Bringing it Back

Second-hand shopping and vintage fashion have been keen interests of mine for a while now, since my brother and I discovered all of these interesting (and economically cheap) shops on the Northside of Chicago.  From my introduction to the second-hand clothing market through visits to The Salvation Army Thrift Store in my neighborhood (the Eastside of Chicago) as well as some stores in Philadelphia (South Street), my interest has remained sparked. My days of spending ridiculous amounts of money on clothes that I know I would only wear once, were over.    Many of my friends were not into the phenomenon. The only person that would really appreciate this money saving discovery was my brother. I frequented Something Old Something New in the Belmont area of Chicago, and fell in love with the neighborhood itself.

Having since left the colorful confines of my hometown, over the past two years I have lived in Decatur which has a pretty “weak” clothing and second-hand clothing market.  In trying to find some shops with decent vintage clothing I was limited to the The Thrift Store and of course the ever faithful Salvation Army. The reason I was limited to these stores was because I lacked a very important tool for transportation….this being a car. I mostly went to these stores whenever I felt like digging up some goods, but of course only when I had a good amount of time to spare on the hunt. Needless to say there was always a baby tee here or there to find in one of the stores. There was always something to “work with.”

Culture Clothes Shock

In researching the revival of 70s fashion as a cultural phenomenon, I had hoped to learn more about the origins of the second-hand clothing market, and to perhaps enlighten myself and others as to why I find the whole world of fashion so interesting and appealing!
  In studying the revival of seventies fashion as a cultural phenomenon, I was interested in addressing two main questions: 1) What is the appeal of second-hand or vintage clothes shopping in general? 2) What is it about the fashions of the 1970s that people nowadays find so appealing?
    In seeking to answer these questions, I looked at several theories of fashion and style.  When I use the term 'fashion,' I am referring to the adornment of the human body that "expresses fundamental dimensions of cultural identification and social participation - of who and what we consider ourselves to be".  An individual's fashion style can be viewed as a way of representing to the self and others what one sees as his or her personal identity.  At the same time, an individual's style of dress also expresses a kind of identification with others who adorn themselves in a similar fashion, and differentiation from those who do not share the same style.
    In previous centuries, popular theories of fashion asserted that styles evolved by means of a "trickle-down" process whereby the styles of the elite would eventually be adopted by the lower classes, and the elite would subsequently adopt a new style to differentiate themselves from these other classes.  What we find in the twentieth century however, is more of a "trickle-across" process, whereby the fashion trends often move from minority group to the general public as a current trend.  Playing a major role in this process has been the ever-increasing popularity of second-hand clothes shopping and vintage clothing from the end of the second-world war until today.  It seems that those who are not members of the elite, or dominant ruling class no longer seek to imitate the fashions trends of this class.  Rather, recent decades have seen the emergence of countless subcultures whom seek to create their own identity and their own style, as a way of resisting and rejecting the styles and ideology of mainstream culture.  Second-hand clothing shops and markets provide an easily accessible, economical means for members of these groups to actively construct their own unique style that they see as reflective of themselves as individuals and members of a particular subculture in society.

The second question I sought to answer concerned the popularity of fashion trends of the 1970s.  Personally, I am fascinated not only by the clothing of these decades, but by the music, the politics, and essentially the entire 'culture.'  Based on my own ideas, as well as the research I have done on the topic, I have come to the conclusion that more often than not a keen interest in retro (1970s) clothing goes hand-in-hand with an interest in the styles of that decade in other spheres, such as music.  It seems plausible also, given the intricate links between cultural styles, politics, and economics, that such an interest would also be bound up with a belief in, or perhaps a fascination with, the radical, revolutionary politics of the 1970s.  This ‘culture' concerned itself with such philosophic ideals that were universal and stressed the importance of individual freedom and personal autonomy.  Their lifestyle was one that entailed the adornment of clothing that was often freeing in style, made of synthetic fabrics such as polyester that were economical and easy to maintain.  The young people of the 1970s certainly did construct their own unique style, and this was accompanied by a strong political voice that advocated revolutionary change in society, and was actually listened to (if not necessarily understood) by members of the dominant culture.  Adorning the styles of the 70s today, does not have the same meaning that it did for the people of this decade that created the style at the time, but it certainly can be seen as a rejection of the dominant, mainstream styles of today, and a search for an alternative, meaningful identity by a particular youth “subculture” of our day.

The Platform Shoe

At the end of the 1960 something reemerged those chunky platform shoes. This time however they took on a more of a dash of flavor. In 1975 the shoes where so popular that to be hip your shoes had to have a 2 inch sole and 5 inch heel. It was during these years that experimentation with fashion broke all the rules of pretentious 50s.

Platform shoes where not ascribed to one particular gender in the 70s. It wasn’t uncommon to see a woman in 3 inch heels walking along a young man wearing matching 3 inch heels. Men would never dare to wear platforms in the 1600s or 1930s. Men in the 70s, however, wore more of the boot type platforms leaving the more feminine shoes for the women. Of course the same theory can be reversed. Women would never have dared to wear men¹s shoes before, and with the exploring in the 60s and 70s it became more acceptable.

So to be fashionable in this era platform shoes where a must. The thoughts of the people then where: “So what if these monumental 6 inch shoes are impractical and uncomfortable to walk in -- they are fun!” according to Maria Garcia avid platform shoe wearer from 1976-1979 and also my mother! But fun could have consequences. As the already daringly high platform shoes and boots rose to alarming levels, provoking fears from the medical profession that the spines of the fashionable would be irreversibly damaged.

Punk Fashion

One woman who was involved in the whole punk-fashion scene with Vivienne Westwood; and of course, these was also her partner Malcom McLaren, who "discovered" the Sex Pistols while he and Vivienne were running an alternative clothing boutique called Sex.

Designers

Designers never seem to tire of reviving the 1970s, from Emanuel Ungaro's recycled hippie styles to Paco Rabanne's celluloid mini-dress with go-go boots. There are still several ways of reminiscing for the era of utopian dreams. For instance, Christian Lacroix's take on the period with a brocade coat and red satin boots. Inès de la Fressange's approach with a tie-dyed gypsy skirt is most popular among those who chose a more natural relaxed look for themselves not to impress anyone else. A Tibetan lamb jacket is a classic among those concerned with the latest in timeless fashion musts.

Why?

We’ll never truly know what possesses people to dress the way they do, or to start trends such as platform shoes, binding pants, or shirts with prints as colorful, bright and disturbing as most during this decade. We may only accept them as we accept every other changing trend in our society. Some of us may even imitate it, or try to bring it back, what ever the case may be I personally feel that we should thank these fashion revolutionaries for giving us the options to be individuals through our clothing. This being my own personal enlightenment on the topic, I’ve come to understand that: “Actions speak louder than words” but, some outfits are even louder than that!