By Condé Nast Archive
By Laird Borrelli-Persson
Foot Wrapped in Bows, Vogue (1968-06-01) by Franco RubartelliCondé Nast Archive
Blush. Rose. Mauve. Coral. Shocking. Millennial. There are endless ways to describe pink, a color that has become gendered over time.
Just as in the late 2010s it’s not a surprise to see a man in a pink moto jacket, so in Versailles a courtier might appear in an embroidered frock coat.
Eventually, the pink-is-for-girls, blue-is-for-boys rules were established, and this rosy hue became a symbol of femininity and romance.
Model in a Schiaparelli Skirt and Blouse, Vogue (1951-11-01) by Robert RandallCondé Nast Archive
Designer Elsa Schiaparelli reinvigorated the color and gave it a modern spin when she introduced the head-turning shocking pink in 1931.
She later described it in her autobiography as “bright, impossible, impudent, becoming, life-giving, like all the birds and the fish in the world put together, a shocking color.”
Fabienne Terwinghe in a Geoffrey Beene Evening Gown, Vogue (1989-02-01) by Arthur ElgortCondé Nast Archive
Unsurprisingly, the color surged again in popularity in the over-the-top 1980s when skirts were short, shoulders bold, hair big, and colors loud.
This saturated version on pink communicates feminine power and strength; as such it stands in contrast to the softer, more saccharine version that has become associated with the formality of the 1950s.
Frivolity is another quality attributed to this color, which was unforgettably spoofed in Funny Face (1957), a film starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire.
Women’s rights are no joke for fourth-wave feminists who took to the street in pink “pussy hats” as they rallied for change. On the heels of which, non-gendered millennial pink became all the rage.
Claudia Schiffer in Jacques Fath Dress, Vogue (1994-12-01) by Arthur ElgortCondé Nast Archive
In part, that’s because the Instagram-friendly hue is everywhere, as it was in 1935 when Vogue wrote: “There is so much pink in Paris that you’d think you were looking through coloured glasses.
Model in Addie Masters Dress, Vogue (1955-11-15) by Clifford CoffinCondé Nast Archive
Women in all shades. A charity ball entirely in pink. Even a new boite, ‘La Belle Époque,’ in pink too. Pink quilted satin banquettes, pink tables,orchestra in pink coats.”
Mdel in a PInk Sophie Ballgown Pictured in Front of a Jackson Pollock Painting, Vogue (1951-03-01) by Cecil BeatonCondé Nast Archive
The appeal of la vie en rose, it would seem, never fades.
