Sexual enhancement in fashion.

I’m sure I’m going to put my foot in it here. So be it.

Sexual enhancement in fashion. Ok — that lead me to say one word — “PURPOSE”. What is the purpose to have sexual enhancement in a garment? Why is the person wearing the garment in the first place? It is NOT to look “nice”, “pretty” or that other heinous word “cute”. Kittens and puppies are “cute”. When one is on the prowl, it not with the intension of looking “cute”.

A wearer of sexually enticing clothing is wanting to look desirable, HOT, enticing and to a certain extent, entertaining.

The wearer does not want to look…. “boring“, “dull”… and heaven forbid, mechanical, or processed, over done… ahem, and dare I say …. Cheap, used, or uninspiring.

With that in mind, I ask… “Who is designing great sexy stuff?”

And I really run up a little dry. Let me tell you why. Perhaps it is age… I’m not exactly twenty so the same design themes that make a person look hot at twenty don’t work when you are closer to… oh, god… eeeeek… I can’t to say it… 50… gulp.

In the past, fashion has had some wonderful designers. Versace was amazing for men’s and women’s wear. He knew how to be provocative. Picking up one of his books like Men Without Ties and Do Not Disturb was like buying pornography at the time. It was very, very overt and sexual. His clothing begged comment. Some would say his men’s wear was too gaudy or too colorful. But it was FUN to wear and very sexy. Yes, you had to have a body to pull of a shirt that had 30 different color put into it.

(Just to give you a reference, a typical newspaper/magazine today is printed with 4 colors. A garment or textile may be printed with 8 to 10 a. But 30?) The shirts were museum quality because of the technical difficult to make them. It is the equivalent of wearing a Hermes silk scarf next to your skin. You FEEL desirable. Fur has that same tactile quality next to skin.

But quality aside, there was a tougue and cheek quality to his clothing. It was sexy but also kind of humorous. He took what can be a very intimidating process of wearing something sexually enticing and made it light. It was not fetish wear. Unlike the latex/ leather wear of of batman and catwoman (which tends to be more costume) his clothing was very decadently over-the-top luxury.

Please take note also, for some sexually enhancing clothing IS costume. The gay culture took this to a new level with the Village People each identifying with sexual icon. Gianni Versace however took sexually enticing clothing to a new level. Wearing Versace was like having a good glass of gin before going out, it took the edge off things and made the wearer at ease. Think Agnes in the film Auntie Mame. “Drink this and you will feel fine.” Wear Versace and you will be great! Sexually enticing clothing should put the wearer at ease not feel over exposed and nakedly vulnerable in public.

So what is “sexy”?

Think of it in this perspective. What is “sexy”? I once worked at a design house and took a poll of everyone in the office. Thank god I didn’t work at a company like IBM. I would have been fired in a NY minute. The most profound response I got was from my boss of all people. Sexy is a feeling. It comes from within. What a person wears is immaterial as it is what gets that person to unwind and discover that sexuality that lies within and makes a person glow, be confident and open up to anther person. Unfortunately for some, that may be drugs as this is a very intimidating process to dress with the intention of getting somewhere. In a word, it can be torn up jeans and a t-shirt (ok… ick on that one for me).

It can also be a sweatshirt (Jennifer Beals in Flashdance) or a Brioni Black Tie like in a James Bond film.

For some, it is more fetish-esque. Some people equate showing more skin as sexy.

I personally think a costume like what Cher wore to the Oscars is without a doubt sexy, but is also the attitude that she brought to the table with it. She came across with an attitude that said “oh…. Am I over dressed for this party?” Which of course makes the viewer burst out laughing. It is disarmingly funny and at the same time draws the viewer in and invites a conversation. What clothing does that now? What clothing designer can make clothing that is both sexually-enticing and funny at the same time? Damn… hell if I know.

And for men too, the problem comes in with many men not wanting to deem as working too hard for it. I ask you…“How many times have you seen a beautifully desirable woman with an arm charm hack with a five day scruff with shirt tails hanging out & jeans at her side? Men have to have confidence to wear sexually enticing clothing of substance. Most American men just don’t possess that je ne sais quoi to pull it off. Most do not want to be viewed or labeled as “gay”. So they don’t try. What rubbish.

Jean Paul Gaultier did some beautifully provocative work for Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour. Again, perhaps a bit like costume, but then again,…ya have to start the conversation some where… right?

I think perhaps society is bored with sex. It is so easily available at the drop of a hat in many flavors, shapes and sizes. Log on to the internet, and it is everywhere. Like the song goes from the musical Q, “the internet is for porn”. It is in most films and television. I tossed my TV years ago. It is very easy to find fetish wear clothing. And yeah, for some, torn-up jean and a tight t-shirt work. But what if one wants to take it up a notch? Good luck. Calvin Klein and Abercrobie make great underwear and give the promise of sex in their ads. But do they deliver in the clothing? No.

