On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 10:18:08 -0300, Joy Beeson
<jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
>Americans wear special clothes for driving -- what we used to call
>"car coats" are now just "coats". When was the last time you saw
>someone in a full-length coat?
I have my father's "Trench Coat" that he bought and wore once on a
trip to Europe in the 1970's. In Los Angeles, he never wore it
claiming that it made him look like a refugee.
>According to the cycles of fashion, the full skirts of the fifties
>should have grown into hoop skirts, then collapsed into bustles. The
>hoops didn't appear, and when bustles showed up on schedule, they were
>wee tiny things that were worn only to very special events.
My father was in the petticoat manufacturing business during the
1950's. Petticoats literally vaporized in 1957 with the launch of
Sputnik and the demise of the Edsel. They were somehow perceived as a
symbol of western decadence and conspicuous consumption. There was
some sales in Africa and in the country western market but it was not
enough to sustain the product line. I think that's why you didn't see
the hoops and bustles after 1957 as they may have followed the
petticoat into ancient history.
Also, I don't think a cyclic pattern like that since the 1950's.
Starting in the 1960's, fashions followed whatever the dropouts and
rejects from society were wearing at the time, which acquired the
"cool" designation.
During the late 50's, the social losers were the Beatniks, which were
instantly emulated and later cloned into almost a uniform. (Sandals,
sweat shirt, jeans, and poetry). So much for non-conformity.
During the 60's, the flower children provided a "natural look" which
did wonders for selling highly un-natural cosmetics and intentionally
destroyed clothing which allegedly looked "natural". (Tie-dye, ripped
jeans, pre-washed, faded colors, etc). At about the same time, media
celebrities were enlisted to push impractical but distinctive
clothing. (Nehru jacket).
I slept through the 1970's during which nothing happened. We had an
energy crisis which resulted in no fashion changes, and higher prices
on everything, which probably explains why nothing changed.
During the 1980's, it became fashionable to be a gang member. Fashions
that made buyers look like they had been recently released from prison
were the rage. No belt baggy pants, used jeans, tattoos, white
T-shirts, and shaved heads were the rage.
The 90's were weird. The First Gulf War produced some rather odd
looking military like fashions, which failed to sell. That resulted
in a series of failed attempts to adjust the details of men's
fashions. The only things that stuck were denim sport coats. For the
women, it became fashionable to look like a prostitute. Heavy makeup,
red/black coloring, high heels, etc. It was more of a caricature than
a copy, but the look still sells well today among those whos parents
are absolutely terrified at that thought. Somewhat later boys
followed suit with the "Goths", where an all black simulated vampire
in black trench coat was a big seller copying some long forgotten TV
character.
I haven't been paying attention for the last ummm... 15 years, but I
have noticed that women's fashions are following a new trend, where
the symbols overlap. For example, I've seen skool kids looking like a
conglomeration of anime dolls and vamps, or for the boys, muscle men
in ultra tight pants. I have some theories, but I probably don't want
to know how those combinations work.
So, that leaves use with bicycle fashions, which in my never humble
opinion have been a lost cause. There is only so much that can be
done with a jersey. For the last 50 years, bicycle jerseys have been
nothing more than wearable billboards for sponsors. For lesser riders
that lack a sponsor, something cryptic in a foreign language will
suffice. Due to the lack of surface area, the jersey has been drawn
and quartered much in the same way as the mediaeval shield, with each
sponsor doing their best to monopolize their quarter. Short of LED
lighting or flexible LCD images on the jersey, I can't think of much
else that might become fashionable.
What's needed is to replace the bicycle jersey with something else. I
think I have the answer. Safety fashions. The safety jersey will
have all the visibility and attention grabbing features commonly found
in fashions. Garish colors, obnoxious patterns, reflective tape,
flashing lights, direction signals, air bags, water cooling, numerous
pockets, Kevlar vest, traffic camera, smartphone wiring, touchpad
area, sewn-in speakers, etc. Whether any of this stuff will do
anything useful is inconsequential. What's important is that it
identifies the user as someone concerned about safety. If sold
correctly, this could also extend into a collection of safety
streetwear fashions.
Someone is certain to notice that cycling fashions do not quite fit
the street fashions pattern of following the societies losers and
celebrities. This is because cyclists are sufficiently headstrong and
arrogant to not require anyone to follow. At best, they follow each
other, which leads to circular patterns and little change. Change in
components, geometry, and fashions come very slowly. However, I
should point out that the original downhill (mountain bike) sector did
not come from the traditional manufacturers, but rather from a group
of misfits who failed to use their bicycles in the generally approved
manner. For fashions, maybe rock shredded jeans or gauze bandages
covered in road dust.
I have no inside information on the next fashion trend in street
clothes or bicycling. They come and go at alarming rates, as the
fashion industry tries one bizarre idea after another in the hope that
one of them will actually work. I still occasionally read Women's
Wear Daily to keep up to date. Here's the latest issue:
<
http://wwd.com/wwd-publications/wwd/2015-07-29-10194001/>
and for men:
<
http://wwd.com/menswear-news/fashion/mens-trends-new-york-market-week-10193675/slideshow/>
Sigh... Fortunately, I haven't recently seen many bicycle fashions
but you can get a clue from the "lifestyle" section:
<
http://wwd.com/menswear-news/lifestyle/>
--
Jeff Liebermann
je...@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D
http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS
831-336-2558