Post-War Fashion: American Vs Paris Couture

POST-WAR FASHION A CULTURAL COMPARISON OF THE COUTURE BETWEEN AMERICA AND PARIS Your Name Your Subject and Section April 14, 2018 POST-WAR FASHION A CULTURAL COMPARISON OF THE COUTURE BETWEEN AMERICA AND PARIS Introduction The succeeding years after World War II was characterized by a series of economic and socio-political changes throughout most of the world. Perhaps one of the most well-known effects of the fall of previous great powers was the inception of the Cold War, where two great powers – US and USSR – has risen to fight a covert and mostly proxy wars. However, aside from the cold war, these series of socio-political changes in the Western part of the world has also brought about numerous shifts in almost every aspect of the citizen’s life, such as fashion. Particularly, the years after the war was said to have characterized the revival of haute couture. What was previously an art and an aspect of life that was dominated by short skirts and square shoulders was replaced by longer skirts, curved shoulders, and slimmer waist. A look that is now famously known as the “New Look.” Consequently, this resurgence could also be argued to bring a kind of a ‘cold war’ between the centers of the fashion industry, New York, and Paris. A covert but influential competition that brought about many changes in both the fashion industry and overall culture. Following from this, the author of this paper would try to discuss this competition in further details. Particularly speaking the next sections would be dedicated towards the analysis of the history of the New Look in both cities as well as the respective designers that shaped their industries. All in all, the author of this article believes that by combining an analysis of the overall socio-political context of the era and the designs that it was able to create, a better understanding of the relationship of fashion, culture, and society could be made.[Victoria and Albert Museum. 2008. The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947–57, museum exhibition. May 10. Accessed April 15, 2018. /machine-pages/content-no-longer-available/.] The ‘New Look’ and the Post-War Couture Wars One of the tolls of the WWII was the excessive use of resources that were allocated to the manufacturing of weaponry and other supplies for the war. Nevertheless, its end also paved the way for an increase in technological innovations for other fields such as textile manufacturing. This is, in fact, one of the main reasons for the resurgence of what was considered as ‘unnecessary’ during the span of World War II. One of these advancements were in the manufacturing of textiles, which then created the “spandex, volleyball shorts, and easy-care fabric finishes.” Consequently, this defined and fitted with an easy-going cosmopolitan lifestyle in urban areas such as Paris, London, and New York, adding another reason for its high adoption rate. At the same time, this became the era, when the teenagers and the youth (in general) has regained their place as “fashion authorities” sporting designs that become easily influential for anyone regardless of age.[Muggleton, David. 2005. "From classlessness to clubculture: A genealogy of post-war British youth cultural analysis." Young 13, no. 2 (2005) 205-219.] Despite being widely adopted in the whole West and several other parts of the globe as well as the innovation in textile making, the rise of couture was also heavily affected by the reopening of the Paris Fashion Houses by 1947. Despite being focused on haute fashion (rather than ready-to-wear and mass market) that catered for most of the urban population, these authorities in the industry was one of the reasons for the change for the decline in fashion characterized by a padded and boxy line to those dominated by rounded symmetries. Amongst the proponents of this succession was Paris’ Cristobal Balenciaga and Christian Dior, who created designs that would be the template for the period. Nevertheless, the Americas (especially New York) at the time was also nothing short of personalities who would also shape the face of fashion in the country. Amongst these people are Charles James (aka America’s First and foremost courtier) and Claire McCardell. Together, these two would then pave the way for what is known as the “American look.”[Victoria and Albert Museum. 2008] Famous Designers of the Post-WWII era Being the pioneer of the New Look, Christian Dior’s House of Dior started the new trend on the twelfth of February 1947. This new collection emphasized dresses which have slimmer waist, curved shoulders, as well as a full skirt that extends below the mid-calf. At first look, this ‘soft’ appearance which emphasized feminine qualities over the persisting influence of padded and boxy shoulders in the New York. This is because unlike its predecessor, Dior’s design utilized new interlining materials to minimize pointed and stiff form as well as added ...