Music And Fashion: A Shared History Of Expression

Over the years, the influence music has had on fashion and trends has been undoubtedly apparent, with one always having a clear influence on the other one. Both music and fashion have always been a way to express yourself, demonstrate your individuality, show your beliefs socially, politically and even as a form of revolution in many examples, it is no wonder that these two things come hand in hand.

Flappers and Jazz in the 1920s

Although the fashion of the flappers and Jazz music in todays world doesn't seem all that rebellious, in the 1920s in a post War world, it certainly was. Jazz was the first time a genre of music was noticeably feminist and as women and girls left their homes more to spend time dancing, their hemlines began to rise, they stopped wearing bras and wore much looser silhouettes which allowed for movement and freedom that the women of previous decades did not have.

It was a time of self expression and a care free attitude for women of the time in this Jazz Age, the economic boom post World War I would allow women more free time and disposable income, the passage of the 19th amendment gave these women the right to vote and the technological advancements seen at the time with things such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines changed domestic life for women, allowing them to do things they hadn't before with their time. It was certainly an influential decade and remembered on by Jazz, Soul and the free-spirited, sexy, rebellious style of flappers at the time.

Beatniks of the 1950s

A commonality you see between both music and fashion will always be a form of rebellion. Yet again, a post war world left a generation frustrated, “Any attempt to label an entire generation is unrewarding,” John Clellon Holmes wrote, in an essay entitled This is the Beat Generation for The New York Times in November 1952, “and yet the generation which went through the last war, or at least could get a drink easily once it was over, seems to possess a uniform, general quality which demands an adjective...”.

This frustration young people at the time were experiencing was channelled into forms of expression like music, poetry, art and reflected by their styles at the time. Again like the 1920s, post-war came a boom of wealth in the USA, which these Beatniks were adamant to stray away from, again with the influences of Jazz music as a legacy they held towards life and expression. Their fashion was non-materialistic as they attempted to avoid the plague of overconsumption and greed. This aesthetic they produced along with the strive to become more intellectual and knowledgeable created this refined style we can still recognise in todays day and age. Lots of black, structure and streamlined silhouettes leant the attention away from themselves. Straight leg cigarette pants, black turtlenecks and berets were the uniform and tight clothes allowed for freedom of movement and spoke loudly about the sexual freedom of the people and the era.

Teen Fashion Boom of the 1950s

Youth culture began its long life in the 1950s and 60s, with a rise in teen population post war, and teenagers having their own source of income at around $11.25 a week in 1956 which supported their love of fashion, film, music and cars. And businesses quickly recognised this new consumer group, they would tailor their advertisements to appeal to them through things like film, music and celebrities.

Rock and Roll icons of the time such as Elvis Presley and James Dean became inspirations for teenage rebellion through their music, energy and style. It was one of the first times this younger, not yet adult generation could express themselves freely with the income and inspiration to do so. Embracing and liking Rock and Roll felt taboo and rebellious and helped these teenagers break away from societal norms of the previous years, and the music industry saw this opportunity and took it, understanding the power of this new youth scene. Rock and Roll became a movement, more than just the music, and the blending of the common man, working class look with inspiration from African American culture made these once taboo fashion choices understood and seen.

Mods of the 1960s

Britain in the 1960s was the birthplace of “Mod”. This subculture emerged in the Jazz scene in London, where the young generation had a hold on fashion and music. They would take influences from Italian and French style seen in art, magazines and film. The look of sharp, clean lines defined the mod, it was refined and ultimately “Modern”.

Although Jazz was the origin of Mod, the 1960s brought in an era of rhythm, blues, soul and ska which were equally, if not more, influential to the culture. The mid 60s created a genre of Mod music where American blues blended with the British musical stars, and as this subculture grew within music, so did the popularity of Mods. British rock bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks took over the globe and soon enough, this style became adopted around the world. Although the Mod subculture did not last until the end of the 1960s, it had and still has an influence on the world of style today with revivals in both the 1970s with bands such as The Jam and in the 1980s in both the UK and US.

Hippies of the 1960s

While the UK was the home of the mod, over in the USA a new fashion revolution was created. Teenagers and young adults were being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, and musicians began to create music reflecting this anger, frustration and even hope they had towards the world. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Sam Cooke, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix all gave a voice to the youth who adopted the hippie culture, spreading a shared dream of making love not war.

The opposing style of flowing, earthly colourful clothes, and imperfection completely juxtaposed the sharpness of style over in the UK. At the same time, many musicians and young people alike were experimenting with psychedelic drugs for the first time, changing the way people expressed themselves via music and through their own style.

