By Brianna Horan
For the Tribune-Review
Friday, January 26, 2007
Fashions in the 1960s marked a movement away from elite haute couture designs and toward looks that appealed to the tastes and lifestyles of a younger generation.
Five designers from the region have taken the geometric shapes, bright colors, slim silhouettes and bohemian vibes of the '60s and blended them into a display of clothing and jewelry fit for 2007.
Two dozen takes on '60s style will go down the runway at The Art Center's Rittelmann Gallery in Butler at the 1960s Fashion Show on Saturday as a fundraiser for the center and as part of the monthlong Age of Aquarius Festival, celebrating the artistic and creative explosion of that provocative decade.
"It's not necessarily art or designs that were worn in the '60s, but it's more ... interpretation or spin on it," says Rebecca Rose, The Art Center's fashion show director. "It's not like they're going through their mom's old patterns and remaking them."
The ensembles, accessories and jewelry from the fashion show can be purchased from the designers after the display. Prices range from $20-$30 for jewelry to $475 for some dresses. Individual garments will be sold individually at prices in between.
Four of the five designers weren't alive in the '60s; the youngest is a high school senior.
"There are people that have been designing and have been places and had the opportunity to be educated in fashion. Then there are people who are on their way and are just beginning to be educated," says Valerie Dallos, executive director at The Art Center.
Designer Anne Graziani, 27, of the North Side, created seven designs with sheer, slinky fabrics, bold prints, crocheted knits and mod influences themed around the colors of chocolate and turquoise.
"It's good to have a direction; it makes it a lot easier to come up with ideas," she says. "I know exactly in my mind what the designs were like; I did research on specific designers from that time. Then I put a twist on it, taking the styles from then and making them wearable in 2007."
Graziani and her husband live on the North Side, where she helps run her family's chocolate factory. After graduating from Allegheny College, in Meadville, in 2002 with a degree in costume design, she worked in the fashion houses of Nanette Lepore and Marc Jacobs.
Her background helps her see styles and trends as part of a story.
"History is told through fashion in many senses," Graziani says. The styles of the '60s "tell a lot about what women were going through and the transition of the role of women. I think that's coming out in my line."
Kari Kramer, who has designed 10 looks for the 1960s Fashion Show, works in the wardrobe department for Pittsburgh Public Theater, Downtown, where using fashion to convey history is part of the artistic performances.
"It's inspiring seeing and working with all the beautiful clothing from all the different time periods," says Kramer, 26, of Spring Hill. "I didn't live through (the 1960s), so I only can base my impressions upon what I've stumbled upon in research. It's always bright colors -- bubbly and spacey."
While bringing her interpretation of '60s fashion to life, Kramer focused on the futuristic trends of the decade. One of her pieces is a two-toned orchid purple re-creation of Jane Jetson's house dress, complete with a white triangular collar.
"I love all the shapes that they used in the '60s, and it reflects a lot in my designs," she says.
Kramer, whose line of iroNiece clothing is available at Luxx in the South Side and the Center for the Arts in Shadyside, calls the designs she created for the 1960s Fashion Show "sculptural."
One of her dresses is surrounded by wire globes with the silhouette of a snowman and the look of a birdcage. Another is a stack of orange lampshade shapes, complete with blue fringe.
To conjure her four '60s designs, Amber Thompson was inspired by the "fierce and free" youthful spirit of the decade. The 18-year-old senior at Butler Senior High School identifies with the '60s mentality.
"I think, as a teenager, I'm going through more of what the people in the '60s were going through," Thompson says. "I'm not really tied down to things; I like music, I like art, I'm into social issues. So I think (being young) has helped me more than anything."
Her slim-fitting designs are printed with flowers and plaid in purples, blues and greens.
"I would say that it's hippie in the way there there's lots of flowers, but it's kind of mod in the designs," she says.
Thompson became serious about fashion design last year, but has been putting together clothes to wear since she was in seventh grade.
"I didn't like a lot of the clothes that were in the stores," she says. Her creations are the result of experimenting with fabrics. "If it doesn't work, I just choose a different way to do it," she says.
While Thompson thinks she will major in fashion merchandising in college, her interests span television, photography, synchronized swimming, art, cosmetology, film, music and writing.
D. Zoe Shutka's artistic creations range from commercial signage and logos to illustrations and paintings of fine art. Shutka has created necklaces, bracelets and adornments made of clay, copper, silver and beads that will complement the outfits on the 1960s Fashion Show runway. "There are some groovy designs, there are some hippie designs, and there are some that are bordering on formal because of the beads that are used," Shutka says.
One of her necklaces features a clay-sculpted star pendant attached to a planet-shaped bead, and is called "I'm a Star, I'm a Planet."
Beads are the focal point of the jewelry she designed for the 1960s Fashion Show. Longer pendants, tight chokers, recycled glass and vintage crystal-cut beads from her grandmother can be found in her Love Beads series.
