New Street Trend Jean Jacket

A trend that we may have wished to never see again, but is back, the jean jacket. The jean jacket can be worn with leggings and flats as seen here and then can be dressed up as more of a modern look with the tall boots, socks and short dresses. D-Sqaured shows us their Spring Summer 2010 collection, which features the jean jacket and 2 very stylish looks. This look definitely has had some street influence and can be modernized for the runway and the fashion forward woman.

New Street Trends jean shorts

A recently new street trend is the jean shorts. It can be worn with tights, boots, socks or sandals. This look did appear back in the 1980's and seems to have re-appeared. The 2 runway designs are D-Squared and DKNY. Dsquared's look is much more casual and more for the younger customer. DKNY's design can be more dressy and for a older customer. Both looks are following the street trend of the jean shorts. A very fashion forward style.

Street Trends and High Fashion Hip Hop

DJ Clive is known for starting the Hip Hop era in New York City. He and others would tap into power lines and connect their equipment and perform at parties and venues. Later on other artists such as Grandmaster Flash and Jazzy Jay redefined the Hip Hop era with groundbreaking beats such as cutting and scratching. In the late 1970's the underground movement known as "hip hop" started in the South Bronx area of New York City. Graffiti, break dancing and music were the most important elements during the hip hop era. Although, hip hop started in the U.S. it is now popular around the globe. Hip hop fashion is a different style of dress seen in the urban areas of Los Angeles, The San Francisco Bay Area, Detroit, Atlanta and Miami. During the 1980's people would wear tracksuits, baggy jeans, bright colored shirts and bomber jackets. Accessories, included large glasses, nameplates, huge jewelry, especially in gold and bucket hats. This image portrays the style of hip hop clothing. The baggy jeans, the graphic tees, the nameplate belt buckle and the gold jewlery. (Photo: unknown men wearing hip hop clothing, 1983). Baby Phat's Spring Summer collection shows us that she was influenced by the hip hop style of dress. The jewelry, the baggy jeans and the graphic tees.

Street Trends and High Fashion Punk

The Punk era was a time of rebellion and to be as extreme as possible. With hair tattoos and jewelry. The Punk fashions started during the late 1970's and early 1980's. Popular shoes were military boots, Chuck's and Dr. Martens. The punks also wore spiked jewelry, whether it be a necklace, a belt or a bracelet. Their ripped jeans were often held together by safety pins or wrapped with tape. Their clothes were highly offensive. They dyed their hair unnatural colors such as red pink, yellow and green and fixed it into a mohawk. Later on their hairstyles became very spikey and often referred to as Liberty Spikes. Leather, rubber and vinyl were also very popular, possibly due to their connection with bondage and S&M. The Punk subculture was centered around very loud music, punk-rock as it was described. The punks were also very political, they had a lot of views on politics. "Punk-related ideologies are mostly concerned with individual freedom and anti-establishment view". (wikipedia: Punk Subculture). In this photo you will see your typical punk fashion and especially the punk hairstyles that were very popular. They also wore shirts with the name of bands and dark ripped jeans. (Photo unknown Men, Punks 1982). Marc Jacobs Spring Summer 2010 collection shows us his inspiration of the Punk era. The baggy pants, blazer and spikey hair.

Street Trends and High Fashion Disco

Disco was known as a time for music and dancing during the late 1960's and early 1970's. Disco began in the clubs of New York City. It catered to African Americans of New York City and Philadelphia. While disco was a form of mostly black commercial pop music and popular with black gay men, the music didn't catch on until the predominately white gay clubs of New York. The disco sound, style and ethos has its roots in the late 1960's. "Psychedelic culture's overwhelming sound, trippy lighting and hallucinogens would influence the disco scene". (wikipedia: Disco). The fanous movie of this time was "Saturday Night Fever". This movie portrays the fashions of this era, the bell bottoms, jumpsuits, glittery tops and the paltform shoes. Women would also wear Go Go boots, white leather was a popular choice. (Photos: Woman dressed in typical attire of the disco era 1970, Men dressed in tailored shirts and bell bottoms, 1970's). Versace's Spring Summer 2010 collection shows us the influence of the Disco era. The psychedelic colors and patterns. The short skirts, glitter and bright colors.

