Punk to Power Dressing (1970-1989)
Westwood + McLaren's punk. Lagerfeld revives Chanel. Armani softens the suit. Versace turns it loud. Japanese designers (Kawakubo, Yamamoto, Miyake) destabilise everything Paris thought it knew.
Part of Fashion
24 moments in this segment.
- — Punk Fashion. Westwood + McLaren's SEX (1974) outfitted the Sex Pistols 1975-78: ripped t-shirts, bondage trousers, safety-pin couture, dog collars. The first widely-adopted anti-fashion subculture in mainstream Western dress.
- — Kenzo Opens Jungle Jap. 1970. Kenzo Takada opens "Jungle Jap" in Paris — first major Japanese designer to break into the French establishment. Bright prints, ethnic mashups; opened the door for Kawakubo, Yamamoto, Miyake a decade later.
- — Helmut Newton — White Women. 1975. Helmut Newton's "White Women" book — explicit, glossy, narrative-driven. Reshaped fashion photography from product-shot to mini-cinema. His Le Smoking photograph (also 1975) became one of the most iconic fashion images of the century.
- — Zara Opens. 1975. Amancio Ortega opens the first Zara in La Coruña. Two-week design-to-shop turnaround. Defined fast fashion of the 1990s-2010s. By 2024 Inditex (parent) is the world's largest fashion retailer.
- — Vivienne Westwood — SEX. 1974. Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's King's Road shop, renamed "SEX" in 1974. Bondage trousers, ripped t-shirts, safety-pin couture. Outfitted the Sex Pistols (1975-78). Westwood goes on to a 50-year career as the elder stateswoman of British anti-fashion.
- — Disco Fashion. Halston's draped jersey gowns at Studio 54 (1977-1980). Bianca Jagger's red Halston, Liza Minnelli in sequins, the metallic jumpsuit, the platform shoe. Defined late-1970s nightlife glamour.
- — Studio 54. April 26, 1977 - February 4, 1980. Studio 54, NYC. Halston, Bianca Jagger on a white horse, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli. Where 1970s disco-glam wardrobe was photographed nightly. Closed in 1980 after the owners went to prison for tax evasion.
- — Armani Power Suit. Armani's 1980 unstructured shoulder + soft lapel. Brought menswear-inspired tailoring to women. The defining 1980s "power dressing" silhouette; Diane Keaton, Sigourney Weaver, Working Girl, Wall Street.
- — Alaïa Bandage Dress. Azzedine Alaïa's body-conscious knit "bandage dresses" of the 1980s. Worn by Naomi, Tina Turner, Grace Jones. The defining 1980s body-con silhouette before Hervé Léger commercialised it.
- — Yohji Yamamoto Paris Debut. October 1981. Yohji Yamamoto shows alongside Kawakubo. Black, oversized, draped, anti-bodycon. Yamamoto's 1985 quote: "Black is humble and arrogant at the same time." The two together are widely credited with introducing "deconstruction" to Paris.
- — Lagerfeld Takes Chanel. 1983. Karl Lagerfeld becomes creative director of Chanel — eight years after Coco's death; the house was moribund. Modernised the codes (interlocking C logo, the 2.55 bag, tweed jacket). Ruled until his death February 2019 — the longest tenure of any major creative director.
- — Lagerfeld's Chanel 2.55 Revival. Lagerfeld's 1983 revival of Chanel's 1955 quilted leather 2.55 handbag — interlocking-C clasp, chain strap. The defining luxury handbag of the 1990s-2010s; resale value exceeds new price.
- — Thierry Mugler Spring 1984. 1984. Mugler's Spring 1984 collection — exaggerated shoulders, wasp waists, science-fiction silhouettes. The first major designer to stage shows as theatrical spectacles. Defined the 1980s power-femininity silhouette before Versace took it more is more.
- — Birkin Bag Created. 1984. Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas meets Jane Birkin on a flight; sketches a tote inspired by her overstuffed wicker basket. By 2025: the most-coveted handbag in the world; waiting lists of years; resale prices routinely $20,000-$200,000.
- — Nike Air Jordan 1. 1985. Nike Air Jordan 1, designed for rookie Michael Jordan. The first signature basketball-shoe line and first sneaker to cross over to street wear. By 2024: $5B+ annual revenue. Foundational to the modern sneaker economy.
- — Prada Black Nylon Backpack. 1985. Miuccia Prada's black nylon backpack — Pocone fabric repurposed from Italian military tents. Cost as much as a leather handbag; reframed nylon as luxury. The bag that turned Prada from a family leather-goods business into a global brand.
- — Antwerp Six Debut at London Fashion Week. March 1986. Six Antwerp graduates — Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk Bikkembergs, Dries Van Noten, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dirk Van Saene, Marina Yee — show in London. (Martin Margiela was a Belgian Antwerp Academy graduate of similar vintage but not formally one of the Six.) Defined Belgian deconstruction.
- — Issey Miyake Pleats. Issey Miyake's 1988-1993 permanent-pleat polyester — featherlight, machine-washable, sculptural. The Pleats Please line (1993) defined late-20th-century technical-fashion. Designed Steve Jobs' lifelong black turtleneck.
- — Jean Paul Gaultier — Sailor Stripes. 1989. Jean Paul Gaultier's breton-stripe Madonna corset (1990 Blond Ambition tour) — the cone-bra corset becomes the defining pop-star fashion garment of the era. Gaultier becomes mainstream-fashion's court jester for two decades.
- — Gaultier Cone Bra. Same as above — Madonna's Blond Ambition cone-bra. Listed twice intentionally; the cone bra is significant enough to warrant its own scene.
- — Issey Miyake Pleats Please. 1988-1993. Issey Miyake develops permanent-pleat polyester through a single-pleat heat-set process. The Pleats Please line (1993) — featherlight, machine-washable, sculpturally precise. Designed Steve Jobs's lifelong black turtleneck. The subject dates from 1988; this photograph was taken in 2009.
- — Azzedine Alaïa. Early 1980s. Tunisian-born Azzedine Alaïa's body-conscious knits. Dressed Naomi Campbell's breakthrough years (he was her surrogate father). Refused to do a runway show on the fashion calendar; the most-respected pure dressmaker of his era. The subject dates from 1980; this photograph was taken in 2011.
- — Armani Power Suit. 1980. Giorgio Armani's unstructured jacket and his American Gigolo costumes for Richard Gere. Softens the male suit; brings menswear-inspired tailoring to women. The defining 1980s "power dressing" silhouette.
- — Bernard Arnault Acquires LVMH. 1987. Bernard Arnault gains control of LVMH; consolidates Moët, Hennessy, Louis Vuitton, plus accumulating Dior, Givenchy, Loewe, Fendi, Tiffany. The most consequential business deal in modern luxury; Arnault becomes the world's richest person 2023.
