The, And, Clothing, Leather And Tweed

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.

There have been and still are hundreds of fashion designers in the world. But only a few of them have had any major impact on fashion industry today. And even fewer have revolutionised the fashion industry completely. One of these revolutionaries is the renowned Christian Dior. He reestablished Paris as the centre of the fashion world, and created his name as a symbol of elegance, quality, and modernity. I will be looking into how Dior’s context informed his practice, by using three of his most iconic and popular designs; The Bar Suit, Venus Dress and the Cygne Noir dress. And how these were a direct representation of 1945-1950 France.

Gabrielle Chanel, other wise known as famous fashion designer Coco Chanel, was born on August 19, 1883 in Saumur, France (biography.com). The baby girl was born to parents Albert Chanel and Jeanne Devolle, a young unwed couple that lived in great poverty. Her parents had seven children giving them three daughters Gabrielle Chanel, Antoinette Chanel, Julia Chanel, and four sons Lucien Chanel, Augustin Chanel, Pierre Chanel, and Alphonse Chanel. Jeanne Devolle died due to tuberculosis when her children were very young age leaving her children to be raised alone by their father who worked as a peddler. (Time) Her father, unable to successfully care for his children, made the tough decision to release the children from his care. The boys of the house were sent to a farm where they spent their childhood as laborers. The girls, including Coco Chanel, were all sent to an orphanage where they would be raised by Catholic nuns. The nuns raised her in a extremely strict manner but failed to ever break her tough demeanor. The nuns that raised Coco Chanel from late childhood wanted to teach her a skill she could use throughout her life: sewing. In fact, every source of education Chanel had came from what she was taught in her years at the orphanage. Chanel would take the skills she learned, combine them with the hardships she faced, and grow a fashion empire bigger than she could’ve ever dreamed of.

In this essay I want to examine how the corset evolved from a staple of the British feminine wardrobe of the Nineteenth Century into a symbol of an outmoded tradition – only to later return as a statement of female liberation. I am going to look at different aspects of this development including technological advances, economic facts, external events, particularly the First World War and changes in social, political and aesthetic attitudes. I will also look briefly at the role of Chanel on the silhouette and how this impacted on the corset: focusing on the trend to towards ‘opulent androgyny’ in the 1920’s. Finally I will examine the resurgence of the corset

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.

Although there are many differences in fashion from era to era the similarities are outstanding. Some of the most repetitive pieces from era to era include corsets, robes, and codpieces. Codpieces were a very fashionable cover for the zipper of men’s pants that the weather men wore to make themselves more presentable. Codpieces are still very popular

The fashion industry is rapidly growing and constantly generating new fashion trends almost weekly. Fashion for some may seem ridiculous and unnecessary; but fashion is not just a meaningless usage of article of clothing or farcical materials sew together for coverage. There is more to fashion than meets the eyes, fashion is precious and significant. It is a reflection of self-image, it speak the ream about who we are and how we review ourselves. Not only is fashion the reflection of self-image but also the reflection of our history as Coco Channel have said, “Fashion is not something that exist in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Fashion

During the years of the 1910s, the silhouette became much more graceful and soft than in the 1900s. One of the radical styles from this period was the hobble skirt. While people were used to seeing women’s bodies enwrapped in fabric, these skirts reminded people that women had ankles and legs. Asymmetrical designs were featured and the preferred fabrics were silk, satin, chiffon and cottons. World War I had an impact on style in the 1910s and fashion was now a necessity. More and more women were forced to work and were in demand for clothes that would suit their activities. These clothes included shirtwaists and tailored

My Major Textile Project is a ballgown styled evening piece that is simple, elegant and uncluttered. It is designed to be worn in an extremely formal setting such as a red carpet event and therefore falls into the category of apparel. My ensemble consists of a corset which is fastened at the back via eyelets laced with ribbon with a decorative pintucking crosshatched design on the front panel. This is paired with a full-length skirt with petticoats to add bulk, creating a design very reminiscent of the Victorian Era but also a garment that can be worn in a modern day, formal context. Evidently, my focal inspiration is 19th century Victorian Era garments and the silhouettes common in that time. The Victorian Era style of dress was one with a

