Gangster image in fashion
Ruslan Migranov is a well-known fashion historian, specialist in the fashion industry, image maker, he also graduated from the school of Alexander Vasiliev, and teaches image making courses at the Moscow Institute of TURO.
His article written for one of the conferences for specialists in the field of fashion will be of interest to readers who are interested not only in fashion, but also in the formation of fashionable images.
Ruslan Migranov
Sin City: Psychology of the Impact of a Real Image on Fashion and Style.
The question is why the image of a “bad guy”, rude, arrogant, self-confident, wild, is no less popular than the image of an ideal man - caring, understanding, sensitive, having an ideal taste, polite, handsome, strong and courageous, and to this day worries many.
Psychologists and sociologists, philosophers and culturologists are fighting over this riddle. However, the fact remains. Today, both the gangster style itself and its elements are still in vogue; gangster-style parties are gaining popularity, where participants are invited to come in costumes that create the image and atmosphere of Chicago in the 20s and 30s.
Most psychologists agree that in ancient times it was strong, stubborn and fearless men who dominated society. And it was the "wild and unbridled" who were preferred by the women of that time. It is believed that female genetic memory has not yet fully adapted to modern conditions of existence and arrogance, mixed with self-confidence, a propensity to take risks, is still perceived as the main qualities of an alpha male.
The routine of modern life gives rise to the need for adventure, the need for adrenaline, and an explosion of passions, thrills, and adventurous secret affairs await from a dangerous and unpredictable companion. Violation of the prohibitions of society, introduction to a kind of counterculture of "bad guys" allows a woman to feel like a free savage, special and chosen.
Most, romanticizing the image of a gangster, still believe that a gangster is not at all an inhuman, rude and tough man, but one who knows how to quickly make decisions and act. He is a bright, confident, courageous man with developed muscles, with a low voice, he is ugly, but has the charisma of a lone hero.
Such an image is shown to us by modern cinema, which adds to this portrait the hidden softness, vulnerability and sexuality of the male seducer.
In our time, mass culture is prone to carnivalism, frequent change of images, theatricality and craving for constant play, change of social images. Fashion, costume, style allows everyone to try on the brutal image of a gangster. You can create this look following the style of its creator - Ala Capone.
Chicago 30s
Approximately every decade, mankind involuntarily chooses several cities, which, in their imagination, contain all seven deadly sins. One of these cities-sinners in the 20-30s of the last century , became vicious and decadent Chicago. To a large extent, thanks to literally one person and his activities ... the legendary Ala Capone.
“You can achieve more with a kind word and a pistol,
than one kind word. "
Al Capone
About Chicago - the City of Winds - where the vices of Western society were concentrated, as if in a laboratory flask, many books were written and many films were shot ("Chicago", "The Untouchables", etc.), which idealized the image of a gangster in the eyes of descendants and made their heroes worthy of imitation.
So what was so unusual about these gangsters? What made women's hearts beat faster? What was their style of dress? And how should you dress to match the gangster style?
Capone's business card read:
"Al Capone, antique furniture dealer."
The icons of the style of their time were most often considered to be women, domineering and insidious, gentle and modest - different. And in the twenties and thirties, during the "dry law" in Chicago, a man became such an "icon", not a politician or a movie star, but a real gangster.
Al Capone is undoubtedly the king of that era. The main driving force in Chicago was an insatiable desire for money, jazz and illegal liquor. The largest supplier of liquor, he was able to respond to the demands of the era. The city was thirsty and Al decided to ease his suffering. In the pantheon of heroes of American glory, real and mythical, he occupies a place of honor alongside John Rockefeller and Charles Augustus Lindbergh ...
His motto was the program "Alza for all, all for Alya"
“Capone lived on the South Side of Chicago in a two-story brick home similar to other middle-class American homes.
Al Capone's generosity is well known. He distributed money, often without any interest.
Al was an excellent cook and never missed an opportunity to treat friends to spaghetti with a bottle of Chianti. On vacation, the gangster liked to mess around. He listened to the radio, played with his son. He seemed to lead a life in which the word "work" did not have any special meaning. He left the house and returned at different times, but none of the neighbors could give the address of his office. From time to time his name appeared in newspapers, especially in sections about various incidents and crimes, so the police did not obsessively monitor the house of this strange person.
