Introduction
Grease is an American romantic comedy music that was released in 1978 but takes place 20 years earlier during 1958. According to Rottentomatoes.com, “an exchange girl student experiences a summer romance with a greaser leather clad boy but will their love continue?” The musical film also features a group of high school kids during the 1950’s experiencing friendships, romances, and adventures. The film shows teenage life during the 1950’s, the fashion for leather jackets, cool cars and movie drive ins. The theme of the musical film starts with an innocent goody two shoes (Sandy Olsen) at the start of the film and transforms into a bad girl at end with her lover Danny Zuko (Kleiser, 1978)
Grease: Live! is the 2016 remake of the original musical film. The remake followed the initial plot, but they renamed Sandy to Sandy Young, and changed a part of her backstory. Their outfits play a giant part within both movies as it separates cliques, and social classes. The leather jacket was worn by Danny Zuko, a greaser and other groups as well is one of the most prominent pieces worn throughout the films. (Kail & Rudzinski, 2016)
History of Leather Jackets
Leather jackets came into existence during the early 1900’s, as they were originally military wear. They were during World War I, when German flight pilots began wearing this very specific jacket. During the late 1920’s, a fashion designer named Irvin Schott decided to create some himself, and he added zippers to it. Then, in the 1950’s, is when it became immensely popular. The jacket was worn on film for the first time by Marlon Brando, and then the leather jacket became a clothing staple. (Smith, 2019)
Garment: Leather Jacket
The garment selected is a leather jacket, from each of the films. Although the films have the same plot, they are made with an almost forty-year difference. The leather jacket is an iconic piece, especially within the movies. The general idea of a leather jacket has always symbolized rebellion, and defiance. It is just a jacket, but at the time to the people who wore this piece of clothing, it meant so much more.
In Grease, the leather jacket is worn by the main protagonist Danny, as a part of his daily look. During the 1970’s, greaser gangs were popular. A greaser gang is a group of lower- and working-class teenagers, predominantly male. Danny was the leader of his group of friends, so naturally, this was something he wore daily. Throughout the film, Danny wears his typical outfit with his black leather jacket, jeans and a white shirt. The way he wears it is simple. He always wears his t-shirt tucked into jeans with a black belt that is complete with his black leather jacket with a T-Birds logo at the back and a black kind of military shoes. Danny’s leather outfit is shown in Figure 1, (image shown below).
The T-Birds biker jackets were worn by Danny Zuko who was portrayed as John Travolta and Sandy Ollson portrayed as Olivia Newton. Danny Zuko wears the T-Birds biker jacket consistently during the film. The T-bird biker jacket is made of a slim fit and is also made from real leather. It is designed for a long and durable biker apparel wear. The apparel also includes a stand-up collar, has viscose lining that is stitched inside and front zip closure for pockets or phones used. The black leather also includes a bird logo and is written in T-birds to represent the greasers. The T-bird biker jacket is a leather jacket appeal.
Making of Leather Jackets:
The Preparation Process
Leather apparel material is made up of tanned animal hides and has been used as a clothing garment in ancient times. It is a long process to make leather apparel. Leather is a natural material; however, leather is used like a fabric. Leather and a fabric are stitched together to form garments and to form a leather jacket. According to How Products are Made, the steps of making leather are tanning, dyeing, and finishing. The first step process to make a leather jacket is tanning. Tanning is the process of cleaning the animal skins and soaking the preserved beauty into a refrigerated container. After soaking the animal hides, the hides material are being sent to the tannery station where the skins undertake a series of processes designed to preserve and soften the hides material. The most important procedure is at the tannery because it is to guarantee the result of high-quality garment. After this tanned process, there is still an extensive process. The preparation process includes trimming and cleaning, tanning, and washing and drying. (Sorokanich, 2018) The steps by step of making a leather jacket is shown in Figure 2 (image shown below).
The Manufacturing Process
The next step would be the manufacturing process. This process is the jacket design, cutting, the jacket assembly, molding and pressing and the final inspection. According to How Products are Made, the jacket needs to be assembled in roughly in type of order, “The jacket is assembled in roughly this order: the sides are stitched to the back portion, sleeve under seams are stitched together, and the sleeves are attached to the armholes”. This manufacturing process also needs to be detailed, careful work to be inspected before handing it to the retail store for consumers to buy the product. The final product is handled with poly plastic bags and packed with boxes and ready shipped to the retailer. (Sorokanich, 2018)
Costume Fashion Designer
Albert Wolsky was the costume designer for Grease. He was born in Paris, France and lived there until the start of World War II, when he and his family fled Europe to migrate to the United States. He studied at the City College of New York, and shortly after graduating he was enlisted in the war and spent time in Japan. In 1956, at the age of 26, he came back to the United States and began working at a travel agency. He had a change of career paths and became an assistant to costume maker Helene Pons. Eventually he began to work for himself and became quite popular. Though it is unknown how exactly Albert received the job for Grease, it is assumed that it is because of his popularity at the time. (Idelson, 2017)
William Ivey Long was the costume designer for Grease: Live! He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He went to the College of William and Mary, and he majored in history. He then went to the University of North Carolina, and then to Yale University. After he graduated from Yale, he moved to New York City and interned for Charles James. One of his previous roommates referred him to be a costume designer for a Broadway show, which was the start of his career. (Collins, 2016)
Textiles Final Paper
