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fashionFashionThe language of style.5NA=1154&NC=1244&DI=4098&PS=64800&PI=7315fashionfalsefalsespacernotembeddedfashionDeath's Head Becomes You Sara DickermanfalseHow did skulls go from scary to chic?noDeath's Head Becomes You How did skulls go from scary to chic? nospacer205180Death's Head Becomes You. Click to launch.falsefalse1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/SlideShowLaunchModule.jpghttp://img.slate.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/SlideShowLaunchModule.jpg205180http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343103814972009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343103814972009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834310381497false2009102915827PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:58:27 PM6339242150700000002009102915827PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:58:27 PM633924215070000000Click spaceryesherehyperlinkDeath's Head Becomes You9407351/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/slideshow_header_Interim.gif94054http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343105377482009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343105377482009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834310537748false2009102915827PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:58:27 PM6339242150700000002009102915827PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:58:27 PM6339242150700000001/123125/122986/2111960/2116067/2116783/2116938/SlideshowFooter.gif94024http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343105377482009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343105377482009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834310537748false200541844310PMMondayAprApril164/18/2005 8:43:10 PM632494393900000000200541844310PMMondayAprApril164/18/2005 8:43:10 PM632494393900000000FFFFFF000000spaceryeshyperlinkLast year I bought my 10-month-old daughter what I thought was a groovy T-shirt, featuring some Oaxacan flower-covered sugar skulls. Although she wore it one day near Halloween, I found myself reluctant to put it on her again. I'm no prude, but I decided I didn't care for the juxtaposition of those sweet chubby cheeks with the grimacing bones of a skull (and her shirt wasn't even as raucous as this Ed Hardy child's tee). If skulls have signified one thing over the centuries, it is death, and yet, somehow, the skull has recently gone from being sinister, or at least sobering, to being cheeky and cute. Despite my own discomfort, skulls are everywhere, particularly on would-be hipster clothing of a certain ironic bent (see Paul Frank, vintage metal T-shirts, faux-prep ribbon belts). What accounts for today's curious popularity of the grinning cranium? spacer600450nono1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/01.jpghttp://img.slate.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/01.jpg600450http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343106939992009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343106939992009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834310693999false2009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM6339242109300000002009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM633924210930000000Ed Hardy, "Love Kills Slowly." Rhinestone T-Shirt. Image courtesy Kitsel.com © Kitsel.2009102920717PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:07:17 PM6339242203700000002009102920717PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:07:17 PM633924220370000000spaceryeshyperlinkSkulls have long cropped up as reminders of human mortality or memento mori, and in the hands of northern masters like 16th-century artist Albrecht Dürer, skeletal visions were particularly arresting. In this etching, a large skull, emblazoned on a shield, stares emptily (and mirrorlike) at the viewer. Its placement interrupts the view of the bridelike maiden being approached by a hairy "wild man," who, like the young woman, is a symbol of fertility. Dürer graphically reminds us how death overlies life. Skulls were also common in still lifes of luxurious goods, reminding viewers of the vanity of earthly possessions and aspirations. They also converted pretty pictures into morally defensible allegories.spacer600450nono1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/02.jpghttp://img.slate.