Idk if you dodged this discourse about the market for beat up Birkins in 2033, but it reminds me of what you said re quiet luxury making capitalism less ostentatious but more powerful at the same time https://coveteur.com/beat-up-handbag-trend
In contrast, his niece Françoise was an actual Nazi and hung around with types like Savitri Devi. There’s a book called Death by Dior that’s about her life. This review from the Spectator (seems right - terrible pun intended) makes a case that she was a real Sadean cover girl : https://archive.is/MdwGT
I know nothing about the Dior family, but will look into this. I'm thinking that haute couture is definitely inseparable from the rise of interwar European Fascism: who will write that book?
She talks about the Entre Nazionale della Moda (National Fashion Body) and their role promoting/regulating the Italian fashion industry. There’s a whole bit about how they responded to sanctions levied on Italy as a result of the war in Ethiopia, among other topics.
Thank you too. I think, that despite her obvious success and influence, the fact that Mary Quant doesn’t spring to mind as an avatar of fashion is very much to her credit.
I also think that Quant's look was taken to NYC and when it was adopted by Edie Sedgwick of the Factory, it lost its connection to working girls and became associated with trust fund kids who became junkies.
Yes, I think her US legacy might have gotten retroactively swallowed up by the Myth of Edie. Although circa 1967 you could find Quant’s clothes at your local mall - JC Penny’s IIRC - and her most obvious US equivalent, Paraphernalia, was more “kooky” than arch
I've been wearing Carhartt for over fifty years. I wore it on the job as a welder and industrial electrician. We had to buy it on the job from one of our union brothers who made extra cash by selling on the job. Here in Pittsburgh Abe Bernstein's work clothes sold Carhartt to generations of steel workers. There was no window displays just racks of work clothes and a counter covered in union decals. The store is gone now and a new Carhartt store opened on the mall. They are doing a booming business; not a worker in sight. On the upside, I saw a teenage girl the other day in a Mary Quant style mini and go go boots. A taste sixties London and hope for fashion.
Also I've just discovered Myra Wolfgang, the battling belle of Detroit. A union leader with never a hair out of place....second wave feminists like Betty Friedan hated her loyalty to her union brothers.
I’m pretty sure Mary- “ I make clothes for working girls to run to the bus in” Quant was unfashy
Yes— thanks for this…
Wait, what? A Birkin bag is now 27K USD? Is this a joke?
https://www.therealreal.com/products/women/handbags/handle-bags/hermes-2023-togo-birkin-25-i3249
Idk if you dodged this discourse about the market for beat up Birkins in 2033, but it reminds me of what you said re quiet luxury making capitalism less ostentatious but more powerful at the same time https://coveteur.com/beat-up-handbag-trend
oh my god.....accessible luxury....what?
These are really good questions. I’m glad you asked them and am going to think about them more.
Somewhat related to your post, but have you read much about the Dior family? His sister died in a concentration camp and was a member of the resistance: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/miss-dior-catherine-christian-nazi-b1981709.html. It’s thought he named the perfume Miss Dior for her.
In contrast, his niece Françoise was an actual Nazi and hung around with types like Savitri Devi. There’s a book called Death by Dior that’s about her life. This review from the Spectator (seems right - terrible pun intended) makes a case that she was a real Sadean cover girl : https://archive.is/MdwGT
I know nothing about the Dior family, but will look into this. I'm thinking that haute couture is definitely inseparable from the rise of interwar European Fascism: who will write that book?
I hope someone does! I’d read it.
I know Eugenia Paulicelli wrote a book about fashion under fascism in Italy a number of years ago: https://eugeniapaulicelli.com/fascism/
She talks about the Entre Nazionale della Moda (National Fashion Body) and their role promoting/regulating the Italian fashion industry. There’s a whole bit about how they responded to sanctions levied on Italy as a result of the war in Ethiopia, among other topics.
She also wrote a follow up I never got around to reading on fashion, film, and modernity under fascism: https://eugeniapaulicelli.com/fascism/
Thank you too. I think, that despite her obvious success and influence, the fact that Mary Quant doesn’t spring to mind as an avatar of fashion is very much to her credit.
I also think that Quant's look was taken to NYC and when it was adopted by Edie Sedgwick of the Factory, it lost its connection to working girls and became associated with trust fund kids who became junkies.
An oddly threadbare but pretty darn insightful doc about Quant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwjL-fxHZII
Yes, I think her US legacy might have gotten retroactively swallowed up by the Myth of Edie. Although circa 1967 you could find Quant’s clothes at your local mall - JC Penny’s IIRC - and her most obvious US equivalent, Paraphernalia, was more “kooky” than arch
I've been wearing Carhartt for over fifty years. I wore it on the job as a welder and industrial electrician. We had to buy it on the job from one of our union brothers who made extra cash by selling on the job. Here in Pittsburgh Abe Bernstein's work clothes sold Carhartt to generations of steel workers. There was no window displays just racks of work clothes and a counter covered in union decals. The store is gone now and a new Carhartt store opened on the mall. They are doing a booming business; not a worker in sight. On the upside, I saw a teenage girl the other day in a Mary Quant style mini and go go boots. A taste sixties London and hope for fashion.
Also I've just discovered Myra Wolfgang, the battling belle of Detroit. A union leader with never a hair out of place....second wave feminists like Betty Friedan hated her loyalty to her union brothers.
https://historicimages.com/products/dfpb91577