English Version | Like sands through the hourglass

The first time I saw Gone With the Wind (1939) I was fixated on the small, bulky screen of my childhood television. Not because of the movie itself, the plot was too "slow" for my puerile concentration, ruined by frenetic cartoons. It was something else that bewitched me: Scarlett O'Hara, more specifically Vivien Leigh. Before accusations of objectification are made, let's be clear that my fixation wasn't with Leigh's sex appeal (although this is undeniable), but with the supernatural way her body was molded by sumptuous velvet dresses. How was it possible for a body to take on such a shape? I spent the first six years of my life surrounded by women, but this was the first time I remember seeing anything like that. Delicate shoulders, a torso sculpted in the shape of an inverted triangle, hips that flowed from the waist like water from a fountain. I was mesmerized. That's when I fell in love with fashion. The impact was such that, from then on, my drawings were filled with figures similar to Scarlett O'Hara. It took me a few years to understand exactly the subject of my fascination. During my childhood, in the first decade of the 21st century, the hourglass shape had been dismissed as old-fashioned - we were in the golden age of Juicy Couture tracksuits and the demo combination of leggings with skirts. Growing up, my interest rose from Scarlett O'Hara to Christian Dior, the creator of the New Look, responsible for the mass popularization of the silhouette in the 50s. Seven decades on, the hourglass has been turned upside down and the hourglass shape is back in fashion.

Why this resurgence? To begin with, we can't dismiss the notion that fashion follows the words of António Variações as if they were sacred scripture: "I'm only good where I'm not." In the mid-2010s, a polarization of the fashion world emerged, let's call it the Céline/Gucci dichotomy. The former (with an accent, since it was before Hedi Slimane's restructuring), was under the creative direction of Phoebe Philo, the designer responsible for creating a minimalism based on re-loose silhouettes and comfortable luxury. At the same time, Alessandro Michele was taking over the reins of the historic Italian house, where he popularized a maximalism based on garish colors and claustrophobic patterns. And even though Philo seems to be on the verge of a comeback, with the launch of his eponymous label, the fashion industry has become bored with the "war" between those aesthetics, so different but rivals. So what's left without maximalism or minimalism? Volumes and silhouettes.

Hunger was joined, so to speak, by the desire to eat. Combined with widespread annoyance at the proportions popularized from 2010 onwards, came the definitive moment of the decade that followed: the pandemic. As much as we don't want to mention it, its impact on our culture is undeniable - and we still feel its aftershocks in our closets. We rebel against the comfort of combining sweatpants with shirts (the ideal pairing for increasingly distant Zoom meetings). The tide is increasingly turning towards structured pieces, such as corsets or blazers with shoulder pads. The fashion industry has been predicting this trend for some time and, especially when it comes to shoulder pads, no designer has led its comeback as much as Anthony Vaccarello. Since taking over creative control of Saint Laurent, the Italian designer has helped revive the 80s aesthetic so present in the brand's archives. Fortunately or unfortunately, it depends on who you ask (the answer usually varies with the generation), shoulder pads are back to stay. But this time, they're on everything. From trench coats to shirts, with cloth to more casual pieces like sweatshirts, shoulder pads give structure to any garment. The geometry they provide is the first step towards creating an hourglass figure, giving the illusion of a smaller waist by enlarging the proportion of the shoulders.

Of course, it's not enough to increase your shoulders, you have to reduce your waist, usually with a corset, a belt, or a similar garment. Corset tops (a sort of light version of a "real" corset) are one of the most popular garments of the season. From the Paris catwalks to the corridors of shopping malls, the waists are intentionally tight. But don't think that the hourglass figure is synonymous with misogynistic oppression through latent discomfort. The modern version of the trend is not associated with domesticity but with empowerment. Think of designers like Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier, who have dedicated their careers to subverting the symbolism of the corset. From the punk point of view of the former to the hyper-femininity of the French enfant terrible, the garment has become an icon of confidence and acceptance. Finally, to complete the silhouette, we are missing the skirts that widen the hips. This is where we see the biggest difference. In 2023, the curves speak for themselves and any kind of bulky complement is avoided. Pieces such as rounded skirts or wide jeans are the perfect accessory to a structured look, providing a necessary casualness. The new silhouette swaps romantic formality for edgy sensuality. It's not exactly as glamorous as Scarlett O'Hara, but my six-year-old self would find the new hourglass just as fascinating.

*Originally translated from The Fame Issue, published October 2023. Full credits and stories in the print issue.