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/02.jpg600450http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343108502502009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343108502502009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834310850250false2009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM6339242109300000002009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM633924210930000000Albrecht Dürer, Coat of Arms With a Skull, 1504. Engraving, printed in black ink on cream-colored antique laid paper. The Frick Collection, New York © the Frick Collection.2009102921154PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:11:54 PM6339242231400000002009102921154PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:11:54 PM633924223140000000spaceryeshyperlinkOf course, skulls owe much of their popularity to pirate culture. In 1700, after days of pursuit near Cape Verde, French pirate Emanuel Wynn narrowly avoided capture and broadcast his triumph via a flag bearing "a sable ensigne with cross bones, a death's head, and an hour glass." According to historian Peter Earle, it was the first Jolly Roger to be recorded; its skull an unsubtle warning of what could come should a targeted ship fail to succumb. Badass and exiled from regular society, pirates—especially fictional ones like Captain Hook and Jack Sparrow—have long promoted the bohemian allure of the outlaw life. In the words of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirate King "Oh, better far to live and die/ Under the brave black flag I fly./ Than play a sanctimonious part." spacer600450nono1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/03.gifhttp://img.slate.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/03.gif600450http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343111627522009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343111627522009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834311162752false2009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM6339242109300000002009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM633924210930000000Pirate flag of Emanuel Wynne. This image is licensed under Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication.2009102921423PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:14:23 PM6339242246300000002009102921423PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:14:23 PM633924224630000000spaceryeshyperlinkThe skull can serve as a piratelike threat, but historically it has also symbolized bravado in the face of death—a dual meaning that has made it popular among fighting units around the world. In the United States, special operations units have gravitated toward skull imagery in their insignia. During World War II, the death's head, or totenkopf, was a hallmark of a number of Nazi SS uniforms—something that Wal-Mart unhappily discovered three years ago when a sharp-eyed blogger noticed that some of the retailer's trendy skull shirts featured the distinctive grimace of the SS death's head. Wal-Mart pulled the shirts and apologized, but it shows you that you have to be choosy about your skulls. spacer600450nono1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/04.jpghttp://img.slate.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/04.jpg600450http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343111627522009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343111627522009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834311162752false2009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM6339242109300000002009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM633924210930000000SS cap image is licensed under CeCILL.2009102921654PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:16:54 PM6339242261400000002009102921654PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:16:54 PM633924226140000000spaceryeshyperlinkSkull iconography can also be weirdly sentimental. Bereavement became rather fashionable during the 19th century, no doubt thanks to Queen Victoria's own four decades of widowhood and the devastating wars of the era. Mourning jewelry, worn to commemorate a lost loved one, was embraced by the bourgeoisie. These brooches, rings, and earrings were decorated with elegantly gloomy designs and were often adorned with jet black beads or detailed designs made with human hair (see the pictured brooch). Skulls, needless to say, were a common part of the iconography. This look never completely dissipated, striking a chord with late-20th-century rock 'n' roll romantics like the Grateful Dead or Loree Rodkin, who in 1989 launched a glittering line of Goth jewelry based on a skull ring she had originally designed for herself. (Her friend Cher helped popularize the look.) spacer600450nono1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/05.jpghttp://img.slate.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/05.jpg600450http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343113190032009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343113190032009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834311319003false2009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM6339242109300000002009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM633924210930000000Image courtesy ThingsGoneBy.com.2009102922012PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:20:12 PM6339242281200000002009102922012PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:20:12 PM633924228120000000spaceryeshyperlinkThe art of Mexico has also inflated skulls' widespread acceptance, since it augments our American Halloween spirit of gruesome jollity. Grinning, nattily dressed skeletons doing earthly things like getting a haircut or playing guitar are a part of the folk tradition of Dia de los Muertos, the Nov. 1 Day of the Dead, when the departed are believed to come back to visit earth. The tradition also encourages celebrants to recognize a little bit of death in the living, something few have done with more cackling satire than the graphic artist Jose Guadalupe Posada. In the days before and during the Mexican revolution, he made skeletal caricatures of the country's ruling classes and warmongers. Naturally, today his once resonant graphics live on as sly T-shirts.spacer600450nono1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/06.jpghttp://img.slate.