10 Things I like about the 1990s

Hi everyone!
Hope your week's going great so far.
This week, I'm back to the world of blogging and today I'm continuing my '10 Things I like' series.

The '90s feel like only yesterday, yet they began twenty-one interesting years ago. For fashion, this fascinating decade seems never to have ended.

Kate Moss & Johnny Depp in the '90s, Image via fashiongrunge.com

1. Fashion (con)fusion
After the garish fashion trends of the '80s and the residual glamorous, seductress look, there was an urge to tone things down. This resulted in the first wave of eclectic trends. Retro, grunge, preppy, goth and everything else in between seemed to be going off all at the same time in the early '90s. Clearly, consumers started to use their own styling skills rather than wait for the next fashion trend. We saw a lot of 'reverse influence' – when street style appeared in high fashion collections. The book Fashion Since 1900 states that Dolce & Gabbana showed Hippie, Karl Lagerfield for Chanel used B-Boy and Surf, Rifat Ozbek had Rasta, while Jean-Paul Gautier focused on ethnic-subcultural styles.

Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista for Anna Sui, 1994; Image from blogs.sun-sentinel.com

Dominant colourways of the early '90s were coral, hot pink, and turquoise. Later on, The Gap and Banana Republic popularised black, white and khaki. Flannels were in and jeans were a staple of most wardrobes. Come 1998 to 1999, fashion houses used ultra-luxurious materials like super-fine suede, leather, fur, tweeds, exotic feathers and hand-felted wool.
 

In my previous post Soleful Monday, my shoe designer friend explained that the economic recession of the '80s resulted in higher heels — a projection of denial from financial worries. Historically, heels were associated with wealth and rank; in modern times shoes with higher heels have remained a signifier of wealth, although this is decreasingly true nowadays.
A major feature of the 1990s was financial recovery in the developed world. High-income countries were enjoying affluence, and fashion seemed to relax – becoming more casual and eclectic. Ladies were happy to wear flats and chunky boots.

Image via Felipe Gcomweb40.com

2. Doc Martens and the fat, chunky ones
DMs, trekking boots, and any kind of boots were favourite footwear. Women paired them with floral dresses, jeans or shorts, to go galavanting with friends or on dates.

Lulu Guinness 2011, Image via Retrotogo.com

3. The rise of handbags

Towards the end of the decade, accessories gained momentum and fashion houses focused on the all-important and lucrative handbag as the ultimate accessory. Handbag designers like American Judith Leiber and British Lulu Guinness hit a roll. As glitteratis were photographed everywhere clutching handbags, demand skyrocketed.

4. TV series
Right. This is a bit tricky as I like most of the '90s television serials. My best four are as follows:

❤ Friends became the most popular sitcom because it was funny and everyone can relate to the intimacy of friendship as a universal language. Jennifer Aniston also started the "The Rachel" hair phenomenon. Girls would copy her hair style. This solidified Aniston as an icon of 1990s sitcom and she hasn't left the pages of celebrity magazines since.

❤ Dawson's Creek was the first teen drama which highlighted music as an integral part of the show. I remember waiting, wondering what song will be featured at the end of each episode. The singer or band were also usually up-and-coming artists, which made me admire the series more.

❤ The original Beverly Hills 90210 aired first in October 1990. It featured beautiful, wealthy, troubled teenagers living their lives in a fictional upscale community. All viewers had a crush on most of the beautiful characters and people loved the idea of spying on how residents of Beverly Hills 'live their lives'.

❤ Northern Exposure was my all-time favourite. With its unique combination of poetic comedy and drama, clever story lines and great actors, it was indeed an intelligent TV show. I'll never forget the day I first saw John Corbett and the way he played his part — an unassuming gorgeous DJ in the deepest, coldest Cicely, Alaska. I'm surprised the place didn't melt.

Image from movieposter.com

5. Nirvana

Every decade has its distinctive sound as fashion has its distinctive look.
To say that Nirvana, a band from Seattle, was the last best band of the 20th century is an understatement. Regardless of the controversy that it copied the opening riff of "Come as You Are" from UK's Killing Joke, which, in turn, is said to have copied from The Damned, Nirvana successfully became the premier ambassador of grunge music and fashion. Listening to its Nevermind album opened several layers of delicious tunes for me. 