Street Trends and High Fashion Hippies

The Hippie subculture was a movement that began in the 1960's in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco. This group of people listened to rock music, experienced with drugs to be in another state of mind and embraced the sexual revolution. During this time Hippies were mostly white young teenagers aged 15-25. By 1965 Hippies became an established social group in the U.S. and then expanded to other countries. In 1968 the hippie fashion was becoming an influence on the mainstream fashions. Men had long hair, they wore tie-dyed shirts and women wore long skirts and everyone was very "natural". In this photo you will see hippies dressed in the typical hippie fashions. Everyone was very natural and was at peace. The headband that the woman wears was also another important fashion piece of the hippie movement. (Hippies at a concert, 1960). The Hippies were also very big protesters and protested against the war and wanted peace. "Love not war" was a big saying during this time. They wanted everyone to be happy and love one another. The famous peace symbol became very popular during the hippie movement. Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2010 collection shows us the influence of Hippies. The comfortable clothing, the printed dresses and the bags and shoes with the fringe. The colors of the collection were calming and natural which was a feeling during the hippie movement.

Street Trends and High Fashion: Mod

Mod is a subculture which originated in London in the 1950's and then peaked in the early 1960's. Significant elements of the mod subculture include fashion ( often tailor made suits) and pop music. Jobling and Crowley called the mod subculture a "fashion-obsessed and hedonistic cult of the hyper-cool" young adults who lived in metropolitan London or the new towns of the South. As mod teens and young adults began using their disposable income to buy stylish clothes, the first youth-targeted boutique clothing stores opened in London. Mod fashion adopted new Italian and French styles in part as a reaction to the rural and small-town rockers, who were seen as trapped in the 1950's, with their leather motorcycle clothes and American greaser look. (Mod-Subculture-wikipedia). In the photo you will see young men dressed in the mod style clothing, the white shirts, black tie, the messed up hair and the army style jackets. Also one of the popular elements of the mod culture was the scooter ( 1958). Thom Brown shows us in his Spring Summer 2010 collection his inspiration he got from the Mod culture. The messed up hair, the black tie and blazer.

Street Trends and High Fashion Beatniks

The Beatnik movement of 1958 was all about bettering yourself, finding your inner soul and above all material things. This generation was focused on soul searching and anti-materialism. The Beatnik movement influenced musicians such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. At the time, that this term was coined, there was a trend amongst young college students to adopt the stereotype, with men wearing goatees and berets, rolling their own cigarettes and playing bongos. Fashion styles for women included black leotards and wearing their hair long, straight and unadorned, in a rebellion against the middle class culture of beauty salons. (www.beatnik.com). In this photo you will see men and women dressed very plainy, the woman with no make up her hair straight and the men wearing beret hats and very plain looking clothes. (Photo- Group of Beatniks, 1958, wikipedia-Beatnik). Marc Jacobs Spring Summer 2010 Men's collection shows us his inspiration of the Beatnik movement. Blazers, the hat and the plain looking pants.

Street Trends and High Fashion: Teddy Boys

The British Teddy Boy subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes inspired by the styles of the Edwardian period, which Saville Row tailors had tried to re-introduce after World War II. The group got its name after a 1953 newspaper headline shortened Edward to Teddy and coined the term Teddy Boy. This look quickly spread through London and then to the U.K. This look had a close association with American Rock and Roll music. The Teddy Boys were the first group to differentiate themselves from the rest of the teenage groups and helped create a youth market, with their own specific style. The Teddy Boys made it possible for teenagers to dress the way they wanted to and express themselves, other than the clothes they would wear to work, or school. (wikipedia: Teddy Boys). In this photo you will see the typical look of a Teddy Boy, clean cut, the tailored jacket, tie and special hair style, they also wore a popular bootlace tie with their button up shirts. (Photo 1954: A group of Teddy Boys). This style still has influenced fashions today as well. Burberry Men's Fall Winter 2010 collection has a Teddy Boy feel. Clean cut and well put together.

