes are really beautiful in their own way.
Buccal Cone website
Tokyo Fashion's article

HeiHei

     HEIHEI is a new street fashion company that recently caught my attention. There are four japanese designers, graduates of Bunka Fashion College(a fashion school in Tokyo), that make up the street style company HEIHEI. Each of the designers have individual collections that are made of bright, fun color combinations and patterns. Shohei Kato is the creator of Heihei. He said that his inspiration came from his childhood, when he played baseball. Something about this company was mesmerizing to me. It reminds me of the gangster look back in the early 2000's, you know, the baggy pants, shirts, and giant chains around their necks.
HEIHEI Website (This website is mainly in Japanese)

 

Tokyo Fashion HEIHEI Article

Dior Spring Summer Show 2015

     Once I had seen this video I knew I had to write about Christian Dior. Dior is famous for its high waisted, broad-skirted, and feminine look. Christian Dior, the founder of Dior fashion house was one of those fashion designers who made his fortune by providing a style right after the World War II that refreshed its customers. During the war it was the style to conserve on everything, including fabric. Because of this, women wore minimal and simple clothing, if you wore something fancy you were counted as "unpatriotic." However, when Dior showed his clothing to the world, women began clambering for his look. Just the fabric length of one of Christian Dior's skirts were mile long.
     For spring and summer this year, Dior has presented us with an ensemble of 70's looking outfits, complete with the bright abstract patterns. As expected, I see the classic high waist, full-skirted look throughout the collection. To add to the summer feel, Dior cut a sliver in the sides of the dresses, making them almost look like a crop top and and skirt. Interestingly, the shoes are vividly colored plastic boots. In fact some of the boots are ankle high, whereas others seem to go all the way up to the model's waist. All in all, I thought this was a wonderful collection. Then again, it is Christian Dior. I really cannot ever criticize that company because I love it so much.

Haute Couture

     There is a certain mysteriousness about haute couture, because no one necessarily draws the line between what is haute couture and what is not. Haute couture is defined as an article of clothing made by a famous fashion house specifically for a client, and in french haute couture is translated literally as "high dressmaking." Yet somehow you have to be invited by the "secret" haute couture club to either buy haute couture or be a designer of haute couture clothing. To be a haute couture designer you must also be located in Paris. The title "haute couture" is protected by law in France by Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris. Every year Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris chooses a list of fashion companies each year that can officially be called haute couture. Once you are titled "haute couture" you must follow a set of rules. It sounds harsh, but thankfully these rules are pretty sensible. For example, every season, the haute couture company must present a collection of at least fifty original designs to the public, both day and evening garments, in January and July of each year. Now, if you want to buy haute couture clothing, then you must live in Paris, or at least be extremely rich. In order to purchase the clothing, it is tradition to visit the haute couture shows. Haute couture is a club in polite terms, but to me it sounds more like a clique.

Junya Watanabe: Avant Garde

     Japanese avant garde is fascinating to me. The term avant garde in fashion means "New or experimental ideas" and can be very bizarre looking. Avant garde is different from Parisan haute couture because haute couture in fashion means high quality designed pieces of clothing made by famous fashion houses for clients(though it is a little more complicated than this definition if you can believe it), while avant garde are abstract fashion pieces.
     Junya Watanabe is a perfect example for creating Japanese avant garde. This designer is one of my favorites because he is so... How do you put it, unique. Although, the word unique is gentle, because his work is truly outlandish. Watanabe is known for his incredible tailoring skills, due to the fact that he trained under Rei Kawakubo who is the head of Comme Des Garcons. Much of his designs make my head spin, and I wonder how in the world did you come up with that?! For one of his 2015 collections he surprised me with the brightest, loudest pieces of clothing I have seen from him. From what it looked like, all of the clothing(if you can call it clothing) was made of overlapping plastic poka dots. Another one of his collections he seemed to combine somehow both tribal and goth, making an interesting collection full of ratty braids and spiked shoes. In 2010 he experimented with draping cloth and made a slightly disturbing scene of alien-looking models. Watanabe's work is hard to describe, but he himself describes his work as "Anti. Anarchy. Army." Whatever that means. No one really knows what his work really is about, which suits him just fine. "You can interpret my work as you wish." Junya Watanabe says.

  

Japanese Street Fashion: Decora

     Decora is one type of Japanese street fashion out of many. Recently this trend has become more and more popular, and is really easy to recognize. Here are some pictures and you will understand why:

      

                     

     As you can see, the Decora style is exuberant. Anything bright and fun is key in dressing Decora, in fact, the brighter, and the more hair clips, the better. Combining noisy patterns with more patterns is something I would never have thought of, and generally thought would result in disaster, yet somehow the Decora look works. Personally I love this style because it is so daring. Okay, yeah I would probably would not dress like this, but there is something refreshing in seeing people dress this way. Maybe a part of why Japan has such dramatic street fashion is because Japan is and island, and does not touch any other country, giving Japan a bit of isolation from the rest of the world's standards.