Glamor - style or fashion?

This phenomenon is still poorly understood, which is strange with such a long dictatorship of this style. Stephen Gundl interprets it as "sloppy elegance, affordable exclusivity and democratic elitism."

In his book, The History of Glamor, a professor at the University of Worky writes: "At the heart of this fashionable phenomenon are ... incompatible pairs."
The main thing is to surprise and bewitch. Can you agree? No less interesting is the history of the word "glamor." It turns out glamor - Derived from Old French grimoire, which means "witchcraft book, magic." After moving first to England, then to Scotland, the word became the verb “bewitch, cast spells” and was widely used thanks to Walter Scott. In the poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel, the author outlined the magic that turns people into better versions of themselves.
What glamor has turned into in our country is another story. Glamor usually refers to the standards of clothing and life, advertised in glossy magazines. The phrases “queen of glamor”, “glamorous character” are fixed in the dictionary, although with a touch of irony and condemnation. The word is not to blame, just the taste of our glamorous characters is often far from perfect. But the style itself insists on visual excess, on the wow-effect.Fashion historian Alexander Vasiliev describes the glamorous beauty as follows: “Impeccable physical data. Her face is a bit like an enlarged Barbie doll. Her lips are larger than that of a carp, her eyes are larger than a pug’s, and her nose is just a sight for sore eyes. She has long blond hair, extended nails. She has high heels - of course, with an indispensable attribute in the form of a bright red sole. The glamorous girl has a whole battery of bags of certain brands. And the closest friend is a little toy terrier. ".
In fact, glamor and style are different concepts. Style is a commitment to a certain type of clothing, a certain direction in fashion, emphasized individuality. The French - true connoisseurs of beauty - believe that glamor is primarily the ability to present oneself, exquisite charm, the ability to stand out, and elegantly. We agree with this and will comply.
The word "glamor" became fashionable in the years 1930-1950, strongly associated with the heyday of the Hollywood "dream factory". This style is only for the elite: silent movie stars, jazz. In the 30s they wrapped themselves in pelerines, boas and magnificent boas made of arctic fox and fox, combining them with dresses made of natural silk, brocade and satin. True, the term "glamor" was not used then. They said: secular, brilliant, luxurious ...
We can say that Marlene Dietrich in her famous tight-fitting lace dress, and a little later Rita Hayworth in a spectacular black dress and long gloves became the first icons of this style.
Glossy fashion magazines appeared in post-war America in the 1950s and 1960s, and Marilyn Monroe's style is becoming popular all over the world: everyone wants to imitate her.Then, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, who were certainly glamorous - each in the style of its time, are elected idols.
The concept of "glamor" at first referred more to lifestyle than to fashion, but it came into use in the mid-70s of the last century thanks to the regulars of disco clubs. Since that time, flashy outfits of leather, denim and silk adored by glamor, decorated with sparkling rivets, chains, zippers, and massive artificial jewelry, which added radiance to fashionistas, have been in great fashion. This direction is called glam rock. The transformation of glamor continued in the 90s and at the beginning of this century. Then there was still an idea, a dream, a desire to achieve a beautiful, "radiant" existence.
Of course, the style of glamor is not suitable for either the office or the university audience. His area is parties, show business, night clubs. But fashion never recognized the ghetto and, of course, splashed out onto the street, giving birth to a new version of the style - everyday glamor, the legislator of which is Jessica Simpson. Although many give the palm to the "glamorous princess" Paris Hilton. And designer Ralph Lauren, for example, considers Spanish actress Penelope Cruz to be the most glamorous woman.
Street style fans are known as Dita Von Teese, Kylie Minogue, Eva Longoria, Nicole Richie, Rihanna, Victoria Beckham, Holly Berry and other celebrities. More recently, all of them, as if by agreement, wore branded sunglasses and designer bags in combination with plush tracksuits.For example, Britney Spears could be seen on the street in ripped jeans and a junk shirt, but at the same time with a Louis Vuitton handbag and Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses.
The final stage of the development of the style of glamor is the so-called glamor light, when the appearance in a chic image on the red carpet (at the club, at a dinner party) is organic and appropriate, but the everyday version should still be restrained and, very important, as natural as possible .
The article was published on the basis of the journal "Good advice" 5/2014
Photo: PR
Material prepared by Julia Deknova