PART TWO- SUBCULTURE BLOG

Before deciding on my subculture I began to think of why I came into fashion and what inspires my current ideas. Then maybe I could get into the core of what influences my style and puts me in a subculture.

I take great pride in my pinterest board patterns and texture, it is a visual display of the type of style I like. However the things on there can be very varied as well. I know that I love texture and detail, wether that's structured or abstract. I honestly find it difficult to design anything without wanting to embroider and embellish it with swarovski crystals. I love vintage and I'm a hoarder, because you never know when you could use something again. I like the thought of wearing something completely  unique, and owning something that was part of another era. I find it difficult to pinpoint where I belong because I like so many aspects of different subcultures, which can contradict each other.

I honestly do not think that I fit into one subculture. When researching subcultures, a couple grabbed my attention: Mod, Folk, Hippy and Bohemian.

To help me discover my subculture I began looking at the past. From when subcultures began in 50/60s teenagers to the current day, I watched The Don Letts Subculture films which actually focus on male fashion, it seems that changes in male fashion have more of an impact, since womens fashion changes so rapidly. I found that a lot of the subcultures revolve around the modernists (mod) that put their own twist on the teddy boys. They were described as "working class dandies" descendants from the devotees of italian style. They were a little pop and a little beatnik, bold and graphic. I feel like I can realate to the original modernists..they were always dressed up, pin sharp, they want to live fashionable not just on the weekends. When I go shopping I always find myself buying clothes that are not everyday, e.g fitted jackets, skirts, dresses for going out or formal occasions, just because I like them. I have been told in the past that I dress a bit "posh" when I'm as common as you can get.

My grandmother in the 50s wearing an oversized blazer

I think to some extent I have gotten some of that from my grandmother, who is always well dressed for any occasion. I also own some of the old clothes that she gave me.

Mary Quant

I love how the mod girls took what the men did and put their own twist to it. It's still the same clean simple style, but feminine, short skirts, streamlined forms. I love these outfits, especially the shoes! It all seems carefree, fun and young. 

This is a close up of the trousers my grandmother gave me. Which has become a big part of my wardrobe since I wear them all the time. 

This is my cambridge satchel. It's probably the most expensive bag I've ever bought. I like it because it's a classic style. I was adament that I was going to have one and I couldn't forget my initials. 

Although I love the mod style, for me it can be too simplistic, and when I'm designing I like to think about different styles and silhouettes, the stuctured form limits possibilities. I also think about how clean cut, simple, perfect they could be, and I'm just not. 

My shoes are never polished, my hair is free flowing, (wild) not in a perfect, straight pixie cut. I think I would embrace the mod look but in a sloppy way. 

Other subcultures which I think I can relate to is Hippy/Bohemian/folk. Although these subcultures are different, I feel that they all intertwine and have developed in a similar way.

I like the sense of freedom, psychedelic, colourful and expressive, eccentric, offbeat and artistic. Girly but grounded as well. I can imagine a girl with tousled, scraggy hair and dirty bare feet in a field but shes wearing a lace gown and a floral garland. It's very pure.
The hippies and bohemians were very experimental with clothing; the look originates from many different cultures.

"The Hippy Trail" is an acronysm for some of the young 'beat' generation of the 1950s-1970s who traveled through Istanbul to India, as an escape from the capitalist, mainstream culture in the West, they felt nostalgic and felt a need to go to a place that's pure, untouched and uncontaminated. In turn they discovered different cultures, different dress, which influenced their fashions. I am inspired by their desire to explore the world, to leave conformity.

 

I think what inspired me most about hippies, isn't the subculture itself, but from where the styles come from. the diffusion of style from the east to the west, which is the same with bohemians and folk. I like the combination of traditional clothing and modern patterns in this picture. i especially like the cloggs, a reminder of my own culture in Wales, where cloggs are worn for folk dancing.

 

Laura Ashley 1970s. Floral nostalgic dresses.  

 

Valentino. Folk style dresses. I love Valentino!

What I admire most about Valentino is that he makes clothes that are purely beautiful. These dresses have the essence of freeflowing, hippy style, but it is sophisticated. rich and fresh. The detail is everything. 

 

I made this combination about two years ago. I took a page from a magazine which had a modish edge to it and scanned in some vintage abric from an old chair and overlaid it. 

 

In conclusion my subculture is hippy/mod. Although they seem worlds appart, through this project I will attempt to experiment and combine the two/ ecide my favourite. to discover my own aesthetic.