Spring Sale At Bendel's Analysis

“The Signs of Shopping” by Anne Norton mainly talks about the hidden semiotic meanings behind the concept of shopping. She mentioned how women shopped to obtain a sense of self-identities by spending money to possess property(88). The reading also implies that

Women in the Jazz Age saw this as a chance to change women as a whole. “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening” (Brown 255). Fashion was changing rapidly during this time for women. The hairstyle of the 1920s was the short bobbed haircut; even some of the older generation women began to cut their hair short after some time. The hemlines of women’s dresses and skirts were getting shorter and shorter, up to the knees. It was shocking to the older generation of women of how much leg was now being exposed. Long, multiple strands of pearls and beaded necklaces were the style of jewelry to be worn. In this age, fashion was changing more than ever. Women now had a chance to express themselves with fashion.

During the 1930’s the public began to feel the effects of the Great Depression, many designers were restricted in experimenting with new fashions due to the fall in the economy and the rise in employment. However, this difficult time period did not stop women from flocking to the shops to enjoy the new fashion craze that was arising. Women were expected to wear clothing that was sombre and modest, it reflecting the difficult social and economical situation of the decade. In Italy, women’s fashions moved away from the seductive and daring style of the 1920s towards more romantic, feminine silhouette inspired fashion. Fashion was more significant during this time period in Italy because

“Outlet shopping is perhaps luxury’s greatest ploy to get its goods into the hands of anyone and everyone,” (Thomas, Pg. 246). “But outlet shopping is the antithesis of the flagship, the antithesis in fact, of luxury itself.” (Thomas, 2007. Pg. 247) Columnist Karen Heller explained to Thomas after visiting Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in New York, “The clothes were marked down, picked over and repeatedly pawed, the opposite of how they were originally displayed. Their power to enchant seemed minimized, even at a third the price, smashed together like produce in a storage hold.” Thomas explains how luxury merchandise is purely just that, leftover “luxury” products: overproduction. No longer does luxury embody the experience of pampering nor does it signify class and wealth. Some

The 1920’s fashion was a period of liberation, change, and even more importantly a movement towards the modern era. Fashion in the 1920’s varied throughout the decade but one could see the noticeable change from the previous fashion statements and eras. At the start of the decade, women began emancipating themselves from the constricting fashions by wearing more comfortable apparel. As women gained more rights and World War I forced them to become more independent, flappers came to be, mass-produced garments became available, and artistic movements increased in popularity, one can see how the fashions from the roaring twenties characterized the time and redefined womanhood. (1920s clothing 1)

The women of the story are not treated with the respect, which reflects their social standings. The first image of the women that the reader gets is a typical housewife. They are imaged as “wearing faded house dresses and

A thorough and broadened knowledge of American clothing’s history opens wide, the opportunity to explore the American identity. Helen Sheumaker’s “American Fashion” discusses the relationship between political values and their influence on different clothing styles. The Reader’s Companion to U.S. Women’s History provides insight about how the clothing fashion was indicative of a person’s class. Certain clothing styles distinguished specific communities like the wealthy and the working class yet simultaneously gave a clear distinction of the liberal American style from the proper and trim of the

Throughout the 1920s through the 1950s Women’s clothing in America was affected by World War II, which lead to the exploration of different styles, the encounter of new trends and the exchange of ideas and new styles.

In order to generate astonishing revenue, Mouret’s Ladies’ Paradise employs techniques to create spontaneous desire by playing on customers’ sense of sight, which would help women, who make up the majority of department store customers, realize their independent desires for femininity. The first thing one sees when one walks into a brightly lit department store is the displays. In an appeal to his customers’ sight, Mouret throws brightly colored scarves in heaping piles on a display in the front of the store. According to Elaine Abelson, “Subtlety was not an attribute of merchants in the late nineteenth century. If there was color used, it appeared in massive displays” (44). Such flamboyancy attracts women wishing to release their own creativity, suppressed by the male-dominated society. The lack of harmony in the displays portrays Mouret’s belief “…that customers should have sore eyes by the time they [leave] the shop”

Indeed, the early part of the film portrays an accurate depiction of society at the time, without overt prejudice or obsession with issues (which are dealt with in the narrative later). The society on show in DeMille's classic is one at the hands of an invasion by consumerism where, "[w]hether social activist or flapper, the `new woman' expected to function in both public and private spheres despite controversy regarding the nature of her role" . This movement came to be characterised by, "how expensive and fashionable...the garments [are] that the wife wears" . As Thorstein Veblen argues, "goods, especially clothing, were acting as a

For decades now, humans have always been so quick to judge a book by it’s cover; one’s clothes help create the cover to this book. Norton brings up various styles individuals wear and how it displays their character to the world. For instance, “a display in the window of polo provides an embarrassment of semiotic riches” (Norton 88). One who wears the brand polo is someone who is of the upper class due to it’s vogue aesthetic and price tags. This goes for any high end designer brand like Michael Kors or Chanel; if one is seen covered in such a luxury, there is no doubt they are living in wealth. By wearing this clothing, one is being told to attain the typical preeminent behavior of the rich, having an attitude that they surpass all others. Moreover, Frank focuses on a particular group who have this rock and roll flare. He believes “we consume not to fit in, but to prove, on the surface at

Mrs. Richard Skinner’s dress is very form fitting and looks quite confining, this is how most women dressed at this time. This is symbolic of the confining lifestyle that Mrs. Richard Skinner and many other women of this era lived. Copley was notorious for illustrating wealth through clothing pieces and fabrics. It is evident that Mrs. Richard Skinner is dressed in a lavish gown which demonstrates that the subject is indeed wealthy. This technique allows anyone looking at this painting to pick up on this queue, even without knowing the subject’s true identity.

World War II meant a decline in the economy and refraining from luxuries. The demand for supplies was a key factor in helping America win the war. Therefore, civilians were forced to sacrifice their nonessentials, with clothing and beauty products being the most difficult for women to eliminate from their lives. Therefore, women made efforts to keep fashion alive, even if it required endless creativity and thrifty tactics. Looking back on the war and how it sparked innovation and creativity, is shocking. Very few people would have expected the fashion industry to survive through World War II, let alone sky-rocket and change the way women dressed forever. Although women’s fashion was expected to fall along with the economy of World War II, the under-funded industry overcame the economic crisis against all odds. First, the pressure to conserve materials for the war guided women toward a more thrifty wardrobe. Secondly, women who took over the workforce changed their fashion styles for the sake of safety and practicality. Lastly, Cosmetics were re-designed to boost morale and allow women to express their femininity to counteract the masculine and man-like duties that women fulfilled during the war.

The author of A Pair of Silk Stockings explores female roles based on what other people believe due to stereotypes. In this short story Mrs. Sommers finds $15 which is a sizable about of money to her in New York. She and her family are on the poorer side of New York. At first Mrs. Sommers has no clue on what she should do the money she had just come to. She is thinking about her children and that they could use new skirls because she had seen a beautiful new pattern in a market window, or caps for her boys and sailor-caps for her girls (Chopin 1). She thought of them due to the fact that that is what mothers and wives do in the 1800’s, they but their children and husband before thinking of themselves. She thought back to the time when she wasn’t

Sauro, Clare. "Flappers." Encyclopedia of Clothing and Fashion. Ed. Valerie Steele. Vol. 2. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 88-89. World History in Context. Web. 16 Nov.