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Fashion and Music

The evidence of the juncture between fashion, music and dance was marked when Strauss’s music inspired the waltz and gracious nineteenth-century ballroom gowns; when 1920s jazz provided the tempo to swing the lightweight Charleston-fringed dresses; and when modern South American dancing set the stage for sexually charged, tight- tting tango garments. In the 1930s, musical theatre and Broadway shows ex- erted a great in uence on everyday fashion as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical scores created a new Hollywood cultural genre with its unique concept of glamour. Dur- ing the Depression years, Hollywood movies became a sanctuary, a form of escapism for many audiences. The more visually spectacular the performance was, the easier it was to forget the hardships of the time. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were a source of inspiration for fashion-oriented cineastes in movies such as Top Hat (1935) and

Swing Time (1936), which linked Big Band music with glamorous clothing. Paradoxi- cally, while an annual Paris Syndicale de la Couture competition awarded a coveted prize to the most sensational evening dress creation between 1935 and 1939, at the same time, dance marathons in America pushed the endurance of its unemployed competitors to the limit, while fashion companies’ advertisements were used at these events to promote ritzy club fashion.

The jazz sounds of American Cab Calloway and the East Coast jazz movement in 1943 inspired black Americans to adopt the zoot suit as a form of sociopolitical com- ment. Baggy pants and wide-lapelled jackets contravened fabric restrictions put into place during the war, but they also formulated a distinctive and de ant ‘gangster look’. Rock and roll, derived from African American rhythm and blues, dominated the post- war generation music scene. This music was linked directly with youth, rebelliousness and societal change. A more casual, energetic style of dress was required as fashion

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became ever more closely associated with popular culture, especially pop music. Skinny trousers, checked shirts, full skirts with bobby socks and two-toned shoes dominated the dance oor. Elvis Presley and Bill Haley immortalized the image of the rebellious teenager in the 1950s, and rock and roll became the new dance form in the nightclubs.

A new era of ostentatious masculine style characterized by de ant and highly charged clothing appeared in the 1960s, paralleling the performances by Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend and Jimi Hendrix. Followed closely by disco, John Travolta inSaturday Night Fever (1977) immortalized the look in his iconic white disco suit and established disco as mainstream culture until the 1980s. Salsa music also became encoded in disco music as a crossover genre, acknowledging the Latino-Caribbean community within American society with its see-through clothing exuding sexuality and the exotic. According to curator Katie Somerville, ‘Popular music and its icons played a key role in establishing youth cultures in which clothes were central to “performing” one’s identity’ (2011: 73). In the early 1980s, hip-hop, break-dancing and techno gained mass appeal amongst the blacks and Hispanics in New York City and Los Angeles clubs. Based on very athletic and acrobatic movements, very wide-crotched and low- hung pants became the fashionable uniform worn by street-style dancers coupled with designer sports shoes made by Adidas, Nike and Puma. In Britain, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren consolidated the relationship between punk rock and fashion in the 1980s when they promoted irreverent and confrontational clothing made of cheap and untraditional materials. Anti-fashion protest styling incorporated T-shirts with rips and tears and offensive slogans and other pieces of clothing overlaid with social refer- ences—symbols of resistance—to mainstream culture.

Music videos featuring Johnny Rotten, Michael Jackson and Madonna revolution- ized the whole concept of dance, music, fashion and the spectacle. These media im- ages not only played a major role in what youth wore but determined standards of dress, hairstyle, behaviour and cultural practices. Subtle sexual innuendo has played a key role in pop music, but now raunchy R&B and hip-hop have adopted similar meth- odologies to increase commercial sales. In other words, music videos consolidated the underlying image associated with the music, thereby allowing the medium of fash- ion to create a celebrity style. From the 1990s onwards, the boy bands, girl bands and teenage music groups were widely promoted through videos and CDs, and performers like the Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake strongly in uenced mainstream fashion trends such as tank tops, low-cut jeans, visible under- wear, and conspicuous gold jewellery for both males and females. It would seem that some young people just want to live the life of a rock star. But if they can’t live it, they just want to look like one.

In the twenty- rst century, with the cult of the celebrity pop star rmly established, Kylie Minogue, photographed wearing a Chloe green dress in 2005, led to the com- plete sell-out of a similar model sold in Sportsgirl within a week. At the same time, Dior’s Homme designer, Hedi Slimane, toured with bands such as Air, Franz Ferdinand

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and The White Stripes to gain inspiration for his design work and his book entitled

Stage . According to theLos Angeles Times ,

Hedi Slimane is the man responsible for the way rock and roll looks today. His slim-line aes- thetic, a cross between sleek and slacker, mod and 1980s punk, is everywhere . . . for the kickoff of the Rolling Stones ‘A Bigger Bang’ tour, Mick Jagger turned to Slimane to design his skin-tight blue metallic jeans, silver satin jacket and black T-shirt with red crystal embroi- deries. A Boston-based band, Keys to the Streets of Fear, has even released a song entitled Hedi Slimane . (Moore, 2005)

Pete Doherty, seen as one of the pioneers of the new British music scene, was Sli- mane’s muse for the 2005 Spring/Summer collection and is emblematic of the new indie rock scene. The ‘elegantly wasted’ look he projects has been called ‘skank chic’ by theLondon Observer and is characterized by unshaven facial hair and a chaotic mix of clothes.

Major fashion labels partnered with leading musicians to promote their lifestyle brand. John Varvatos is another leading menswear designer who has also ‘made a devotion to the spirit of rock his point of difference in a crowded American sports- wear market’ (Standen, 2011: n.p.). In the Spring/Summer 2012 collection, his knits were slouchy, his tunics were loose and owing and jackets were decorated with hand- painted roses. Both Scottish singer Paolo Nutini and London rapper Roots Manuva backed sportswear label Puma in their sales campaign in 2010.

With pop musicians having to look beyond traditional record stores to sell their al- bums, many are selling their music in high-street cafes and fashion shops. Retail out- lets like Urban Out tters in the United States and Topshop’s agship store in Oxford Street, London play music that customers can buy in the store. Having a propensity for playing indie music, they have brokered a deal to join forces with the largest in- dependent music store, Rough Trade, to sell CDs in store. According toThe Indepen- dent , ‘Paul McCartney raised eyebrows across the music industry when he signed up with Starbuck’s label to release his 21st studio album in 2007’ (Bray, 2009). While it seemed that he was the rst to take the risk, Starbucks set the trend that fashion stores are now following. London band Kish Mauve have partnered with denim brand Lee Cooper, and Anna Leddra Chapman was chosen by the surf label Quiksilver to help launch its rst ever range for women.