Unknown to many, the 1970s was a turning point in aviation history. It was in 1973 when the U.S. Secretary of the Navy announced the authorization of naval aviation training for women.
In 1974, the U.S. Navy became the first service to graduate a woman pilot, LT Barbara Allen Rainey, followed closely by classmates Judith Neuffer, Ana Marie Fuqua, Rosemary Bryant Mariner, Jane Skiles O’Dea and Joellen Drag.
Though the Iceberg press notes did not mention these women, their spirit is definitely the muse of the Iceberg Fall/Winter 2015-16 collection which tells the “story of an elegant 1970s aviator: strength, determination and femininity.”
It’s about the strong personality of women, hence it is not surprising that the color palette is based on the primary colors – red, blue color block mode – tempered by beige and gray.
Graphic lines: airplanes and a Sottsass spirit meet in aninterplay of colored stripes on knits and outerwear. Cropped aviator jackets in shearling intersected by shiny leather strips. Belts, cut like corsets, that hug and highlight the waist.
“We fly”, prints are images shot from above. We fly over fields of orchids. We see airport runways.
Strict lines, straight cut dresses and tops structured by the high-waisted belts. Blue, black and orchids. Everything is mixed and the flowers dominate the lines.
The heel and sole of shoes are made with pine or mahogany wood, as in 1970s modernist furniture.
Suede, leather and vinyl define low boots and high cuissards. Here are the two souls of the woman aviator. Strong and sweet.
Severity gradually gives way to livelier shapes in colorful stripes. Glossy black and white vinyl imbue the sporty sweaters with a strong feeling, in contrast to delicate white orchid embroideries.
Photos courtesy of Iceberg