Gender Neutral Fashion...Who Started The Trend?

In the history of the Western world women had always worn skirts/dresses and men have always worn trousers and that got me to thinking…When did the whole gender neutral fashion trend begin & who started it?

I know that it wasn’t until the time of World War II ‘1939 to 1945’ that women even fathomed the idea of wearing pants and actually began borrowing their husbands when they had to take on traditionally male jobs during the great depression.

Get this…It wasn’t until the 70’s that slacks became especially favorable and fashionable for women!  I guess up until then it wasn’t considered ‘proper female attire’.   All I have to say about that is …“Thank goodness for Gloria Steinem and the women’s liberation movement!”  Cliche' to say but "We have come a long way baby!"

Woody Allen’s 1977 movie Annie Hall is known by everyone to have had a huge influence on gender neutrality in fashion when Diane Keaton portrayed the title character in this popular comedy.  Women began mirroring ‘The Annie Hall Look’ as it was dubbed by layering oversized mannish blazers over vests as well as wide leg slacks (i.e. palazzo) or long ankle length skirts and the whole look was finished off with some sort of boot type or black loafer shoe.  Ralph Lauren ties even became popular with women because after all…it was a part of Annie Hall’s signature style.

Some 80’s movies also carried over the ‘Annie Hall Look’.  Remember Molly Ringwald in Pretty In Pink and Sixteen Candles? She was pretty much wearing the same style in both films and teens and women everywhere were copycatting.  She even incorporated the style into her own everyday fashion.

Let’s go back and rewind to the 60’s shall we when the godmother of punk rock Patti Smith started her career.  She came on the scene lacking any sense of inherent femininity with her disheveled greasy hair, boyish frame and let’s not forget the hairy armpits!  In spite of all of this she was a connoisseur of haute couture wearing Armani & Versace blazers over her tee shirts held together with safety pins.

You may have seen her on the cover of Rolling Stone but she’s never been on the cover of Vogue and even though she’s never been a runway model her charismatic style has been duped on many a cat walk.  Patti Smith’s fashion gender bending style was going on long before there ever was an ’Annie Hall Look’  

I had read an article in The New York Times that stated even when she headlined at the final night of CBGB, the fabled Bowery club where she performed as a girl, as well as out and about at a string of public outings throughout the past decade, she has cleaved to her signature style, an unlikely fusion of glamour and grit. In her raffish T-shirts and boy coats, in concert she is the anti Gaga, rejecting gaudy, serial costume changes, refusing to bend with every shift in fashion’s wind.

That constancy has made Ms. Smith a trendsetter for several generations — how many young girls emulate her look of pegged jeans, boyfriend jackets and white shirts without ever realizing it?  

source : nytimes.com, secondcitystyle.com, moviestarstyle.com, kued.org, examiner.com, pbchistoryonline.org, vanityfair.com

Retro Threadz Re-Cap On The Best & Worst Dressed at the 2011 Grammys

Did anyone happen to catch the 2011 Grammys this past Sunday? There were fashion faux pas galore! In my opinion, the two worst dressed of the evening were pop super star Rhianna and Florence Welch of ’Florence & The Machine.

First off it’s hard to believe that the see through mess Rhianna was wearing was actually a piece from the upcoming Jean Paul Gautier Spring 2011 collection and Florence’s drab yet busy all at the same time frock was actually a self inspired animal print designed by Givenchy.





This is a music awards event right?  So what's up with the Oscar'ish type evening gowns you know?   J-Lo totally captured the vibe for the night as far as I'm concerned in the mirror embellished mini dress that was designed by Emilio Pucci's Peter Dundas.




