Unisex foundation history

Every day to look stylish and fashionable - the dream of any woman, regardless of age, status and income. Modern fashion gives this opportunity. Unisex clothing, comfortable and relatively inexpensive, is suitable for work and leisure.

Translated from English, this term sounds like “one gender”, such things can enter the wardrobe of both men and women. Of course, if we are talking about clothes, tight-fitting body (jeans, shorts, pants and jackets, shirts), then due to anatomical differences, their cut will be different. More loose, as well as outerwear (T-shirts, turtlenecks, hats, coats, jackets), are universal and suitable for everyone, regardless of gender.

In addition, the unisex style includes accessories, shoes, perfume and hairstyles.

For the first time, women dressed in trousers in the 1920s, after the First World War, when they had to replace men who died at the front. But it was a necessary measure: it is difficult to perform physical work in lush skirts.

The history of unisex as a fashion trend began later, in the 1960s. in Europe. None of the researchers can not name the exact cause of the ideas of this style. Perhaps it is associated with the movement of feminists, or with youth subcultures of punks and hippies.

The famous Coco Chanel believed that only a fusion of masculine and feminine styles could make an ideal costume. She literally made a revolution in fashion. Brave Frenchwoman one of the first appeared in a society with a short haircut and pants. Deciding to free women from tight corsets and uncomfortable skirts, she introduced trousers, soft, unrestricted movements, jackets and men's hats, as elements of the female image.

The idea of ​​comfortable and practical trouser suits appealed to women around the world. The fashion trend has begun to come into life. And although the pants on the woman for some time were considered a violation of decency, many fashion designers developed collections of suits for every day, for business meetings and even for solemn occasions.

At the same time, an Austrian-born American fashion designer, Rudy Gernreich, put forward the idea that there should be no difference between men's and women's clothing. He plunged the public into a state of shock by showing a collection of underwear (thongs and transparent bras) and swimsuits in the form of overalls.

Unisex swimsuits were designed equally for men and for women. In this case, the bottom of the swimsuit was a thong, exposing the buttocks, and the top was completely absent. The straps began under the breast, leaving her completely naked. The society did not accept such a scandalous design of swimwear.

The heyday of style comes in the 1990s. and is associated with the name Calvin Klein. The famous American fashion designer has developed a line of youth clothing for girls and boys, consisting of wide jeans and sweaters.

The new models were received by the youth with delight.

And yet the world-famous founder of the unisex style and its ideological inspirer is considered an extraordinary and brilliant couturier Yves Saint Laurent.

Yves Saint Laurent was born in 1936 in Algeria in the family of a lawyer.

Yves showed a tendency to modeling clothes in his childhood, so it is not surprising that he chose a school for admission at the High Fashion Syndicate in Paris, where his family moved in 1954.

Already in the first year of study at the competition of young designers, he ranks first for a cocktail dress. Sketches of his models go to Christian Dior, who was at the peak of popularity at that time.

The looks of a fashionable guru and a novice fashion designer for elegance and beauty coincided.And at age 19, Yves becomes an assistant to Dior himself, while simultaneously working as a tailor's apprentice.

After the death of the great Dior, the fashion house Dior was headed by 21-year-old Yves Saint Laurent.

The first fashion show of a young art director turned out to be innovative. Instead of the usual fitted silhouettes, the public saw A-shaped short dresses, loose but not less feminine. The collection, dubbed "Trapezium", caused delight in its surprise. However, after such a wonderful take-off, a cruel fall followed.

Unisex ideas in the fashion atmosphere inspired the fashion designer to take a revolutionary step. He put on short leather jackets and suits over the turtleneck.

The society was not ready for such a sharp turn. And the collection of Yves Saint Laurent suffered a fiasco.

This took advantage of Mark Boan, who was haunted by the success of the “daring upstart.” He stood at the head of the House of Dior, and the former director was fired and drafted into the army.

Yves gets not only to the service, he is sent to Algeria, where fighting is underway at this time. Outbreaks of explosions instead of lights on the catwalk spotlights, the roar of guns instead of applause from the audience, rude and dirty soldiers instead of elegant models - all this could not affect the gentle psyche of a young man.

Returning from the army after 20 days, with a diagnosis of neurasthenia, he falls into an insane asylum. Subsequently, Yves Saint Laurent uses alcohol and drugs as relaxins, and by the end of his life he cannot get rid of this addiction.

But Africa has affected not only his health. Even in war, he remained a creative person, and, of course, drew attention to the bright colors and folk costumes of the indigenous people of the African continent.

With the help of friend and lover Pierre Berger, Yves was able to sue Dior for a significant amount for unlawful dismissal. With this money and funds from sponsors from the USA, he founded the Yves Saint Laurent Fashion House.

The shows of the first collections made a splash in the community. Black leather jackets and jackets, motorcycle helmets, boots-boots were ambiguously accepted by contemporaries.

The world saw the new Mondrian collection, with a color print transferred from the paintings of abstract artist Pete Mondrian, after whom it received the name. Geometric designs so captured the imagination of Willow with their perfect accuracy that he transferred them to the materials from which the loose dresses in the form of a trapezoid were sewn.

Love for the visual arts was expressed in the designer art of the designer. After the geometry of Mondrian, he similarly used the harlequin Picasso and Braque pigeons, created luxurious jackets with Van Gogh's sunflowers.

And in 1976, Yves Saint Laurent dedicated the collection to the Russian seasons of Dyagilev.

The popularity of unisex style is gaining momentum. And now the famous designer Yves Saint Laurent presents a tuxedo for women to the world. It should be noted that this costume was an element of the wardrobe exclusively for men.

The Le Smoking collection, despite the initial shock, was a success, in part, due to the publication of models in the fashion magazine Vogue.

Collections were created in the African style, using ethnic motifs, and in the style of safari, clothes for travel and leisure.

During this period, in one of the nightclubs, Ive met an extravagant girl from the secular party Betty Katra. Like most gay men, Yves liked women with androgynous looks. But the attention of the designer attracted not so much the type of girl as the style of her clothes. Betty preferred "men's" things (pants, jackets, jeans). Friendship with her pushed Yves Saint Laurent to create unisex clothing.

The famous fashion designer worked not only on high fashion, he also designed and designed casual wear. His desire to make all women beautiful and elegant led to the creation of the pret-a-porter line (literally “ready to wear”). The first boutique Rive Gauche was opened in 1966.Any woman of fashion could buy designer clothes at affordable prices and look stylish both on weekdays and on holidays.

The result of this policy in the field of fashion was a triumphal procession of unisex style around the world.

The unique ability of the great couturier was the ability to create elegant things, combining high fashion and art with casual wear. The best-known examples of such a combination are a pea jacket and a tuxedo, which have become unique symbols of the YSL House, a safari-inspired jacket that inspired its newness, transparent blouses that do not hide the beauty of the female body, and amazing wedding dresses.

Due to a sharp deterioration in health, Yves Saint Laurent leaves the fashion industry and retires. In the last years of his life, he prefers loneliness. Only faithful and loving friends remain with him. In 2008, the king of fashion died of brain cancer.

Despite the fact that the creator has passed away, his ideas, which have become stylish realities, continue to live and improve. In 2017, elegant unisex became one of the main fashion trends: pants and jeans on the figure, without bagginess, original jackets and jackets. Men's style of clothing, shoes and accessories should emphasize the femininity of their owner.