It was the gusty cloudy Saturday evening, and with ‘Dear Prudence’ flowing in the confinement of my dimly lit room, where lying supine I was figuring out the blue sky and yellow sun in the molds spawning on a corner of a wall, Beatles came alive. Though the legendary Beatles used to jam in my granny’s heydays, but their 60s free flowing fashion ride serve as a souvenir for any fashion enthusiast. Somehow clogged, nostalgic and curiosity smitten, I happened to come across this gripping piece tracing the history of fashion, 50 Dresses that Changed the World, lying trampled in my book shelf. And what came out with the turning pages was this renewed love for dresses; like this passionate love for a mellow yet mysterious old woman who you suddenly discover rebellious, chirpy and sexy side of.
Though the world’s oldest dress dates back to 2400 B.C, but it came into prominence on the dawn of 20th century. It discovered its free-wheeling, nihilistic and defiant avatar in the Jersey Flapper Dress by Coco Chanel in mid 1920s. The constriction of corsets, straitjackets and padding were swept away as loose fitting utilitarian flapper dress gave liberation to modern working women. It indicated a social change with exposed limbs and go getting attitude of women subjugating male tyranny of that era.
Though many dresses could make it to our list but we prefer substance over sensationalism. So continuing the fire of liberation stoked by Coco, the dresses which hold venerable spots, or have oodles of memories associated take us to the famous pleated ivory dress by William Travilla that blew around Marilyn Monroe in an iconic scene from ‘The Seven Year Itch’. The so called subway dress did wonders for Marilyn turning her into a pin up girl of late 50s. Lately, a month back it was sold for $4.6 million at an auction, making it the most expensive dress in the world.
The late 50s also saw Chanel suit; a cardigan and a skirt creating ripples in the fashion world. The costume turned out to be the preferred choice of that era, and in fact still inspires many designers to reinterpret it on the ramps. In 1961, there came a fashion whirlwind, and Audrey Hepburn’s Givenchy Little Black Dress from the ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ garnered every random eyeball to be the most iconic dress of the century. The ‘it’ LBD is still considered as fashionable as it was five decades back; the ultimate anodyne of what-to-wear fashion dilemma.
The beginning of 60s was pushing the hemlines up and the credit goes to Mary Quant and her miniskirt. Its popularity peaked in the Swinging London of 1960s and rallied for more permissive society. The societal constraints and conservative vibe of 60s was hit hard on the face by models like Jean Shrimpton. Her white sleeveless minidress by Collin Rolfe with hemline four inches above the knees, which she happened to wear on Derby Day in Australia of 1965 created fumes of ire around the world. The cause celebre inspired the likes of Mary Quant to create even shorter hemlines. Miniskirt was further popularized by Andre Courreges who developed it separately and introduced it in haute couture giving it respectability in the world of fashion.
There followed the Laura Ashley cotton Maxi Dress, Paco Rabbane’s Metal Disc Dress, YSL Safari Dress and Topless Dress of 1970s until Diana Von Furstenberg incited wolf whistles in her famous Wrap Dress in 1972. A dress with a front closure formed by wrapping one side across the other made women look prettier, and made her one of the most marketable designer since Coco Chanel. This curve hugging piece romanticized dress like never before. It said, “Feel like a woman. Wear a dress.”
80s saw Kenzo shirt dress, Bandage dress by King of Cling, Herve Leger and Princess Diana’s beautiful taffeta silk dress with 25-foot train. In 1994 Elizabeth Hurley, a relatively unknown face mounted the rungs of fame when she appeared in famous black Gianni Versace Safety Pin Dress. The dress, which was held together with several large gold safety pins, subsequently appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world, showing innovative and distinctive face of fashion, breaking that monotony of elegant dresses. Though not mentioned in book, but Cher’s appearance in Bob Mackie at the Academy Awards was an intersting look.
Jennifer Lopez never looked as gorgeous as in this blue green bamboo print silk chiffon dress with jeweled clasps by Versace. This translucent piece revealed her enviable figure from all angles, exuding subtle sensuality and loud sensuousness. The LED dress by Hussein Chalayan is the latest in the series of the dresses which are made to push the boundaries.
