i put the "grrrr" in swinger, baby! yeah!

I have a post guest-written today especially for you, my amazing readers! Pauline Goodman has a full background in fashion and handbag design, making her the perfect candidate for this article! I truly was engrossed while reading it, and I hope that you all are too. It takes you back to the decades that most of us would kill to visit if not just for the fashion and to meet the revolutionaries in their prime. I've never enjoyed doing photographical research so much- there will be more pictures to come. 

Enjoy, and be sure to follow Pauline on Twitter! (Oh, and me too!)

How Did the Swinging 60s and 70s Inspire Handbag Design? 

written exclusively for Fashion Fille by Pauline Goodman

While Oscar Wilde described fashion as a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months, the truth is that as many times as there is a new look or a new it color, just as much of a collection or a season is actually drawing from years past. This is especially true as of late, with decades being referenced more recently than ever before and particular looks seeming to endure in popular culture, producing endless spins and variations for each new generation of aspiring fashionista.

Some of the most popular fashions that keep getting replicated can be traced back to two key decades for fashion: the 1960s and 1970s. This was, after all, a time of great change in the world, with do-it-yourself ethos starting to make serious headway into the glitz and glamour of the fashion world, a mixing of the classes allowed by skyrocketing fame of true weirdos like Andy Warhol and his factory of beautiful, impeccably-dressed comrades, who were split evenly between being broke but fabulously entertaining and extremely wealthy and simply curiosities. At the same time, the entire hippie movement was leading to long hair for boys, short skirts for girls, and a whole lot of floral prints everywhere else. Altering clothing started to get really popular, and managed to last into the 1970s, when the party kept going.

While the end of the 1970s was a much different picture than the decade’s beginning, these were truly the golden years for looking and dressing fabulously. After all, it was a time of great mixing, of irreplaceable New York downtown style, of that ideal mix of truly interesting creative people and well-funded or old guard money. These were the days when just being in the right place could make you a star, when getting into a particular art opening or party would put you on the path to becoming a serious success, and where knowing how to make one cool shirt could result in a whole lot more for you. It was dressing well that got unknowns into Studio 54 to rub elbows with everyone from Mick Jagger to Truman Capote, and it was dressing well that got people a second chance at talking to luminaries like Andy Warhol.

Andy and Mick

With the skyrocketing success of disco and nightclubbing came a great deal of glamor and glitz added to outfits, a sort of rejection of the plain Jane hippie aesthetic. Heels and hemlines got a whole lot higher, hair got huge, glitter got acceptable, and tee-shirts got smaller. Most of the looks of the 1970s New York downtown discos haven’t gone anywhere, or if they did, they ended up coming right back and lodging themselves firmly on the shelves of your nearest American Apparel.

 

At the same time that disco fashion was picking up, another crucial movement for contemporary fashion was making waves on both sides of the pond. Punk rock style started out as a gimmick, not unlike the boy bands of the 1990s, with the Sex Pistols’ manager determined to dress the snotty young Brits up in their own unique fashions. Meanwhile, New York was seeing four guys who called themselves the Ramones whose ubiquitous skinny blue jeans and leather jackets set a rock and roll standard for years to come. Mohawks, safety pins, studded belts, leather, bondage pants, and other staples of any mall where there are 14-year-olds running wild didn’t start out in corporate establishments. They were the realm of St. Mark’s Place when it was still edgy, a world of misfits, or people from New Jersey who wanted to spend the big bucks to dress up like someone who might be more comfortable spending a night in the gutter, strung out and loving New York City.

 

For anyone who was born in the 1980s or afterward who is reading this article, a lot of things might sound more contemporary than dated. After all, who doesn’t know someone who has dyed their hair a weird color, donned some sort of studded leather belt, or even shopped for a prom dress from punk rock godmothers like Betsey Johnson or Vivienne Westwood? (editors note: each one of those clauses describes me in some way) Likewise, the slim, snug, and barely there look of lame and other bright colors has definitely made inroads into American fashion. That’s what helped American Apparel knock the Gap out of the king of the basics seat.

But all of this fashion from the 1960s and the 1970s has done a lot more than just influence outfits that rebellious teenagers and beautiful people wear today: it has also done a serious number on how handbags are designed. For so many young ladies, digging through your mom’s old clothes is always great, but finding her purse stash is even better. After all, a well-made handbag is far more likely to endure a few decades than an off-the-rack shirt. With vintage now huge for a decade and counting, secondhand looks from the 1960s and 1970s, especially where bags are concerned, have managed to hold on longer than a lot of 1990s fashions that were designed to be relevant. Ironically, therefore, you'll find that handbags designed today always have some sort of sense of heritage about them - and what says more than the fact that probably the most desirable bag in the world, the Hermes Birkin was designed 26 years ago.

How on-trend (or I should say pre-trend) is she?! The boots are completely Ann D., and her shoulders foreshadow Balenciaga!

Likewise, younger designers who came of age admiring the well-dressed scenesters of the 1960s and 1970s are drawing on their inspirations when they work on a collection. “Project Runway” star Santino Rice has rolled out more than one line that sees sparing and respectable use of pyramid spikes and hippy-inspired fabrics, while Marc Jacobs is unabashedly keeping the downtown spirit alive by not just incorporating classic 1970s design into his clothing and handbags, but also naming particular bags after luminaries from that time period. There is a lot of loving reverence and reference to the styles of that decade when it comes to handbags, from print choices to actual design.

So when it comes time for you to invest in a bag to last you through at least two more seasons, don’t think for a second about grabbing the loudest piece that you see. Instead, look to those designers who are working with timeless cool and then sprucing it up here and there with a bold color choice or a particularly well-placed piece of flair. From Marc Jacobs to Betsey Johnson to even the higher houses of fashion, the decades worth repeating remain those from the summers of love and the winters of dancing. Old has never seemed so chic and new. I guess some forms of style are simply timeless. 

 
current runway shots, inspired by the 70's

Guest blogger Pauline Goodman owns an online store selling high-quality Italian leather handbags. In her spare time, she is a doting grandmother, BNI director and writer of articles on the subject of handbags, fashion and celebrity trends. She can also be found on twitter, posting daily tweets for fabulous fashionistas - find her at http://www.twitter.com/paulinegoodman