Rodarte’s Spring 09 line sought to create a tenuous link between the ancient Greek Gods and renowned Earth artist, Robert Smithson. 

There appears to be some parallels which can be drawn between the art of the ancient Greeks and Smithson’s work. 

 In the late 60s, Smithson became fascinated by the sight of dump trucks excavating tons of earth and rock which he attributed as equivalent to the excavation of monuments of antiquity.

                                                                                             Enantiomorphic Chambers

                                                                                                                Four-sided Vortex

                                                                                  Heap of Language 
Smithson has sought to both connect our conception of Earth as well as evoke questioning and establish a dialogue regarding the physical impact of our presence on the landscape.

This line of questioning is not so different from those posed by the ancient Greek scholars and philosophers.  

Presocratic thought sought to replace mythological explanations with reasoned discourse.  Typical arguments centered around existence, where it comes from, how it exists, and the dialectic between an immutable and a dynamic Earth.  Heraclitus postulated that the only thing that does not change and perish is change itself.

                                                                                                                      Displacement

                                                                                                                             Spiral Jetty

The ancient Greek's had a preoccupation with the human form and thus, clothing was draped and pinned to accentuate the body.  As well as white, popular colors included violet, green, and grey.

                                                                  replications of ancient Greek pins known as fibulas.

There is no question surrounding the dynamic nature of fashion, fashion seeks to replicate and redefine existing norms of beauty season after season. 

Rodarte’s gorgeous dyed Grecian-inspired designs seemed to reaffirm fashion’s ability to refute immutability while at the same time drawing its influences from the remnants of fashion history.

The overall palette reminds one of the hues and tints of Earth, the violet and orange on display in a setting sun, the blue and white of the ocean’s crest, and the nude, soft tans of an unspoiled beach.

Rodarte has traded urban gold chains for the ancient Greek fibula, almost, as a sly statement to the influence of urban development and decay on our changing landscape.

The flow and drape of the gowns reminds one of the ebb and flow of the sea, the pull of the moon, and the undeniable force of gravity.

We are, after all, truly creatures of Mother Earth; subjects to her whims and fancies.

                                                                                    Rodarte Spring 09

Vogue vintage pieces allows us to celebrate our awareness of fashion’s continuity despite its many changing faces as well as reminds us of the historical and primal connections that can occur between wearer and dress.

a.) 1960s orange chiffon dress b.) i. magnin dress and coat c.) 1950s satin gown d.) 1950s floral dress

Woodland Farms Vintage

One of the more prevailing fashion trends for Spring 09 involves combining nostalgia with a modern twist. This mismash of styles has evolved into a type of eccentric dressing up with classic styles married to quirky colors and clashing prints.

The style has a Jackie-O meets Phyllis Diller, but with more classy "O" touches and less "Ditzy Dill" appeal.

It is both fun and irreverant, while also evoking a sense of the classic lady who would lunch and meet the girls for tea or breakfast at Tiffany's.

The overall fashion is a bit of a throwback to a time that involved niceties and a more personal touch, such as Sunday visits to the in-laws or writing (by hand) letters to long-lost friends. The prim and proper with a dash of whimsy trend is recreated with the use of boxy silhouettes, pencil or A-line skirts, Chanel-inspired box jackets, pretty florals, and sherbert pastels.

The Spring 09 Moschino runway show perfectly recaptured this trend with models walking down the runway styled in large, eccentric bouffants, wearing big frame black sunglasses, and sporting enormous bows at their necks.

As well as giant bows, the collection was also punctuated with full ruffles and roses with dominant colors in black, white, a dusky violet and teal. On paper, it all sounds very girly and sweet, but the pictures tell another story...one that involves a sweet girl who has gone more than a little madcap, think Betty Davis in "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane" and then you will begin to recognize the story behind the Moschino Spring 09 collection.

Looking to recapture the glory days of being a lady, be "That Girl," or just have a little fun dressing up to meet your friends for Saturday brunch, then here are a few vintage options to start with:

1980s vintage|nasty gal

 

1960s vintage|woodland farms vintage

 

1980s vintage|vagabond nyc

One of the prevailing themes for the Spring 09 season saw designers exploring form and function. This concept focused on the shape of garments as well as the reinterpretion of familiar silhouettes. The idea of allowing shapes to dominate in the design process is not new as many designers, especially from the 1960s, such as Rudi Gernreich, Mary Quant and Andre Courreges, took their inspirations from architecture and space age exploration.

Vogue|Vintage spotlights André Courrèges who was a French fashion designer known for his ultra-modern designs. He initially began his career designing for Balenciaga, but eventually opened his own house in 1961. His approach to design was heavily influenced by his civil engineer background. He was described as building rather than designing his clothes as many of his clothes were geometric in shape: squares, trapezoids, and triangles.

Courreges was also one of the most copied dress-designer of his era, but this is to be understood as mass production of clothing had really begun to take off during this time period due to the high demand from the teenaged Baby Boomer population. In 1964, Courrege introduced a new space age collection designed around a boxy silhouette. Shortly after, retailers were stocking their stores with plastic skirts and jackets, crash helmets, white boots, and goggles in order to meet the high demand.

For Gianfranco Ferre's Spring 09 collection, Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi also based their collection on geometric shapes: the circle, square, and triangle. Where Courrege's collections were considered sexy, but sharp and angular, Ferre's collection is softer and more feminine.

The design team was able to accomplish this distinction by using rounded and curved shapes instead of sharp and angular forms. Although, same as Courreges, white was highlighted in the collection, overall colors and fabrics were lighter and more airy. Key colors included smoky greys, soft beiges, and pale corals while the fabrics used to create garment shapes were gossamer sheers, lustered, and polished finishes.