Fast forward to Chanel’s young adult life, and you can see it wasn’t long off that she would set up shop in Paris, France in 1910, eventually expanding out to Deauville, and then Biarritz. She had started off with designing, and marketing hats which became a very successful hit amongst the fashionistas of that day. Chanel’s empire was growing exponentially, and in 1920 she expanded into the realms of couture now working in jersey which at the time was unheard of in the French fashion circle. Soon she was blurring the lines of what was acceptable, setting fashion trends instead of adhering to the routine, and was giving way to entire style genres such as the “chemise” and the “little boy” look. Her fashion statements were a gigantic contrast to what was socially acceptable, and of course Chanel fell under scrutiny over it, but she went on to create more casual, shorter, and idyllically “liberating” clothing for the day’s modern woman. In essence she was liberating women from the stuffy, confining fashions that they were used to, and giving way to a loose more relaxed style all together while maintaining it’s inherent feminine charm. Chanel was creating more than just a design, or an article of clothing, she was creating a movement that would change the way society viewed fashion in it’s entirety. (Lewis)

It wasn’t until Chanel started to create jackets which not only had the purpose of being worn closed, she created jackets that looked good opened, closed or hanging over the shoulders. She emphasized on this style by making blouses to serve the complete outfit. She was also the creator of the “Little Black Dress”, which was a relatively simple black dress made by elegant materials such as lace, tulle, weightless silk and even embroidery in a new, more tailored way. Chanel is today world known for its high quality designs and has women of the 21th century dependent on its classical style (Rennolds Milbank 120-121).

Figure 1 created by Paul Poiret, and figure 2 created by Coco Channel were both designs based on art deco style. Both of these designers came about in the early 20th century as the role of woman in society was changing. In figure 1 Poiret created “ The Fancy Dress costume” in France for his “The One Thousand and Second Night” party in 1911. This resplendent design included his signature Lampshade tunic and harem pants as well as a jeweled buster using metal, silk, and cotton. Most of this design was created with sea foam green silk gauze, which then was interwoven with silver and blue thread, and then turquoise, pink, and peach beading that was symmetrically placed. Both designers diverged from the confining and tight-fitting corsets and aimed to create comfortable yet elegant clothing that mirrored the free and self-sufficient attitudes rising in woman. Both of the designers’ designs have dropped waste lines. However, Poiret’s radical design uses opulent and luxurious fabric and materials and is focused on the decorative aspect. His design is created to be “one-of-a-kind” and uses many vibrant colors, rich embellishments, and embroideries. Poiret resisted the practicality, rationalization, and stylistic simplification that Chanel adapted to create. In figure 2

Elie Saab developed an interest on fashion starting from early ages. Built his first atelier only at the age of 18. His passion for fashion and haute couture grew in the following years and has dedicated himself to his brand from design to brand and customer communications .According to him :“Couture was a creative engine for the entire brand, a marketing tool for foundation of an image on a profound long term level.”

This essay will be considering the historical development of haute couture by analysing Charles Frederick Worth’s (father of haute couture) key factors in the success of haute Couture. I will then discuss Coco Chanel’s thriving impact on haute couture as well as ready-to-wear caused by the second world war. Saint Laurent’s drift to ready-to-wear and the high street fashion system will also be discussed in order to answer if haute couture is relevant in fashion today. The books I will be analysing and referencing are ‘A Cultural History of Fashion in the 20th Century’ by Bonnie English, ‘Couture’ by Ruth Lynam, ‘How Fashion Works’ by Gavin Waddell. Which will thoroughly breakdown the evolution and historical development of fashion by cultural, economic, environmental and social changes to finally come into a conclusion.

All of these Japanese fashion designers, Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo, and Yohji Yamamoto passed the same time period in Japan. Though they have their own styles and differences among them, these fashion designers pursued the same philosophy of 1980’s deconstructionism to create avant-garde fashion. And that is certainly evident in each of their Paris collections, especially their debut shows. Through this fashion style, “Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto are considered the most successful and internationally known Japanese designers in the West, and they solidified their position in the French fashion establishment” (Kawamura 92).