Fantastic trends and how they were born!

Back to another lesson in the history of clothes! No! Don’t run away, it will be fun! Heres a link to the previous article, Link! You may not know where your Vans came from, but here’s a chance to know more!

• Vans : Vans gained a massive following from the West Coast skating community. Skaters and surfers began entering stores and asking for custom-made pairs (the company is famous for its customized services). Then, in the 1980s, Vans hit the big time when a little movie called Fast Times at Ridgemont High hit the theaters. Spicoli (Sean Penn) wore his pair of checkered Vans everywhere, and within weeks the company was producing millions of pairs of the shoe.

  

  Vans

• Driving Shoe : The son of a renowned cobbler, Diego Della Valle first visited America in 1978, and was taken with how Americans “weekended” in chic but casual clothes, which was a stark contrast from Italy which was very formal. He then came up with the idea for a casual luxury shoe, and the classic Tod’s driving shoe was born.

  

  Tod’s Driving Shoe

• Ballet Flats : In medieval times ballet flats were popular with both men and women. They only went out of fashion in the 17th and 18th centuries when the high-heeled shoe came into fashion. Brigitte Bardot was a trained ballet dancer and a devoted fan of ballet shoes. When Bardot signed on to be in Roger Vadim’s 1956 film, And God Created Woman, she asked Rose Repetto(maker of her favourite shoes) to make her a pair of flats to wear. A pair of crimson flats for Bardot were created which she wore in the film. When the film debuted, Bardot and the ballet flats became overnight sensations. Audrey Hepburn wore a pair of ballet flats in Funny Face and they gained noterioty. Now, the same ballet flats that Bardot and Hepburn adored are as desirable as ever.

  

  Ballet Flats

• Trench Coat : Trench coats were created for British soldiers to wear during WWI, for water resistance. Many veterans returning to civilian life kept the coats that became fashionable for both men and women. The coat became a British fashion staple, owing to their weather and style quotient.

  

  Burberry Trench Coat

• Clutch : In the Victorian era, ladies carried small, decorative bags which contained their hankerchiefs and smelling salts. During the WWII, everything had to be downsized and so the clutch became the bag of choice! It soon became a staple in women’s wardrobes.

  

  Clutch

 

Stay tuned to learn more! New post in this series will be up soon!