Fashion and the Involvement of Men
The Unforgettable Sixties
It was the sixties that enlightened every male to fashion with lavish colours being worn and styles constantly changing. London was the centre of the world’s fashion scene and gave birth to many young designers who were responsible for many of the outrageous changes that the fashion industry witnessed. It was in this era that one of the most famous streets in the world was born. Everybody knew or had heard of Carnaby Street, and it was the hub of the capital’s fashion industry.
Taking part in the seventies
One decade on and the seventies saw many changes with the tight-fitting jackets with narrow shoulders and bell bottom trousers with platform shoes. London still remained influential in the fashion scene, but American, Italian and French designers were making a statement on the stage of the world’s fashion. The ready to wear trend had hit the public and with more casual trends in London and Paris, the Italians went for a more luxurious style which continued to be their trademark. Old military clothing was being worn, colorful sweaters and tweed jackets. The glam rock style was adopted by many rock stars who prompted many of their fans to follow suit.
The Enlightening Eighties
By the eighties, the fashion scene had dramatically swung away from London, and the French and American influence were becoming more prominent with Italy, and then Japan having a presence throughout the world. While mullet hair cuts and skinny ties were being worn extensively, trends were again changing, and men were starting to dress more and more in sports wear and this trend has continued to the modern day. This has seen a boom in the sports wear industry that looks set to continue in the future.
The Nineties as We Remember Them
The nineties brought about the need for simple trends and the desire to comply with ever changing fashions diminishing. The ready made market was booming, with many of the retail outlets becoming household names. It was during this era that saw the beginning of many. Well known fashion designers challenge the men’s fragrance market, putting their names to be different eau de colognes and after shave lotions, with immediate success. This enabled the perfume industry to experience an even greater level of prosperity. Simple trends were adopted and the ready made market flourished even more with the names of many retail outlets becoming just as popular as the names of the influential fashion designers of the sixties and seventies. It was the nineties that prompted a number of famous designers to diversify taking advantage of the modern man’s desire, for after shave balm and eau de cologne. With these fashion designer names on these products, it prompted more to follow suit enhancing an already viable perfume industry.
Into The Twenty First Century
With a new century came a struggling fashion industry, with new ideas hard to come by, this made many designers revert to sixties and seventies ideas, to stimulate their creativity. In turn, this saw the return of some of the colorful designs of these earlier eras.
As the decade wore on, a more masculine look was introduced with a fair amount of success, enabling trends to move away from a somewhat feminine approach that was starting to bring certain prosperity. However, the highlight of this era was the emergence of a number of young fashion designers, which brought into the industry, a much needed injection of new ideas and youth.
The fashion industry has seen many changes over the last fifty years and has seen the emergence of a great number of distinguished designers. It is their input that has changed the way we view vastly publicized functions and galas, which are frequented by royalty and movie stars alike. These events have become more and more like fashion shows, in their own right.