I think Rick Owens is the next great white hope. His work is very sexy and now. He plays with transparency and lengths/proportion that really evoke a freshness. He brings much to the table. Personally, I see his clothing and I think he designs with himself in mind. That’s not bad thing. There are worse roll-models and the man is Hot (with a capital H).

But he is not universal. Then again, neither is Versace and Jean Paul Gaultier. I wish I could find a really good men’s wear designer that would take sexually enhancing garments to that next level. I have yet to find a designer. Versace is dead. Or sexuality is dead? Beaten like a dead horse. Can someone enlighten me? Or am I jaded? OK… don’t answer that.

Valerie Mendes, Amy De La Haye. 20th Century Fashion. Thames & Hudson London/New York 2005

Gianni Versace Do not Disturb. Abbeville Press, NY 1996

Gianni Versace Men Without Ties. Abbeville Press, NY 1994

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Richard Martin Gianni Versace. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY 1998

Sue Jenkyn Jones Fashion Design, 2^nd Ed. Watson-Guptill Publications, NY 2005

Categories of Dress

OVERVIEW
With dress falling into the predominant categories listed below, I found it interesting to see how much overlap there is from category to category. Ceremonial dress could easily fall into the decorative dress or sexually enhancing category depending on the outfit. These categories help to classify a garment but they really provide a framework for how to view the success of a garment as it has more than one focal point of examination.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

Let’s examine the word “ENVIRONMENTAL ” when it refers to protective clothing. That could have a plethora of many applications. It is not specific to weather protective gear, though that is a suitable application. Environmental can act as the umbrella for a variety of job environments from mining to mold remediation and contamination areas. Protective clothing is crucial to provide the wearer with protection from chemicals and contaminates and also provide flexibility to perform labor related tasks. Tyvek® protective jumpsuits and coveralls, while not fashion forward garments, provide protection from all sorts of harmful materials (paint, chemicals, construction products, oil, grease, fiberglass, mold, etc) and are an industry standard for many applications. This is why:

1. Microscopic particles as small as 0.5 microns can’t pass through Tyvek® even if the fabric has been abraded. It is is hard to tear or puncture, yet it functions as a breathable membrane that allows body heat and sweat to escape while preventing chemicals, paints and particles from getting in.
2. Tyvek is not easily scratched or worn away, the cloth is made with one material in one layer, unlike laminated fabrics that leave you exposed if the outer coating is scratched off.
3. Tyvek Coveralls let air and moisture vapor pass through, reducing the chances of heat stress and are six times more breathable than microporous materials.
4. Tyvek protective clothing comes in a variety of styles: coveralls, lab coats, smocks, aprons, shoe covers and sleeves. These are just a few of their uses:

• Painting, spray painting
  
• General maintenance
• Lead or asbestos abatement
• Mold remediation & Cross-contamination prevention
• Dry chemical applications
• Pesticide/herbicide spraying
• Radioactive dust
• Construction & Woodworking
• Fiberglass
• Agriculture & Mining
• Food processing
• Environmental clean-up
• Abrasive blasting
• Modesty garments
• Forensics

GENDER DIFFERENCES.

“The representation of males and females in New Kingdom Egyptian tombs is a clear case where the artist conveys a message other than visual reality. In the typical New Kingdom tomb painting, relief, or statue, males are dressed in kilts with perhaps a shirt, while women wear tight-fitting sheath dresses, probably made from a single piece of cloth wrapped around the body. Yet archaeological examples of ancient Egyptian clothing demonstrate that the most common garment was a bag tunic. This outfit was basically a linen bag with sleeves that fit very loosely. Both men and women wore it. In art, however, men wear an outfit that suggests freedom of movement while a woman’s garment suggests restricted movement. Even without archaeological evidence, the typical female garment depicted in art could never match reality. The dresses are so impossibly tight that a woman could not move, sit, or walk. The real intention behind this representation is to reveal the woman’s body. These dresses clearly reveal the overall female form and the pubic triangle. Since the difference between everyday Egyptian reality and the presentation of people in art differ so radically, there must have been a reason for the difference.”

Role of Men.

“Men are generally active rather than passive in tomb representations. In Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom tombs, the deceased reaches for offerings at the offering table, inspects agricultural. They have depicted men hunting birds or fishing. They wear loose clothing and are quintessentially the active principal in life. These roles correspond to an Egyptian view of men actively winning a place for themselves in the afterlife.”

Role of Women

“The role of the woman in Egypt was that of life-giver and supporter. Hence, the emphasis in art was on their role as mothers. Because of this, women were often depicted wearing little or no clothing. The artist’s intention was not to portray eroticism but rather to symbolize reproduction—all people come into the world without clothing, and hence the idea of nudity is connected to that of birth..”

DECORATIVE DRESS.

