Article and photos by Royce Rumsey
Royce Rumsey treats us to a recreation of a mid-century high-fashion magazine photoshoot when the cars were the stars!
Women and automobiles have always been inextricably intertwined.
And while the automobiles themselves may be masculine-dominant (in design, development, competition and maintenance) the affection for the automobile has strong feminine influence—especially so in the lithe, highly styled and curvaceous sports car genre. Both the inspiration and the analogies between sports cars and feminine aesthetic and mystique has always existed and is immutable.
The freedom (both societal and commercially) resulting in Post-War culture manifested itself in the sports and performance car boom of the 50’s and 60’s. And the appeal of these kinds of cars and the lifestyles they represented to both men and women was noted and propagated by Madison Avenue. Hence, the ‘golden age’ of automotive print advertising and promotion resulted in beautifully rendered and photographed automobiles posed in dramatic venues, replete with high-style and high-fashion women gracing the car and the exotic settings.
Dior’s “New Look” (1947) echoed the curves of sporting and luxury cars—nipped waists, full skirts. High fashion re-embraced femininity and formality.
Central to this movement was celebrated fashion designer Christian Dior’s famous Post-War “New Look”—introduced in 1947—concomitant to the birth and rising popularity of the sports car. The Dior inspired Post-War fashion echoed the car curves of the era—nipped waists, full dresses with elegant construction. As an integral part of this trend, we saw the introduction of Dior’s 1954 H-line pencil skirt which presented a form that emphasized a narrow, straight silhouette celebrating femininity with a refined, tailored look and style. It was the perfect complement to the then-emerging sporting elite lifestyle.
This shared fashion-automotive advertising era embraced the Dior style and included his influence in all its mediums—but especially in the print media. A major collaborator in this movement was the ‘bible’ of the fashion media world—Vogue magazine—a very prestigious publication that many times created editorials featuring women in the Dior sartorial splendor along with a dashing complimentary sports or luxury car. The combined clothing and automotive aesthetic presented a striking and powerful statement that was an advertising fashion triumph and provided a central post-war boom in both milieus. Predominantly included in this movement was the renowned British sports-car stalwart, Triumph Automobiles, whose utilization of lifestyle print advertising reflected and built on the high-fashion-with-sportscar trend.
More recently, the high-fashion/sports car advertising genre was able to be recreated when renowned social-media personality, ‘Triumph Motorcycle Girl” joined Jeff Seiglen’s 1962 2138 cc Triumph TR3B along with photographer Mary Hurlbut and Yours Truly at the Irvine Ranch Historic Park.
The rustic c.1920 Driving Barns of the Irvine Ranch provided a chromatic and textural counterpoint to the jaunty elegance of the factory color powder blue of the TR3B and Triumph Motorcycle Girl’s matching Dior-esque ensemble. Her perfection in style and posing provided for the kind of photoshoot that the DBB ad firm of the era would have salivated over…and rightfully so, as it was another fashion triumph.
Fashion and automobiles have grown side-by-side, both reflecting and shaping the spirit of their time. From the glamor of 1950s car culture to today’s emphasis on innovation and sustainability, their synergy continues to inspire design, marketing, and lifestyle choices. Fashion became associated with freedom, independence, and urban sophistication. Women in car ads were now fashionable and often portrayed as capable and modern.
Fashion as a symbol of modernity has often been used in car ads to reinforce the car’s image as sleek, new and desirable. Cars and clothing both symbolize identity, status, and lifestyle—something advertisers still capitalize on heavily.