{"id":1181,"date":"2011-07-29T07:30:26","date_gmt":"2011-07-29T14:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/?p=1181"},"modified":"2011-07-28T19:54:49","modified_gmt":"2011-07-29T02:54:49","slug":"guest-post-monica-murgia-on-california-playclothes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/2011\/07\/29\/guest-post-monica-murgia-on-california-playclothes\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Post: Monica Murgia on California Playclothes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, I’m sharing with you a guest post by former California resident Monica Murgia. Murgia is a fellow fashion studies blogger<\/a>, college fashion design teacher and a graduate of the FIT program, <\/em>Fashion & Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice<\/em><\/a>. This short article is based on a research presentation Murgia gave in May 2011 to the <\/em>California American Studies Association<\/a> annual conference.\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

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Los Angeles-based fashion designers have a distinct style, much different than their New York counterparts.\u00a0 This April, Reuters noted: “<\/em>The City of Angels has carved out a niche for itself as a host for casual brands like American Apparel and as a manufacturer of quick-turnaround ‘fast fashion’ and small orders for emerging designers.\u00a0 Fashion is the city\u2019s largest manufacturing industry, and employs more people here than in New York.[1]<\/a> (1) <\/em><\/p>\n

This might be a surprising statement for those not familiar with the fashion world.\u00a0 Most would identify New York as the American fashion capital.\u00a0 But the fact is, California has long been a fashion leader, and this isn\u2019t the first time the Golden State has eclipsed New York.<\/p>\n

Two cataclysmic events, the Great Depression and World War II, created a change in the needs of American women.\u00a0 The active California lifestyle and the Hollywood film industry both affected the demand for a different style of women\u2019s clothing.\u00a0 It was during this time that California established itself as a fashion capital.<\/p>\n

American film played a large part in showcasing the California fashions in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.\u00a0 The theaters were public places of congregation.\u00a0 Women would go after work to watch the news and see a feature film.\u00a0 Hollywood was providing entertainment to help citizens escape their glum realities of economic depression and war. Historically, this was a time when the entire film production took place in California.\u00a0 Actresses like Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and Mae West captivated audiences with their style and glamour.\u00a0 The movie industry, and its costume designers, exerted a direct influence on fashions that were available in stores.<\/p>\n

Much like today, when actresses were seen on film, women clamored to imitate their styles. Independent fashion designers and manufacturers began sprouting up throught the Golden State.\u00a0 Vogue<\/em> noted the growing power of California on the horizon: “Throughout the 1930s Vogue juggled issues of innovation and ideas with Paris on the one hand and Hollywood on the other, giving equal credence to both camps . . . Paris was working on a seasonal time scale, Hollywood was years in advance.”[2]<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It is noteworthy that New York was not mentioned as an innovative fashion capital at the time.\u00a0 The popularity of the fashions seen in film spurred major department stores to feature pop-up California departments.\u00a0 However, the California departments were not permanent fixtures of the stores.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

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California Fashions from 1941 Exude Fun and Youth. Pope, Virginia. California. New York Times: June 22, 1941, D6.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What made California fashion appealing was that it exuded fun, relaxation, and youthfulness.\u00a0 American women idolized youth, a much different ideal than that of Europe: \u201cHow we Americans rebel against looking our age.\u00a0 The French will trade adolescence for sophistication any day.\u201d[4]<\/a> The youthful look was achieved by using non-traditional fabrics, like unbleached muslin, and appliqu\u00e9s of flowers and horses.\u00a0 Youthfulness was, and still is, the most coveted quality of the American look.\u00a0 Hollywood films had created a young, attractive woman as the national ideal and symbol of patriotism.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The biggest California export during the 1930s was Play Clothes.\u00a0 Play clothes, or sports togs, originated in California.\u00a0 As the name suggests, play clothes allowed women freedom of movement while enjoying in activities the outdoors.\u00a0 They were appealing because they allowed for a lifestyle full of sports, gardening, and sunbathing \u2013 all popular activities in the Golden State. Virginia Pope of the New York Times makes it abundantly clear that Californians created and reigned supreme in this casual style:<\/p>\n

“It began, if memory does not fail us, when women on the other side of the continent began to wear smocks of muslin in glorious hand-dyed shades over their beach togs or in their gardens.\u00a0 Some bright mind spied the styles and brought them back to Broadway.\u00a0 Since then, fashion scouts have been increasingly on the alert and have trekked westward in growing numbers.”[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

Play clothes were durable, informal, and inexpensive.\u00a0 They were also easy to wear and wash: “The big idea is to play in togs that are comfortable and at the same time good looking; that are of smart fabrics which will stand hard wear, won\u2019t crush easily, and will bear the rigors of the wash tub or manipulations of the cleaner.”[6]<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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California Slacks. Vogue: 15 April 1939, 54.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aside from play clothes, California next biggest export were pants for women.\u00a0\u00a0 Pants, or slacks, were much more important for the women of California than the rest of the country.\u00a0 Travelers to the West came back reporting having seen slack-clad women, well dressed ones, too, on the streets and in the shops of California cities. Clothing manufactures based in California carefully and strategically crafted and advanced the cut and fit of pants.<\/p>\n

Pants, or slacks, for women were becoming an accepted wardrobe staple.\u00a0 However, certain regions were more open-minded to this change.\u00a0 California was a whole-hearted pioneer.\u00a0 Other vacation destinations including the Riviera and Palm Beach allowed women to wear pants.\u00a0 Slacks were not as accepted in northern East Coast cities, like New York and Boston.\u00a0 Slowly, the traditional dress codes were erodes to allow women to wear pants, although this took decades to be accepted across America.<\/p>\n

Each year, American consumers accepted and purchased more California garments.\u00a0 Designers based in the Golden State brought a youthful elegance to the American Look. The women that flooded the workplace during WWII could also be smartly, and appropriately dressed. Women adopted a more functional wardrobe for work and now indulged in active pastimes.<\/p>\n

Although the California may still have to defend its position as a fashion leader, the evidence is quite clear.\u00a0 Every time a woman wears pants or active wear, it is a legacy of the Golden State.<\/p>\n

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[1]<\/a>http:\/\/www.eurograduate.com\/arch_article.asp?id=1283<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[2]<\/a> Watson, Linda.\u00a0 Vogue Fashion. New York: Firefly Books, 2008, 52.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[3]<\/a> Pope, Virginia.\u00a0 \u201cFrom California\u201d, New York Times. 22 June 1941, D6.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[4]<\/a> Mulvague, Jane.\u00a0 Vogue: History of 20th Century Fashion<\/em>.\u00a0 London:\u00a0 Viking, 1988, 151-2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[5]<\/a> Pope, Virginia.\u00a0 California Sports Togs<\/em>.\u00a0 New York Times: 18 December 1938, 58.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[6]<\/a> Pope, Virginia.\u00a0 Outdoor Frocks Ready for Playtime.<\/em> New York Times: 17 April 1938, 78.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, I’m sharing with you a guest post by former California resident Monica Murgia. Murgia is a fellow fashion studies blogger, college fashion design teacher and a graduate of the FIT program, Fashion & Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice. This short article is based on a research presentation Murgia gave in May 2011 to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93,7,91,1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1181"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1181\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1181"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fashionhistorian.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}