Kudos for the best dressed of the dudes goes to Adam Lambert who was tres’ chic and sleek in all black of course! Although I have no idea who he was wearing, I do know that he was adorned with gorgeous beaded necklaces by ‘Hellmuth’. A big… ‘Oh no you didn’t’ goes out to Ricky Martin who donned the tightest pair of silver, what appeared to be spandex space pants that I have ever seen! “Did I hear that right Ricky? Armani designed those….seriously?” Mr. Martin obviously knew ahead of time he was going to be presenting Lady Gaga’s performance so those trousers were a premeditated fashion disaster foiled attempt to upstage her I‘m sure!…





Speaking of ‘The Lady known as Gaga’…Have you listened really closely to the beat of her new tune ‘Born This Way’? It totally has undertones of Madonna’s popular late 80’s tune ‘Express Yourself’ in spite of the fact that Lady Gaga insists that Whitney Houston is her muse. Quite confusing I know! O.k., aside from that, was I the only one thinking Gaga was Madge redux circa 1980’s last night with her attire? Minus the pointy shoulders and Ray Charles glasses she was a complete doppelganger…




Gaga might very well be the performance artist extraordinaire but the truth remains…Madonna will always over shadow her as a cultural icon.


source : fashionspot gossiprocks justjared.buzznet theexaminer.com

Jewelry Throughout The Ages...

As far back in time as anyone can remember, the gift of jewelry has often been in the forethought of almost every man contemplating what to get his significant other for Valentines Day…


Here is a rundown of jewelry throughout the ages which will give you an idea as to what you might have gotten had you been around in any particular era….

In the Georgian period which was from the 1700’s to mid 1800’s the majority of all jewelry designs were predominately nature themed? Gemstones were favored, particularly agates which they would embellish with not only flowers and leaves but carvings of insects, birds and feathers as well.


Moving on to the late 1800’s which was the early Victorian period you would find that scrollwork, floral sprays and animal themes were all the rage! Enameled jewelry was also introduced in this time frame. The jewelry making process was still in a somewhat primitive stage but evolving nonetheless. Cameo brooches and Cameo jewelry were gaining popularity.

In the late Victorian period of the 1900’s, diamonds were beginning to grow popular but of course they were not the diamonds of today as they were more than likely ‘diamonds in the rough’ and nowhere near the sparkling beauties we see today when peering through the jewelry store windows. The nature themed jewelry of birds, insects and other animals was still in full force popularity but at this time was moving forward a bit being that they were now being encased in different types of metals.

*Jewelry as we know it really didn’t begin to take it’s form until well into the 1900’s through to the 1950’s at which time jewelry was becoming more delicate and feminine. Thank goodness!


In the 1940’s our grandmother’s were rockin’ some pretty cool pieces as styles were starting to come into play that became timeless. I remember as a young girl my grandmother would often let me pick a treasure out of her jewelry box which was often a metal brooch. Little did I know then what a gift I was really getting! Into the 40’s metals became scarce for jewelry makiers because of WWII so American costume jewelry makers had to use whatever was on hand so they turned to rhinestones and plastics. This is the time period when Moonglow and Lucite became popular.

In the 1950’s mid century modernism influenced this period with the use of abstracts and atomic shapes. Textures dominated this decade. Foxtail chains were ‘in’ as were the now common string of delicate pearls so often associated with this prima donna debutante era…

In the 60’s jewelry styles began to reflect the massive changes going on in society with bold pieces. Gold took a back seat to silver and colors in regards to gemstones were abound! Abstract designs, geometric shapes and ethnic pieces with an ‘outside of the box vibe’ were the wave of the day during this time.

The 1970’s brought women’s liberation and different kinds of jewelry trends. Pieces were bolder and definitely more dramatic. Non traditional materials were beginning to be used frequently such as woods, crystals and leather. Ivory and African inspired jewelry rocked the 70’s!

The affluent 80’s brought us into a return to diamonds, gold and other glam styles of jewelry as more and more people were seeking to acquire pieces that showed off their status quo (i.e. bank accounts). This trend continued into the 1990’s although style trends because less gaudy and more understated.

So here we are in the 2000’s and platinum has made a comeback in a big way as did non precious metals. Diamonds remain popular of course, despite concern over the human costs of diamond mining. Colored diamonds with catchy names such as ‘chocolate, canary and champagne’ are especially popular these days…

So where do we go from here? What the future holds in regards to styles, stones, etc…It’s anyone’s guess as we are constantly and rapidly ushering in new design techniques and ideas. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s to come as alternate materials including rubber, plastic and stainless steel are being incorporated into pieces these days. The possibilities are endless & most definitely exciting!

Happy Valentines Day....

I hope that whatever the gift you receive, you make it a treasure forever!
& always remember…It’s the thought that counts!

Mary…