Fashion History: Overalls in Fashion

Yes, they have even been on the runway!

Today, I wanted to have another lesson in fashion history. Last time, I focused on the changing style of the summer dress (x). I thought that today I would go into another fashion item; overalls. People have varying different opinions on the use of overalls in fashion. Some people love it (like Rachel Green) and others... do not. However you feel about overalls being worn, I wanted to go into the background of overalls and the different ways they have been worn overtime!

History of Overalls

 When overalls were first around, their purpose was to be worn by working men. Men with jobs such as construction, farming, and railroad work were the most likely people you would see sporting such attire. Young children could also be seen wearing them, typically in the Southern and Midwestern states. That's to say, overalls certainly did not start out as being a "fashion staple" in someone's closet, unless they were a man who worked a lot outside! 

60s and 70s

During the late 60s and through the 70s, overalls started to become a fashion trend for both men and women. For women, typically these overalls would be short rather than the long ones. Overalls also started coming out in a variety of different bright colors. 

80s

During the 80s, overalls weren't quite as trendy as they had been in the past decade, but they were still worn and fairly popular, especially when worn with lots of fun, crazy accessories! The bolder was the better during the 80s. ♥

90s

Overalls started gaining some more momentum again in the 90s. You would see overalls worn on different TV shows and celebrities all over the place. Both long and short overalls were coming back into style. Often, they would also have patches, look distressed, or would be worn in a style where only one strap would be on. No neat and tidy looking overalls for the 90s generation. 

Overalls went from being a work staple to a fashion staple. Fashion trends are always an interesting part of history to look back at, especially sense when it comes to fashion history tends to repeat itself. Overalls are still an article of clothing that is either hated or beloved depending on who you talk to, but it certainly has been coming back in style. Plain denim overalls along with colored and patterned overalls. 

Would you like to see more fashion history on this blog? What fashion item would you like to see further explored? Let me know in the comments below!

 Photo Sources:
Runway
60s

70s

80s
90s 1
90s 2
90s 3

Sunday Essays: Marilyn Monroe and How Her Career Affected Her Life

Diamond's are a girl's best friend...

Marilyn Monroe is by far one of the most well known actresses of all time. Just about everyone knows who she is even if they have never seen any of her films. Miss Norma Jeane has certainly made her mark on the world and continues to gain new fans all the time. Despite this, most people only associate Marilyn with a few things. Specifically, her beauty. They also tend to think of her as the "typical dumb blonde" as this is often times who she portrayed in films. But is that who she really was? How has this belief of her changed the way people viewed her in the past and now? I wanted to discuss Marilyn and her roles today and how the affected her positively, negatively, and also the lasting impression she has left on us today.

Marilyn with Jane Russell outside Graumans Chinese Theatre

There are many different elements of the Marilyn image that had a positive effect on her life. Clearly, one of these things are the success she found. Being one of the most well known actresses in the world is certainly a perk. Marilyn played a variety of roles in her life even though she unfortunately passed on fairly young. She became well known primarily for her beauty but also as a great actress. Marilyn got an abundance of incredible opportunities in her life and becoming a house hold name for about 50 years is certainly something to be proud of!

A picture from Marilyn's last photo shoot, taken by George Barris three weeks before her death

Despite the fact that Marilyn was beloved by many, her public image did not always bring happiness. Marilyn had to face a few problems due to the way she was portrayed in films. In many of her films, she portrayed characters who were the typical "dumb blonde". She had a lot of roles where the primary aspect of the character was her beauty. This lead to people then (and still sometimes now) believing that Marilyn herself was also not very smart. People wouldn't always take her seriously as an intelligent individual. Many people seemed to not care about what was going through her mind or what she felt in her heart, they were more interested in what she was wearing and how gorgeous she looked. That's not to sat that everyone viewed Marilyn this way, but most people did view her simply as a sex symbol. We also unfortunately can see that her life wasn't an overall happy one. In the days of classic Hollywood, you wouldn't hear quite as much about celebrity scandals and the truth that can often lie behind their dazzling smiles as much as we do today. There is still mystery surrounding her death, but we clearly know that she wasn't in a good mind set during her last few days whether she did commit suicide or if there was foul play. She had to go through many difficult problems in her life through a rough childhood, divorces, a few miscarriages, along with problems with alcoholism and drugs. Still, she painted a smile on her face because that's what the people wanted to see and she wanted to show a bright face to the world. Of course, she did still have happy moments but we can never really know everything that was going through her mind. Even with the millions of audience members who loved her, so many of them didn't know the real Marilyn and I believe that having to hide all this pain from the world is truly what lead to her unfortunate death.

