Pre-Civil War Clothing

Advancing technology compelled consumerism. People focused on buying products outside the boundaries of their salary. The introduction of credit allowed any person to buy an automobile. Living in the countryside did not appear to be comfortable compared to living in the city. Credit allowed farm families to purchase clothing. This tempted the American people to purchase more. Coco Chanel brought standardization to the clothing industry by bridging urban and rural. Credit also gave the American people a sense of wealth and independence. Women wanted to “assert their right to make a personal choice.” Personal choices include the right to purchase clothing or jewelry. Having a job or moving to the city is also a personal choice. The job does not define the person but the particular item or activities are the determinants. Advertising influences the population to buy more products.

During the time of the Civil War, there were slaves working on farmers, these slaves were not compensated for their labor and services and were producing cotton for a little to nothing cost. Since the Civil War, America has produced an immense amount of cotton and would export it to different parts of the world. America has also had enough workers to meet the exact supply and demand, which follows the demand policy. Correspondingly, the manifest destiny caused for cotton growers further west. Due to the cotton growers going further out west, cotton became easier to grow and easier to protect. These technological advancements simplified the process by which people were able to grow cotton and export it to China for the workers to create these shirts. There are now many subsidiary industries to cotton; industries are always producing new clothes every day. Due to this

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)

For the past hundred years the need for clothing increased since the number of people of keeps growing. As the years go on, producers must find new ways to produce more clothing to make more profit and keep up with demand. Before people would either have to ride all the way into town to have tailors make their clothes, or have someone at home make the clothing for them. But as the years progressed, methods have changed dramatically.

A thorough and broadened knowledge of American clothing’s history opens wide, the opportunity to explore the American identity. Helen Sheumaker’s “American Fashion” discusses the relationship between political values and their influence on different clothing styles. The Reader’s Companion to U.S. Women’s History provides insight about how the clothing fashion was indicative of a person’s class. Certain clothing styles distinguished specific communities like the wealthy and the working class yet simultaneously gave a clear distinction of the liberal American style from the proper and trim of the

To begin with, the development of clothes from before the American Civil War and the early 21st century is extraordinary. “The Civil War was a pivotal event in the historical development of men’s ready-made clothing” (Source 1). The clothing before the Civil War were made from tailors, and by individuals. As the government started needing more uniforms for their soldiers tailors realized that some measurements of the men tended to reappear more frequently. After the war they started to use those measurements that they

From 1775-1785 many major things happened. One being the revolutionary war, it was a major piece of that time period. Along with Inventions, core values, new fashions, the economy, and the overall politics of the war. Mens clothing during the revolutionary war wasn't paid as much attention to, because the main focus was on uniforms. Although men who weren't fighting, had the same type of clothes as before the war.

The Southern Colonies were the first to imitate Europe in their fashion sense, this especially was true in the Virginia Colonies. The Southerners chose silk over the cotton that they could have grown and wove in the plantation farms. They imported the silk from Europe and Britain. Silk can either be a really cool or hot fabric. A women had a lot to wear on top of her undergarments, these could add up to at least 3-4 layers. The main thing that women wore then were hoop skirts. These skirts could reach up to 4 feet away from the woman's legs. One of the main purposes for hoop skirts was to accentuate the woman's hips or sides. No lady could go barefoot because of the diseases that existed in the dirt and the worms that could be stepped on. On top

Throughout the 1920s through the 1950s Women’s clothing in America was affected by World War II, which lead to the exploration of different styles, the encounter of new trends and the exchange of ideas and new styles.

To get things started before the American civil war there was clothing material but it was very limited to others. Later on clothing began to evolve over time. Back then certain people only had a limited variety of clothing to wear. The author states, “ coats, jackets , and undergarments were only available in predetermined sizes”. (source 1, paragraph 1) The

The Garment District in Manhattan has a very rich history. In the 1800s, tailors made mass amounts of men's clothing in the district, and that was the first influence that clothing had on the district. Later, however, the district became the origin of modern American fashion, and became the first American attempt to make fashion and personalization readily available for American men. As the 19th century came to a close, the district’s fashion industry was expanding expeditiously. As immigrants moved into the neighborhood looking for work, they began sewing and making clothing in small, crowded tenement, later known as a sweatshop. In addition, more department stores began to move into the neighborhood. Eventually, with the addition of more

2. Richard M. Johns (2006). The Apparel Industry. 2nd ed. UK, London: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.. 1-124.

Everyone, no matter youngsters or middle-aged mothers, love to buy clothes and keep updated on latest fashion trend. In the past, people could only consume western styles clothing if they are rich enough to go shopping by travelling in European countries or able to afford expensive air mail to send the consumed western clothes back from overseas. However, it took a period of time and the fashionable clothing may become “old” at the time received.

Long before the modern world, clothing was considered as one of the basic needs that all humans required. However, as a sense of fashion generated into the minds of all people, garments became more of a want rather than a need, leading to an insatiable demand for attractive clothes. In the past, people produced their own garments for survival purposes, such as to keep themselves protected and warm. Nowadays, the purpose of garments is not just for survival but also for the sense of satisfaction and fashion. People are usually judged by what they wear; this means that by wearing expensive and sophisticated garments, it would indicate the wealth of that person. As a result, nowadays, ready-made garments are available for purchase in

A lot has changed and evolved in the history of fashion since the 1900s. As the century dawned, fashion was an exclusive enterprise, the pursuit of wealth. The average person in society settled for garments that were usually stitched at home. With time, however, networks of neighborhood tailors began to evolve into a retail history and the boom was followed by boutique selling.