In this episode, we kick off the summer by denominating a colorful attitude toward dress manifesting bicoastally. Epitomized by brands like Emily Dawn Long, Brooke Callahan, and Cleo Camp, Crayola Casual is the funky counterpart to freaky minimalism— accessory agnostic, anti-synthetic, built around hot saturated colors and the art of the easy-on easy-off. We review this aesthetic’s historical antecedents, from fluid disco formalwear of the 70s (Halston, Stephen Burrows) to globalist chic sportswear of the 80s (Esprit, United Colors of Benetton). We also discuss Downtown New York’s Maryam Nassir Zadeh as the missing link, classics of rainbow urbanism including Sesame Street and the Vignelli Subway Map, our predictions for an aerobics renaissance, and the creative exuberance of a season of parades, pop-ups, and pennants.
Links:
“Vintage Sportswear Will Crush Your Alo Yoga Sets” by Liana Satenstein for Neverworns
Ventriloquist Sophie Becker for Paloma Wool
“The Accidental Trendsetter” by Emilia Petrarca in The New York Times (Emily Dawn Long profile)
“The Sisterhood of the Unraveling Pants” by Sarah Shapiro in Puck (on the rise of the easy pant)
“The Sexy Sincerity of Maryam Nassir Zadeh” by Rachel Tashjian in Harper’s Bazaar
“How Does Maryam Nassir Zadeh Stay in Business?” by Madeline Leung Coleman in The Cut
“1970–1979” from FIT’s Fashion History Timeline
“A 1970s Fashion History Lesson: Disco, Designer Denim, and the Liberated Woman” by Lilah Ramzi in Vogue
“The Halstonettes” by The Museum at FIT from the 2015 exhibit Yves Saint Laurent + Halston: Fashioning the 70s
“Stephen Burrows, the CFDA’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Winner, in the Words of 7 of His Closest Collaborators” by Laird Borrelli-Persson in Vogue
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