ArticlesOn This Page: Modern Burlesque and Pin-up Fashion Modern Burlesque and Pin-up Fashion The burlesque show originated in Europe as the middle and lower class citizens sought different ways to mock their upper class counterparts. While the upper class attended the opera and fancy balls dressed to the nines, the lower classes put on their own shows. These shows typically involved beautiful ladies clad in dresses that allowed more than just a little leg and stockings to show in an era where showing even a hint of stockings was considered extremely shocking. When these shows immigrated to the US a new burlesque style arrived with it that was very similar to many of the fetish costumes in use today. The most popular of these is the corset and stockings costume that is preferred by many dominatrixes today. In the 1800s, many different burlesque troops sprang up across the US emulating the original English troop that was performing in New York City. Many of the original shows were a combination act that started out with the ladies. The middle of the show was a mixture of minstrels and other acts followed by the grand finale in which the women may have started out in a saloon girl costume consisting of a long glamorous, low cut dress, but before long it became a race to see who could get away with showing as much skin as possible. As these shows became more of a strip tease than a true artistic show they started to lose favor and went out of style for a period. It stayed out of style until the 1990s when burlesque style shows began to reappear. On both sides of the Atlantic, burlesque shows are now very popular and are every bit as glamorous, humorous and sexy as they were in their heyday. Neo- Burlesque fashions harken back to the pin up dresses of the 40s and 50s with silk stockings or nylons attached to garter belts, never pantyhose. Not only are stockings important but the shoes, dresses and hats of the era are all equally important to complete the look. Modern burlesque has found a new popularity as ladies of all shapes and sizes find that putting on pin up dresses and putting on a show can be very exciting. The idea of "teesing" a crowd can be very exciting and each artist creates their own look and persona. While dressing up is a very important part of the style, it is still more about showing as much as possible while still leaving plenty to the imagination. One of the most popular burlesque artists currently appearing has to be Dita Von Teese. She is truly the modern embodiment of vintage burlesque. Her act is one of style and grace, unlike many others who chose to emulate the bump and grind acts that graced so many stages in the late 19th century. She is also responsible for much of the current growth in the popularity of this genre of entertainment. While she may have gotten her start modeling fetish costumes, she now has her own line of lingerie. Dita Von Teese is currently one of the most in demand burlesque acts on stage. 1930s, 40s & 50s Fashion Fashion in the 1930s Throughout the 20s dresses had got shorter, more streamlined and more revealing meaning that much less fabric was needed than ever before. 1930s fashion, for the most part, was driven by the fabric manufacturers desire to make more money and the need for fabric consuming designs. As dresses and skirts got longer and straighter waist lines rose again to the waist (as opposed to the hips) and a shapelier silhouette started to appear again. Shoulders widened and hips became slightly narrower to create a long elegant classic 30s shape. Long sleeves returned and it was more widely accepted that women didn’t have to wear hats all time. Big sleeves were also fashionable for day and evening wear either as short puff styles, butterfly collars that extended out past the shoulders or as the large bell sleeves styles of evening dresses. Evening dresses were now more fitted and skimming at the back in slinky fabrics. It revealed more of the shape of the back and bottom. This was much more acceptable now that swimwear had shrunk considerably for more effective tanning. Backless became common place in swimwear and evening wear alike. Similarly lower and more revealing necklines emerged with low V fronts, low hems under the arms and thin straps. The beginning of the decade saw the great depression hit especially in America. As money was tight and clothes became more of a luxury it helped bridge the gap between the different styles of dress across the classes. Movie going rose in popularity and photography pictures were more available partly because as people were struggling financially and alcohol was prohibited they looked towards Hollywood for escape. Pin ups of the decade included Greta Garbo, Ginger Rogers, Mae West, Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich, and Jean Harlow. This was also the decade where America really adopted the usually European art of burlesque for escape and other pin ups emerged such as Gypsy Rose Lee. Towards the end of the 1930s the impending war started to impact. Designers were trying to predict the next trends but no one knew if the war was certain and so it hard to guess which trends would stick. A few universal things did start to emerge that would ultimately shape 1940s fashion. These were more elaborate hats and emphasised waists. Fashion in the 1940s For many years Europe and America had looked to France to dictate most of the major fashion trends. Since Paris was cut off from the rest of the world during its occupation in the Second World War countries had to rely on their own designers to lead them in fashion. Rationing was introduced in June 1941 and continued right through to 1948. It was a way of controlling the amount of clothes purchased by any one person. A ration book contained 66 coupons for everybody over the age of four and were to last the whole year. Some items such as second hand clothes and hats were not