Grunge fashion was further supported by Anna Sui and Marc Jacobs.

Image from nypost.com

6. Alexander McQueen

Dubbed as "l'enfant terrible" of British fashion due to his unconventional designs and theatrical runways, he was awarded British Designer in 1996 and 1997. His designs were easily recognisable because they broke the mould. Lisa Armstrong of the Times Online summed it up perfectly — "It was not just the props and the models that provided the frisson...showers of live moths; amputees; walking on water; a woman reclining in a vast glass box, almost swallowed up by her rolls of fat and naked apart from her elaborate breathing apparatus; the model Shalmom Harlow being spray-painted by a machine in Jackson Pollock style".

He was credited for the return of low-rise jeans or "bumsters". He never stopped concocting new designs until his death in 2010.

Keanu Reeves, The Matrix (1999); Image via fanpop.com

7. The Matrix
The film that changed movies forever. The action sequence of Keanu Reeves bending backwards to dodge bullets in slow-motion and characters floating and walking on walls, since then, have been the standard of achievement of many good movies in the 21st century. One of the highlights for me was hearing Massive Attack's "Dissolved Girl" quietly playing in Keanu's headphones whilst he was asleep on his desk.

Image from kingygraphicdesignhistory.blogspot.com

8. Nokia phones

We can thank the Finnish company Nokia, for revolutionising phones and digital communication. I remember going through three different mobile phones, trying to have something 'cool' – settling with the 3210. It was the first handset which looked streamlined, thanks to its hidden antenna; it had a bigger screen for text messaging, and a composer function, where you could create your own tunes. I remember creating the X-Men animation's theme tune and thought it was a pretty cool phone.

Without Nokia, there won't be iPhones.

Image from Retail-Guru.com

9.  Ebay

The world's first-ever internet marketplace reinforced globalisation — anywhere in the world, one could suddenly purchase commodities locally or internationally. It may have caused auction houses to lose business but it gave untold opportunities to work at home and sell on-line. It also paved the way for on-line shopping.
Without Ebay, there won't be Etsy.

Image from Wikipedia.org

10. Google

Microsoft's Hotmail may have rocked the world in 1996 as the first free web-based email service, but Google, which officially launched in 1998 as a result of a research project two years before, became 'dot.com's' search engine authority. 

Remember the thrill of 'googling' your crush on the internet? Year after year, it has gone from strength to strength and so we're currently enjoying the maturation of the digital age. These days, there is little that we don't Google.

So what are your memories of the 1990s? Was it a good decade for you? Are you a '90s fan? What don't you like about the decade?

Thanks for reading.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

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Source:

Wikipedia.org

More to read:

"10 Things I like about the 1980s"
"10 Things I like about the 1970s"
"10 Things I love about the 1960s"
"10 Things I like about the 1950s"

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10 Things I like about the 1980s

This post is part of Links à la Mode: The IFB Weekly Roundup   

and I'm grateful to V of Grit and Glamour for including me.

I got an email from a friend who asked if I'm continuing my series of 'Ten things I like..' As you may have noticed, I have been distracted with other things. But it’s time to continue.

Before the vintage purists among you flinch and wail "Oooo no. Eighties!", this is my take on this decade of madness. I'm proud to say I grew up in the '80s and I have many fond memories of them. The words 'tacky', 'bad music', 'bad hair', and 'bad clothes' are usually associated with the 1980s, and with perfect justification. But it was a decade of tumultuous change, and the world would be a big, boring place had we not had it.

So I hope you'll give me a chance.

Image from sburke.eu

1. Rubik's Cube
Hands up those who grew up in the '80s without handling one? I didn't think so.

Originally created by Ernő Rubik in the early '70s to teach his students in Budapest the concept of 3D objects, it was finally introduced in February 1980 at toy fairs in London, Paris, Nuremberg, and New York.

I never completed the puzzle, but always gave it a good go. One day I peeled off the stickers, interchanged them and convinced my older brothers that I've done it. I felt a little guilty, later.

