The decade as a muse

Goodbye Noughties. With the dawn of a new decade upon us, the GSE team were inspired to look at influential decades that have provided a wealth of inspiration for events.....

 

The Roaring 20’s

 
The decade of flappers and extravagance, art and burlesque; where European society ladies held weekly ‘artistic salons’ and US bootlegging gangsters ran speakeasies .... Jazz took off, Art Deco was born and the avant-garde thrived.
Three cheers for excess, hedonism and fun!

 

 

LEFT: Bright Young Things / Film 4  

RIGHT: Louise Brooks

 

The Historic 40’s

Torn apart by war but glamorous till the end. Battles necessitated make do and mend. The Blitz blacked us out but screen sirens still glittered. Pollock was pouring and Picasso was sculpting. Despite the bedlam, the 40’s kept calm and carried on.
 

 

LEFT: Alfred Eisenstaedt          

MIDDLE: Lauren Bacall

RIGHT: Blitz Party
 

 

 

The Fabulous 50’s
 

Rock & Roll raised the roof, Teddy Boys took over and drive-in movies were the rage; fashion was all about flared skirts, Elvis Presley was crowned The King and Hollywood became as big as Ben Hur.
A jukebox of ideas. 
 

 

LEFT: Phil Poynter for German Vogue        

RIGHT: Image courtesy of GSE.

 

 

The Swinging 60’s

Where Man took a giant leap with one small step on the moon.
Flower Power reigned supreme while the rise of the mini turned some heads and pop art popped some eyeballs.  Beatlemania, Jimi Hendrix, Motown, The Stones and Woodstock. The swinging 60’s - when the highs were very high and the lows were very low.

Let the revolution begin.
  

 

 

LEFT: Twiggy circa 1966  

MIDDLE: Food is Art          

RIGHT: GSE

 

  
The 70’s

 
Peace & Love. Flares & Funk. Where it was OK for men to wear heels, sport a ‘Fro’, ride a Chopper, eat a fondue and own a lava lamp.
Disco was in but it was rock that ruled.
A superhero was born in Superman, a super-villain in Jaws, and some of both in Star Wars.
Led Zeppelin, The Jackson 5, ABBA, The Sex Pistols, Blondie, The Clash, Elton John, The BeeGees, Pink Floyd.......

The 70’s rocked.

 

 

LEFT: Saturday Night Fever / Paramount Pictures

RIGHT: Picture courtesy of GSE

 

The Excessive Eighties

Down came the Berlin wall, up went the space shuttles and out came the shoulder pads. Footloose, Flashdance and Fame danced to synths’ in fluro leggings with pastel leg warmers and we all met an Extra Terrestrial. Crimes of passion were nothing compared to the crimes of fashion. The A-Team Vs Knight Rider, Dallas Vs Dynasty, MacGyver Vs Magnum P.I. New Romantic mullets and heavy metal perms graced the newly born MTV. Madonna  was big but Duran Duran were bigger. Yuppies took over the planet but it was Live Aid that fed the world.

 

 

 

LEFT: Ciara             MIDDLE :Madonna 1985          RIGHT: Dynasty / ABC TV

 

 

For more inspiration and ideas on the above along with info on the historic 40’s and the excessive 80’s, visit the Mice.net website at: www.btp.net.au and click on the Collaborators tab.

For more information about GSE and the event work we do, visit www.gse.com.au