Decorative dress would perhaps cover many garments of clothing. With the casual ebb of change in dress, true formal dress is almost a thing of the past…. I say almost. One bastion of formal dress remains and that is Vienna’s Opera Ball.

Vienna’s Opera Ball takes place on the Thursday before each Ash Wednesday. So it falls in to the same time frame as Carnival in Venice, Rio or New Orleans. It is usually held the Auditorium of the Vienna State Opera. Most Viennese balls are black-tie events (which means tuxedos for men, and modern, ankle-length gowns for women.) Knee-length cocktail dresses are a real no-no at this kind of party, as are old-fashioned crinolines and hoop skirts. Young debutantes being introduced into Viennese society wear white gowns. The Opera Ball is the only one that requires white tie and tails for men. Long white gloves can be seen and well as tiaras. These pictures are current and not from a vintage movie.

This is very, very old school. There are specific dances and waltzes. It was first held in 1936 and has been an annual event since. The Opera Ball is the Official Ball of the Republic but other balls (yes, there are many) are given with a nod to professions (including, but by no means limited to, the Doctors’ Ball, the Lawyers’ Ball, the florists’ Flower Ball, the Pharmacists’ Ball, the Confectioners’ Ball and the Coffee Brewers’ Ball, the largest of all). Vienna takes their balls very seriously.

CEREMONIALISM

Court dress was worn by those attending the more formal assemblies and gatherings held by the king and queen. Attendees would have been people undertaking the ceremonial roles (such as members of an order of Knights or heralds). The events were very important for one’s social calendar and vital for many politicians and socialites. The Mantua was fashionable in the late 17^th century and by the 18^th century was the accepted dress for ladies of the court for formal occasions. It was exclusively used as part of court fashion until 1820. During the 18^th century, the hoops and petticoats developed to an extraordinary size and was part of court fashion long after the trend had passed. It was the epitome of power dressing as it was so costly to make and wear. In 1820, King George announced that ladies no longer had to wear the hoods but train and ostrich feather headdress, lace lappets or veil was still required. The last occasion ladies had to use court dress was 1939. WWII changed the character and the style was no longer worn. The example shown is from the Kensington Palace collection and is that of Mary, marchioness of Rockingham who was married to the Marquis of Rockingham who was sworn in as Prime Minister in 1765,

SEXUAL ENHANCEMENT.

Leather fetishism evolved in the nineteenth century as a bi-product of the footwear cult. Through the involvement of unusual sex practices which increased during the 20^th century, fetishism offered a source of freedom from the restrictions of societal bans and prohibitions. A line between power and submission is explored with strictly coded roles of playing. Black and red (the colors associated with hell) are the colors of most fetishist outfits. This was first chronicled in 1869, in Leopold von Sacher-Mosoch’s Venus in Furs. I don’t know why but I was rather amazed that fetishism had roots that far back in time.

“Leather clothing and fetishisms gather people around a fantasy and not around a social class which hampers the exchange.”
Genevieve Lafosse – Mode et Fetichisme (Fashion and Fetishism)

“You assume a more animal-like personality, calling on your instincts… helps you to live out your deep-seated desires”
Proprietor of Rex Leatherwear, Paris

GROUP MEMBERSHIP

Academic dress is an example of dress worn by those that are admitted to a university dress or by those who hold status that entitles them to wear it. Usually only seen at graduation ceremonies but these garments used to be worn daily at many universities. They are unique to each institution. They are worn by members of certain learned societies and institutions as part of official dress. Our US academic dress is derived from that worn by the British Commonwealth Universities (Oxford and Cambridge) which developed from the academic and clerical dress of the medieval universities of Europe. There is so much information on this subject that it boggles the mind. What we view at most undergrad and high school graduation ceremonies is really only the tip of the iceberg. There are many levels, many other aspects to the gown, cap or hood. There are levels of distinction and various fields have standardized colors in the US that are governed by (YES there is a board for this) The United States Intercollegiate Bureau of Academic Costume and the American Council on Education. I am glad to know that by Academic color is Brow (fine art and Architecture) as it goes with my hair color… unlike that of the liberal Art color of white which does nothing for me. I am not exactly virginal and can't pull off white anymore.

http://www.disposable-garments.com/

Interpreting Egyptian Art - Reflection, Gender differences, Role of men, Role of women, Daily life, Fishing and fowling

King Mankaure (also know as Mycerimus) and his queen (probably Kha_merer-nebty II) Ancient Egyptian art, Boston Museum of Fine Arts

http://iluvsa.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-black-egyptians-crossed-ethiopian.html

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Vienna_Opera_Ball

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/travel/23journeys.html

The Court Mantua, Press Office, Waterloo Block, HM Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB
www. hrp.org.uk
Anne-Laure Quillereit. The Leather Book. Assouline Publishing, NY 2004
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_dress