Marilyn signing an autograph while on a break filming "There's No Business Like Show Business" in 1954

Today, Marilyn continues to be viewed in many different ways. Some people admire her. They see the beauty of her soul, the kindness that she showed others, the things she believed in. Others simply don't know very much about her besides the fact that she a beautiful actress during the 1950s. Then there are others who only see the bad. They see the fact that she had many affairs, that she succumbed to drug and alcohol abuse, and that it seemed as though she was only good for her looks. I think it's important to remember that Marilyn Monroe was one thing: a human being. She was not a perfect being, but she was also not an evil being. She was simply human. She good qualities along with bad qualities. It is not wise to look at her as though she could do no wrong, but this doesn't mean you should despise her. She was a lovely actress who had beliefs and goals. She loved things and hated things, laughed and cried. Marilyn continues to have a lasting affect on our pop culture in both positive and negative lights.

Whether you are a fan of Ms. Monroe or not, there are things that can be learned about this woman who has become a classic image of the 1950s. Marilyn was a part of the crazy world of Hollywood and was often times thrust into the spotlight during unfortunate circumstances. She certainly had a passion for acting and adored getting to live this dream, she was also beloved by so many people. Still, she had to face harsh realities and judgement from those around her who may have not even known what it was that she was going through. Overall, people must remember the fact that Marilyn was not the roles she played, she was herself. She was simply Norma Jeane.

If you would like to discuss any of the topics I brought up in this article, please feel free to do so in the comments. I only ask that you keep it civil! I would love to hear other people's opinions on the way Hollywood affected Marilyn in both positive and negative ways.

Information Sources:

Evans, Peter. "Marilyn Monroe's Last Weekend: Told for the First Time, an Eyewitness's Account of the Row with Frank Sinatra That Friends Fear Signed Her Death Warrant." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 02 Aug. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1299496/Marilyn-Monroes-weekend--told-time-eyewitnesss-account-row-Frank-Sinatra-friends-fear-signed-death-warrant.html

Kashner, Sam. "Marilyn and Her Monsters." Vanity Fair. Condé Nast, 5 Oct. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2010/11/marilyn-monroe-201011

"The Secret Pain That Marilyn Monroe Shared With So Many Women." Immortal Marilyn. Immortal Marilyn, 15 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. http://www.immortalmarilyn.com/the-secret-pain-that-marilyn-monroe-shared-with-so-many-women/ 

Photo Sources:

Top Image

Marilyn and Jane Russell

Marilyn Last Photo

Marilyn Signing an Autograph

 Young Marilyn

Classic Marilyn

Traveling Through Time, Space, ... and Fashion! with Susan Foreman (Doctor Who)

Gallifreyan Chic

While thinking about fashion and characters through different decades, I realized that Doctor Who is a show that has gone on for many years, and a perfect place to find fashion inspiration from the Doctor's various different interesting companions! So, I'm going to be looking at the various fashion choices made by the many companions of Classic Who!

First, I will be starting with the first companion, Susan Foreman, the Doctor's granddaughter.  

I've watched some 1st doctor episodes recently (on RetroTV) and I'll be honest, I find many of the episodes to be a bit boring. BUT I do like the 1st doctor and I also like Susan! I thought she was a very interesting companion considering she is the only one who has been a blood relative of the Doctor.  

We will first be focusing on her first appearance in the story An Unearthly Child. 
  

Susan has her hair cut short, in a style that was common during the 60s. The picture is a bit blurred but it looks to me that her makeup is pretty simplistic. The only thing that looks to be more bold and dramatic may be the eyeliner. It looks to be a bit thick, as was common during the time. 

  

Her outfit is fantastic, especially since it uses super basic items and can be recreated today! I am unsure what colors may be involved in her outfit though. Anyways, she is wearing a striped top with (what I am assuming are) black simple trousers. It looks like the striped top perhaps has some button detailing? On her left arm, I believe she has a watch.  

From this angle, we can see that she is wearing black flats. I love this outfit so much and I can even recreate this outfit with similar items in my closet! 

 Bringing Susan Foreman's Style Into YOUR World!

 For these outfits, I stuck with the items Susan wore, but put little twists on them. For the first option, I used a black and white striped crop top paired with black high waisted jeans. Crop tops and high waisted jeans are always a good combo. They compliment each other really well! Next, I put two different shoe options. The first one are black flats relatively similar to the ones that Susan is wearing. But, I also put in a pair of black converse if you want to go for a more casual look. Lastly, I put in a silver watch! 

For the second outfit, I decided to style it with the soon approaching cold months in mind. I used a black and white striped long sleeved top with ripped black jeans. I then put in some black combat boots instead of the flats for the fall weather we will soon be having!! And instead of using a more neutral colored watch, I decided to go for a mint colored watch in order to put in a little pop of color in the look. 

So, that's it for the first post in my exploration of Susan Foreman's style! I am hoping that I will be able to go over each of the episodes she is in, but it all depends on if I can find screenshots from each episode. These screenshots were taken by myself from the following video on YouTube:

 

Are you a fan of Doctor Who? Let me know down in the comments! Stay tuned for my next post where I will start my Halloween series!