So, it was International Women’s Day on Sunday 8th March, I thought I would write a little piece on how fashion has changed from the Victorian times right through to now.
In fashion, the Victorian era is an elaborate display of class, wealth, beauty and purpose for women. Victorian fashion began with large dresses, poke bonnets and modest coverings.
During the Victorian era, a woman's place was at home. Unlike the previous centuries when wives could help their husbands and brothers in family businesses, in the 19th century, gender roles became more defined than ever. Their dress styles reflect their lifestyle. Victorian fashion was not intended to be practical.
Clothing was seen as an expression of the place of women in society and was therefore differentiated in terms of social class. High-society women, who did not need to work, often wore a tight corset over a bodice or short-sleeved shirt and paired them with a skirt decorated with numerous embroideries and trimmings; on layers of petticoats. middle-class women displayed similar clothing styles; However, the decorations weren't as extravagant. The superposition of these clothes makes them very heavy. Corsets were also stiff and the movement restricted. Although the clothes were not comfortable, the type of fabric and the many layers were worn as a symbol of wealth.
Suffragette Fashion
The suffragettes' colour scheme, devised in 1908 by Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, co-editor of Votes for Women, was an early triumph for fashion branding.
Suffragettes wore purple for loyalty and dignity, white for purity, and green for hope. Members were encouraged to wear the colours “as a duty and a privilege”.
Vintage Fashion of the 20s
Vintage fashion from the 1920s is on the rise more than ever. Charleston dance is significant of this movement. But what pieces do we find in this period? With the designer who marked this era, Coco Chanel, we find clothes with straight cuts, dresses are short, and the legs are bare as are the shoulders. It's also the explosion of beachwear, it's their appearance and in their time it's a revolution! A wind of freedom blows on this time, it is the emancipation of women, the heyday. It was the pinnacle of the so-called boyish style; it was very sexy at the time to wear this style and fashionable women all adopted it. We wear short hair and we open our necks for a truly glamorous hairstyle. Women wear the straight dress, the jumpsuit or for some the straight pants with a pearl necklace in a multi-strand necklace.
Fashion History: Styles From the 60’s to the 90’s
Is fashion new, new colours, new ideas, new cuts? But fashion is also to be looked for in history. Trends have been shaped, refined and asserted over the years.
The 60’s were marked by a wave of protest, an air of revolution ... Ready-to-wear as we know it today took off, thanks to strong industrialization. Young people are breaking traditional codes. English culture invites itself on the radio but also in the style of dress! black jackets or rockers, everyone has their own style. The suit and the skirt are always classics for the active woman, always more independent. Pants no longer become so exceptional.
The trends seen in the 60’s will literally explode in the 70’s. It is a decade of audacity that has left us with a strong legacy. The woman has recently been "liberated" and proudly displays the pants.
In the 80’s, fashion reached another dimension. At the top the jackets are adorned with epaulettes, the sleeves are puffy. The sweater dress exists! At the bottom, the pants for women are worn with the high waist. The image of the working girl is developing.
