Analysis of the Different Decades of Fashion

Fashion Trend Analysis
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Name and Number
Lecturer’s Name
Assignment Due Date
Fashion Trend Analysis
Fashion in the twentieth century transformed from strict corseted dresses to anything attitudinal of today. In 1900, most men wore suits and hats (Arnold, 2011). The jazz age flapper of the twenties got rid of all restrictions to allow individuals have fun. The First and Second World Wars had an impact on the 1910s and 1940s fashion respectively (Cahalan, 2017). There was a golden age of stunning evening gowns of the evening gowns for women in the forties and fifties. In the sixties, swinging London trendsetters brought in the super-short miniskirt and futuristic fashion (Crane, 2012). The seventies was a time of hippie clothes and the disco era. Studies indicate that, fashion saw a major shift in style in the first two decades of the twentieth century.
The complete development from the Edwardian silhouette to the boyish silhouette of the twenties was a progress with numerous defining turning points. Designers such as Paul Poiret were icons in the development of the twentieth century fashion (English, 2013). Throughout this century, historical and cross-cultural influences exerted an insightful impact on fashion design. Designers could easily access the materials, designs and styles due to improved travel and communication. With photographic developments and printing methods, the designers could also gather ideas from secondary sources like journals, books and magazines (Ewing, 2014). From the fifties, European designers needed to look around them to see various clothing from around the world. This research analyzes the fashion trends in the 1910s, 1940s and 1970s.
1910s
The period 1910-1919 was characterized by a unique fashion. This was a decade where fashion retained most of the class and style of the preceding era, but with a simple flare. According to Reddy (2020), the Second World War had a significant not only impacted culture and society, but it also influenced fashion. Although modifications in women’s fashion that manifested in the next decade were associated with the changes caused by the Second World War, numerous popular styles of the 1920s evolved from popular pre-war styles (Vinken & Hewson, 2015). The 1910s began with a silhouette that was softer than the previous decade. This silhouette was S-shaped. Whereas the knobby shape formed by straight-fronted corsets had become softer in more natural shape, the style in the beginning of 1910s still emphasized on the styles of the early decade (Reddy, 2020). The ball gown by G&E Spitzer in the figure below shows how the S-curve softened during the start of the decade but still depended on the imbalanced look (Vinken & Hewson, 2015).
With the beginning of the disappearance of this S-shape, skirts started to taper towards the bottom like the one in the figure below and a completely new style of a revived empire waist emerged.
A key development in the early part of this decade (1910) was the rise of Orientalism. During this period, the Ballets Russes performed Scheherazade in Paris, triggering the craze. Scheherazade was a ballet based on ‘‘One Thousand and One Nights’’ (Reddy, 2020). Paul Poiret assisted in marketing this book, which featured vibrant colors, draped fabrics and column-like shape. He further introduced ‘‘harem’’ pantaloons in 1911 (Reddy, 2020). This was a inflated pair of trousers worn by the most intrepid women. The fancy dress epitomized Poiret’s style. Women wore the dress to his party, ‘‘The Thousand and Second Night’’ (Reddy, 2020). Studies indicate that Poiret’s fashions were inventive and made-news. As such, they dominated the first half of the decade. Poiret introduced the hobble skirt in 1911 (Arnold, 2011). It narrowed so much at the bottom, making it difficult for women to walk.
Poiret’s stripped dress from 1910 shown in the figure below hints at this silhouette (Cahalan, 2017). He often claimed that he had abandoned the corset, and indeed, his wobbly dresses did not require the rigid undergarment, although other designers were also distancing from corseted looks simultaneously. Another of Poiret’s innovative silhouettes was the ‘‘lampshade tunic’’. In this way, one begins to know how Poiret’s inventive approach to fashion influenced the popular styles of the twenties (Crane, 2012).
According to Reddy (2020), Poiret contributed effectively to the 1910s fashions, making him one of the famous designers of that decade. In 1914, World War 1 (WW1) began. Most women preferred Tunics to Skirts. During the war, Tunics became a popular wartime fashion since they were simple utilitarian clothing (Vinken & Hewson, 2015). At the same time, French designers such as Jacques Doucet produced simple, cotton designs. Women started wearing uniforms, including trousers and overalls because they worked in munitions companies for the war efforts. Although the United States did not enter the war until 1917, the effect of the war on fashion was already felt in some countries like the United Kingdom, France and the rest of Europe (Ewing, 2014). France had dominated fashion for years, but the war slowed the production and distribution of new fashions.
The valuable evening dress from 1916 indicates that fashion was not forgotten (Crane, 2012). For women, military uniforms bore some characteristics of current fashion: the long skirts with jackets or tunics worn over them were suggestive of a civilian dress. After the end of the war, designers continued to make simple styles and a barrel-like silhouette occurred (Ewing, 2014). Skirts were still long, but designers attempted to confine the body in a cylinder. This design would later develop into the prominent flapper look of the twenties. Ideally, Poiret’s pleated skirt and cocoon coat gave a hint of the next fashion.
Men’s fashion largely continued on from the prior decade. Suits were widely popular in this decade. Lounge suits: - three piece suits became popular as a more casual alternative to more formal suits of the past years (Arnold, 2011). There were different styles of these suits as shown in the figures below. Trouser legs crept up to the length of the ankle for a shorter appearance, often with the cuffs turned up. Typically, the lounge suit was made up of a sack coat, a waist coat and trousers. Collars were worn starched and high on neck (Cahalan, 2017). The lounge suit was often worn with a Homburg hat, a bowler hat or a felt hat with a dent down the top.
The outdoorsmen liked wearing the Norfolk jacket. A blazer was the most casual jacket in this time, and it was worn for daily activities (Crane, 2012). Formal shirts had tall and stiff collars while ties were narrow. Like womenswear, menswear saw a divide before and after WW1. Of course, cost men joined military for war effort. According to English (2013), many men were pictured in military uniform from 1914 till the end of the decade.
Although men maintained their three piece suit after the war, the conflict had a long-lasting influence on both men and women’s fashion. Trench coat became common in the desperate conditions of WW1 (Reddy, 2020). British officers began to purchase the coats as a functional part of their uniform. At that time, the coat was a utilitarian but Hollywood later adopted it, providing garment with a permanent legacy still felt today (Ewing, 2014).
1940s
The decline of the stock market in 1929 and the extreme economic crisis in the thirties seemed not to affect fashion, which maintained its trend (Reddy, 2020). Based on the films, men and women escaped hard times and expected a cheery and stunning life in Hollywood. Fashion pursued clothes worn by movie stars. The modest fashion was bias cut dresses although they were feminine. Men’s broad shoulder suits imitated the mannish body type. In 1940s, the fashions took a new role following the beginning of WW2 in 1939 (Arnold, 2011).
Men’s fashions stopped making progress until the end of the war: - an indication that most men were serving in the military instead of enjoying life with their families (Vinken & Hewson, 2015). Women’s fashion reverberated men&r...