A SOMEWHAT SHORT HISTORY OF FASHION

A SOMEWHAT SHORTHISTORY OF FASHION

From Prehistoric trends to contemporary designers

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The French word mode, meaning "fashion", dates as far back as 1482, while the English word denoting something "in style" dates only to the 16th century.

! Fun Fact !

What is 'Fashion'?

Fashion is a term used to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, accessories, cosmetics, and jewelry of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into outfits that depict styles and trends as signifiers of social status, self-expression, and group belonging.

Index

1. Prehistoric Fashion

2. Fashion of Early Civilizations

Egypt, Greece, Roman Empire

3. Renaissance Spendors

From 1450 to 1789

4. The Roaring 20s

From 1920 to 1928

5. Great Depression and WWII

From 1929 to 1950

6. Fashion in the 60's

7. Fashion in the 70's

8. Fashion in the 80's

9. Fashion in the 90s

10. Fashion in the 2000s

11. Fashion in the future

Conclusion

Prehistoric Fashion

Varna necropolis (Bulgaria) containing the oldest gold jewelry known to date, created between 4600 and 4200 BC.

Pierced shells from the Blombos site, South Africa, dating back 75,000 years

Functional considerations

Our furry ancestors were not very fashionable. These were purely functional considerations.Several ethnologists agree that humans invented clothing:- to hide their nudity;- to cover their 'hairless' body, exposed to climatic attacks. Fashion trends : roughly assembled animal skins, dyed, sewed, customized with jewelry, depending on their tribe, geographic origin, family, age and gender.

Fashion of Early Civilizations

Roman : Linen and wool, then cotton (India) and silk (China), large uncut piece of cloth, folded and pinned, or tied with belt

Linen, made from flax seeds, was the main material for almost all egyptian clothes.

Greek : Linen or wool, loose or flowing, garments often sewn together

Loincloth : fundamental pieace of clothing which cover genitals

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

Egyptians, Greek & Roman

From 1450 to 1789

Renaissance Splendors

Fashion is a showcase; if it does not yet really have an identity, it is the mirror of the social condition.Fashion moved from drapped garment to fitted, birth of the art of tailoring.It is also at this time that we start to wear perfume and makeup.1625-1789 Baroque & Rococo styles : revolution in buckles and straps, the corset is more present, modification of the woman's body silhouette.Shortly before the French Revolution, the ancestor of the specialized clothing press appeared in the form of illustrated almanacs presenting Parisian trends to its provincial and European readers. From its first publications, this press played a fundamental role in the liberalization of clothing and later, the emancipation of women.

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

Aristocratic Fashion

From 1920 to 1928

The Roaring 20s

After the war, simplification was the trend : less is more.Elaborated dresses and hairpieces were reduced to energetic, boyish look called Flapper. Hair were shorter, feeling of youth and fun.Coco Chanel's designs introduced the'mode garçonne' with fitted top, pants and short hair.

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

Les Années Folles

From 1929 to 1950

Great Depression & WWII

Events cause a shortage of resources and materials.Sept. to mid-Nov 1929 : Wall Street Market CrashDresses become longer again, bodies were covered again, elegance was the new trend and Elsa Schiaparelli designed elegant dresses with less materials1939-1944 : WWIWomen have to be clever and go so far as to dye their legs with tea toimitate tights, or sew dresses withcurtains.As many men were at the front,women took an important placein industry and factories,and clothes becamemore utilitarian.

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

From Glamour to Utility

Fashion in the 60's

Space-Age Fashion

Orange & Brown

Babydoll Dress

Vinyl fabrications

Beret

Animal prints

Miniskirt

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

60's : Return to childhood

Drop earrings

Mix up prints

Tonal Dressing

Sequins

Rounded oversized glasses

Floral prints

Flares

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

60's : Return to childhood

Fashion in the 70's

Androgynous

Glam Rock

Punk : UK to US

Disco

Hippies

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

70's : Individuality

Fashion in the 80's

Mullet

Colourful makeup

Androgynous

Tracksuit

Neon colors

Spandex

Shoulder pads

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

80's : Bold, Colourful, Rad

Fashion in the 90's

Combat boots

Grunge

Crop Top

Bleached hair

Bandanas

Neon Windbreaker

Ripped jean

Overalls

Platform shoes

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

90's : Streetwear & Grunge

10

Fashion in the 2000's

Tracksuits

Leggings

UGGs

Graphic Tees

Bandage Dress

Cargo Pants

Printed skinny jeans

Ripped jean

Vests

Bedazzle jeans

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

2000's : Global Mash Up

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Fashion in the Future

Back to the Future (1985)

Star Trek (TV 2001)

The Fifth Element (1997)

Star Wars (1977)

2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968)

Alien (1979)

The Matrix (1999)

Blade Runner (1982)

Tunics : worn by nobility or royalty

Sci-Fi Fashion predictions

Conclusion

From the 20's to the 90's, fashion trends evolved with defining styles of each era.At the end of the 20th century, did the fashion industry shift from fashion to clothing? Did fashion end in the 1990s? Or has fashion just evolved again?Fashion has not ended, it has changed. It is on the brink of another major shift. The Western fashion industry hasn't died yet, but it will need to respond effectively to new global challenges such as sustainablity, worker's rights and innovation.