Shutka, 41, who owns a commercial art studio and gallery called D.ZIGNZ in the Glenwillard section of Crescent Township, will sell both the jewelry modeled during the show and other '60s-inspired creations at The Art Center.
Rose, the fashion show director, says three fashion designs by Meagan Greynolds will be featuredat the show. They have a "mod, girlie, baby doll" feel to them, Rose says.
Attendees can browse artistic representations of the '60s on the walls of the Rittelmann Gallery, including tributes to Andy Warhol, the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King Jr., and "some wild and crazy psychedelic swirly art," Dallos says. An appetizer and wine-tasting reception provided by Rustic Acres Winery and Cabot Cheese will be offered during the Fashion Show, and DJ Chaos' music will accompany the models down the runway and complement their styles.
The models aren't likely to be the only ones at the 1960s Fashion Show dressed for the occasion. Audience members often come clad in mod styles and bright colors.
"During this whole festival, people will just break out into the tie-dye," Dallos says. "Last year, one of our older local restaurateurs broke out with her leopard print and fringe."
1960s Fashion Show
What: Part of the Age of Aquarius festival
When: 8 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Admission: Few tickets remain; $15 donation per person pre-sale and $20 at the door, $10 tickets are available for standing room only
Where: The Rittelmann Gallery at The Art Center, 344 S. Main St., Butler
Details: 724-283-6922
1960s: The first time around
1960: Fashions from the 1950s held on in the first few years of the '60s like a gloved hand to an evening clutch, but signs showed that times were a-changing. Beatnik nonconformist fashions carried over from the late '50s, embodying flat shoes for women, sandals for men and berets for everyone. Also, the first pair of mod-maddening Doc Marten boots was produced on April 1 of the year.
1961: In the year that saw a wall separate East and West Berlin, designer Yves St. Laurent split from the Dior fashion house and showed his first collection under his own name. Famous for his "gender-bending" outfits such as pantsuits and dinner jackets for women, St. Laurent was also the first designer to effectively mix colors such as orange with pink and red, or black with brown.
1962 As rock 'n' roll blew up in the United States, jeans started to shrink. Tight jeans were popular with men and women in the early mod scene, only to be replaced by the airy flares of the hippie movement. Jackie Kennedy was first photographed in a pill box hat this year, spreading a fad with political connotations. Bob Dylan would release a song in 1966 called "Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat."
1963: The Beatles burst onto the scene sporting shaggy Mop Tops at a time when men were expected to have military-ready hair cut neatly above the ears. Shirt sleeves also went to new lengths, as three-quarter sleeves debuted for the first time.
1964: Designer Rudi Gernreich, who was born in Austria but moved to the United States at age 16, styled free-spirited fashions that embraced simple lines and youthful styles -- but not much else. His topless swimsuit debuted this year and was the first time breasts were exposed in commercial fashion. This symbol of women's liberation gave birth to the no-bra bra revolution.
1965: Lesley Hornby, better known as Twiggy, was the antithesis of voluptuous 1950s pin-ups such as Marilyn Monroe. She became the world's first supermodel at age 16, imitated by girls longing for a size 6 frame, pixie hai cut and wide, long-lashed eyes. When Twiggy modeled John Bates' plastic dress in 1965, the look officially took off.
1966: Mary Quant defined the Chelsea Girl look of the '60s, and sold her designs in her boutique, called Bazaar. She was responsible for hot pants, the Lolita look, the slip dress, PVC raincoats, smoky eyes, asymmetrical bob haircuts and taking miniskirt hemlines to new heights. It was Nancy Sinatra who popularized go-go boots with her 1966 "These Boots Are Made for Walking."
1967: Afghan coats, body paints, flowers and kaftans spread through the alternative fashion scene as hippie flower power blossomed in 1967. Fluorescent paisley prints, originating from the Middle East, were synonymous with the hippie movement, but was also sported by Barbie's boyfriend Ken.
1968: The success of the film "Barbarella" and the imminence of a moon landing caused futuristic fashions to rocket in 1968. Pierre Cardin debuted space-age cat suits and body stockings in 1967, but it was Andre Courreges who pioneered this frontier of futuristic fashion even earlier -- in 1964. His collections featured silver and white PVC with bonded seams, silver PVC "moon girl" pants, white cat suits and monochrome striped miniskirts and dresses. For hippies looking to escape the structure and predictability of clothing, painted body art was the solution. Flowers, peace signs and smiley faces livened up fashions, and some boutiques hand-painted unique dresses or necklaces on customers.
1969: Love Beads were the perfect accessory to bellbottoms, fringed vests and long, unkempt hair. The handmade beaded necklaces were traded among hippies as a symbol of brotherly love and acceptance. Meanwhile, Barbara Hulanicki opened a grand-scale Biba boutique in London, offering mass-produced, inexpensive clothes and makeup. By 1973, the store's glory days had ended.
Source: 'I Love The '60s'