Ayoub: A walk through fashion’s evolution

Samar Ayoub, IC Columnist

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Every decade of fashion, there is a distinct name to mark what kind of fashion the era had. The 1920s, for example, otherwise known as the “Roaring Twenties,” had the flapper style. Take “Titanic,” for instance: Rose wore the most exquisite, elegant dresses with her hair all dolled up to have curls frame her face perfectly. At least if Jack didn’t save her from jumping ship, she would have gone down in style. Jack — being the handsome devil he is — didn’t wear a suit but instead wore suspenders and beige work pants. This was simply the norm back in those times.

Nowadays, you’d be lucky to see a girl wearing a dress or a guy wearing a suit. The joggers and obsession with tennis shoes that guys have now is nowhere near as attractive as 1920s Jack.

Enter the 1930s and 1940s: Everyone was so preoccupied with the war. Fashion wasn’t as heavily regarded. The 1950s, aptly named the “Postwar Era,” brought back the importance of fashion.

As shocking as it may seem, no one was sporting skintight leggings, a Victoria’s Secret PINK shirt and brand-name converse. The outlook on fashion was much more modest, with their dresses and skirts reaching mid-calf or ankle length. Their clothing was so tasteful and left things to the imagination.

The 1960s was the called the “flower power” era due to the rise of counterculture movements that took social norms to a whole new level. The youth culture had a lot of spunk to them and were not as judgmental toward clothing choices as teenagers are now.

The mod fashion contained bright colors and geometric shapes, allowing girls to express themselves with ease. Their dresses were of modest lengths and just as cute as the style in the 1950s. I like to think that they followed the motto, “The crazier the pattern, the more fashionable you are.”

Greasers gained large popularity in the 1960s, and for good reason too. The second I hear the word Greasers, I just think of the movie “The Outsiders,” with the insanely yummy cast —particularly Rob Lowe and Matt Dillon. They wore tight white V-necks, leather jackets and denim jeans — there’s a good reason why girls fawn over these studs to this day.

The 1970s was so “Saturday Night Fever” and eclectic, sometimes natural and easygoing but other times glitzy and vibrant. The bell-bottom jeans were outta sight on men and women alike. Honestly, denim everything is the way to go. If I could, I would wear a denim jumpsuit every day of my life.

But bigger is better, am I right? Madonna and Cyndi Lauper ruled the ‘80s with big hair, heavy makeup, chunky bangles and big hair. Why straighten your hair and force it to be a certain way when you can have voluminous big curls?

The 1990s was more of the “Anti-Fashion” and more minimalistic. One of my favorite shows, “Friends,” had even more famous ‘90s styles. Rachel’s hair and fashion sense was so perfect. Every woman in the ‘90s went to the hair salon and requested “The Rachel.” It’s just something people did.

Fashion today isn’t even worth talking about — leggings, converse, sweatshirts and tennis shoes. What happened to the modesty and simplistic nature of style?

Let us take a moment of silence for the death of fashion in this decade. I hope there are still people out there who can appreciate and sport the fashion that was so hip not too long ago.

Samar Ayoub is a second-year student in pre-med concentration.

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Ayoub: A walk through fashion’s evolution