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Southwest Fashion and its
Renegade Influence
By C. Bruedigam
Fashion has been a part
of the southwest as long as there have been inhabitants
here. Many of the later fashions were brought to this
area by the wives of the men who settled here. Others
were cultural attire of indigenous peoples, and some
were adapted to suit life here in the southwest. From
the pueblo women to the boom of the railroad, to the
influx of artists, writers and healers, to the hippies
of the sixties, to the world trade center and Market
Hall in Dallas, Texas, fashion in the southwest has
traveled a road full of creative, practical, alternative
and most importantly, unique blends that evolved into
what we know today as "southwestern style."
Of outlaw queen Belle
Star, in Texas, late 1800s, From Wikipedia, "Belle
always harbored a strong sense of style, which would
feed into her later legend. A crack shot, she used to
ride sidesaddle while dressed in a black velvet riding
habit and a plumed hat, carrying two pistols, with
cartridge belts across her hips."
Portrait of Belle Starr - Photo Wikipedia
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Photo - Wikimedia |
A wild western Amazon. The
noted Belle Starr is arrested on the border of
Indian Territory and being released on bail
vanishes on horseback." Wood engraving in The
National Police Gazette (1886 May 22), p. 16.
Source U.S. Library of
Congress [1], Prints & Photographs Division.
Reproduction number LC_USZ62_63912. Date 22 May
1886(1886_05_22) Author The National Police
Gazette
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And there was Lillian
Smith (1871 – 1930) a young sharpshooter who joined
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show at the age of fifteen. She
was billed as "the champion California huntress," and
was a direct rival to Annie Oakley in the show, Lillian
enjoyed flashy clothing and had a reputation as a
"shameless flirt." (Wikipedia).
Then came Bonnie Parker. In the 1930s, the heat
was on, onto Bonnie and Clyde. Bonnie Parker and Clyde
Barrow, natives of North Texas turned bank-robbers, who
notoriously kept the headlines tripping to keep up.
Parker’s petite blonde and fashionable looks likely
helped to propel her criminal antics to a 30s diva-like
status.
Bonnie Parker sometime between 1932 and
1934 in front
of a Ford Model 18 - Wikimedia
My grandmother lived in
Duncanville, Texas, during the same time period as
Parker, and was many times reminiscent of the
glamour-like celebrity image Parker projected. There was
probably not a woman around who didn’t at least follow
Parker in the news, and likely a few who would rush to
copy her style. And though Faye Dunaway’s portrayal of
Parker in the 1967 film, Bonnie and Clyde, sparked a
resurgence of the thirties’ style in the sixties, it was
Parker herself who truly set the pace.
Cultural Influence
The colorful influence
from the Hispanic and Native American cultures have
given southwest fashions their reputation for unique
textiles and colorful blends including beaded work,
leather, and weaves. The hippies of the 60s left their
mark on our clothing as well with the introduction of
tie-dye, loose flowing skirts and blouses. The working
cowboys and cowgirls of the southwest have donated
boots, bandanas, hats and jeans.
Fashion is also a form of
artistic expression and perhaps second only to the
runways of Paris and New York, the southwestern united
states has been evident of this for many decades. The
influx of artistic personalities into the southwest,
particularly, New Mexico, from as early as the late
eighteen hundreds and the turn of the century brought
with them not only a flair for the creative but a spark
that exudes to this day for the different, the unique,
the unusual and this too is evident in our styles.
The arrival of the likes
of the celebrated and wealthy, such as Mabel Dodge Luhan
in 1919, and Georgia O’Keeffe in 1929, certainly may
have contributed to the iconic fashions developing in
the area. O’Keeffe’s use of color and larger-than life
floral creations brought a new wave of color and
femininity into the lives of women everywhere, and
especially where she lived and worked in New Mexico.
Georgia O'Keeffe, 1915, during her
time
at the University of Virginia.
Photographer: Rufus W. Holsinger
Her influence is still
evident today in the works of designers like
Celeste
Sotola,
who has gained empowerment by
Okeeffe and her interpretation of the eloquent beauty
the southwest holds. O'Keeffe's
vision of seeing the great in the small, her
understanding of the emotional "breath" of a color, her
strength and courage to not care what others thought,
these are the tools of a twenty first century artist.
Living long and strong, O'Keeffe's work is a constant
influence and guide to Sotola. The fluid shapes of
O'Keeffe become still in time; they move in strength,
they move in silence, they can be seen in so many other
materials like fabrics, clouds, or a quiet desert dried
cow skull. "Okeeffe has stopped time for me, I see
better, I understand color as breathable emotion, I am
grateful for her existence," says Sotola.
Amber Poppy by
Celeste
Sotola
These women set their own
styles in the southwest, while at the same time
influencing our own, an influence that continues today.
(Also See The
New York Post article on Bonnie and Clyde-inspired
fashion, May 18, 2009, at
http://www.nypost.com/photos/galleries/entertainment/fashion/pp_20090518_bonnie_clyde_fashion/photo01.htm
with shots from designers such as Lauren and Pucci.)
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Montana Dreamwear
O'Keeffe-inspired black Spanish
crown hat with skull and gold coin
This homage to Okeeffe
is my belief in the strength and power you channel
by wearing your inspiration---designer Celeste
Sotola
Museum of New Mexico
Santa Fe, NM
505-476-5001 |
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