The swing dress
At Mondo Kaos, we love a good swing dress, and it is one of the dresses we always have many of in our range. There must be swing dresses and swing skirts in several colors and patterns, and in sizes from small, medium and large to plus size .
Harlem and Lindy Hop
To tell the story of the swing dress, you have to go back to the Harlem and Lindy Hop culture of the 1920s and 30s. Lindy Hop was a swing dance inspired by tap and Charleston and the jazz music of the time, and it had to be danced with a partner and was almost acrobatically full of jumps and lifts.
It started small in Harlem's clubs, and became so popular that it moved into the large Savoy Ballroom in New York, where they even hired dancers and musicians to perform the new swing style. The performers formed a troupe that toured around the United States, and it was from here that the popularity of swing dancing spread.
Frankie Manning:
One of the great Lindy Hop dancers of his time was Frankie Manning. He danced as an employee of the Savoy Ballroom and toured throughout America with the troupe from the Savoy. The dance company also appeared in films, and was incredibly popular throughout the 1940s and 1950s .
When Lindy Hop was no longer fashionable, Frankie Manning got a job at a post office where he worked for 30 years, until the 1980s when an interest in Lindy Hop was revived. At the age of 72, Manning began teaching and choreographing again, he won, among other things, a Tony award for choreography in Black and Blue, and appears as a consultant and dancer in Spike Lee's Malcolm X.
Rock'n'Roll and swing revival
While during the war years the dance was turned down a bit, swing dancing was still popular, and had long since reached outside of Harlem. Dance films were big, and made swing dancing famous far beyond the borders of the United States.
When Rock & Roll broke through, swing dance was adapted to the music, and Jive became the 50's favorite swing style. As R&B replaced Rock and Roll, swing adapted again and morphed into a variant called West Coast Swing.
It wasn't until the 60s twist that the swing style went out of fashion, but it reappeared in the 1980s in a revival such as saw the aforementioned Frankie Manning make a comeback. Today, the various swing dances are still found in an active dance and retro environment, but you can happily use the beautiful vintage swing dresses for everyday life and parties, even without dancing.
What is a swing dress?
Just as the term "swing" came to represent a number of different styles of dance, the swing dress itself also covers a variety of dress cuts.
Although you can find swing dresses with and without sleeves, shorter and longer, full circle dresses and those with pleats at the top or lower, the common denominator of a vintage swing dress remains the same; It gives the wearer great freedom of movement while providing a flattering fit around the waist. Today, the swing dress is one of the most popular summer dresses here at Mondo Kaos , but there are also plenty of reinterpretations with warm fabrics and slightly longer lengths that make it perfect for the cold months of the year.
It is the epitome of a feminine dress and skirt , a style both we and our customers at Mondo kaos love.
The classic swing dress
The one we probably know as the most classic swing dress is the 1950s dress, or the skirt , which sits all the way in at the waist but has pleats at the top so it sticks out just below the waist and gives the perfect hourglass shape. We know it especially from the 1950s, when it also entered the fashion scene thanks to Dior's New Look, where he took this shape and made it a fashion statement that paid tribute to the female figure.
We have, for example, the beautiful Milan from Heart of Haute , or the Stop Staring Mad Men dress with a sweetheart neckline, which is another of our absolute favorite swing dresses that can be used again and again for countless occasions.
That's why we always have a large selection of vintage style swing dresses all year round.
Vintage swing skirt
A cut that is particularly known from skirts and precisely from the dance world is the 'fulde sol', or full circle skirt. It makes sense that it arose together with swing dancing, as this dress really gives you the opportunity to swing your legs and hips, and the dress gives the nice 'full sun' effect when you spin quickly around the dance floor. In addition, the fabric falls beautifully and flatteringly around the hips and legs.
Style your vintage swing skirt
We love the possibilities when styling a vintage swing skirt. We always have lots of beautiful vintage style shirt blouses , and depending on how neutral a color you have chosen for the skirt , you can adapt the top so that it is either a strong color, or patterned for a navy or black bottom, or vice versa.
In the cold months, you can add a beautiful cardigan or knitted sweater , which we always have in the correct short-waisted length. You can use beautiful stilettos for a festive evening, or flat shoes for an everyday look.
You can also style a swing skirt in 50's style with a Mondo Kaos T-shirt and a pair of nice shoes . It gives a nice everyday vintage look. When you style your swing dress, you can be happy that with a dress, you already have the full look, now you can concentrate on the details, should your shoes match or perhaps be contrasting? Can you possibly match shoes and hat (in the cold months), or shoes and jewelry such as earrings, bracelets , necklaces or brooches? It gives an exciting and at the same time stylish vintage look.
If you have been inspired to find your very own swing dress style, or add a new vintage swing dress to your wardrobe, stop by and be inspired by the many beautiful dresses and swing skirts in the store.
The best greetings,
Team Mondo Kaos ❤
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