The Story of Fashion. Volume 3: The Age of Dissent

With the 1960s came not only radically new fashions but a redefinition of the nature of 'fashion' itself. In this, the third in a series of three films, Karl Lagerfeld analyses the keynote styles of the 1960s to 80s, tracing the role of individual designers in originating and popularizing fashions. Through the adaptation of designers' ideas by clothing companies producing for mass markets, these styles became the distinctive uniform of particular periods. The film sets in context a succession of popular styles - from the clean lines of 1960s clothing to the transitional look of the early 1970s, followed by folk and ethnic influences and the ultimate 'dissent' from fashion in punk street-style. Leading designers discuss the varied contemporary approaches to fashion that operate in the UK, France, Italy and the United States. The American model of 'lifestyle' clothes design is contrasted with the more individualistic productions of young British designers, and the impact of the intellectual Japanese concept of design on Western fashion tradition is assessed.