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Dress - 20th Century, Fashion, Styles: There were dramatic changes in women’s dress during the first decade of the 20th century. Men, however, continued to wear a black frock coat with gray striped trousers for formal day wear and a black tailcoat and trousers with a white waistcoat for evening wear if ladies were present.
Explore the history of fashion in the 20th century with overviews, bibliography, filmography, and individual entries for each decade. Find resources on designers, styles, trends, and cultural contexts of the 20th century clothing.
- Fashion 1910–1919
- The 1920s
- The 1930s
- The 1940s
- The 1950s
- The 1960s
- The 1970s
- The 1980s
- The 1990s
- Bibliography
International fashion until 1914 was heavily influenced by the avant-garde French couturier Paul Poiret. He helped initiate the Art Deco style and inspired other designers such as Erté and Mariano Fortuny, whose delphos gowns of the finest pleated silk were also world famous. In 1910 Poiret publicized the hobble skirt, which was, despite its uncomf...
During the 1920s the length of a skirt's hem became, for the first time, a serious fashion question. While the clothes of 1920–1921 were still calf length, and (around 1923) even ankle length for a short time, after 1924 women favored skirts that hardly covered the knee. In 1922–1923, fashion was influenced by the discovery of the grave of the Egyp...
At the beginning of the 1930s, clothing was cut to be form-fitting again, with the waist at its natural place. Bodices, with rubber and stretch reinforcements, hugged the body's curves. Shoulder pads and wide lapels, off-the-shoulder collars with flounces, as well as tight belts, all aimed to make the waist appear slimmer. The hem was lengthened wi...
During World War II(1939–1945) and the first years following, fashion was dictated by the need for practical, simple clothes and the rationing of resources and materials. In England the government encouraged "utility clothing." In Paris, during the German occupation, only very few haute couture houses remained open. In all countries, special magazi...
In the 1950s Paris regained its position as the capital of fashion. Christian Dior dictated the lines—every season he was ready with another: the H-Line of 1954, for example, which rejected the narrow waist for the first time, and the famous A-Line of 1955. Hardly less influential, however, were the designers Pierre Balmain, Jacques Fath, Hubert de...
The years from 1959 to 1963 were a transition period from the decidedly lady-like style of the 1950s to the teenage style of the ensuing years. Teenagers favored wide-swinging petticoats while the mature woman chose narrow sheath dresses and, as an afternoon or cocktail dress, an extravagantly layered look, with a tight-fitting skirt layered under ...
"Do as you will," was the fashion motto of the early 1970s. The ideal of the hippies, "we are all equal," set the tone for unisex and folklore looks. Hand-made was in, from batik shirts, knitted shawls, and crocheted caps, to pullover sweaters of hand-spun sheep's wool. Under-statement was cool and second-hand duds were no longer for the needy alon...
The fashion silhouette of the 1980s was defined by over-sized, voluminous gigot (leg of mutton) sleeves and wide padded shoulders which coincided with the fight for women's equal rights. Even eveningwear, which emphasized low-cut necklines and narrow waists, had to have padded shoulders. Hemlines were no longer an issue. Teenagers wore loose mini d...
Fashion became a question of "which designer?" with extremely varied styles. In the early 1990s, the Belgian designers Anne Demeulemeester and Martin Margiela started a new style direction with the advent of the grunge and poor-boy look, making Antwerp, which housed designers Dries Van Noten, Dirk Bikkembergs, and Walter Van Beirendock as well, the...
Baudot, Francois. Fashion of the Century.New York: Universe Publishing, 1999. Buxbaum, Gerda, ed. Icons of Fashion: The 20th Century.New York: Prestal, 1999. Fukai, Akiko. Fashion. Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute. A History of the 18th to the 20th Century.Tokyo: Taschen, 2002. Loschek, Ingrid. Fashion in the 20th Century. A Cultural Histo...
Iconic Designs: Fashion and Style of the 20th Century. Worth, Vionnet, Balenciaga, Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace: The “who’s who” of seminal fashion designers has been convened at...
Aug 17, 2023 · This list of some of the 20th century’s most recognizable style icons shows the extent of that transformation, and how key figures in popular culture helped change our clothes, literally —...
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Mar 24, 2018 · 1910-1919 | Fashion History Timeline. Posted by Karina Reddy | Last updated Aug 18, 2020 | Published on May 31, 2018 | 1910-1919, 20th century, decade overview. OVERVIEW. Fashion at the start of the 1910s maintained elements of the previous decade, while beginning to move towards a simpler style.
Jun 2, 2019 · Fashion historian Gerda Buxbaum writes in Icons of Fashion: The 20 th Century, “The long years of deprivation during World War II brought forth a yearning for luxury and fashionable things, and women made a special effort to dress appropriately for every occasion; it was considered imperative that one’s accessories matched perfectly” (69 ...