This has got to be my favourite '80s icon. It's also the best-selling toy in the world according to some reports. The good news is, you can now watch online tutorials showing how to solve the puzzle. Yay!

Image from Omis.m

2. MTV
August 1, 1981 was a phenomenal day. MTV aired its first show and the era of musical videography began. The idea that you could watch your favourite artists sing for you all day long was mind-blowing. It also created a new media role – that of the VJ, who linked the videos with dialogue.
I particularly liked Thriller by Michael Jackson. To me it was kinda like a horror film, but one in which the characters were singing and dancing. Hey, nothing's cheesy when you're a child.
I come from a musical family. We used to have MTV playing in the front room and soaking up the bands' visual aesthetic and of course fashion trends, blissfully unaware of their powerful influence on young people.

Image from Lovesceneonline.com

3. Colour Blocking
It's been around since the 1930s. From Piet Mondrian's 'Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow', to YSL's 1960s 'Mondrian Day Dress'. In the 1980s it was present in many of the clothes we wore. But back then nobody pointed it out as a particular fashion trend. It was simply how bright clothes were put together.

Image from Liketotally80s.com

4. Madonna
The reigning Queen of Pop
Whatever your take on Madonna, nobody can deny her iconic status. She burst onto the pop music scene in the early ’80s, and pretty much shaped its future.

Before becoming a megastar she was an A student and was in a scholarship program. Did you know that? I didn't. Her voice might not be spectacular but she has a perfect pitch and can play the guitar and drums, apart from being flexible and all that. To me she’s a heroine for constantly embracing new knowledge and techniques, and surviving in the world of business. Talk about going with the flow.

Image from Profilebrand.com

5. Boombox
Simply known as radio cassette player, it was great for taking around your friend's place to hang out, listen to FM radio stations, make and play cassette tapes, and even record vocal inputs. Remember the band sessions you had in your parents' garage or spare room, trying to record your own music, i.e. playing covers?

The boombox, which also went by several names which simply couldn’t be used nowadays, appeared in the '70s but was popularised in the '80s. Breakdancing and hip-hop wouldn't be the same without it.

Image from My Retrospace

6. Jane Fonda Workout
Leotards, check. Leg warmers, check. VCR, check.
Jane Fonda and her aerobics videos pioneered the fitness craze for the baby boomers of the '80s. Nothing wrong with a bit of exercise, I say.

Image from Wikipedia

7. IBM PC
As a vintage collector, I've come across some later models and I can't contain the 'geek within'. I'd run my fingers on its monitor, CPU, floppy disk portal, down to its clunky keyboard. With a prominent industrial look, I am in awe as always, as without this first 'home/office computer', there won't be advancement in the Internet, worldwide web, gaming, software development, facebook, twitter, eBay, and, let’s face it, blogging.

Image from Collider.com

8. '80s TV
Primetime soaps became ever more popular and detective series such as Magnum PI, Miami Vice, 21 Jump Street, and action adventure series like The A-Team shaped the imaginations of my friends and I.
Whatever tickled your fancy, you were bound to be following a series.

Image from Flashingblade.net

9. Pacman
C'mon. You've got to like this little yellow, open-mouthed button trying to gobble up dots, whilst avoiding the jelly ghosts named Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. When Google used it as an interactive doodle to commemorate its 30th anniversary last year, I tried playing it for hours and still could never win.

Pacman became the marker in the history of arcade gaming. Its success is due to brand awareness. The creation of Pacman merchandise helped a lot. For me, I guess it's because it was played by both boys and girls. Also, everybody likes the concept of a maze, getting rewarded a lot of points, gaining life back, and being able to run away as fast as you can from the enemy. What great fun!

Image from Quotednews

10. Bloodless Revolution of 1986
With all the political unrest in the news lately, I am reminded of my first-hand experience of the first-ever peaceful revolution in human history - the 1986 Philippine revolution that saw the end of Ferdinand Marcos' regime and the creation of democracy. I wish the current troubled countries could pull off what my fellow countrymen did.