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/06.jpg600450http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343114752542009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343114752542009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834311475254false2009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM6339242109300000002009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM633924210930000000Calavera Porfirista Kids Light Tee. Image courtesy CafePress.com © CafePress.2009102922448PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:24:48 PM6339242308800000002009102922448PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:24:48 PM633924230880000000spaceryeshyperlinkIs it the permanent grin of the skeleton that makes it such a ripe symbol for the satirical jabs of artists like Posada, Van Gogh, Dalí, or George Grosz? No doubt it was that nihilistic smile that made the skull appeal to the disaffected kids of 1970s London. In addition to kitting out the Sex Pistols, the great subculture impresarios Malcolm Maclaren and Vivienne Westwood ran a shop (of many names) from whence they sold bondage gear, zoot suits, pornographic T-shirts, and skull-brandishing clothing, including their own "Too fast to live, too young to die" logo. Westwood, of course, transformed herself from rabble-rouser to London's most illustrious clothing designer, known for her gorgeous corsetry and historic allusions. But a whiff of punky sex and rebellion still fuels her line and can be purchased in the form of shiny skulls. spacer600450nono1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/07.jpghttp://img.slate.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/07.jpg600450http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343114752542009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343114752542009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834311475254false2009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM6339242109300000002009102915133PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:33 PM633924210930000000Vivienne Westwood, "Too fast to live, too young to die." Oval ring available at Zappos.com © 2008 Zappos.com.2009102923412PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:34:12 PM6339242365200000002009102923412PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:34:12 PM633924236520000000spaceryeshyperlinkNo one, however, has done more for the glamorous skull than Westwood's British colleague Alexander McQueen. His many-skulled scarves have wound their way around the necks of paparazzi idols like Kate Moss and the Olsen twins. This season offers a luxe clutch of gleeful, sublimated violence: Its clasp is a set of brass knuckles topped with glittering skulls. Much as artist Damien Hirst did in creating his $100 million, diamond-encrusted skull For the Love of God, McQueen sells his luxury skulls with an ironic awareness of their traditional allegorical connotations. The shining skulls remind us of the vanity of worldly goods even as they tempt us with their sparkle.spacer600450nono1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/08A.jpghttp://img.slate.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/08A.jpg600450http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343116315052009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343116315052009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834311631505false2009102951819PMThursdayOctOctober1710/29/2009 9:18:19 PM6339243349900000002009102951819PMThursdayOctOctober1710/29/2009 9:18:19 PM633924334990000000Alexander McQueen red knuckle duster clutch © Alexander McQueen.2009102924102PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:41:02 PM6339242406200000002009102924102PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:41:02 PM633924240620000000spaceryeshyperlinkThe skull's moment as a high-fashion item is probably passing; even skull diva Loree Rodkin is wearying of them: "When everyone started making skulls, and they were on underwear sold at Sears, they lost their allure." The icon's prevalence in the mainstream, however, has only just begun. As with Ugg boots and Juicy sweatsuits, the rest of us mortals are going to be facing skullwear—sheets, underpants, stroller covers, Baby Gap T-shirts (at right)—for a long time to come. After all, the skull has stuck around through the centuries not just because of its symbolic heft but also because of its graphic impact. And thanks to fashion's relentless self-cannibalizing, the skull motif is, in the end, as unkillable as Michael Myers. spacer600450nono1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/09.jpghttp://img.slate.com/mediayesStandardImage1/123125/2083985/2211252/2231923/2233824/09.jpg600450http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343117877562009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM6339248343117877562009103071031AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:31 AM633924834311787756false2009102915142PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:42 PM6339242110200000002009102915142PMThursdayOctOctober1310/29/2009 5:51:42 PM633924211020000000Photograph by Jill Hunter Pellettieri.2009102924616PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:46:16 PM6339242437600000002009102924616PMThursdayOctOctober1410/29/2009 6:46:16 PM6339242437600000002009103071030AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:30 AM6339248343000000002009103071030AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:30 AM633924834300000000 to launch a slide show about skulls in fashion.truenotochyperlinkno2009103071030AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:30 AM6339248343000000002009103071030AMFridayOctOctober710/30/2009 11:10:30 AM633924834300000000fashionHow Bad Was Lindsay Lohan's Ungaro Collection?Josh PatnerfalseWhy the clothes really provoked such a hostile reaction.noHow Bad Was Lindsay Lohan's Ungaro Collection?Was Lindsay Lohan's Ungaro collection really as bad as everyone saidnoHow bad was the collection Lindsay Lohan and Estrella Archs designed for Ungaro? The show—held in Paris last week—has been the talk of the town and the blogosphere. It was called a "hot mess," "disastrous," "cheesy and dated." It featured fly-away jackets revealing heart-shaped pasties. But the fashion skeptic can be forgiven for thinking, Designers send weird things down the runway all the time! Was the collection really that horrible? Or was Lindsay Lohan just the victim of fashion snobbery?truenotochyperlinkno200910952223PMFridayOctOctober1710/9/2009 9:22:23 PM633907057430000000200910952223PMFridayOctOctober1710/9/2009 9:22:23 PM633907057430000000fashionA Brief History of the BikiniJulia Turner1/123122/2202502/turnerj.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse20091027115523AMTuesdayOctOctober1110/27/2009 3:55:23 PM63392241323448855120091027115523AMTuesdayOctOctober1110/27/2009 3:55:23 PM63392241323448855120091027115523AMTuesdayOctOctober1110/27/2009 3:55:23 PM633922413234488551false2008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM6335984622700000002008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM633598462270000000falseHow the tiny swimsuit conquered America.noA Brief History of the BikiniA brief history of the bikini.noSummer is upon us, which means that Americans are heading to the beach to slather on the sunscreen and slip out of their clothes. In honor of the season, we present a two-piece celebration of the two-piece: In 2006, on the swimsuit's 60th birthday, Julia Turner chronicled the rise of the bikini in America. Click on the module above to launch that slide-show essay, "A Brief History of the Bikini," reintroduced below. For a Magnum photo gallery of the bikini, click here.truenotochyperlinkno200962770853AMSaturdayJunJune76/27/2009 11:08:53 AM633816833330000000200962770853AMSaturdayJunJune76/27/2009 11:08:53 AM633816833330000000fashionOscar Fashion Report CardAmanda Fortini1/123122/2202502/turnerj.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse20091027115523AMTuesdayOctOctober1110/27/2009 3:55:23 PM63392241323735340820091027115523AMTuesdayOctOctober1110/27/2009 3:55:23 PM63392241323735340820091027115523AMTuesdayOctOctober1110/27/2009 3:55:23 PM633922413237353408false2008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM6335984622700000002008101711707PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:17:07 PM633598462270000000falseThe Cotillard effect, the bead brigade, and the best dress you didn't see on television.noOscar Fashion Report CardThe best and worst Oscar dresses.noClick  to view a slide-show about the 81st Annual Academy Awards.truenotochyperlinkno200922343248AMMondayFebFebruary42/23/2009 9:32:48 AM633709603680000000200922343248AMMondayFebFebruary42/23/2009 9:32:48 AM633709603680000000fashionDispatches From Fashion WeekDispatches From Fashion WeekFashion Week: Designers greet recession with ferocity.Josh Patner0How to dress in a recession? With ferocity.American designers proposed a stimulus package of their own this week, hoping to persuade nervous retailers to stock up on their fall collections. The trends—strong shoulders, femmes fatale styling, texture over embellishment—are clear. The list of "must haves"—if anyone can still use the phrase—has been made: a "statement" coat, cigarette trousers, a draped dress a la Mrs. Obama.nonotruenonotochyperlinkno200921672233PMMondayFebFebruary192/17/2009 12:22:33 AM633704089530000000200922055715PMFridayFebFebruary172/20/2009 10:57:15 PM633707494350000000200362091951AMFridayJunJune96/20/2003 1:19:51 PM631916975910000000200362091951AMFridayJunJune96/20/2003 1:19:51 PM631916975910000000falsetruetruetruetruetruetrue20036434129PMWednesdayJunJune156/4/2003 7:41:29 PM63190338089000000020036434129PMWednesdayJunJune156/4/2003 7:41:29 PM631903380890000000