The Evolution of Fashion in America The continuous adoption of new fashions and trends in America, among the numerous styles of available clothing worldwide, parallels to Darwin's theory of natural selection. The motivation for a fashion revolution exemplifies the need for social or gender groups to express their unique identity and feelings through clothing. In turn, this stimulated the rise of the fashion industry all together. Fashion culture has always defined itself by change, whether it is social, political, or economical, it is a constant search for the newest trend. This gives it an explicit similarity with other systems that rely on continual innovation. America has gone through various style changes in its history. As ideas and inspiration change, style must do so too. Fashion has changed dramatically, from very modest lengthy dresses progressing toward the most risqué fashion ever seen in history, due to these social transformations. Clothing, and more generally, style, is an important non-verbal and possibly emotional representation of an individual's status and feeling towards society. Over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, changes in American society have influenced many changes in American culture, especially in women’s fashion trends throughout the years. As the Victorian Era drew to a close, skirts for day and night were elongated to form a lengthy train, similar to many of today’s wedding gowns. The skirt’s silhouette, influenced by French couturiers, was slim at the hip and the fullness was confined to the lower segment of the skirt to highlight a full-figured body. Corsets were abandoned and ruffles, buttons, and lace insertions were added to embellish the skirt and bodice of dresses. Wome... ... middle of paper ... ...ne sense. Brands like Burberry and Michael Kors are bringing back luxury to the future. Ruffled skirts, pastel colors, crop tops, short-shorts and chunky yet classy accessories are popping up in ensembles on and off the streets. Modern American fashion continues to change due to the variety of events happening both now and in the past. Next week it might be something completely different. Fashion trends have always played a part in representing the events, ideals, and morals of the people in each era. Our society has evolved from being conservative and conforming to allowing individuals to represent themselves through different forms of art, fashion being one of them. Through fashion, people have learned to express their individual ideals, allowing our American society to grow and develop into one that allows individuals to thrive through self- expression.
Victorian Fashion refers to the styles and clothing worn before and during the Civil War era of the United States, 1860-1900. This era was filled with a very difficult way of dressing oneself and to deviate from this line of dress was unheard of, and worthy of being outcaste. Victorian women’s clothing was layers, heavy, and barely manageable to even wear. Many different articles made up the full garment such as the undergarments, the skirt, top, shoes, accessories, and even the hair. How did women ready themselves for the day in this era and how did they deal with all the cumbersome attire?
The 1970s was a tumultuous time in the United States. In some ways, the decade was a continuation of the 1960s. Women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays and lesbians and other marginalized people continued to fight for their freedom, while many other Americans joined in the demonstration against the ongoing war in Vietnam. Due to these movements, the 1970s saw changes in its national identity, including modifications in social values. These social changes showed up in the fashion industry as well, delivering new outlooks in the arenas of both men’s and women’s clothing.
The evolution of clothing has been drastically changed through the course of history, from the style to how they’re made. Women and men’s clothing changed at different rates. The way clothes are made reflect the style. Clothing always has been an important aspect of one’s culture as well as a representation of a time period. Overtime clothing has changed just as the people it clothes.
In the 19th century play, FASHION, Anna Mowatt develops the character plot as a contrast and comparison between being “natural” and “artificial in a world becoming preoccupied with fashion, and being fashionable. In the head notes, it was stated that Daniel Havens said FASHION is “the ugly image of the American Dream gone sour.” (Watt and Richardson) Fashion has a complex definition. The word ‘fashion’ can mean anything from the type of clothes you wear, how you communicate with others, the place you live, how you present yourself, or who you associate yourself with. In FASHION, Mowatt took a comical yet sober look at the definitions of “fashion,” applied it to real life in 1845, and through her characters, provides a mirror with which an audience/reader can evaluate themselves. I do not believe updating this play would be difficult because America has continued down the fast and destructive path in an effort to keep up with the “fashions” of the day.
The Roaring Twenties and the Gilded Age have come to be seen as revolutionary periods for the fashion world. With the emergence of influential designers like, Jacques Doucet, Mariano Fortuny, and Coco Chanel, this era of change has left a lasting impression on the fashion world as we know it today. The fashion evolution of these respective periods is a direct reflection of the evolution that was transpiring in American and European culture, making the world of fashion more than just a hobby for the wealthy, but an art form for the entirety of a culture.
