Final Paper Topic Choices

Actress Marlene Dietrich from the film “Morocco”, 1930. 

The film, directed by Josef Von Sternberg, and based on ”Amy Jolly” by Benno Vigny, starred Marlene Dietrich and Gary Copper, and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Actress in Leading role. The film presented the love story between Legionnaire Tom Brown (Copper) and nightclub singer Amy Jolly (Dietrich), set in the late 1920s in Morocco.

The film had one rememberable controversial scene- where Dietrich was preforming her first number dressed in a tuxedo, and later kissing another woman.

Dietrich, a German- American actress, was a known fashion icon, and favored trousers over dresses. She questioned the fashion norms and was known for her androgynes roles and bisexuality.

The tuxedo which she wore in the film, was remarkable for the time- a woman wearing not only trousers, but a tuxedo, which correlates to the succession of wealthy men, and expressing sexuality towards another woman. The film, which was the first American film Dietrich starred in, was a staple point of the correlation between fashion, sexuality and the questioning of the norm.

While I don’t work much with gender in my designs, nor do I question the norm as much, I do believe that the importance of fashion is creating a new reality. Thus, I would like to focus my work on issues such as this. Other actresses of the old black and white movies, such as Katherine Hepburn, have influenced the viewer with their progressive style. The correlation between progressive fashion and actors/ actresses have been a fundamental factor in the evolution of fashion.

 

 

 Jamaican born model and singer, Grace Jones, celebrating her 30th birthday with drag

queen Divine and friends, in LaFarfelle Disco in New York, June 12, 1978.

The photos of that night were taken by notorious paparazzo Ron Gallela. Other guests included Andy Warhol, Elton John and Jerry Hall. This was at the hight of the Disco era and the popularity of the dance clubs and their significance in the Western culture.

Model Grace Jones was known for her androgynous looks and had influenced cross-dressing in the 1980s. Her looks, as well as her music, have left a great mark on current artists. Drag queen Divine, born Harris Glenn Milstead, who worked closely with director John Waters, have been named “the Drag Queen of the century” by People magazine. Divine has been a cult figure in culture, mainly in the LGBT community.

Although this picture was not taken in the notorious Studio 54, many guests of the party, including the celebration girl, were frequent visitors to the the club. Studio 54, which closed its doors in 1986, gathered all of the powerful and famous of that time, including artists, singers, politicians and producers, as well as famous fashion designers, such as Valentino and Diane Von Furstenberg. The correlation between these clubs and celebrities to the fashion industry is undeniable, since designers used to promote themselves through the parties. The lifestyle that was created by the artists of that time and included the extravagant, androgynous and well-connected relationships, has influenced culture as we know today.

Although design wise I may not correlate to this specific image, the history of the culture at that time have clearly influenced the culture and the fashion industry of today.

 

 

Rapper MC Hammer on the cover of Rolling Stones magazine, published September 6,

1990.

The rapper, who was said to be “the rapper of there year”, had released his third album “Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em” that year; an album that included one of his best works in his career, “U Can’t Touch This”. At that time, he was considered the best rapper of the industry.

In this photo, he is wearing his “Hammer Pants”, that became a synonym with his name, and an open jacket without a shirt underneath. This look was a staple outfit for the rapper, and he had wore many versions of it in different variations. He created a clothing line in the late 90s named “J Slick”, where he sold garments according to his own style.

The inspiration behind the Hammer Pants came from the Harem pants, an Arabian style long pants that are tapered at the ankles. The pants were introduced to the Western fashion industry by designer Paul Poiret in 1911.

This choice of topic is relevant to my design aesthetic since it introduces the influence of Middle Eastern culture into the western fashion industry. It is also quite interesting to see the different variations of what a singular style of one garment can inspire.