1950s BEAUTY PAST COLOR
My Thought Process:
Due to me not being familiar with the history of the 1950s, I found myself doing a lot of research before developing the route I wanted to take with this collection. In my process of finding information, I learned about some of the most prominent women, popular styles, and prevalent trends during this time. I found myself very interested in the alluring era of women in this historical period because they were able to show their femininity without putting it all on display which was very empowering to see. In light of recognizing this, I also recognized some of the tumultuous aspects of the 1950s regarding exclusion.
When searching for inspiration through pin-up paintings/illustrations, I noticed I had the hardest time finding images of women that looked like me. Out of curiosity I wanted to know why, which led to me finding an unfortunate quote from a well known photographer during the 1950s stating "It is impossible to supply consistently attractive pin-ups & fashion photography using negro models, for the simple fact that there aren't many negro girls that are attractive, have charm, and are photogenic" This finding led to me wanting to shed light on the women who might have had the aspiration to model but never had the chance to do so due to the judgment of their skin color, hence the name Beauty Past Color.
Inspiration:
As a creative, I always like turn to art as a way to get a feel of the times as art can be a reflection of the hearts of those that were living during that period. This led to me choosing two African-American artists as sources of inspiration. According Oxford Art Online, "During the 1950s African-American art was dominated by abstract expressionism and realism; their significant practitioners include Charles Alston, Romare Bearden, and James Wells." After going down the rabbit hole of looking at pieces created by these artist for hours as if I was walking through a museum, I came to the decision to focus on Charles Alston and Romare Bearden and infuse their pieces of art into the garments I decided to illustrate having the goal of creating something with hopes of the women of this time feeling seen, appreciated, and recognized.
*PLEASE NOTE: THESE GARMENTS WILL NOT BE PRODUCED WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE ARTIST OR THOSE AFFILIATED WITH THE ARTIST MENTIONED. THIS IS A MOCK-UP PROJECT WITH THE PURPOSE OF SHOWING MY CREATIVE PROCESS AND ADMIRATION FOR THE ARTIST THAT INSPIRED MY PROCESS. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR SUPPORT!*
Beauty Past Color
1) “Dancers” 1949
2) “Walking” 1958
3) “The Family” 1955
4) “Walking” 1958
5) Title Unknown 1952
6) “Family” 1958
1) “The Blues Has Got Me” 1944
2) “La Primavera” 1969
3) “Strange Land” 1959
4) Untitled 1956
5) “Blue Lady” 1955
6) “Melon Season” 1967
Reflection:
As you can see, this collection wasn't created with the purpose of focusing on one specific pattern, fabric, style, or season. My goal for this project was to capture African-American women of the 1950s from a diverse lens. Some styles are more formal while others are more casual and some looks are meant for the Fall/Winter while others are meant for Spring/Summer. Although it was partly disheartening learning about the reality of the times during this period, I also felt fulfilled being able to create something that put a positive light on the beauty, art, and trends of the time.
