IngentaConnect Dressed in History: Retro Styles and the Construction of Authenti...

Author: Jenß, Heike

Source: Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, Volume 8, Number 4, December 2004 , pp. 387-403(17)

Abstract:

Even if in the theoretical discourse on identity “authenticity” is regarded as obsolete, among consumer goods, understood as constitutive for young people's identity constructions, we find that “the authentic” actually sells quite well. Sportswear company Adidas promotes its relaunched Originals line with the slogan “Once innovative. Now classic. Always authentic.” Also for the sake of authenticity, Retrofame, an Austrian company trading in vintage clothes, invents a former owner for each used shirt they resell. Moreover, by wearing sixties dress exclusively and by re-performing the past style with historically matching accessories, hair and make-up, retro-groups like the sixties-scenes even show a complete immersion into “authenticity”. However, their retro-styles look sometimes more authentic than the original, thus exaggerating history and subverting fashion time. Therefore, in the context of dress, what exactly is “authenticity” and what kind of meanings are constructed around the shift towards it? Based on ethnographic research, this paper will look at the cultural practices involved in the appropriation of (fashion) history. However, instead of interpreting retro-styles simply in terms of nostalgia or postmodern anything-goes attitude, the consumption of “authentic” objects will be linked with the construction of identity, uniqueness and the performance of (collective) difference.

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Dressed in History: Retro Styles and the Construction of Authenticity in Youth Culture