The Way We Look Now.

FASHION; HUMAN sexuality; POWER (Social sciences); FASHION designers; VERSACE, Gianni, 1946-1997; CLOTHING & dress; WOMEN'S clothing; CLOTHING industry; COSTUME

This article examines the history of fashion's provocative play of power. Specifically, this article considers how fashion designers such as Gianni Versace have made sex an obvious theme in fashion. The author notes that fashion's provocative play of power lay mainly in the hands of a few women earlier in the twentieth century. Fashion's strength lay in social exclusivity years before and after the Second World War. In the 1950s, the elitism of fashion tyrannized the middle classes. Glamorous women such as Suzy parker, Dorian Leigh and Dovima were among the top fashion mannequins of the 1950s.