Pete Seeger cuts a contemporary style in 1948. Image by Associated Press via The Los Angeles Times.
Now is So 70-Years Ago, Just Ask Pete Seeger
Fashion is all about change and novelty, that’s what I thought until I took a look at this picture.
It captures folk music icon Pete Seeger, who died this week at age 94. He’s playing a song for then U.S. Vice-President Henry A. Wallace. Seeger is sporting a skinny tie, a workshirt and chino pants. The picture was taken in 1948, but I’m sure that I saw the same look in downtown L.A. yesterday.
Call it the victory of the workwear/chino look. “The look is definitely coming back into the fashion cycle,” said Tommy Lei, a stylist and “styleteller” of the My Belonging blog. “Both the pompadour, tapered undercut style and denim shirt with tie are relevant.”
It looks like young Pete could have been caught shopping at number of workwear/chino inspired brands. There’s Unionmade, the San Francisco-headquartered boutique where workwear inspired shirts and chinos are often worn by men wearing ties and pompadours. We probably also would have seen Seeger, and people who wanted to try his 1948 look, at Apolis, which is headquartered in downtown L.A.
Perhaps there's more than an embrace of retro here, said Apolis’ Raan Parton. Wearing great grandpa's style is not so different from the reasons why millions buy Apple computers; it’s an appreciation of design that is simple, functional and elegant.
“In the late ‘40s, the aesthetic was simple and came from military uniforms and workwear where function was the only influence,” Parton said. “We love the utilitarian aesthetic and hope that it is referenced in men’s garments for years to come. I think the updates can come in innovative fabrications, modern construction or merchandised with supplementary product that is reflective of someone’s needs in 2014 vs. 1948.”
Fashion with a vintage look has kept a powerful hold on our fast paced culture for a long time. It also poses some big questions. Does the embrace of grandma’s and grandpa’s looks represent a protest against a culture that is changing too quickly? Does the whole culture suffer from a poverty of imagination? Or is it a case of not trying to improve on perfection? Mid-20th century looks,especially workwear/military, were simply the best.
Pete Seeger’s 1948 look was good. But please also take a look at this iconic picture of Marina Ginestà. I could have seen her in a Venice Beach café wearing this military/workwear look any time in the past few years. But this picture was taken in 1936. Marina died in January. You wore it well Marina.
