Paris 1928- the bash before the crash. Paris somehow rebuilt its city, attracting great people. It became known as one of the most glamorous cities in the world- elegant, mysterious, full of hope. The rich went there to live the high life, whereas the poor went there because things were cheap. It was a city of belief, people believed they would succeed upon visiting this new creative Paris.
After the devastation of WW1, Paris had to rebuild its self, which ultimately saw it enter the creative decade. Paris saw it attract writers and artists, all wanting to reinvent themselves. There was a high chance of success at this time, and the city gave anyone a chance to fulfill their dreams, make money. It was a period of revival, the city had become liberated and people were beginning to recover from the war, enjoying what life brings. Thousands of people all over the world went to Paris to better their life, reinvent their selves. It was the high year before the 1929 wall street crash, causing depression and loss of money to 40,000 wealthy Americans living in Paris.
The 1920s became a decade of artistic movements. This included surrealism, a revolution that changed the world. This perhaps celebrated the end of the war, and drew on the devastating and absurd human experiences- the crossover of reality and imagination. Artists included in this movement were Rene Magritte, who started to paint surrealist paintings, 1928 being his most successful year. He played around with the bazaar tension between dreams and reality. Magritte discovered it was all too easy to confuse images with reality, perhaps at first glance surrealism appears scary and confusing, but the idea of the real world is a lot more dense and scary- overcomplicated. One of Magritte's most famous work, 'The False Mirror', took the interior world and bought it outside, exposing it.
Another artist/ filmmaker, Luis Būnuel, thrived in the 1920s. He was said to be an 'iconoclast, moralist and revolutionary who was a leader of the avant-garde surrealism'. Buneul co-wrote and directed a 16 minute film Un Chien Andalou with Salvador Dali. The film consists of a series of startling images of a Freudian nature, with the famous scene of a woman's eyeball being sliced open with a razor. Bunuel stated " our only rule was very simple: no idea or image that might lend itself to a rational explanation of any kind would be accepted. We had to open all the doors to irrational and keep only those images that surprised us, without trying to explain why". It was his intention to shock and insult the intellectual bourgeoisie of his youth, although against his expectations, the film was a huge success and was received greatly among the french.
The evolution of the couturier- 1920s Paris. A couturiers garments were handmade, luxurious, a one off custom piece. Couture was, because of its hefty price, a statement of wealth, meaning it was usually only popular within the rich society.
So when did a dressmaker become a couturier? At this point in fashion history, the wealthy would get all of their garments made by said dress maker. The customer would dictate what fabric, style, fit they wanted- perhaps the couturier had a different approach. Charles Frederick Worth became the first person to put his name on his clothes, and designed his garments for the consumer in general, not to be made specifically for one person. The start of the fashion industry had begun.
Fashion evolved from its reactions to what was happening socially and culturally, but also to its surroundings, politics, music, film and literature. Women were becoming more empowered, able to do more. However fashion was restricting them. They wanted to socialise and play sport, so through fashion they were liberated, freed from the corset made so famous by Worth, and Paul Poiret eliminated the waistline. He introduced the empire line, which moved the 'waistline' to under the bust, making the garment more comfortable and practical to wear. This was a massive evolution and step forward in fashion, as women could now do things they could never do before. Chanel also gave women freedom by using jersey as her outside material on the iconic little black dress.
Women were not only restricted by the fashion, but also through their gender. Men were always seen as the artist, the thoughtful mind, while the woman merely the laborer. Although gender equality has progressed, perhaps there are still elements of men being more powerful within the arts world.
So is the fast fashion destroying couture? High street fashion lends itself to being cheap, easy to obtain, throw away fashion. Through this we are losing our skills and artistic eye toward the beauty and luxury of haute couture garments.
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