Street Trends and High Fashion: Zoot Suit

A zoot suit is a man's suit that is high-waisted, wide-legged, tight cuffed, pegged trousers and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by African Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Italian Americans and Filipino Americans during the late 1930's and 1940's. Often zoot suiters also wore a hat with a long feather and pointy French style shoes. Zoot suits first gained popularity in the Harlem Jazz culture in the late 1930's, where they were initially called drapes. The zoot suit became very popular among young Mexican Americans especially pachucos in Los Angeles. This image shows a unknown man wearing a typical zoot suit, 1934. The long jacket, hat, the pointy shoes and of course the chain which was also very popular with the zoot suiters. (wikipedia: zoot suit). You will also see that the zoot suit has influence today on fashion. The current images are from Dior Homme's Spring/Summer 2009 collection. The pants are very similar to the zoot suit style. High waisted and pegged at the bottom.

William Morris was a famous English architect, furniture designer and textile designer. Voysey is known for his architecture for many country houses. Viysey was one of the first people to understand and appreciate the significance of industrial design. He has been considered one of the pioneers of modern architecture. (Wikipedia Morris, Voysey). "Voysey soon became influenced by the work of Willam Morris, the arts and crafts movement and Art Nouveau, and was concerned with form and function rather than ornamental complexities". He felt that 'simplicity in decoration is one of the essential qualities without which no true richness is possible" and oftern worked in a limited colour palette, "emphasizing outline, eliminating shading and minimizing detail." Voyesy went on to design wallpaper based on the designs of William Morris. He was influenced by his wrk and his patterns and use of color. (Wikipedia, Voysey 1857-1941).

"Op art works are abstract, with many of the better known pieces made only in black and white". When the viewer looks at them, the impression is given of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibration, patterns or alternatively, of swelling or wraping. (Wikipedia Op art). In the 1960's op art had a big influence on fashion. These prints were showing up on everything from paper, to advertisements to textiles. The most well known print and piece during this time was the Yves Saint Laurent "Mondrian" shift dress. The strong lines and bold colors of the dress. Other designers to be inspired by Op art, were Marc Jacobs, Jonathan Saunders and Tory Burch. Their Spring 2009 collections featured prints that were represented of op art, the optical illusion of moving space. Beautiful colors and abstract shapes were also used as well with the prints and textiles of the collection. All inspirations of the Op art movement.

Roberto Cavalli's Fall/Winter 09 Collection was inspired by the famous abstract artist Jackson Pollock. The collections featured colors, in 2 or more. Jackson Pollock was an influential artist during the abstract expressionist movement. He was known for his "drip paintings" and his us of color. Roberto Cavalli's collection shows textiles that appear to be abstract images and his use of color is inspired by Jackson Pollock. The prints of the textiles are inspired by Pollock as well.

Yves Saint Laurent known as one of the best couturiers was inspired by Picasso and Matisse. Pablo Picasso ( 25 October 1881- 8 April 1873) was a Spanish Painter draughtsman and sculptor. He is one of the most recognized figures in the 20th-century art. (Wikipedia, Pablo Picasso). Yves Saint Laurent's collection from 202 shows designs from Picasso's work and Matisse. His glamorous evening clothes were often adorned with appliques and beadwork inspired by artists like Picasso, Miro and Matisse. "Above all, he was a master colorist, able to mix green, blue, rose and yellow in one outift to acheive an effect that was artistic and never garish". (Yves Saint Laurent).

Lisa Paik a high end jewelry designer, has designed her recent collection with the inspiration of Van Gogh. The collection features 8 cocktail rings that are inspired by a particular artist. Van Gogh's " Starry Night" was one of the paintings for inspiration for this collection of rings". " This ring aims to capture the swirly brillance of Van Gogh's genius Starry Night featuring a large topaz colored cubic zirconia encircled by Swarvoki crystals". ( Lisa Paik, museum Collection). A great update to the classic round cocktail ring. The beautiful colors and swirls of the painting can be seen throughout her rings within this collection.

