Benetton – once-trendy fashion
Founded in 1965 near Venice, Italy, this once-trendy fashion line has been eclipsed in America by the inexorable ascent of the Gap and its descendants. In 1996, Forbes magazine estimated that the clothing company “probably loses $10 million to $15 million a year” in the U.S., although it continues to flourish in Europe under the stewardship of Luciano Benetton and his family.
Benetton’s advertising campaigns–supervised by creative director and photographer Oliviero Toscani (b. 1942)–have proved particularly adept at courting controversy (and thus free publicity), favoring stylized visual metaphors–a black horse mating with a white horse, a priest and a nun… Continue reading
The Beats – 90′s contemporary youth culture
Community of writers (chiefly Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, William Burroughs) who in turning their lives into art passed along an intimate and transparent portrait of a literary generation in the wake of WWII and Korea.
Beats (or beatniks) were often invoked in the early ’90s as an influence on contemporary youth culture; superficial similarities between the decades included fashion statements like baggy pants, sneakers, crewcuts, and goatees; spoken word and coffee bar culture; and chatty, spontaneously composed jazz-hip-hop.
There was a modest spate of associated culture-products, such as re-issued books, a Rhino Records CD compilation, and a Francis… Continue reading
Naomi Campbell wearing barrettes
Hair clips worn with middle-parted hair or pigtails as part of the “baby femme” style that also includes color-rimmed tight baby T-shirts, baby-doll dresses, and Mary Jane shoes. Barrettes are commonly blue, yellow, and pink and made of plastic with butterfly or daisy decorations; they can be bought at low-end retailers like Walgreen’s or K-Mart.
This post-riot grrrl, almost pedophiliac look sprang from the club and rave scene in mid-1993; it complements the worship of anything childlike, including lunch boxes and wide-eyed, coy facial expressions.
The look was popularized by Courtney Love of Hole, singer Björk, and Deee-Lite’s Lady Miss… Continue reading
Johnson, Betsey
Born a Connecticut WASP, Betsey Johnson made a name for herself in the ’60s designing clear vinyl dresses, silvery motorcycle suits, and other groovy threads for the youthquakers who shopped at Paraphernalia, the trendy New York-based boutique chain.
She opened her own company in 1978, and weathered countless trends by sticking to a distinctive funky, vaguely vintage sensibility, producing lighthearted, inexpensive clothes and reviving her own ’60s and ’70s styles as the looks resurfaced.
Apt to begin her manic runway shows by cartwheeling down the catwalk in a tutu, bright red braids and hair extensions flying, Johnson thrives on spectacle,… Continue reading
Richard Avedon – 90′s Fashion Photographer
Former merchant marine who survived World War II to become arguably the world’s most influential modern fashion photographer.
After the war, at Harper’s Bazaar (1946-65), Avedon introduced a more naturalistic style of fashion photography in which models broke out of frozen poses to run, jump, and even laugh.
Sports photographer Martin Munkacsi, a contemporary at Harper’s under legendary art director Alexei Brodovich, is credited as an influence. Such was Avedon’s renown that the 1957 fashion-world movie satire Funny Face used him as a special visual consultant and featured a character based on him that was played by Fred Astaire.
Uncomfortable… Continue reading