The demise of the mods at this time becomes clear when taking a look at the discography of The Beatles from the start of the decade to the end, with psychedelia, trippy sounds and colours and experimental musical choices which seemed both tied to this rise in psychedelics and psychedelic rock, but also the technological improvements made in this generation for editing music and layering sounds. The rise of the hippie generation had taken over and spread across the globe with their tie dye, bold florals, fringe, bellbottoms and crochet.

Glam Rock in the 1970s

The 1970s was a decade of self expression, androgyny and glitter. This building question about gender and crossovers for both men and women really paved the way for future movements and even subcultures like punks and new romantics later in the decade. Glam rock was a style of music, and hand in hand came with the look; the look of sparkles, space suits, a lot of sci-fi inspiration for the first time and platforms.

A key icon for this decade, of course, would be David Bowie, with his flamboyance, carefree attitude, glamour and rule bending ideas around gender and sexuality. This music genre and new exciting time really strove people of the decade towards a new look, inspired by their favourite artists and no longer bearing a need to conform to the old ways of life.

Punks of the 1970s

Punk culture was one of being different, it was about individuality and not caring. People wanted to protest against the establishment and the normal and strived to be rebellious, challenging the mainstream rock of the previous decade. It was originally an underground movement in the early 70s, and as the decade progressed so did the growth of this subculture.

People weren't wearing perfect, clean clothes and were now buying second-hand, tearing them up, studding them and deconstructing them into new forms. This anti-fashion, paired with the raw, stripped down music was used as a protest towards the mainstream with clear independence and self production in both music and fashion.

Goths of the 1980s

Reaching the end of a decade, these styles and genres developed new looks. One of the greatest spinoffs of 70s Glam Rock and the Punk movement were the 80s Goths, branching out into loved genres of the decade like New Wave and Synthpop. The music was moody, melancholy and edgy, and so was the fashion, with black clothing, dramatic makeup, big hair and unique accessorising.

Bands of the decade like The Cure and Siouxie and the Banshees epitomised this style, and fans would replicate this look around the globe. DIY, makeshift fashion was still in full force with people creating their own garments through cutting, studding, sewing patches and using safety pins, creating a feeling of self and uniqueness. It was a culture enveloped in self expression with a touch of theatrical, dramatic flair which really brough the sound and look to life and certainly stood out as a primary look of the 1980s.

Grunge in the 1990s

A new sound arrived in the 1990s through teen angst known today as grunge. Teenagers were rebelling against the ways of suburban life and commercialism and expressed this anger through the likes of fashion and music, whether they were the listener or the artist. The most notable frontman of this new subculture was Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana who epitomised the grunge look and sound along with other pioneering bands such as Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. This genre of music was raw with distorted guitars, gravely voices and angry lyrics.

This subculture was more than just the music; with the fashion displaying a stark contrast to the glitz, glamour and accessorising of previous decades. It was carefree, unkempt and never seemed to be trying too hard. Both musicians and fans would wear ripped jeans, band tees and flannel shirts along with combat boots or doc martens, the fashion was a rebellion against consumerism which had skyrocketed throughout the 80s.

This fashion wasn't about the clothes you were wearing but more about what it meant to be wearing those clothes and the same applied to the music, these musicians wanted to be heard for not what they were wearing or what they looked like but more so what they were saying. Even today, this grunge style and sound lives on becoming a movement as well as a musical genre.

1990s Hip-hop

Throughout the late 80s and 90s, Hip-hop exploded, becoming one of the most popular genres of music, beginning as just an underground movement and later a cultural phenomenon. The Hip-hop movement was more than rap and beats and really drove forward a social change, especially in urban cultures and places like New York, LA, and Detroit, eventually spreading and becoming a global change through the huge popularity of the genre.

The style and fashion surrounding this musical movement was distinctive, and still around today with the rise in popularity of 90s nostalgia and streetwear. Timberland boots, baggy dungarees, adidas, nike, tracksuits, puffer jackets, kangol, bucket hats and sneakers all were rocked in the scene along with flannel shirts akin to those in the grunge style.

With the revival of trends, this style almost feels modern to todays street fashion scene with a slight addition of some brands to keep it fresh, however these retro looks and brands still live on.

It is unarguable to see the correlation between music and fashion movements throughout the decades and the influence celebrities and musicians have on the audience. In todays world, the wide access we have to music of all kinds really broadens the style you see and with people reverting back to the media and music of the 60s, 70s, 80s etc many of these styles revive themselves in the modern world of fashion, whereas back before the likes of social media and music streaming platforms it was much harder to branch outside of what fashion and music was the most popular. However we never know what the next new big trend may be and what music may inspire us in the future.

 

- Lola Moore