Since history began, there have been various fashion trends that come and go; but only ten have made an indelible mark on how we dress today.
History of Fashion
In ancient times, fashion was typically set by royal figures or other influential individuals who would dictate its latest styles – this could include anything from royalty or dignitaries all around the globe to fabric availability or current trends at war zones or shortages in material supplies.
As more designers came onto the scene, fashion trends began to shift more toward being driven by individual designers than by what consumers wanted. This marked the beginning of what has since become our current system; where someone creates a fashion design and then other clothing companies follow it.
Charles Frederick Worth was one of the earliest designers to truly revolutionize fashion. Known for reading women’s wants in clothing and supplying it, unlike previously when women would inform seamstresses what they wanted and have clothing tailored specifically for them.
At the turn of the 20th century, more women entered the workforce due to World War I munitions factories needing female labor. Skirt length was shortened while jackets featured padded shoulders to give wearers an authoritative appearance.
This period saw an explosion of popularity for Orientalalism as the Ballets Russes performed Scheherazade from One Thousand and One Nights at Paris Opera, inspired by Paul Poiret’s designs for Fancy Dress costumes as part of this movement. Coco Chanel also staged her comeback during this decade and introduced concepts such as little braided suits with silk blouses matching suit lining colors, belt cinching waists with belts, quilted bags on chains, monogrammed buttons etc.
Pierre Cardin was heavily influenced by Op Art and Pop Art when creating his designs, using motifs, geometry, and bold colors from both art forms in his dresses. Yves Saint Laurent also revolutionized fashion during this decade with his groundbreaking yet elegant designs.
Music played an outsized role in fashion during this era, from The Beatles and their signature round glasses and tight clothing, through punk rock (tartan clothing, Doc Martens and fishnet) and psychedelic rock of the late 1960s, musicians were driving forward fashion trends. Musicians played an even greater part with models being an influential force such as Audrey Hepburn with Givenchy and Jackie Kennedy with Oleg Cassini being two models who helped define fashion during this era; Twiggy Veruschka and Jean Shrimpton helped shape clothing through their androgynous looks that also defined fashion fashion forward.
