HOW METALS HAVE GLAMOURIZED FASHION

Metals don’t only parade themselves in our daily lives, but are found in the deepest part of the ocean, named the Mariana Trench, unlikely to rise up from the depths.

Common metals include nickel, chromium, cobalt, and zinc, the latter of which stops rusting. Many are vital in the use of cords, thermometers, electrical power lines to travel long distances, and medical gadgets, not to mention the 31 grams of aluminum within one’s cell phone!

The query arises as to how metals enter our daily lives, the basic answer being through environmental contamination of soil and water, during processing, and the consumption of fish containing mercury and foods not classified as safe by the authorities.

The most likely metals to have traces in food are cereals, fruits, seafood, berries, meat, and poultry. This information is not intended to scare consumers, as in a civilized country like South Africa, packaging by law is essential.

Regarding the clothing industry, “metallics” interacted with royalty, while women generally wore dresses with a bodice, a belt, and an “open umbrella” type of skirt. This was a post-war era for the masses, deadly dull in many ways during the 1950s, but a generation with hope. Tweeds were favored by the upper classes, avoiding cheap cottons.

However, the 1960s soon arrived and were tumultuous in many ways. The “hippy” generation was novel and pretentious. Clothes abounded with color in contrasting designs, psychedelic patterns of the drug-fueled culture, flared trousers worn by both sexes, and shoulder-length hair. Just about everything earlier unimaginable was a “rave.”

Returning to metallics, these were initially used on the gowns of royalty. Sequins, having a long history, were originally made from sea shells with a hole in the center allowing for application with a needle, which was quite a laborious ordeal. However, moving forward, much glittering fabric more or less eliminated the task.

“Lamé” was an earlier fabric having shimmering threads woven into it. “Metallics,” with all their “glitz,” veered into high-end fashion, glittering with silver, gold, and bronze.

The fashion industry was now at a height, and metal was used on clothing, shoes, slippers, handbags, and headbands. This glitz invaded upholstery, car seats, curtains, placemats, etc., metals arousing the ambiance of the East!

In closing, metals glamourized what was once a dreary world, with no obligation or interference with class or status.