In February 1986, two to three million people came out to call for Marcos' resignation and install the people's elected president, Corazon Aquino, who was also the country's first female president. (Time magazine awarded her the title 'Icon of Democracy').

It's been said that this event inspired the Fall of Berlin Wall in 1989. Something like this isn't easily done and perhaps we were lucky as a nation. But there's nothing stopping anyone to emulate this little miracle.

So, there you are my friends.
I hope this justifies my fondness for the '80s.

What was it like growing up in the '80s for you? Do you subscribe to the notion that the '80s was the worst decade ever? Or are you loving the cheese, bright colours and seismic changes?

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Source:
Wikipedia.com
Eightiesclubtripod.com
              

10 Things I Like about the 1970s

Original Ossie Clark Maxi, Image from c20th Vintage Fashion

Alex Drake Vintage Collection, 1970s Maxi with Bolero jacket

1. Maxi Dress
Floaty maxis are back. You're probably rolling your eyes by now and saying "yes, we know!" but I just had to post this.
I still maintain that the style's premier exponent, Ossie Clark contributed so much to the fashion world in the '70s. Although the end of his life saw him in poverty and abandonment, his creations will always stay with and inspire us.
Only three years ago, Avsh Alom Gur tried to re-launch the brand, but failed. How satisfying it is to see that maxis are in season this year!
Pity the fashion buyers who failed to spot the timelessness of Ossie's trademark free-flowing, carefree chiffon and crepe dresses. Hopefully they're now kicking themselves for not buying.

Alex Drake Vintage Collection, ASOS with Sergio Rossi Heel

2. Wedges
Thanks to the efforts of Salvatore Ferragamo during the 1930s, the humble clog evolved into the wedge. I personally like wedges because they are more practical than high-heeled shoes (pair them with anything, darling), yet oh-so glamorous.
It has since enjoyed a revival in the '70s and again in the '90s. But because I remember my big sister's '70s wooden wedges when I was in pre-school, I've always associated them as being an all-time hit in the '70s. Everybody had a pair.

Image from Vintage Shoes by Caroline Cox

3. Hot pants
They're short and versatile, come in cotton, denim, leather and PVC. You can pair them with wedges, heels, pumps, etc. You can run, walk, jump and climb as fast as you can without snagging your clothes on anything. They look incredibly sexy, too.

Image from Skateboarding Magazine

4. Skateboards and Skateboarding
OK, so Farrah Fawcett had a stunt double on Charlie's Angels. But she really did inspire me to get on a skateboard. The invention of polyurethane wheels around 1973, produced a smooth ride and decent turning ability.  There's something about the free-flowing, dance-like, trance-like fluid movement as you direct your skateboard forwards, side-to-side, feeling air across your face. You're at peace, but aware of speed, seeing the distorted images of people and things that you pass...
For me skateboarding is as close as I can get to the high of surfing, out of water.

Image from Trekbbs

5. Pan-Am
There was a time when air travel equated to a glamorous lifestyle. If you were a stewardess, then you were truly beautiful, well-dressed, and all women would want to be in your shoes.
In 1970, the first Pan-Am Boeing 747 landed in Heathrow. The era of mass global travel had begun.

Image from Productioncars.com

6. Datsun 240Z
Sleek, fast for a classic car, and oh-so gorgeous. It is the 1970s, rendered in metal.

If I ever make money from blogging, shall have one for myself!

Image from Modern Design Interior

7. Boby Trolley
Just 226 miles north from where we live, in Padua, a highly talented Italian designer called Joe Colombo created a versatile, portable, vertical storage unit. Nowadays it is a stylish presence in art and design studios, hairdressers and even homes.

Image from Coolpicking

8. Punk
The then anti-fashion, anti-establishment movement whose name lend itself to Punk music was in every way revolutionary. Fashion and music became the look and sound of a significant social shift. Britain in the Seventies has been considered the crucible of societal change.

Image from Digicam History

9. Walkman
This made possible the revolutionary idea of being able to listen to music anywhere and everywhere, without disturbing other people.
It seems obvious now, but without the Walkman, there would be no iPod.

