Handbags In The 1960'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”.

In the 1950s, the fashion industry was based mostly around teenagers and young adults. Before this time, adolescents were expected to follow in their parents’

The nineteen twenties became the first century where mass produced goods really became available and made a significant impact in everyone’s lives. High fashion before the 1920s had really only been for the richer women of society who could afford such luxuries. Mass produced garments became available to more women who could afford them.

From newspaper articles in 1964 announcing the London Look, to an article by Mary Quant in Vogue in 1966 and an article at the end of the decade that declared the return of Paris Power, young people in the U.S. had the opportunity to read and examine British contributions to fashion and make decisions about whether to adopt or not. The 1960s in the United States was a turbulent time –a decade of political and social upheaval. The youth quake of British styles helped to set a new energetic pace for America and a means to deal with the turmoil. College campuses in the U.S. were often the place of change and acceptance of new ideas and thus a place to study the

The 1950’s was a time of great social change. The word, ‘teen-ager’ was recently coined and applied to people aged thirteen to nineteen. During this decade, people’s perception of youth and adolescents drastically changed as children became more rebellious. Previous to 1950. society consisted of two main stages of human development: children and adults. When the Baby Boom started in 1946, producing more babies, a new era of music, attitudes, practices, and dance began to appeal to kids that did not feel socially accepted by adults in society. This was the start of the teenage rebellion. With increased teenager presence came more disapproval because of rebellious behaviour. Teenagers were pitted against media, parents, and local authority. Teenagers started disobeying parents, getting expelled from school, and fighting back against authority. Indeed, the ‘50s were a time that saw upheavals towards the impact of the music, change of attitudes, new fashions, and new dances developed children into teenagers.

Fashion has been a prominent aspect of a woman’s life throughout time. Women of different times and cultures have turned the routine of picking out clothes and putting together different ensembles into a sort of art, or a way to express and promote themselves. Many women also see fashion as part of their identity, or a way to manipulate the way people see them. What a woman wears can drastically change the way society views her - it can increase her chances of getting a job, or make her gain respect (or rejection) from her peers (Sika n.p.).

How adolescence behaved during the 1920’s altered the future generations to come in many different ways. One of these ways includes how they dressed themselves. Before the 1920’s girls wore dresses normally past their knees, but during this era they began to wear shorter clothing items above their knees. Very similar nowadays, girls are wearing

This essay will explore the effects social and political changes had on fashion in the 1980’s. This period was chosen because the new romantic fashions were so different to the punk fashions that had been before, this essay will therefore identify the changes that had taken place to influence this change. Primary evidence used to support findings will include interviews and photographs which will show a firsthand account of the period.

In the 1930s the Great Depression influenced women’s fashion because they needed to save money and they had to reuse a fair amount of materials from their old clothes. The 1930s also had gender roles, most people were employed but they were not the best jobs. They had low paying jobs. The women needed a full education while the men only graduated from elementary school. There were no equal rights. Women did everything, for example, they did everything at home, they made dinner, made sure the house was clean, they needed to look presentable after work for their husbands, and they had to work at the house especially during the Great

The carefree attitude of the younger generation was attributed to the psychological trauma caused by the unprecedented casualty level of the war. This generation had the theory that each day might be the last, therefore lived it to the fullest. This mental change was accompanied by a change in the physical styles of women. Fashion trends that were held in high regard by tradition were challenged to demonstrate the new risqué way of life.

As this article focused on the change of American culture during World War II, another main point was how the clothing styles changed. In the 1930s, women mainly wore conservative, but stately dresses. After women entered manual factory work, they needed to wear appropriate clothing, such as pants and flat shoes (Hall, Orzada, and Lopez-Gydosh). Because pants did not fit the woman’s picture, clothing companies had to shift to comply with the demand. Due to this, not only did the workforce demographics change, companies and products changed from past

The era of 1960s was the era of extensive change throughout the world of fashion and also the one that generated ideas and images which are still present as modern as today's contemporary fashion. Fashion previously had aimed to a specific market of wealthy and mature elite but now-a-days, the tastes and preferences of young people are at the focus. The decade started with the dominance from the Parisian designers who dealt with very expensive haute couture garments. The women apparel suits faced a structural change which resulted in shorter skirts and loosen up lines ("History of 1960s Fashion and Textiles").

The main reason for the change in women’s clothing was their changing and growing societal roles. Women’s fashion became less restricting and easier to wear as they were entering the workforce and furthering their education. It was no longer a woman’s role to just sit at home and look pretty and their clothing reflected that. A major change was in the skirt hemlines as they rose from the ankles to knee length over the course of the decade (Hanson 51). This was due in large to the fact that more and more women were working, driving, and even playing sports. Their new jobs and hobbies required more freedom to move that was not possible

Between the stock market crash of 1929 and the end of World War II in 1945, fashion was forced to take the backseat. In the beginning of the 1950’s, the fashion scene was yet again at the forefront of western cultures, perhaps more than ever before. With an economic boom, the decade pushed towards consumerism, a trend that still continues to this day. Once WWII came to an end, rationing became a thing of the past, as the accessibility of various fabrics became the norm. It was during the 50’s that department stores gained popularity, providing access to a wide range of consumer goods from all areas of the world. Having the latest trends was no longer a concept reserved exclusively for the rich, people everywhere shared loved for fashion (Leaper, 2017). The fashion trends that were created during this period reflected femineity by emphasising on the female figure. With many new silhouettes emerging, the era became a time of conformity. Throughout the 50's, women were expected to look and dress a certain way and many conformed to this established standard of fashion. With husbands returning from the war, American women were again expected to focus on their role as housewives. Conformity among women was highly encouraged, eliminating the need for dramatic styles. The conformity throughout this era highlights the contrast between the independent flappers of the 20s and the conforming women of the 50’s and how far the evolution of women’s fashion has travelled. Trends: During

Throughout the centuries fashion has changed in almost everything except its name. What started off as a special preserve of the privileged few has become an area in which all people can enjoy no matter what their status is. The old time consuming traditions of hand craftsmanship, which used to put most people out of reach of fashion, has over the years gone through gradual change. But what has been responsible for this progressive change in American women's fashion over time? What influences have helped shape the way American women's fashion has panned out over the centuries? Most historians in this area agree that the change and progression in women's fashion can be credited to outside forces