Fashion In The 1800's

“In any era, fashion is a reflection of the time and what is going on in the culture politically, socially and economically.”1 The 1920’s witnessed a variety of dramatic changes for women; these changes, such as shorter dresses and stronger attitudes occurred primarily after World War I in spite of the prolonged development of women 's’ rights through 1914 and 1920. With their new hair, fashion styles, and attitudes, women had started what became known as the “Flapper Era”.

The 18th century, more precisely between 1715 and 1789, was a significant time period in the fashion sphere for women in France. The time period itself was a mark of great change for the history of France due to various political reasons as well as various art movements and often times fashion, despite being a branch of art, is overlooked by most viewers. However, fashion during this time excelled in France and was essentially the symbol of a new era in this domain; French fashion was now snowballing into something much greater that still echoes to this today. Ultimately, the goal of this essay is to describe women’s fashion during the period of 1715-1789 and the shifts it made through the analytical use of various sources including artwork, literature, museums’ online archives and internet sources.

The style and cut of women's clothing during the 1920's changed drastically. Waistlines dropped dramatically while hemlines rose scandalously. Turned-down hose were no longer black, but beige. Rouged knees, bobbed hair, and figureless figures characterized the "radical flappers". These women violated many of the rules dictating appropriate clothing and behavior for women. The

Before the 1920’s, women’s attire was considered fairly modern. Women would have worn clothing with more of a silhouette than clothing that was loose and flowy. The length of their dresses never revealed more of their leg than just their ankle. Women received bad reputations when showing their knees or even their calfs. Women in the 1920’s also had a different ideal figure than most women do today. The body types women wanted to achieve also transformed into a more feminine look. This look consisted of low bust lines, higher hems lines, and showing off more curves than ever before. These women became unapologetically fearless.

The 1920’s fashion was a period of liberation, change, and even more importantly a movement towards the modern era. Fashion in the 1920’s varied throughout the decade but one could see the noticeable change from the previous fashion statements and eras. At the start of the decade, women began emancipating themselves from the constricting fashions by wearing more comfortable apparel. As women gained more rights and World War I forced them to become more independent, flappers came to be, mass-produced garments became available, and artistic movements increased in popularity, one can see how the fashions from the roaring twenties characterized the time and redefined womanhood. (1920s clothing 1)

The Jazz culture inspired multiple dances, such as the Black Bottom and the ever-popular Charleston. These dances required lots of movement leading to a shift in women’s fashion. Women wore less undergarments, went without coresets, and designed dresses that allowed for more freedom of movement. In 1921, Coco Chanel introduced the “drop-waist” dress, which were worn with long strings of glass beads or pearls. By 1925 these dresses resembled the shifts that were worn under the dresses of the early 1900. Evening dress were made up of mesh material, sleeveless, low v-neckline or backless, and sometimes adorned with sequence. These new fashions were advertised in fashion magazines that made their appearance in the 20s, Vouge, The Queen, and the

Fashion in the early nineteen twenties was all about comfort. Men’s pants got wider and women stopped wearing their corsets and tight dresses, while older women of the age considered this scandalous and still held the thought that women should not show their ankle. Though the majority of adults disagreed with the fashion revolution, young women continually hiked up their skirts, stayed out late, and kept up with fashion trends. Times were changing, and thus the flapper age was born. Hemlines rose to the knee, and then later above it- exposing the muscular dancer’s legs-toned

As Coco Chanel quotes: “Fashion is an architecture: It is a matter of proportion.” Fashion during the Harlem Renaissance and the roaring 20s define the culture of males, females, whites & blacks.

Though out the years fashion has changed in different variety of ways in the 1920s by giving women the ability to change the way they act and look. “1920's

Woman in particular began to abandon the more restricting clothing and started to dress in more comfortable clothing. Iconic fashion staples for the 1920’s would be the Cloche hat and the Flapper dress.

The changes in the the women’s fashion in the 1920s affected women in many different ways including a lot of controversy that came with the big transition of the length of women’s dresses. In 1920, Utah proposed a bill that would have prohibited dresses that were shorter than three inches above the ankle (Robinson 48). The president of the University of Florida proposed the idea of how short shirts and dresses are leading the future generations into chaos and destruction (Robinson 48). In many novels and stories of the 1920s, the dresses remained rather long, specifically all the way down to the ankles, which was very unrealistic compared to the actual transition of the style, which was to much shorter hemlines (Stevenson 123). Furthermore, the result of how women were affected by the changes of the fashion choices, the fashion industry in Paris took a huge turn in the

In the late 1800’s to early 1900’s dress among women was far more formal and conservative. They wore tulip bell shirts and dresses that came at least to the ankle if not past. Women were always wearing a corset whether it was a part of their blouse or simply placed under their top. A corset was meant to suck in their stomach and give the illusion of a more slim waist.

However, the aftermath of the war, in the 50s, resulted in these previous fashions dwindling into their traditional ways and contributed to the stronger bond of the family. The trends of fashion were directly correlated with the outcome of the war. At first, women were still wearing the “man-tailored” shirts with the extremely high necklines. However, when the men got back home and things became back to normal, these trends gradually declined. Women went back to their style before the war, in addition to returning to their traditional family roles. () pictures a woman in a lengthy dress, with the narrow shoulders, surrounded by her family. This is the attire they would wear before the war. This emphasizes the notion women returned to their

Have you ever wondered where your clothes came from or who had made them? Well, Grace Donnelly from John Carroll University did she voices “ as I become more aware of working conditions in the factories that supply fast fashion stores I turned more into fair-trade clothes”. The clothing industry has changed drastically throughout the century. Overtime Americans like Grace have changed their views on clothing, fashion, and labor due to the many changes in working conditions, clothing, and where the clothes are made.

In some novels, women either have a trivial role or contribute to the overall meaning of the work. In some fashion, women have an obvious or underlying hand in the grand scheme of the storyline. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is centered around the character of Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth’s character in itself is the embodiment of independence and non-conformity. In every aspect and trait of Elizabeth’s being, she constantly goes against the grain of what society perceives to be proper and correct. Through the use of Elizabeth’s appearance, adherence to social status, and concept of marriage, Jane Austen paints a character that has enough strong-will to challenge the strict social rules.