rationed which led to many complications and ways around the system. Retailers could sometimes get away with selling new clothes as second hand without the exchange of coupons. In 1942 The British Board of Trade introduced the Utility scheme to control fabric usage and brought out the CC41 utility label. The label launched a range of basics including Suits, dresses, blouses and coats in only a few styles of each. They were all of what would become the classic 1940’s look and shape – wide padded shoulders, nipped in waists with skirts and dresses to just below the knee in a classic A-line shape. In fact the utility clothes became considered quite fashionable. As the clothes were quite plain themselves this saw women look to elaborate hair designs, extravagant hats and sometime bright plastic jewellery to liven up their outfits. Everybody has heard the tales of the low availability of stocking and many women cheating their look by drawing lines up the back of their legs with eye pencil. This was largely due to all the silk being set aside for parachutes and the newly invented nylon not being widely available in Britain yet. The shortage helped the popularity of American soldiers stationed in Britain as many of them would bring nylon stocking with them from the US. Other women took to wearing ankle socks in the summer and some started to wear trousers more especially younger women and those in the work place. The government launched the Make do and Mend champagne to encourage people to reuse old clothes and either repaired them or turn them into new ones. Many patterns and suggestions were released and published in magazines all similar to the utility styles. In the US limits on fabric were imposed in 1942 and lasted until 1946. These L85 laws restricted the use of silk and wool. Subsequently designers used lots of cotton materials especially denim, seersucker and jersey. Styles of 1940s clothes were very similar to those in the UK but less utilitarian, more use of denim and of course a lot more widely available. The U.S bases in Japan during the 40s saw a huge increase of western fashion influence with many girls adopting an all American look as opposed to Japanese traditional dress. Mean while in Paris 1940s fashion had continued in a very different way throughout the war. Many of the major fashion houses shut just before the war broke out. No rationing was imposed as the extra materials would have benefited the occupier, so long full skirts with bustles and corsets were reinstated. When the war ended Paris was keen to reinstate its reputation as the fashion capital and so launched a road show in 1947 across major cities in Europe and US showcasing new designs. It worked although each country did keep a bit more of their individuality than they had done before. Dior was most noted for the ‘new look’ of full skirts and tight waists. It was seen as both a look of optimism for the future by some and wasteful by others. Despite the mixed opinions the new styles dominated well into the 50s. Hollywood was still very much at the forefront of fashion inspiration. Pin ups of the 40s included Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford, Bettie Davis, Judy Garland, Katherine Hepburn, Gene Tierney, Ava Gardner and Vivien Leigh. Fashion in the 1950s Dior and other Parisian designers ‘New Look’ continued to set the fashion style of the 1950s with tailored suits, twin sets, shirt dresses for day wear and for evening cocktail dresses and full length gowns. Most of which were full skirted and finished below the knee. The extensive use of fabric was a real sign of the 50s and a backlash against the restrictions of the war. Some styles were tighter and straighter with emphasised waists such as pencil skirts, pencil skirt dresses and ‘cigarette’ trousers. These were more fashionable amongst slightly younger women. Despite the lifting of rationing in the late 1940s many materials were still restricted and kept for export which would help build the British economy back up to where it had been. Marks and Spenser’s opened their doors in the 1950s and soon became one of the most fashionable and desirable shops for their easy to wear quality clothes. This is also the decade that saw the queen become a fashion icon for many women. Grooming was the most important part of the 50s look with neat hair usually in short curls, page boy styles or shoulder length styles or longer hair in pony tail or with a fringe (or bangs as they are know in the US) for younger girls. The 1950s saw the emergence of Italian designers taking the stage with Pucci’s acid colours and bold pattern designs. In 1954 Chanel reopened and brought back her relaxed suits and jersey dresses which had started to grow in popularity before the war. These styles really came in to their own in the 50s and other designers adapted the more relaxed style. Balenciaga made popular ¾ length sleeves, tunic tops and straight skirts. The US produced more cotton clothing and introduced pedal pushers with matching short jersey tops. They also began to develop many of the man made materials which we still use today and would later come to dominate mainstream fashion in the 60s and 70s because of their easy care nature. These included Nylon, Polyester materials such as Criplene and Acrylic fabrics which could drip dry and didn’t require ironing, significantly cut down the domestic work load. Teenage fashion started to move away from regular styles and saw them emerge as a great consumer power. It was the first time young people had become so significant fashionable in their own right. More denim jeans and jackets, leather jackets, jersey T-shirts, exaggerated petticoats and tight styles of pedal pushers, jumpers and cardigans became fashionable. Film starts, of course, continued to be looked to for the latest fashions and pin ups of the 50s included Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn |