Of the rise of the top models, of the irruption of the grunge aesthetic, of the rapprochement between haute couture and Hollywood glamour, of the assault of the great maisons by young and rebellious designers, of how big brands become contaminated by the hip hop aesthetic and, of course, of how the mythical Vogue not only reflects the wave of changes shaking the fashion world in the nineties but decisively contributes to its evolution or revolution through covers and editorial bets. All of this is discussed in In Vogue: The 90's, a magnificent six-episode documentary series that can be seen on the Disney+ platform.
In Vogue: The 90's paints a fascinating portrait of the fashion world during those years, the nineties of the last decade, which it defines as wild and tumultuous, but also as profoundly creative and transformative. It features the participation of some of the supermodels of the moment such as Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, or Linda Evangelista. Also Kate Moss, eternal rebel girl and antithesis of the aforementioned tops. Or designers like Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Donna Karan, John Galliano, Stella McCartney, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger. Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman, Claire Danes, or Gwyneth Paltrow recall their experiences in those crazy and passionate fashion years when they were little more than teenagers, like Kim Kardashian or Victoria Beckham, explain how that explosion of renewing talent influenced them. Rappers Missy Elliott and Mary J Blige recount the genesis of the ghetto fabulous style. Even Hillary Clinton is part of this story and she herself tells what it meant for her to appear in Vogue. She was criticized, of course, for daring to be a sexy and empowered first lady.
However, the true protagonists of the documentary are the powerful Anna Wintour and the rest of Vogue's editors: Hamish Bowles, Edward Enninful, and Tonne Goodman. The mythical magazine serves as the common thread of this brilliant chapter in fashion history, told not only from an aesthetic or industry point of view, already interesting in itself, but linking it with its sociocultural context. The anthropology of fashion teaches us that we are facing a phenomenon to be taken very much into account when explaining who we are and where we come from. Fashion is a cultural manifestation, a form of communication; it expresses our identity, values, and status. Therefore, we would do well not to take it lightly.
Perhaps for this reason and because she doesn't appear by chance in the Vogue Barcelona documentary, I think it would be absolutely necessary for someone with sufficient knowledge to set out to tell the contemporary history of fashion in Barcelona. To begin, they could consider answering some of these questions: Were the 90s also a decisive moment for fashion in the city? What impact did the Olympic Games have? And the great changes experienced in the international fashion capitals: Paris, London, Milan or New York? What were the big names in Barcelona fashion three decades ago? What tradition were these young designers heirs to? Did we also have top models here? What were the big local fashion events? And the establishments? Were there powerful media or journalists à la Wintour among us?
Some names also come to mind that should necessarily appear in this story: Manuel Pertegaz, Andrés Sardá, Antonio Miró, Custo Dalmau, Josep Font, Justo de Nin, Sita Murt, Míriam Ponsa, Josep Abril, Manuel Outumuro, Francina International Modeling Agency, Judit Mascó, Martina Klein, Verónica Blume, Joana Bonet, Santi Meifren, Josep Sandoval, Santa Eulalia, Gratacós, Salón Gaudí, 080 Barcelona Fashion, Equipo Singular, XXL Comunicación... The list is long and I'm sure I'm leaving out many names. What a shame not to be able to count anymore on Teresa Gimpera, one of the undisputed protagonists of the recent history of fashion in our country, a history that, one day, someone should tell.