The Power Suit

Although women had been in the workforce since the late 1960's,
the number of women entering the corporate world increased
dramatically in the 1980's. Despite the fact that sexist
attitudes towards women professionals were slowly changing, they
were still respected and paid less than their male counterparts.
Business suits were available at this time but they were ultra
feminine; featuring knee-length skirts, soft lapels, and blouses
with bows and ruffles. In the mid 1980's, suit dressing changed
significantly to accommodate the changing image of the female
professional.

Women's suits began being styled after the male version, with
longer jackets and sharper lapels. Blouses had collars with a tie
effect instead of bows and ruffles. As women's suits became more
popular, their shoulder widths grew, as did the shoulder pads
used to support them. Soon, shoulder widths were wider than any
seen yet in the 20th century. This style of dressing was thought
to improve a woman's position in the workforce. If she dressed
more like a man she would be treated as well as one.

Today, the shoulder width's in women's suits are not as dramatic
since women are now accepted in the corporate world. Thanks to
this fashion change, women can now choose between more feminine
or masculine styles of business attire based on their style and
job position.

Posted by: Jessica Lantz

Sources:

Freeman, Sue Joan Mendelson. (1990). Managing Lives: Corporate Women and Social Change. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 184.

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Ralph Lauren

Born in 1939 to a poor family in the Bronx, Ralph Lauren took his
first steps in the fashion industry as a salesman for Brooks
Brothers. He then began designing ties that were an inch wider
than the currently accepted style. Despite the variation,
Lauren's designs were hugely successful in New York Department
stores and Bloomingdale's, the first to sell his designs.

Lauren founded Polo Fashions and designed his first men's
collection in 1968. In 1972 he began designing women's clothing.
His costuming of the 1974 movie version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's
The Great Gatsby secured his fame. By the 1980's Lauren was known
as a formidable force in the fashion industry designing
furniture, linens, and tableware in addition to men's and women's
clothing.

Ralph Lauren continues to be a dominant figure in American fashion; combining a strong brand image with comfort, elegance, quality, and classic
lines. Beloved among professionals especially, Lauren's success
is partly attributed to his extensive market range, fine
tailoring, and high-quality textiles. Lauren's designs are sold
in more than 1,000 department stores and factory outlets. He is
considered one of the most successful American fashion designers.


Posted by: Jessica Lantz

Sources:

Koepp, Stephen. (September, 1986). Selling a Dream of Elegance and the Good Life. Time, pp. 55-58.

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Nike's Air Jordans

When Michael Jordan was drafted to the Chicago Bulls in 1984, Nike immediately saw a new opportunity to market their shoes. Noting Jordan's charisma and rising fame in the NBA, Peter Moore of Nike hired Jordan as a spokesperson to promote a new shoe-the Air Jordans. The Air Jordans were bulky and red and black, a departure from the traditional white sports shoe. The shoes hit in the market in 1985 and then were launched in six test cities in 1986 where they became hugely popular. Some retailers even charged upwards of a hundred dollars for the $64.95 pair of shoes.

Moore's Air Jordans have made a significant impact on the world of fashion and athletic shoes. At first, critics were skeptical of the shoe but despite their awkward design and bold color scheme, they became a status icon among teenagers.The demand for Air Jordans grew so intense that teens began stealing them and gangs recruited new members with the promise of a pair of the infamous shoes. Moore's innovative style has since become an inspirational standard for athletic shoe design. Air Jordans are still one of the most popular athletic shoes on the market.

Posted by: Jessica Lantz

Sources:

No author. (June, 1985). Air Jordans Takes Off: Nike's Shoe Named After Basketball Star. Newsweek, p. 79.

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Going For the "Grunge Look"

In the early 1990's, one trend originated in Seattle, WA that transcended others at the time was "the Grunge Look."

"Grunge" was defined by several trend factors such as:

-torn and dirty jeans (Dickies)

-clunky boots (Doc Martens, Catepillar)

-plaid flannel shirts

-long hair

-sloppy, laid back and comfortable clothing well worn and adapted from the industrial clothing worn by many loggers and manufacturing workers in the Pacific Northwest.

"Grunge" was viewed as a reaction by the anti-disestablishment youth of the the time in response to many of the clean and preppy looking business professionals that had found work in the area due to a growth in the high-tech industry with companies such as Microsoft and Amazon. Outside of this effect, the "grunge" trend was also influenced by local bands at the time such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains etc. all of whom had members that grew up in blue-collar households and had been exposed to such industrial clothing. The growing popularity of these bands greatly perpetuated the trend and introduced it to a global audience it otherwise may have never met.

In response to the "Grunge" trend, designers such as Calvin Klein became the first to produce jeans and other clothing that were intentionally damaged and dirty before they were put on the market. Although the style subsided after two years and was dismissed as a "ridiculous" fad, impressions of it can still be seen in the popularity of damaged denim jeans which continue to sell on the market.


Posted by: Rob Goodman

Sources:

Mason Blair, Karen. (1990). The Grunge Look: Alice In Chains. Corbis. Retrieved September 28, 2009 from http://pro.corbis.com.

Crave Online. (2009). 10 Things About the 90's I'd Like to See Make a Comeback. Retrieved September 28, 2009 from http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/humor/article/10-things-about-the-90s-id-like-to-see-make-a-comeback-73055/2