Design of Dress and Adornment Reflects the Socio Political Issues - Essay Example

Design of Dress and Adornment reflects the socio political issues Fashion not only encompasses clothing but also includes accessories such as jewelry, footwear, hairstyles, etc. The ‘outfits’ that a person wears can give an idea about his/hers’ social status as well as their tastes and interests towards fashion. That is, what one wears, how one wears and when one wears can provide an insight about an individual. From the earlier centuries, the entire world has been witnessing sizable social and political changes, which has brought and still bringing out various changes to the world and to the people living in it. Those changes have also impacted the design of the dresses and other adornments. Fashion is not ‘static’ thing but keeps on evolving, with the designs of the dress and other adornments reflecting the various socio-political issues, prevalent in the society in different periods of time. In this paper, the above statement will be discussed, based on two examples namely the leather jackets and the denim jackets. Leather Jackets and the socio political issues One of the key political issues that had impacted the design of the leather jackets are the World Wars, as its use by the military personnel, led to further evolution of its designs as well as its usage. As the military personnel needed tough dresses to withstand the rigors of the war, leather was maximally used by them. In those times, design of the leather jackets was predominantly based on utility with only little focus on fashion. That is, based on the needs of the military personnel particularly fighter plots, leather jackets and their designs came into being. One of the iconic and prominent leather jacket used in both the World Wars particularly by the pilots was the A-2 Flight Jacket. This leather jacket was maximally worn by the U.S. Army pilots in both the wars, and it is casually called as the “bomber” jacket. Its design is mainly based on their necessities. For example, it had only a snap-flap patch pocket on either side without hand warmer compartments (which was visible in the jackets after the wars) because “hands in pockets were considered unfit for a military bearing”. (“Brown Leather Classic A-2”). Another air force specific design was, the back of the jacket was “constructed from a single piece of leather to limit stress on the garment,” (“Brown Leather Classic A-2”). A key design which was visible during the wars, but was missing after the war, was the shirt-style snap-down collar. That is, prior to Second Word War, “the collar was sewn to a neckband or "stand" like those found in dress shirts,” mainly as a “time-intensive operation.” (“United States Air Force Flight Jacket”). A key social aspect that brought changes both in the design as well as the usage of leather jackets includes the Punk movement. In the mid 1970’s, the punk fashion was started initially in London with mainly the young population changing their lifestyle, fashion choices, hairstyle, etc., based on the loud and aggressive rock music, called Punk Rock, or shortly just Punk. The name punk was created by them, and they wore the leather jackets as part of their punk lifestyle. “The most important thing to consider when making your punk rock leather jacket is to make it reflect your personality.” (“The Journey of Leather jackets and Punk culture”). On those lines, the punks refashioned their outfits by tearing it maximally and thereby coming up with newer designs. The punks wearing the torn jackets shocked the people in 1970’s, though it was considered to be normal in the later period. Thus, it is clear that social movements like Punk made sizable impacts on the design of the leather jackets. In addition, the leather jackets, which were used by the film stars, also impacted the designs. Actually, many fashion designs, which are commonly used by the public, comes sizably from the film industry, as it has a mass appeal. When the film stars in association with fashion designers come up with various and interesting new designs, it will normally catch the fancy of the public. For example in the movie Wild One, Marlon Brando’s character wore a leather jacket called Schott Perfecto throughout the film, and it became so popular that the designs of the other leather jackets used by the people bordered on the same. Actually, it was customized by Brando himself with the addition of epaulet stars on the shoulders. (“The Wild One (1953)”). When this film and the leather jacket design worn by Brando became famous or even a social phenomenon, young people in both America and Britain wanted similar jackets and the manufacturers were smart enough to come up with one. Thus, the design of the leather jackets evolved more due to this movie, with young people everywhere “were swaggering in their black leather jackets, destroying the English language with Brandoesque mumbles.” (Koch). Thus, although this design became optimally popular among the teenagers and young people, it was viewed negatively in certain academic circles, with many schools banning their students from wearing it. “The jackets were actually banned by school systems around the country because they symbolized a burgeoning teen demographic, the hood." (“The Classic American Success Story”). Moreover with the increase in the technology and changes in the social structures, gradually the leather jackets had become a symbol of luxury and extravagance with respect to the cost of the leather when compared to the other clothing materials. That is, people from the upper strata of society (economically speaking) normally wear clothes made from the clothing materials, which are rare and unique. Leather has also become part of that category, as the leather products are transforming “from necessities to luxury items.” (“Leather Product Industry”). Leather is being viewed as a luxury product and it has become or becoming “prestigious and inaccessible items, belonging to a niche market and, for this reason, completely out of reach for the common man.” (“Luxury products and exotic leather”). Because of its elevation, the designs of the leather products including leather jackets have also evolved. With producers manufacturing these leather products using advanced technologies and through optimal designing processes, the quality and the design of the leathers are also evolving on the higher side, thus becoming a luxury item. In addition, with below grade or even fake leather jackets at throwaway prices, entering the market, the value of the original leather is going up even further. Thus, due to the social changes based on economics, the design as well as quality of the leather jacket has evolved during the last few decades. Denim and the socio political issues “Denim, in American usage since the late 18th century, denotes a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two (twi-“double”) or more wrap fibers, producing the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric.” (“Definitions