Catherine Maldarino's past collections have been inspired by Henri Matisse. He is a French artist known for his use of colour and his fluid, brilliant and original draughtsmanship. He was a master draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor, but excelled primarily as a painter. Matisse is regarded, with Picasso, as the greatest artist of the 20th century. ( Wikipedia, Henri Matisse). His paintings, textiles and collages have inspire designers to play with color. For other designers and Maldarino, they thought that if color and pattern are used together it must be with a sense of craftmanshhip." " Catherine Maldarino collection was about craft and nature, or as she entitled it: "down to earth". ( A Palette of Matisse-inspired color- The New York Times). Here you see a piece from her collection which was inspired by the works of Matisse.

History of Shoes 2009

Now in modern times we have come a long way with the designs and styles of Women's shoes. We still have the stiletto and now the wedge heel, the thigh high boots and the gladiator sandals. Prada being one of the great designers our our time. Mario Prada started the label in 1913. He designed shoes, suitcases, trunks and handbags which he sold in Milan, in 2 special boutiques. In 1978, Mario's granddaughter, Miuccia Prada took over the company and made it into one of the highly popular fashion houses and labels today. Designing handbags, which are still one of the highly copied handbags and beautiful shoes. Prada offers elegance and simple designs, yet of the up most quality. Prada designs and makes their shoes in Italy and uses the best materials for their shoes, they are known for their craftmanship. They offer shoes, for work, play and special occasions. A pair of Prada shoes is a must for any shoe lovers closet. The price for a pair of Prada shoes can range from $250 to $1,000. But their elegance of shoemaking and the quality of the materials they use makes the price worth it to own a pair of Prada shoes.

History of Shoes during the 1970's

The 1970's was probably one of the most significant times when the shoe became the most popular item in a woman's wardrobe. (Red platforms, English designed from the 1970's, Brown platforms American designed 1970, Nina) The platform shoe was introduced during this time and it was a must for any woman's wardrobe. Disco's were the big trend and John Travolta's, " Saturday Night Fever" was a huge influence on the disco's and the platform shoes. This was the time of experiment not only with the height of the platform shoes but also drugs and music. The height of the heels were from 6 inches to even some with an 11 inch heel. It is an art to walk in these shoes. Ask anyone from the 1970's and they will say the platform is the most remembered item during this time.

History of Shoes during the 1940's

Andre Perguia was a French Shoe designer. He was born in Nice, France in 1893. He would train in his dad's workshop learning how to make shoes. Then in 1909 he opened a shop in Paris where he would design hand made shoes. He wrote a book " From Eva to Rita Hayworth", in which he stated. " the way to study a woman's personality was to study her feet". He then began to design,
" fetish shoes" as you can see from the image. The heel was over 6 inches and he originally designed these shoes for a famous Parisian signer named Mistiguett. During this time "fetish shoes" was the mark that in people minds they worshiped feet and shoes. High stiletto shoes were very popukar during the 1930's and were considered a fetish and very sexy, which they still are to this day.

History of Shoes during the 1920's

Salvatore Ferragamo started designing shoes for Hollywood's most popular ladies since the 1920's. Salvatore designed his first pair of shoes for his sisters at the age of nine. At this time he had found his calling and ended up studying shoe making in Naples. He then moved to California and here is where he found his success in opening up a shoe store to repair shoes and made to measure shoes. He then returned to Italy and was providing shoes to the most wealthiest women of the century such as, " Marilyn Monroe and Eva Peron. Salvatore is still to this day is designing Women's shoes for the most fashionable and wealthy people.

History of Shoes during the 1600's

During the 1400's and 1600's the platform shoe was referred to as a "chopine" designed in Venice, Italy. It was an overshoe that fit over a more dainty shoe to protect it from dirt, mud or soil on the streets. The shoe became very popular during the 1500's. The shoes were made from wood or cork and then covered in velvet. The heels of these shoes could get to a height of 30 inches. Women who wore these shoes needed assistance when walking down the streets. Courtesans and patrician's mostly wore chopines. It was thought of during these times that the reason why Women wore these shoes was to rise them up from the rest, the higher the sole of the chopine the higher the status of the woman.

The Late Victorian era ( 1878 - 1901). By 1878, women had a very different look. The slim fitting dress with a cuirasse bodice was the look of the Victorian era. " The cuirasse was a corset like and dipped even deeper both in the front and the back extending way down the hips creating the look of a body encased in armour". This type of dress showed off every curve of the woman's body.