Why High Fashion Was So Much Better in the 1950s
But another facet of fashion know-how emerges in this documentary: Schuberth understood the importance of appearance, and the power of well-made clothing to improve a person’s status in life. He cared — really cared — about his clients. “To reach success,” he said, “a woman should be always chic, elegant, special, always a la page [French for "with-it"], modern … because an elegant woman has more chance to have success.” He also cared about women who weren’t his clients, but wanted to be, opening a boutique that sold lower-priced versions of his heady, movie-set-ready creations (like “Project Runway” alumnus Christian Siriano, a worthy Schuberth heir, who designs gorgeous shoes for Payless and recently opened a retail store in New York City).
And long before today’s popular concept of televised makeovers, Schuberth mounted a campaign to improve the appearance of one high-profile woman whose beauty he admired, but whose style he found appalling: Princess Margaret. Newsreels feature Schuberth offering the Princess fashion tips, while archival footage and stills show the designer sketching entire wardrobes of elegant, modern looks just for her. Reality-TV producers would be all over that as a show concept today, to be sure. But watching his repeated attempts to constructively critique Princess Margaret’s outdated look, one gets the distinct impression that Schuberth waged his crusade not just for the notoriety of it all, but because he sincerely wanted Queen Elizabeth’s kid sister to look her modern best.
I agree with you. Very few boutiques understand the figure of the mature woman, they design couture for the figure of teenage boys – for women. What is beautiful in women of today? Their hair stylists can’t cut straight, nor use a comb. Most women look like they combed their hair with a towel. As to overall style, absolutely nothing is done to flatter curves of any kind.
And color? I remember when color was stunning. Pattern fit into the design in the most flattering way. Today colors are unimaginative with the use of pattern somewhat resembling the painter’s apron rather than the portrait.
There is no style today. I buy classics from Ralph Lauren, and blend, just like everybody else. Not exactly a la page, but I don’t scare the children, either.
I also miss Edith Head.
Spot on. Gay fashion designers design for their own desires, 13 year old boys.
There must be much crying and nashing of teath with the popularity of Christia Hendricks. Even fashion magazines are begining to airbrush in curves instead of airbrushing them out.
Christina.
You are right on the money. The gay designers don’t want women with hips and breasts they want 13 year old boys. Notice all the “stylish” haircuts where women with long lustrous locks chop them all off til they look like chemo victims? And then the “experts” rave over how “sexy” they look. Why do I care what a gay fashionista thinks is sexy? He doesn’t want to sleep with me anyway!
Blame Prada for the sickening colors and nauseating prints, but what do you expect from a life long lefty.
Merrie, so true. I realized this years ago. The models have gotten skinnier and skinnier. Gay designers haven’t designed for women’s curves since the 1950′s. In the 1960′s when everyone got ‘liberated’ clothes were designed for rail thin women; and in the 1970′s I noticed how the women looked like skeletons. It’s sad. We need clothing designers who actually like women’s bodies, to design for women.
The best part about “high fashion” back then is that the designers stayed in the closet.
Spot on, Camelita. Loved your comment. I miss beautiful clothing.
Next thing you know they’ll be complaining that modern music is without melody or harmony.
Most of the modern Music? that I hear from cars driven by teenagers and young people is c r a p. Hip-hop, rap it is all garbage. Absolute rubbish. What happened to beautiful music, tunes that got in your ear and stayed there. Rap and hip-hop is just so much trash. And look at the way they dress. Pants hanging below their rears. Not a good look, don’t want to see some kids behind.
I started sewing in the fifties because I couldn’t afford to buy good-looking clothes. How I wish I had kept those Vogue patterns I had! They would still look good today. I guess Vogue agrees with me because the catalogue now has some re-issued patterns from those days.
Because everyone wasn’t so damn fat?
Women wear their prettiest clothes all the time.
I find that not following fashion is the answer. My hair is curled and carefully arranged. I would not be caught dead in low rise pants; they cut the body in the wrong place. I do not wear the wild colors and prints; I wear the solids that flatter me. And I make sure the colors I wear actually go well together. Guess what? I am referred to as “elegant” and I still get admiring looks from the male sex, even at my age. Designers of today don’t want women to look nice; I can’t imagine why not. And I find it hard to understand why even the young wear their clothing. Can’t they see how sloppy they look?
Perhaps it’s my age; no one is going to convince me to look ugly in order to be fashionable.
I enjoy the arts, fashion & literature pieces on PJM. I think that puts it above other conservative sites on the web.