With the arrival of the wave of the 1929 crisis, Al began to arrange distribution of free meals for the unemployed, this greatly popularized his image. "
(Kaspi A. Les Etats-Unis au temps de la prosperite. 1919-1929)
Money, luxury, a sense of risk, sexuality - these are the main attractive qualities of gangsters. But all this trail of piety and pathos could not hide the main thing - the activities of gangsters are illegal and sooner or later it should have been revealed. The plot of the film "There are only girls in jazz" is a shooting, coinciding with the Valentine's Day massacre by Capone's thugs. The massacre - plunged Chicago into a daze and attracted the attention and condemnation of the whole world.
G Angstors used short-barreled guns or submachine guns, which they called "typewriters" for the appropriate sounds, while their bombs were called "pineapples."
So, if you decide to match the "gangster" style, first of all you should know that the characteristic feature is the exaggeration of all the details of the costume.
Actor Marcello Mastroianni preferred a striped three-piece suit,
with pointed lapels with boutonniere.
The white shirt has a Kent collar (with elongated ends).
The hallmark of all gangsters, led by Al Capone, was a double-breasted suit of mostly dark shades with wide white stripes, with large padded shoulders, quite often with sharp lapels, which originated from a tuxedo, decorated with a boutonniere - an artificial flower for added effect.
It was believed that just such a suit added masculinity and strength to its owner, made him more solid in the eyes of others, which played a very significant role not only in business, but also on the love front.
The tie is necessarily bright and rather wide, but the main thing here is not to overdo it with the width, since it should be equal to the width of the lapel, otherwise you will get a comic effect.
Pants, wide and voluminous at the top, tapered to the bottom, often with cuffs. However, the cuffs should not be too large, as this visually reduces growth.
And of course, what gangster is one of you without a fedora-style felt hat - a soft hat of various shades, from black and brown to green and purple, with a silk ribbon on the crown and three dents. Al himself, preferred "Fedora" from the Italian firm Borsalino.
Usually, when a lady appears as a sign of greeting, they touch the edges of the hats with their fingers, and if you are going "to business", then pull the hat over your eyes as much as possible, this will give you more mystery.
As for the image of the gangster's companion, it was in vogue to have a body like a sixteen-year-old boy, a small barely noticeable chest, and a strong, not just golden, tan. To create an image, you will also need a knee-length dress with a straight silhouette, always without emphasizing the waistline, a long mouthpiece with a cigarette, a string of pearls reaching up to 2 meters in length, a bell hat pulled down strongly over the eyes, a brunette. At the time, blondes were out of fashion. Makeup - rich, more reminiscent of cinematic make-up, - black eyes and tiny lips, burgundy color. In general, the whole silhouette resembles a la Garson (girl-boy).
Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis
perfect a la Garson of the Jazz era.
Al Caponezadal is another gangster standard, a diamond tie pin from Jachersfontein, a mine in South Africa that supplied unique blue sparkle diamonds. And since then, every "gangster" dreams of a blue ray from his silk tie, "like Al's."
IN it was common among gangsters to embroider the owner's initials on the shirt, naturally large, so that everyone understands who they are dealing with and that it is better not to get involved.
In tracksuits, exaggeration in details is also visible - a large and pronounced cage like thugs from the Colombo gang have white leggings, of course, a hat. What's a gangster without a hat and a good old cigar?
Colombo white leggings and his thugs are all wearing Fedora hats from Borsalino.
On the left is a typical tracksuit in a large cage. Most have a collar Tab.
(Shot from the movie "There are only girls in jazz")
At the beginning of the century, and even more so among gangsters, two types of shirt collars were popular: With a pin- the edges are fastened with a pin, a tie was always worn to such a collar, since the knot covered the pins and Kent- with lined tips. For both types of collars, asymmetric knots were tied, for example, a simple knot, so that the knot clearly fit into the shape of the collar and was not closed by the edges. It is better to use silk ties, they make the most beautiful knots. When tying a knot on a tie made of thick materials, massive knots will turn out, and this clearly will not fit into the collar of a shirt.
IN collar, which was preferred by gangsters - the ends were fastened with a special pin. Use a pin to add extra chic to your costume.
They often combined black trousers with a white shirt and the famous white or red cashmere scarf. The contrast of the suit always gives the image firmness, sometimes even aggressiveness, the shoes also had a contrasting look.
Chicago of the twenties and thirties of the last century, the era - Al Capone, is gone forever, and with it the "sinful" glory of Chicago, but if you look closely enough, you can easily find its echoes in the modern world. And in our time, the images of modern "gangsters" periodically flashed on the catwalk, then in magazines, then in the cinema. More and more often, parties in the style of Chicago began to be held, so do not get lost, feel free to experiment with the image, because the experiment is the key to success, and I hope my advice will help you.