Ferre S09

Vintage shopping can also yield a selection of dress styles that reflect both Courreges' original approach to structural design and the Ferre team's modern interpretation on the form and function of a garment's shape and silhouette.

70s Kimono Dress|Vagabond NYC

Architectural Panel Dress|Nasty Gal

80s Ruffle Dress|Nasty Gal

Stephen Sprouse was a prolific and talented designer who defined punk rock glamour during the 1980s. His designs were hallmarked by sixties-inspired neon graffiti prints and silk satin mini-skirts. His style was fashioned from the streets and evolved as the underground art and music scenes began to surface in New York.

Sprouse revisioned the concepts of prints and colors; his magic marker scrawl and day-glo pop colors conveyed the same type of hyper and frenetic energy MTV was broadcasting from the streets and into our homes in the forms of punk rock, hip hop, new wave, and synthpop.

Taking much of his inspiration from popular music and art, Stephen Sprouse was a visionary in his approach to fashion. He was also strongly influenced by the space-age designs associated with the 1960s, using satellite photos from NASA as the backdrop and conception for many of his designs, which he described as "cyberpunk."

Diane Von Furstenberg's Spring 09 Collection, Rock Goddess, also channelled the free-flowing, artistic energy of Sprouse's colors and patterns. The collection was more rooted in the "hippie" era of the sixties which was part of Sprouse's inital inspiration, as well as, featured fabrics and silhouettes that were softer and less structured than Sprouse's more tailored, yet deconstructed pieces.

Vintage shopping offers many options to travel "back" in time and pay homage to Stephen Sprouse's vision and to celebrate the playful, hard-edge energy that defined the music and fashion of the eighties, while staying current with the bright optimism showcased in Von Furstenberg's Spring 09 collection.

Vintage Pieces Courtesy of Nasty Gal

The 80s era is synonymous with big hair, shoulder pads, and girls wanting to have fun. If we’d heeded Nancy Reagan’s warning call to “Just Say No”…to greed, corruption, and apathy, it is possible, not certain, that we may not be faced with picking up the pieces of a shattered economy…maybe.

vintage tunic dress--tko atlanta

During the 1980s, women’s mobility and social status continued to increase. More and more women in English-speaking nations dropped the “Missus” and began calling themselves by “Ms.” The roles of women in the workplace became more prominent and in most western countries, women decided to keep their maiden names after marriage…one could even call the 80s a boom or “dynasty” in women’s liberation.

The freedoms gained by the efforts of the women’s movement , began in the 60s, brought a new type of sensuality to women’s clothing…fabrics now molded, moved, and stretched along the curves of a woman’s body. As the fitness craze took flight, form-fitting dresses worn with leggings and booties were worn either as day or evening attire.
Rachel Roy’s Spring 09 collection with its detachable tulip skirts worn over tight-fitting pencil skirts, backless t-shirt dresses, body-hugging sheaths, and versatile jumpsuits encapsulates the spirit of the 80s party girl.

Roy seemed to take a philosophical tone with this collection employing the famous Gandhi quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world,” as decorative stitching in French on one of her narrow sheath dresses. An apropos gesture, as we all struggle to erase past wrongs by finding ways to create positive change(locally and/or globally).

rachel roy--spring 09

Chic, elegant jumpsuits were also shown in the collection. The classic halter-neck jumpsuit of the Halston era was always in either black or white, paired with a metallic belt, chunky jewelry and (faux) fur coat, jumpsuits allowed for an easy glamour that could move seamlessly from day to night. Roy’s interpretation kept close to this spirit offering a casual sophistication perfect for any occassion.

1980s vintage black jumpsuit--nasty gal

rachel roy--spring 09

The ancient Japanese samurai culture developed amongst a strict code of honor, loyalty, frugality and obedience. The samurai led an existence couched between the violence required in their service to the emperor and the wisdom and serenity of Zen and Buddhist teachings. Shintoism, a great love and reverence for nature, also played a role in their daily lives.

The samurai’s way of life exemplified the concept of preservation, understanding that life did not have an end or a beginning, but rather was a cycle of rebirths and transformations….that one eventually finds themselves back to the place they began.

Fashion also follows this same pattern of renewal, as its movement reveals a cycle of trends and designs, which are reborn season to season or decade to decade. In this sense, fashion is both grounded and revolutionary. This unique quality is what continues to capture our attention as we not only wait to see the next new trend presented on the runways, but also to be inspired by the reinvention of the familiar.

And so it is in this spirit of the Japanese samurai, the Great Warrior, and in partnership with AvantFab, this new post category is introduced. Please join us each week for a review of current fashion designer trends and vintage designs that are available in the market. Our primary goal is to encourage responsible shopping and designing by giving you a view of vintage styles that are in vogue, as well as celebrate the sustainability of fashion…think of it as a reminder that trends come and go, but fashion is forever:).

Marc Jacob’s RTW Spring 09 line reached back and across with its influences a blend of turn of the century Gibson Girl (cute straw boater hats, prairie style bustle skirts) and ancient Japanese culture(technicolor, metallic, obi belts and sashes). The patchwork leather satchels w/ obi tie trims created a strange, but transformational marriage of these divergent times and cultures…but it is possible to imagine that although divided by oceans, during this time period, both Japanese geishas and Gibson girls prepared for work dressed in their respective obi belts and straw boaters. Our early prototypes of the female warrior.

All vintage pieces can be purchased at Vagabond NYC, online vintage store with an amazing web design as well as great vintage clothing and accessories.