Clothing and its means of production have gradually changed throughout the history of mankind; from simple rags made out of the skin of distinct type of animals, to intricate raiments made out of every fabric imaginable accompanied with vivid patterns only the human mind could contrive.
Nevertheless, clothing was not always produced and distributed as it is now. It wasn’t before the industrial revolution that clothing was starting to be mass produced in factories, prior to its mass production clothing was made by families themselves and from fabric either purchased or made locally, thus making clothing a status of one’s personal wealth. By the 17th century, crafting and tailoring of Western clothing required more and more skill as designs
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As the war continued and the demand for more uniforms rose, the traditional way was starting to be rather counter-productive, hence the start of their mass production. Factories could quickly and efficiently meet the growing demands of the military and for a mere fraction of the price. Though mass production of the uniforms necessitated the development of standard sizes; measurements taken of soldiers revealed that certain sets of measurements tended to recur with predictable regularity. Today these rations persist in names of fits and cuts in men’s suits, shirts, and denim jeans. The mass production of women’s clothing developed more slowly; women’s outfits were generally custom-made well into the 1920s, at that point a number of factors came together to contribute to the success of the women’s ready-made apparel industry (source 1). Demand was created in the form of the rising urban professional class, single and married women found themselves in new relationships with domestic life, work life, and fashion. Chain stores and mail order catalogs offered multiple ways to access the new clothes. Women’s clothing were more complicated than men’s clothing however, as early male design makers did not know where to begin, making each manufacturer create its own unique and sometimes even arbitrary sizing system. It was not until 1937 that the US Department of Agriculture considered
Fabric that came from Europe costed as much as the equivalent to the garment itself. It became less expensive to make your own fabric than to buy it. “Producing one’s own clothes . . . meant weavin...
The early nineteenth century which was in the Regency Era consisted of harsh judgments towards what was believed to be a “wealthy” look and what was considered to be “proper.” In Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the clothing is more than just a fashion statement, it determines how they are perceived and their overall rank and social class in society. Therefore, fashion represents the importance of self appearance during that time.
Lou Taylor is not only an author but also a dress historian, designer, and professor of Dress and Textile History at the University of Brighton. She is also a member of the Fashion and Textiles and Art History and Complementary Studies Boards of the Council for the National Academic Awards. Her interest
WW2 is a fascinating time of fashion and politics. The fashion of the era was truly representative of the events happening in the world in a most visible way. As fashion moved from idealistic to utilitarian, so did the women taking over men in the workforce. The war caused a remarkable progression on the transformation from pre to post-war fashion. Even after clothing rationing, the women would not let the limitations imposed by WW2 stop them from fighting for their country from their home ground. From the less than ideal conditions creativity and ingenuity sparked this led to the invention of new clothes from the old, and the development of innovative new designs.
To conclude, the capability to create customized clothing is becoming undemanding as technology evolves. Ready made apparel was only available in predetermined sizes before the American Civil War, this exemplifies how the sizes were arbitrary and were not the same on a broad scale. The statement “The wealthy’s clothes were made by tailors” is a prime example of how tailored outfits are costly. Today, designers have computer-aided design to their disposal; this improved the creation of clothing in many ways, making it effortless to design the clothing and to also produce them. With the creation of new technology making clothes, fabrics will become easier.
When Mason described the three different types of clothing she had growing up, it brought to mind a respect for tradition among country dwellers. Country folk may not possess a great deal of money or materialistic wealth, but what they lack in “things” they make up for in a wealth of respect and love for what they do have. Being country is a humble way of life, and the clothes they wore and took great care of were no exception to this rule. They valued every thread and made great use of materials, and were careful not to disrespect the hands that made them. Others may have tossed these garments aside as rags because they were not purchased from a store or catalog.
Clothing has come a long way since it was first made. At first every one had to make there own individual clothes that where then handed down through generation. Only the wealthy was able to purchase already made clothing because of how limited and expensive they were. The civil war is what brought along a change. Factories were built to quickly produce more uniforms at a cheaper price. Ratios of the average man were used to determine the different sizes. This will later be used to produce all of men’s clothing.
The Chronicle of Western Fashion: From Ancient times to the Present Day.
Before the American Civil War, ready-made apparel existed but its variety was limited. Coats, jackets and undergarments were only available in predetermined sizes. Most clothing was made by tailors, by individuals, or by their family members at home. The Civil War was a pivotal event in the historical development of men’s ready-made clothing. At the outset of the Civil War, most uniforms were custom-made in workers’ homes under government contract. As the war continued, however, manufacturers started to build factories that could quickly and efficiently meet the growing demands of the military. These factories were able to make uniforms for a fraction of the cost of home sewers. Mass-producing uniforms necessitated the development of standard sizes. Measurements taken of soldiers revealed that certain sets of measurements tended to recur with predictable regularity. There were certain ratios of shoulder to waist measurements that occurred more frequently than others. After the war, these measurements were used to create the first commercial sizing scales for men. Today these ratios p...
Brussels’ influence in art and handicraft is evident in the image of a Brussels lace stole from the third quarter of the 18th century. Brussels was known for Brussels lace, lace that combined new machine-made netting with traditional hand sewn appliqué, uniting industrialization with continued old artistic traditions. The context of Brussels lace is the early Industrial Revolution when mass produced goods and factories increased in prevalence. Brussels lace’s context is significant because it highlights Brussels’ adaptability as well as its artistic influence, as Brussels’ lace became extremely popular throughout Europe and inspired later lace styles. The context of Brussels lace highlights both continuity and change in Brussels.
Weaving is a common thread among cultures around the world. Weaving is a way of producing cloth or textile. Today we have machines that weave large-scale textiles at cheap prices. Production of cloth by hand is rarely engaged in today’s Westernized societies. Not many people are thinking about how the fibers are actually constructed to make their clothes. However, in other cultures across the world the tradition of weaving still exists. By comparing three cultures that continue weaving as a part of their tradition we can see similarities and the differences between them. The reasons that each culture still weaves vary, as do the methods and materials. The desired characteristics of the cloth also vary around the world as each culture values different aesthetics.
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...
Lawson, David "History Of Renaissance Clothing - How Today's Fashion Is Affected." 6 Jul. 2011 EzineArticles.com. 16 Nov. 2011
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...
Civilization has brought tremendous changes in the life of human beings. All things are changing day by day through the efforts of scientific researches. Among these textiles are good example.. a dictionary definition of the noun 'textile' is a woven fabric and d defination of the verb 'to wave' is 'to make by crossing threads, strands, strips etc, above and below one another, as in a loom to form cloth'.(sheila landi1998,-10-11). Textile are remarkable and exist in many forms. they can be made from a wide range of fibers including: cotton , flax, wool, silk, acrylic and polyester. the process involved in making textiles from these fibers are diverse e.g: spinning , weaving, braiding , knotting , embroidery , dying and printing(foekje boersma 2007).