In the early 1800s, France was the sole fashion capital of the world; everyone who was anyone looked towards Paris for inspiration (DeJean, 35). French fashion authority was not disputed until the late twentieth century when Italy emerged as a major fashion hub (DeJean, 80). During the nineteenth century, mass produced clothing was beginning to be marketed and the appearance of department stores was on the rise (Stearns, 211). High fashion looks were being adapted and sold into “midlevel stores” so that the greater public could have what was once only available to the social elite (DeJean, 38). People were obsessed with expensive fashions; wealthy parents were advised not the let their children run around in expensive clothing. People would wait for children dressed in expensive clothing to walk by and then they would kidnap them and steal their clothes to sell for money (DeJean, 39). Accessories were another obsession of France‘s fashion; they felt no outfit was complete without something like jewelry or a shrug to finish off the look and make it all around polished (DeJean, 61). As designers put lines together, marketing began to become important to fashion in the nineteenth century; fashion plates came into use as a way to show off fashion l...
Early 19th century clothing for women was designed for style and beauty, sadly, this left practicality, safety and comfort completely out of the picture. Corsets, which were worn to slim the waist and lift the chest, presented many serious health concerns for women. These vices that women wore on their bodies increased their blood pressure and made breathing very difficult. Fainting was so commonplace that a fainting couch was designed and present in most households Prolonged wearing of corsets weakened back and stomach muscles to the point that some women, who had worn corsets for many years, struggled to hold themselves upright without them. If cinched to tightly, they had the power to bruise the internal organs and push them out of alignment, causing sever health issues. (Berkowe)
Aldrich, Winifred. "The Impact Of Fashion On The Cutting Practices For The Woman's Tailored Jacket 1800-1927." Textile History 34.2 (2003): 134-170. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
Many people would not believe that there are so many similarities between modern day fashion and the fashion of the renaissance time period. Many differences may be seen between the two, but the similarities are remarkable. Throughout all of time, clothing has been the major representation of social classes. What people wear has always been the distinguishing factor between the wealthy and the poor classes of both the renaissance and current time period. The evolution from time period to time period has been vast, but the fact that what people wear represents what class they reside in is still very prevalent. From the fabrics, jewels, and accessories, you can still see many similarities from the renaissance time period to the current time period. “…much of what we know about historical dress comes from the apparel of the elite.” (Sauro) Although much time has progressed, fashion from the renaissance period has held a strong influence on the fashion in today’s society.
Fashion in the 21st century is a big business, as its production employs millions of people and generates billions of dollars in revenue. Fashion has for the past century been, and is still today, used as an indicator of social change and progress, as it changes with the social norms of the society and the political changes of the world (Finkelstein 3). Works Cited Finkelstein, Joanne. A.S.A. & Co. Fashion: An Introduction to Fashion. New York: New York University Press, 1998.
middle of paper ... ... It also analyzed the influences of modern dresses. As Palmer and Clark (2005) mentioned earlier, both decades are the classic era in fashion history.
Clothing has been around for thousands of years; almost as long as the modern human has. At first, it served the practical purpose of protection from the elements; but, as life for early humans stopped being a constant struggle to survive, they started noticing how they looked and the concept of fashion began to take shape. These first few garments were typically dyed draped cloth that was pinned at the shoulder and/or waist. This was seen in many ancient civilizations around the world, Greek and Roman the most notable. Over time, clothing began to get more and more complex and formed to the body’s shape, eventually leading up to the tailored style we now have today. However, the sophisticated world of Haute Couture; or high fashion, can distinctly trace its roots to Paris during the mid-19th century. Clothing from there was thought to be superior to those from anywhere else, and women began to come from all over Europe just to buy dresses. This was probably due in part to one notable dressm...
...reme modesty of the Victorian Era (Miller). A glimpse of an ankle is no longer considered scandalous as it was one hundred fifty years ago (Miller). Fashion today is influenced by the Victorian’s fashion, but their modesty is no longer present.
Fashion is a controversial issue in society nowadays. We live in a consumerism advanced era in which whether following fashion trends or not has become a debatable point. Many people believe that it is important to follow fashion trends. For example, Lord Chesterfield once said, “If you are not in fashion, you are nobody.” The question is why fashion should be an essential matter of concern to all of us. As far as I am concerned, each person should be able to decide if one wants to follow a trend or not.
If these new coming trends of fashion make you feel special and confident; then it also sometime embarrasses you in front of others when you do not apply things on yourself according to your individual personality. For young age people, who are much affected and influenced by new fashion, it gives harmful effects too. Girls have to face some crucial crime due to their unfit dressing style which does not suit the location.