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The 1970s and 1980s were a decade of extremes in fashion. In other creative sectors, as people pushed the boundaries of freedom of speech, styles altered regularly.
Going to Extremes
Anti-war demonstrators in the 1970s insulted the military by donning surplus army uniforms. At the same time, organisations like The Village People questioned masculinity stereotypes by dressing up as police officers and construction workers in macho outfits. Others retreated into illusory splendour or nostalgia in response to mounting unemployment and social inequity. Glam rockers like Marc Bolan set some of the most absurd trends: hair became longer, platform boots got higher, and flared trousers got even wider.
Textile production technology advancements
Lycra is a brand of synthetic elastic fibre created by the Du Pont corporation in 1958. To increase its stretch and strength, as well as the way it feels and hangs. Lycra is always blended with a different fibre. Covering it with other fibre, twisting it with other fibre as it is spun, or driving it through an air-jet with the other fibre, coating it with a lacework of strands are some of the options.
Punks and Disco Babes
In the 1970s, synthetic textiles like elastic lycra came into their own when the fitness craze took hold and discomfiture set in. The anti-fashion brigade, the punks, with their shredded clothing and safety pin jewellery, were on the other end of the spectrum.
When the East meets the West
In contrast to the muscular, passed-shouldered power suits worn by yuppie businesswomen, the frilly shirts of the new romantics indicated a shift towards the nostalgia of retro trends in the early 1980s. Meanwhile, Japanese designers like Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, and Yohji Yamamoto were redefining fitted clothing by layering and draping textiles to create sculptural works of art.
Sources
Gaff, J., & Tyrrell, J. (1999). The high-tech age: 70s and 80s. David West Children’s Books.
More History of Design
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Dada Art Movement – Making Mischief
As a designer, I am passionate about the history of art and their influence on ‘visual design.’ In art history, Dada is the artistic movement that preceded Surrealism, it began in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1916 by a group of mostly painters and painters. Dada artworks challenged the preconceived notions of what art meant. Many Dadaists felt that the way to salvation was through political anarchy, the natural emotions, the intuitive and the irrational.Read More →
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Anchor Blocks – 19th Century construction toy
Anchor Blocks were a German system of building blocks that were popular as a children’s construction toy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, notably in Europe. Dr F. Ad. Richter in Rudolstadt, Germany, began developing and manufacturing the system in 1879. The concept was based on the FROEBEL block system, which significantly impacted Frank Lloyd WRIGHT’s design philosophy.Read More →
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Design in Scandinavia travelling exhibition, 1954 – 1957
Brilliant examples of contemporary home furnishings were shown from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden and exposed Americans to Scandinavian design, inspiring a shift towards mid-century design.Read More →
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Jaeger 🏴 clothes are not just fashion but function & lifestyle
During the twentieth century, a movement arose that advocated for clothing to be worn as part of a sensible, healthy lifestyle rather than only for fashion. These concepts sprang from the work of nineteenth-century fashion reformers, in the same way, that English writer Edward Carpenter popularised the open-toed leather sandal for men. Read More →
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Post-Impressionism – a concise guide
Post-Impressionism (sometimes called Postimpressionism) was a significant French art trend that evolved between 1886 and 1905. Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat led the movement. Post-Impressionism was a reaction to Impressionism’s naturalistic light and colour. Post-Impressionism covers the work of Les Nabis, Neo-Impressionism, Symbolism, Cloisonnism, the Pont-Aven School, and Synthetism.Read More →
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Amen Glasses – what are they?
‘Amen’ glasses gained their name from the Jacobite verses engraved on them, which invariably end with the word Amen.Read More →
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Design History – 40s & 50s the age of the Graphic Designer
The 1940s and 1950s the age of the Graphic Designer. Designers, illustrators, and artists used their talents to disseminate information.Read More →
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Hermann Gretsch (1895 – 1950) designer for Arzberg
Hermann Gretsch was a German architect, engineer and product designer. In the 1930s, Gretsch worked for the Porzellanfabrik Arzberg.Read More →
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Design History – 40s & 50s the age of the Graphic Designer
The 1940s and 1950s the age of the Graphic Designer. Designers, illustrators, and artists used their talents to disseminate information.Read More →
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Fashion Design from 1900 to 1920 – Focus on Freedom
Fashion Design from 1900 to 1920 – Focus on Freedom. Newfound political independence came newfound fashion freedom. READ MORERead More →
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Mission Furniture – Design Dictionary Term
Mission Furniture – Design Dictionary Term. The early twentieth-century American furniture design style. American Arts and CraftsRead More →
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Formes Utiles – French Organisation and Exhibitions
In 1949, Formes Utiles became an independent association of UAM (Union des Artistes Modernes) through the influence of René Herbst and Charlotte Perriand and its first exhibition held at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. Its theoretician was architect André Hermant.Read More →
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Silver and twentieth-century design
The impact of silver metal technology has driven the development of modern furnishings throughout the 20th century. The transformation of a chair into a sculptural statement, for example. Interior metal objects have not always been at the forefront of modern design within a multi-function. With the emphasis on warmth and comfort in the home, the scope for a wide range of metal products for this domain is not there.Read More →
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William Caxton (1422 – 1491) Father of English Printing
William Caxton learned about the mystery of printing in the Low Countries, and it was in Bruges that he translated a French work, ” The Tales of Troy, ” through his printing press.Read More →
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Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, also known as the Goldsmiths’ Company, is one of London’s Great Twelve Livery Companies. It is correctly known as The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of the City of London. The Company’s headquarters are located in the City of London’s Goldsmiths’ Hall. Read More →
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Aldus Manuitius (1449 – 1515) – pioneer of printing
The type in which this sentence is written is called “italic”. Aldus Manutius the man who invented it died almost 500 years ago and his type is still in use. Today publishing a manuscript is almost instantaneous, a new best seller can be placed on Amazon and I can buy a copy minutes later. To look at the books which came off the Venitian presses of Aldus Manutius is a strange experience.Read More →
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The 40s and 50s – On the Road with Design
The exaggerated style was an essential look. The gleaming chrome fins conveyed speed. A car that was higher in the front than the back did the same. The quality of the car’s face — two headlamps for the eyes, a grill for the nose, and a fender for the mouth – was frequently highlighted. This gave the vehicle the appearance of a devoted companion with a distinct personality.Read More →
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Paris and Art in 1950s – influence on design
Paris, newly liberated from the German occupation, sprung to life during the 1950s as a centre for all modes of artistic endeavour, most notably in fine art, literature, and music. Its association with romantic literary figures such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Roland Barthes made the city incredibly appealing to every serious-minded man or woman. Read More →
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The Schloss Blühnbach castle in Austria
Schloss Blühnbach is a hunting castle in the Austrian Alps dated from the 17th century. It was extended in 1911 by Archduke Francis Ferdinand; it also includes his art and antiques.Read More →
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Taylorism was a search for industrial efficiency
His 1911 book Principles of Scientific Management outlined these concepts, and they have influenced various aspects of design, including labour-saving kitchens and more ergonomic household equipment. These included the writings of fellow American Christine Frederick, who published Scientific Management in the Home in 1915, and Lillian Gilbreth’s assessments of domestic efficiency for the Brooklyn Gas Company in 1930, which looked at the kitchen as a location of industrial production. Read More →
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