Let's continue the thread about trends for the future that started yesterday and look at a style that never went out of fashion and that will most certainly be en vogue in 2020 - optical configurations of stripes.
Stripes have always been very popular in pastel shades or in more vivid colours and prints, and in previous posts we looked at stripes in 1948, but also in more contemporary collections.
But there was a visually striking trend that, starting in the '20s, became rather popular throughout the '30s and the '40s, successfully appearing on the big screen as well - optical stripes.
The trend consisted not only in fabrics with prints of optical stripes, but also in employing a striped fabric to build a dress or a suit by juxtaposing the same fabric horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The fabric panels created visually intriguing strong and bold effects.
We do have several examples of this trend that go from Marie-Louise Calvet's optical dresses from 1935 to the coat and suit by Robert Kalloch donned by actress Rosalind Russell as Hildy in "His Girl Friday" (1940) directed Howard Hawks.
In Hildy's case the stripes are also a symbolic way to hint at the many talents of the star reporter who seems to desire a quiet and domestic life, but can't resist the excitement of getting a last interview done and possibly writing a last scoop for her ex-husband (Cary Grant as Walter Burns), the editor of The Morning Post.
Check out any other stylish film from the same period and you will spot ensembles with horizontal and vertical stripes creating intriguing effects.
Loretta Young as Jane Drake in Alexander Hall's "Bedtime Story" (1941) also wears a striking striped suit by Irene Maud Lentz, reminiscent of the suit donned by Hildy in "His Girl Friday".
In "Her Husband's Affairs" (1947) directed by S. Sylvan Simon, you may spot among the costumes for Lucille Ball by Jean Louis, an optically striped jacket (albeit in this case there is not juxtaposition of stripes in different positions, but an anticipation of the classic nested square effect that will become popular in the '60s with Victor Vasarely - in this case we have a nested rectangle effect) accessorised with a matching umbrella.
The master of the juxtaposed striped panel effect remains Adrian: you may spot some of his designs on the Internet and in the archive of some institutions all over the world, including a panel wrap suit in black on cream silk from 1943 with textile by Pola Stout preserved at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.
Another example by Adrian is a woman's suit comprising a jacket and skirt dating from 1949 and currently in the archives at Lacma in Los Angeles (but if you look on the Internet you will find more items by Adrian in which the same trick was successfully employed).
And, if you're lucky, you will be able to easily spot the same trend leafing through vintage magazines: here's for example a 1959 design by Antonelli made with a wool and silk jersey fabric by Biella-based textile manufacturing company Manifattura di San Maurizio Canavese.
Like the trend? Search for vintage suits and dresses online, look for cutting patterns, get some striped fabric and start playing with it. You will be surprised at the designs you may come up with employing the same striped fabric, but simply changing the directions of the stripes to create cleverly dynamic effects.
Image credits for this post
7. Adrian, Los Angeles (fashion house)
Gilbert Adrian (designer)
Pola Stout (textile designer)
Panel wrap suit (c. 1943)
wool, rayon
(a) 74.0 cm (centre back) 62.0 cm (sleeve length) (jacket)
(b) 76.0 cm (centre back) 33.5 cm (waist, flat) (skirt)
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased through the NGV Foundation with the assistance of Ms Kerry Gardner, Member, 2000
Photo: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
8. Woman's Suit (Jacket and Skirt)
Gilbert Adrian (United States, active California, Los Angeles, 1903-1959)
Adrian Ltd. (United States, California, Beverly Hills, 1942-1952)
United States, California, 1949
Costumes; ensembles
Wool twill, worsted
Length (a) Jacket center back length): 25 7/8 in. (65.72 cm) Length (b) Skirt center back length): 25 1/2 in. (64.77 cm)
Photo: Lacma, Los Angeles
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