Fashion has been a part of human life since ancient times. As people develop, fashion also follows similar footsteps. Decade after decade, we witness the emergence of new trends, how and why they emerge, and how they affect our lives. In this article, we will talk about fashion starting from the 1900s until today, the factors that led to their emergence and its impact on future trends. This article will become your decade-by-decade guide and take you through the different clothing styles that have existed for many years.
Faishon- Decade after decade
1900s
The dominant fashion trend in the 1900s was the S-shaped silhouette. What this silhouette does is push your hips back and your chest up and forward, thereby giving your body a an S-shaped form. But as the decade ended, women began to dress in ways that accentuated their natural features. During the day, women wear ao dai from the neck to the floor and have long sleeves. For the nightgown, the same silhouette was adopted but with a plunging neckline and short sleeves. With the emergence of sports in the early 20th century, fashion also developed in that field and new styles of clothing were created for sports like golf, cycling, tennis, etc.
You are watching: 1900-2020 The Evolution of Fashion: A Decade-By-Decade Guide
1910s
The beginning of the decade was marked by the elimination of corsets and S-shapes and women now dressed more naturally. Some of the designers who brought about this change were Paul Poirer, Georges Doeuillet, Jacques Doucet and Lucile (Lady Duff Gordon). These designers strongly encourage fashion that fits women more naturally instead of just highlighting certain parts of their bodies. This led to the re-emergence of empire dresses popular in the early 19th century. The decade began with the rise of Orientalism. In 1911, Poiret created “harem” trousers and The Fancy Dress. This year also saw the introduction of “hobble dresses,” but they fell out of favor because moving around in them was nearly impossible. As we can see, practical clothing was an urgent need, and this need increased even more due to the first world war.
1920s
These years are also known as the Age of Glamour, Glamour, and Jazz. But another side of the decade also expressed the importance of simple and practical clothing. After the war ended, women realized that simple, minimalist clothes were much more comfortable than the clothes they were used to wearing. From then on, clothing that represented the Victorian era was born and comfort emerged. A new trend called the “flapper look” was born, paving the way for a comfortable and androgynous style of dress. With waists and hems dropping just above the knee, people began to adopt different styles of feminine fashion. The credit for this trend goes to the iconic Coco Chanel.
Another trend where feminine fashion gave a more romantic look was created by Jeanne Lanvin, known as “Robe de Style”.
Sportswear is becoming more popular and accepted each year among both women and men. The development of women’s sportswear was carried out by very few designers such as Coco Chanel, Schiaparelli and Jean Patou.
1930s
The androgynous look from the last decade has now faded and feminine silhouettes are making a comeback. A sheet of fabric covering the body, called “biased cut” is currently a new trend. A lot of fashion during this decade was also inspired by Hollywood actresses of the time such as Better Davis, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and many others.
1940s
This decade was marked by the beginning of World War II which led to shortages of clothing materials. Fashion once again had to become practical, which meant uniforms for men and women serving in war and utility clothing for everyone else. Padded shoulders, hemlines below the knee, and ties around the waist were common during this decade. The lesser amount of material led to the creation of the bikini in 1946 by designers Jacques Heim and Louis Reard. Fun fact about bikinis, they were originally called ‘Atome’ because they were as small as atoms! The bikini certainly had an explosive impact on fashion this decade.
After the war ended, Christian Dior entered the scene and created something people had never seen before. His design titled “New Look” sparked something new in the fashion industry. His extensive use of fabric created a look of luxury and elegance like no other, in stark contrast to the way clothes were made with limited resources during wartime.
1950s
Christain Dior’s designs have ignited a new fire in women’s hearts. After years of limited access to clothing, women desire to dress in a way that accentuates their femininity. As a result, we witness the emergence of toned waists, sumptuous silhouettes and full dresses and skirts. Although the “New Look” remains popular, it cannot prevent the emergence of new silhouettes, different from itself. A great example of this new, straight and slim silhouette is the ‘Sack Skirt’ created by Cristobal Balenciaga. This design hit the fashion industry like a truck and for all the right reasons. Balenciaga created silhouettes that no one could have predicted, especially after the designs of Christian Dior. Both Dior and Balenciaga’s designs stand at opposite ends of the spectrum; the former created dresses with more corset silhouettes while the latter created boxy dresses with wide shoulders.
Coco Chanel is another candidate in this race. She introduced her signature slim style in 1954 that included straight skirts and boxy jackets.
1960s
See more : Rudraprayag accident, Uttarakhand: Tempo tourist fell into Alaknanda river
The beginning of this decade brings with it the fashion legacy of the previous decade. The feminine look in fashion remains popular thanks to designers like Balenciaga and Hubert de Givenchy and style icon Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Around 1965, we saw the arrival of the “Swinging Sixties.” This phenomenon focuses on music, fashion, youth and everything cool. There is a need for modern clothing designs, designs that make women feel free, happy and bold. This task was carried out by designers such as Paco Rabanne, Mary Quant, Pierre Cardin, etc. The first iconic design created during the 60s of Swinging was the ‘mini skirt’, created by Mary Quant and Andrè Courregés made it.
