Pink may be the quasi-official colour of an entire generation but millennials were far from the first group to discover its unique power – and they probably won't be the last. The polarising colour has been associated with everything from masculinity and being working class to the more recent feminised and eroticised connotations it has held in the western hemisphere, where everyone from Barbie to Bic (yep, those pointless pens) has played with the hue.
Why does pink so often prove controversial? A new book explores the colour's significance in fashion, art and culture from the 18th century to the present day, with essays and a string of dazzling, sugary imagery all in one place. Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Colour, in collaboration with an exhibition at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, is a feast for the eyes as well as the mind, with photos, ads and artworks from sources ranging from Hollywood films and a Fenty Puma campaign to the museum's own archives. Click through for some of pink's most memorable moments.
Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Colour, edited by Valerie Steele, is published by Thames & Hudson on 30th August 2018.
A Barbie-inspired motocross co-ord from Jeremy Scott's Moschino SS15 collection. "Like every girl and gay boy, I loved Barbie," Scott said backstage after the show, while sporting a "Moschino for Ages 5 and Over" T-shirt.
Photo Courtesy of Moschino.
An afternoon dress in pink silk taffeta from 1857, USA, owned by the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Photographed by The Museum at FIT.
CODEPINK protesters participating in a four-month all-day vigil in front of the White House on 17th November 2002 against the US war in Iraq.
Photo courtesy of CODEPINK.
A corset from the 1880s, USA, owned by the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Photographed by The Museum at FIT.
1920s evening dresses.
Photo © The Museum at FIT.
An Elsa Schiaparelli gown from the summer of 1937, owned by the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Photographed by The Museum at FIT.
The Fenty Puma by Rihanna SS17 campaign photographed by Tim Walker and styled by Jacob K, with creative direction by Rihanna.
Photo courtesy of Puma.
A man’s striped suit from Granny Takes a Trip, a psychedelic boutique on the King’s Road, Chelsea, London, ca. 1971.
Photographed by The Museum at FIT.
A Zandra Rhodes ensemble from England in 1978, owned by the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Photographed by The Museum at FIT.
A Thierry Mugler evening gown from 1994, owned by the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Photographed by The Museum at FIT.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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