Image Alex Drake Vintage

10. Reggae
As the '70s was a period of revolution, people found themselves wanting to reach out more, happy to declare their views. Art, music and fashion evolved into something new.
From the '60s Jamaican beginnings of Reggae, it became popular in Britain, and the world, largely through the output of Bob Marley and The Wailers.
The off-beat rhythm was a platform for declaring spiritual, ecological and political views, and a soundtrack to the growing voice of multicultural Britain. It's been said that Reggae has influenced Punk music.



References:
wikipedia.org
nickelinthemachine.com
news.bbc.co.uk

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10 things I love about the 1960s

 

Image by FC Gundlach

1. Mini  

Not the car - though I'm quite fond of it - I'm in fact talking about the Mini dress. 

Young people in the '60s suddenly found themselves wanting to wear non-conforming clothes. 

Different and radical was the theme of fashion. 

Mary Quant may have popularised the Mini dress, 

but the real 'inventor' was John Bates, best known for 'the smallest dress in the world', 

bikini dress, pvc clothing, and embroidered empire line evening dresses.

Image of Nancy Kwan via americanparlor.blogspot.com

 2. Vidal Sassoon haircut  

The iconic Vidal Sassoon produced geometric yet organic haircuts. 

Best known for the revival of the bob haircut, Vidal Sassoon helped 

'shape' the definitive women's hairstyle of the '60s.

Image via artnhustle.com

 3. Jackie Kennedy 

The First Lady who set new standards regarding dress, 

elegance, good manners and strength in the face of adversity. 

Image Alex Drake Vintage

4. Op Art 

The mesmerizing, mathematically-based, three-dimensional visual treat 

that Optical Art offered in paintings, tv adverts, textiles and clothing, 

and even on album covers, had so much novelty that it was popular for several years.

Image from Vintage Handbags by Marnie Fogg

5. Bags, bags, and bags 

The pastel coloured, patent bags of this period 

are just so yummy you could almost taste them. 

Image via sohopeople.co.uk

6. Boutiques of London 

From Carnaby Street to King's Road, these places housed 

new and enterprising small shops, eager to bring fresh fashion and style 

to an urban youth wanting and needing instant gratification and radical change.

Image Alex Drake Vintage

7. The original Biba 

With Barbara Hulanicki's vision, wonderful taste for an eclectic shop interiors, 

plus attention to clothing details, Biba, which started in Kensington, 

became a huge London brand, famous across the globe. 

People loved Biba's simple ethos of providing affordable, beautiful clothing, 

in a socially conducive environment - it had a rooftop for parties, and

some people even ended up getting married after courtships held 

in that magnificent place.

It also was the first brand to offer free 'make-up trial before purchase'.

Image via intretrostore.com

8. Space Age 

With the Space race on between the U.S.S.R. and the USA 

(who would put the first man on the moon?), the world of fashion, art, film, furniture, 

and home electronics turned to science fact and fiction for influence and inspiration. 

The above photo is a Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio, produced in 1966. 

Dubbed as 'a room within a room', it was meant to provide 

privacy within a delightful cosy space. From its debut in 1966, 

its architectural and functional qualities make it a furniture classic.

Image from Decorative Art '60s, by C&P Fiell, Taschen

9. Habitat 

With designer Terence Conran at its helm, Habitat in the ’60s 

displayed goods in a minimalist way 

as inspired by Scandinavian shops. 

Its stock was affordable, tasteful and truly useful. 

Image from Sixties Design by P. Garner, Taschen
Photo by Peter Max 

10. Cosmic ’60s Art 

This print by Peter Max was popular in American dorm rooms. 

Thanks to his four-colour reproduction printing technique, 

he created countless colourful prints cheering people up. 

Looking at his work, I've always considered him as 

a grandfather of contemporary graphic design. 

'Love' is a powerful word, and one that I love. 

I'm saying it again...Spread the love.  

References:
fashionmodeldirectory.com
oparthistory.com
bibacollection.co.uk
Decorative Art '60s by C&P Fiell
Sixties Design by Philippe Garner
Vintage Handbags by Marnie Fogg

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