The camouflage pattern that is so ubiquitous in Western clothing styles was developed to hide machinery during World War I; it only became a pattern for clothing for troops in World War II. “Camo” is key for war because it helps items blend into the background and it disrupts the shape of forms. Largely because of Army Surplus Stores, camo became a pattern used in street fashion in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The meaning of camo in this period varied from antiwar protest to a reconnection with n

Throughout Jean Paul Gaultier’s career he has created a recognizable body of work based on iconic looks including trench coats, corsets, and berets, among others. But first and foremost, Gaultier has come to be permanently associated with the Breton stripe top, also known as la marinière, or a “sailor” top. From its origins as a staple of the sailor’s uniform in the Bretagne region of France, then in the entire French navy, the shirt has retained an aura of romance and simplicity that has appeale

From being queen of punk in the mid-1970s, Vivienne Westwood slightly moved, from the 1980s, to being a supporter of British fashion’s establishment. Inspired by traditional craftsmanship and eighteenth-century art, the designer has since infused her collections with historicism. With her fall/winter 1993–1994 “Anglomania” show, Vivienne Westwood epitomized her interest in English and Scottish traditions while mingling masculine tailoring with outrageously feminine forms. Featuring laced bodices,

Abbott H. Thayer, artist and naturalist, hailed the coloration and patterning of animals to be the pinnacle of “obliterative camouflage,” yet the use of animal print in fashion serves to draw attention to the wearer. Fabrics and hides printed to mimic the fur or skins of animals have been used in fashionable clothing since the eighteenth century and a catwalk staple since the 1930s. The cultural connotations of animal prints are complex and divisive; they are considered glamorous and gauche in eq

The fabric that’s never out of fashion; tartan is indelibly associated with punk and Vivienne Westwood, but its use in fashion reaches much farther back, to its peak of popularity in the nineteenth century, and forward via Alexander McQueen and on into many of today’s most memorable collections. At once traditional and revolutionary, conservative and subversive, tartan is genderless, instantly recognizable, and infinitely adaptable. Beloved as much by Japanese, European, and American designers as

Shown in the tents at Bryant Park, New York, Bill Blass’s fall/winter 1997 collection did not have any one particular theme. Instead, he designed simple, classic clothes encompassing a range of styles and looks. There were hints of the 1980s, a decade that other designers—such as Oscar de la Renta—looked to for inspiration for their own fall collections. There were animal prints—ranging from giraffe to python—that glorified the animal kingdom, cubist-patterned velvet jackets over wool pants, and

Floral designs are ubiquitous in fashion. They appear reliably with each new season, spring or fall, as designers attempt to find new ways to iterate this now traditional motif. The history of floral textiles is complex. Flower designs have been intimately tied up with colonialism and the convergence of cultures of dress; however, the patterns themselves are often seen in simplistic terms as signifying femininity or pastoral innocence. Florals can translate the beauty of the natural world onto th

Dolce & Gabbana’s spring/summer collection of 1997 capitalized on their strengths. Sensual chiffon hugged curvaceous (but trim) hips and bra straps peeked out from under delicate, negligee-inspired fishtail gowns. The palette of the runway was punctuated by animal prints and florals, often visible beneath the sheer material of the dresses or through open-weave crochet sweaters. Their look is sexy and upbeat, drawing influence from Domenico Dolce’s Sicilian heritage and the imagery of Italian film

Quirky, colorful, and colliding: with its juxtaposed styles, influences, and prints, Westwood created a discordant harmony in her fall/winter Red Label collection of 1999. It was the sixth collection that Westwood had produced for her Red Label line, and it was a rapid departure from those of other designers that season. Among Westwood’s peers, the key trends were plain fabrics and creamy, muted colors; Westwood clashed brights, checks, and prints. In contrast to the clean, understated, minimalis

Models raise their hands in the air as victorious athletes. The stripes that accent their clothing increase the perception of speed and movement as they walk the catwalk, sportily kicking the air as they traverse. Vivienne Westwood’s spring/summer collection of 1984 was named after the ancient Greek personification of sleep, Hypnos, yet deliberately contrasted its namesake with bold, illuminating, and awakening flashes of neon, in a gesture of defiance that is typical of Westwood’s oeuvre.

Spots, dots, spheres, circles, and even “splats” are central to the expression of fashion as fun. With reference to 1950s bobby-soxers and nostalgic soda fountains, child-like innocence, summer vacations, dance, and escapism in general, spotty fashion has, since the 1970s, embraced humor and playfulness. Yet, prior to this date, dots in fashion and in representation in general have negotiated a paradoxical relationship with taste, encompassing both the naive and the sophisticated, which has incre

Two years after the acquisition of Givenchy by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey (LVMH), Givenchy’s fall/winter 1990 collection struggled to negotiate its legacy as a couture line and produce designs to appeal to a contemporary clientele. Elements that had worked in favor of the house in the 1980s drew criticism. While other designers unstructured their silhouettes, Givenchy presented square shoulders on wool suits and evening wear alike. Gold lamé and organza dresses with short, dipping hemlines were