Bluebella: Average Woman in 1950s Vs. Today - Woman's World We like to imagine that our mom's generation--women who came of age in the 1950s--were curvier than they are today. At least, that's the impression we get when we leaf through fashion magazines and come across the vintage photos of models in the 1950s. Talk about a different kind of body image! MUST READ: This Woman Took Her Love for 50s Kitsch and Transformed Her Home and Van into Something You Haven't Seen in Half a Century! But models aren't average women, and a British lingerie company has released some interesting figures (no pun intended) on the body measurements of the average woman in 1957 vs. the one today, in 2017. Their findings when they looked at then and now: In 1957, women had smaller waists and their breasts were much smaller. MUST SEE: See What Classic Stars Would Look Like if They Were Famous in the 21st Century All this suggests that our moms were more petite than we were. via DailyMail.co.uk
How retailers can fashion their way through Brexit How the first world war changed women's fashion | Fashion Women in the Land Army were trouser pioneers Although women who worked in mines before the war wore trousers, they would cover them up with skirts during time off. Those in the Land Army didn’t have trousers as regulation uniform, despite the practical advantages – they were more likely borrowed from male members of the family. It was decades before trousers became acceptable for women away from the tennis court. Makeup became more established during the war Maybelline started in 1915, and it coincided with makeup – or the appearance of wearing makeup, anyway – becoming more acceptable, particularly as working-class women who could now afford it. Body hair was on its way out Women’s uniforms had shorter skirts than were customary in 1914 – they were now at six to 10 inches off the ground. Jewellery in wartime was creative While peacetime jewels were considered frivolous, sweetheart jewellery – given from a soldier to his bethrothed – was permitted.
Political Movements in Fashion Can fashion have a political conscience? The question is a recurring one, and the answers are all too often clichéd. Examples of the industry’s insensitivity and lack of sympathy (or knowledge) towards social and political realities surface regularly in the media, and stories about blackface editorials and articles praising the “beauty” and “philanthropy” of the wives of Middle East dictators make the movie Zoolander look like a realistic take on the fashion world. However (and contrary to popular belief) fashion is just as often used as a social commentary. When, in 1906, Paul Poiret freed women from the corset, the couturier was immediately hailed as a pioneer of the Women’s Liberation Movement. From Mainbocher to Yohji Yamamoto, designers have used their collections as outlets for socio-political commentary, and today’s talents are no exception. Through a surprisingly understated show, Rick Owens made an obscure comment on dominance and submission, on authority and its rejection.
Diversity Report: Spring 2017 Runways Were Most Diverse in History — Sort Of For the first time in recent history, more than 25 percent of the model castings were nonwhite; Image: Imaxtree Ahead of the Spring 2017 shows, players at all tiers of the fashion pyramid called out for change. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) — the veritable governing body of fashion — issued a set of “racial diversity pointers” in an effort to “encourage the industry to be inclusive of racial diversity when preparing casting of models for their company needs.” Elsewhere, supermodel/icon Naomi Campbell sat down with The New York Times on the eve of New York Fashion Week’s kickoff. “I’m very optimistic about diversity because I know I’m never going to shut up about it until the girls get better,” she said, continuing, “It’s getting better, I think. Embodying the words of the legendary supermodel are two women — two working models — who don’t fit into Campbell’s statuesque, willowy mold. The finale at Tome’s Spring 2017 presentation; Image: Imaxtree
From the Archives: Political Powerhouses in Vogue As the U.S. team heads to Rio in pursuit of its sixth back-to-back gold, all eyes are on Elena Delle Donne. By the time their daughter was standing two heads above her fellow kindergartners, Elena Delle Donne’s parents knew she was an unusual child, and were not terribly surprised when, aged ten, Elena joined a basketball team and led it to place third in the national championships. Recently voted Most Valuable Player of the Women’s National Basketball Association, Elena is currently poised to lead the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team to collect its sixth consecutive gold in Rio. In an unlikely twist for somebody with Marvel-comic physical gifts, Elena’s life has also been shaped by extreme physical disability. The two sisters are extraordinarily close, often literally so. When I visit one recent morning, Elena, who has come from a hot-yoga class and lifting weights at the gym, arrives with her mother for lunch at a bustling restaurant nearby.
Why Chanel's Feminist Protest Is Great News For Gender Equality If you haven't yet heard about Chanel's Paris Fashion Week grand finale then let us ask you something: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? On Tuesday, Karl Lagerfeld led a protest like no other (translation: it was jam-packed with models and held in the impressive Grand Palais). The theme? Feminism, which is totally en trend at the moment. But in the aftermath of the feminist finale, reactions have been mixed. Some are questioning Karl's feminist credentials (he once dismissed concerns over size zero models as the cries of “fat mommies with bags of crisps”), while others welcome the bold statement - "It's true Karl is a feminist," tweeted Elle's Rebecca Lowthorpe. While there may be a divide in opinion, here at HuffPost UK Lifestyle we think the protest is a pretty big deal. Thanks to the work of Karl and co, fourth generation feminism has well and truly reached the mainstream. Here's why the Chanel protest couldn't be more relevant right now... We Need Men To Fight For Gender Equality, Too Making Herstory
Zendaya schools the world on cultural appropriation In a new interview Zendaya has weighed in on the heated subject of cultural appropriation. It’s a topic that keeps rearing its head, both in the media and on Twitter – whether it’s a conversation about M.I.A.’s new video or Kylie Jenner’s cornrows. Speaking with Nylon, the 18-year-old singer and actress stressed that there’s a difference between appreciating and appropriating other cultures. “You can go about it as cultural appreciation or cultural appropriation,” she said. “You have to be very careful. “I urge people to take the extra step of knowledge and learn about things,” she continued. It’s not the first time Zendaya – who is of mixed heritage – has entered into the race debate. Like Zendaya, fellow actress Amandla Stenberg has also been outspoken on the subject of cultural appropriation, from calling out Kylie Jenner for wearing cornrows to making a video (aptly titled Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows) which she described as a “crash discourse on black culture”.