Mary Quant and Yves Saint Laurent attempted to give women sexual liberation through clothing with the creation of the first women’s pants, shorts, and tuxedos. As androgynous fashion has grown, so have the changes in models’ appearance.
We also witness the emergence of new materials such as lycra, acrylic, polyester, etc. It is believed that people want to see “future fashion”. This idea is expressed through “Moon Boots” created by Courregès and “12 unwearable dresses” by Rabanne. Pop culture-inspired designer Pierre Cardin experimented with geometry, shape and color, leading to the creation of his iconic creation “Cosmocorps.”
By the end of the decade, mainstream fashion was pushed aside and hippie fashion gradually became the norm.
1970s
Picking up on things from the last years of the last decade, hippie fashion is still relevant, especially because prairie dresses are making their way into high fashion. Crocheting, patchwork, embroidery, knitting, and synthetic materials were now popular, and are the reason this time period is known as the “Polyester Decade.” A few years later, hippie fashion walked out the door and disco-themed fashion emerged.
Women’s sexual freedom is once again so important that Yves Saint Laurent created an entire collection called “Libération”.
Sportswear is back in women’s fashion and this time it’s popularized by Norma Kamali pieces like the ‘Sleeping Bag Jacket’, dresses and parachute-like jumpsuits.
1980s
This decade is all about individuality. People are starting to realize that there is no need to be afraid of expressing their true selves and that fashion is the ultimate means of self-expression. Bold colors, over-the-top silhouettes and lots of accessories are becoming increasingly popular. Modern-day designers such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Versace, Karl Lagerfeld were actively creating designs during this time.
Bodybuilding has become a new trend thanks to several Hollywood movies. Now people want to wear off-the-shoulder sweatshirts, leggings, spandex, headbands, etc
Another thing that heavily influenced fashion was the music of this decade. Pop music is heard in every house and the outfits in the music videos are something everyone wants. Doc martens, funky accessories, glitter makeup, bouncy hairstyles and many more such things have now become a trend.
Women are no longer confined to the home; they have jobs that require them to look professional. High heels, padded jackets and statement accessories were created thanks to designers like Mugler and Ungaro. Power suits also became popular thanks to big personalities like Princess Diana, Margaret Thatcher, etc
1990s
Supermodels reached their peak in the early 1990s. Some of the most famous models of the time were Naomi Cambell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington. They are known as the ‘original supermodels’ and are widely respected to this day.
See more : The best poems about Father’s Day: Touching verses for dad on Father’s Day 2024
The legacy of sportswear also continued in this decade. Young women are obsessed with loose sweatshirts with biker shorts.
The approach to fashion has largely become minimalist, following the ‘less is more’ narrative. The biggest trend of the decade is slip dresses.
On the other hand, grunge fashion came alive thanks to Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen.
The film and music industry again had a huge impact on the fashion trends of the time, especially Clueless, The Spice Girls, Brittney Spears, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, etc.
2000s
The 20th century has finally arrived and what comes with the 21st century is a massive wave of globalization. Good quality yet affordable clothes have now become easily accessible everywhere in the world thanks to fast fashion. The style icons of that time were not supermodels but television characters in shows like Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, The OC, etc.
Fashion sees growth thanks to the adoption of new technology. Movies like ‘The Matrix’ have inspired famous designers to create complete collections in just the color black. But things quickly changed after the tragedy of 9/11. People started wearing simple, casual clothes and the most commonly worn item was jeans.
Sports shoes have also become a new trend, especially Nike’s Air Jordans and Adidas’ Yeezys. Tracksuits also became popular when stars like Paris Hilton, Jennifer Lopez and Brittney Spears started wearing them.
2010s
Clothes that were originally used for workouts have now become part of everyday wear. The era of tracksuits also continued.
The 2010s also saw the emergence of influencers and bloggers, who are now driving fashion trends instead of celebrities. The ideas of minimalism are gradually declining and maximalism is back. This was facilitated by designer Alessandro Michele, who worked for Gucci.
Sustainability and the fashion industry’s impact on the environment are also considered important.
2020s
Over the years we have seen, Covid has had a major impact on our fashion choices. Since people are always at home, people don’t put much effort into choosing what clothes to wear. Then minimalism came back and the Y2K aesthetic popular in the 2000s became popular among young people.
I hope this article has given you a brief idea about the profound history of fashion. Just like us humans, fashion is always evolving.
Source: https://anhngunewlight.edu.vn
Category: Blog