for the Clothing and Textile Industry”). This denim material is mainly known for its toughness and durability, and due to those attributes, the earliest use of these materials were mainly in the work places. That is, both pants as well as jackets were made from denim to be primarily used by the workers in the early part of the 20th century. With Europe as well as America undergoing optimum industrialization in early 1900s, men started working in tough and harsh conditions. In those conditions, their whole body suffered a heavy toil let alone their clothes. With their clothes tearing often, the need to find strong and durable alternatives arose. This socio-political aspect of industrialization or heightened industrial activity led to the development of denim clothes including denim jacket, mainly as a better and protective clothing for workers. “Denim jackets were originally created for the workplace; they were a part of the overall denim outfit that was rugged and durable, helping to keep parts of the body safe.” (Burton). The American company, Levi Strauss took the lead when it came to designing denim jackets based on the work conditions and necessities of the workers. For example, in 1921, Lee introduced its’ first “Railroad Jacket” made from designed specifically for railroad workers. (“Lee Jeans & Jackets History”). It not only had the needed toughness, but also had several pockets for the workers to arrange and keep their tools in-person. Towards the end of 1920’s only, Lee, understanding the need for the employees to wear the jackets quickly, “introduced the first denim jacket with a zipper closure known as the 91.” (“Lee Jeans & Jackets History”). The other new designs also evolved due the social necessities of certain group of people. That is, in the American societies in the first half of the 20th century, cowboys constituted a sizable population as well as a prospective target market. Understanding this social aspect, denim manufacturers particularly Lee came up denim jackets incorporating certain cowboy specific designs. In 1931, Lee introduced the famous Lee 101J (Jelt) denim jacket, which had “inward slanting breast pockets and a wide waistband,” and these designs were included “with the cowboy in mind”. (“Lee Jeans & Jackets History”) As the cowboys indulged in wide variety of heightened activities, the wide waistbands were incorporated to give them flexibility. As in the case with leather jackets, the other key socio-political issue or even purely political issue, which reflected on the designs of the denim jacket, is the World Wars. As mentioned earlier, the military personnel faced tough conditions on the ground, and so they needed tough clothing materials with certain utility features to not only protect their body but also to give them a comfort of an easy wear. Another unique design (or even a “design loss”), which emerged during the Second World War was the absence of button-through flap on the pockets. With the government wanting to reduce as much financial resources to save for the war efforts, they instructed the denim jacket manufactures to remove the button-through flap. For example, in the 506 jacket, produced between 1936 and 1942, the “pocket lost its button-through flap to save resources for the war effort” (“History of the Denim through the ages”). The other key political related aspect or to be specific, a key political figure, who made the denim jacket with simple designs, a popular outfit was the former American President, Ronald Reagan. As stated by Tanabe it was “Ronald Reagan who put the jean jacket on the map when he was president” by wearing denim coat cowboy style along with denim pants as well as boots, “while vacationing at his Western White House”. (Tanabe) The other social aspect, which impacted the design or even the color of the denim jackets, is the film, Rebel Without a Cause starring James Dean. In the film, Dean wore a red jacket over a bright white shirt, along with indigo blue jeans pants. “These three everyday items of clothing worn together by Dean have become the most iconic jeans-and-T-shirt combination in movie history, and literally changed the way teenagers perceived what was cool.” (Basye). That is, when the film was released, these dresses, particularly the Red denim jacket worn by Dean became a craze among the young population, so much that the apparel manufacturers through various retail outlets started offering that design of red jacket. After Rebel was released, the production studio Warner Bros “referred fans who wanted the jacket to Mattson’s, which sold a red jacket for $22.95.” (Basye). Although, denim jackets were primarily manufactured in blue color, this successful social aspect impacted the changes in the denim jacket. With many outlets selling these red denim jackets, sizable young boys started wearing it. “All the boys hanging out in front (of the schools) would have on that same red jacket.” (Basye). This again validates how the design of the clothes could reflect the socio-political issues or aspects of particular times. Conclusion From the above analysis, it is clear that fashion undergoes constant cycle of changes where the styles are updated periodically with respect to the socio-political issues. As discussed in the paper, the leather jackets, the denim jeans and their specific designs evolved or changed due to those socio-political issues. With the continuing socio-political changes all throughout the world, there are sizable changes in the fashion industry as well. The fashion designers, manufacturers and importantly people for their part are also ready to acclimatize and accommodate to those changes. Works Cited Basye, Ali. “Cinemode: Rebel Without a Cause”. Fashion, 27 Oct 2010. Web. 31 March 2012. “Brown Leather Classic A-2 Vintage Air Force Style Flight Jacket.” Army Universe, n. d. Web. 31 March 2012. Burton, Todd. “The History of Denim Jackets.” E How, n. d. Web. 31 March 2012. “Definitions for the Clothing and Fabric Industry.” Apparel Search, n. d. Web. 29 March 2012. “History of Denim through the Ages.” The Selvedge Yard, 17 Oct 2009. Web. 31 March 2012. Koch, Joe. “Marlon Brando: The Original Punk.” PUNK, n. d. Web. 31 March 2012. “Leather Product Industry.” B2B Resource, 15 July 2011. Web. 31 March 2012. “Lee Jeans & Jackets History.” Vintage History, n. d. Web. 31 March 2012. “Luxury products and exotic leather: a great demand from the market for such items.” Gleni Blog, 3 Feb 2011. Web. 31 March 2012. Tanabe, Karen. “Jon Huntsmans Lucky Denim Jackets.” Politco, 18 July 2011. Web. 31 March 2012. “The Classic American Success Story.” Schott NYC, n. d. Web. 31 March 2012. “The Wild One (1953).” IMDB, n. d. Web. 31 March 2012. United States Air Force Flight Jacket Cooper a 2 mint.” Worthpoint, n. d. Web. 31 March 2012. Thomas, Pauline Weston. Theories of fashion costume and Fashion History. Fashion Era, n. d. Web. 26 March 2012. “The journey of the leather Jacket and the Surrounding Punk Culture.” Open Object, n. d. Web. 28 March2012. Read More