Fashion Evolution Essay Example

long before it has worn out. Since the beginning of the 20th century, fashions have changed rapidly. We would look strange indeed if we wore the styles our great grandparents wore. Even young school children are aware that fashions exist, and change, in running shoes. As French writer Anatole France puts it, “If I could come back to Earth 100 years after my death and have only one thing to read, I would choose a fashion magazine because that would show me the way people lived. Various fashion trends and models have been influenced by numerous factors. After the Industrial Revolution began in Europe in the 18th century, it became increasingly possible to produce both cloth and clothing quickly and inexpensively. Fashionable clothing styles spread rapidly from the upper classes to the middle and working classes. In addition wars also brought about some changes in styles. During World War II, for instance, tailors were forced to cut down on the amount of cloth they used to make garments. As a consequence, pleated shirts and trousers were replaced by close-fitting and tubular clothing.

Economic conditions have also been influential in the history of clothing. For example, in the middle of the 17th Century, Mazarino imposed a law that prohibited the use of laces and embroidery, since these used gold and he wanted to prevent this material from being exported. More, individual personalities have also had an impact on fashion. Royalty and heads of state have set fashion, and in the 20th century media stars have emerged as leaders of fashion. Moreover, it is also important to point out those changes introduced by religion.

Headscarves and veils covering people’s head or face,

for instance, became modish among women in France during the 13th Century due to the influence of Christianity. Other influential factors in changing fashion were cultural movements related to music, movie, literature, and art. Innovations in clothing construction often appear first in specialized sports clothing and then rapidly spread to everyday dress. Just as clothing sends signals about gender, it carries messages about situations and occasions; special formal attire of some sort will continue to be a part of fashion for the foreseeable future.

Clothing is likely to become even more occasion-specific than it is today, and the trend toward ever more casual everyday dress is expected to continue. From this, we now turn to the evolution of fashion by illustrating the different fashion trends that popularized in every decade and more importantly, the proofs that would substantiate the assertion that most of the fashion trends before are just revived by the new generation. In the early 1950s, Designer Brigitte Bardot created a new style that greatly influenced later fashion trends: dresses were high-waisted and the waist of trousers and skirts was higher in order to raise women’s breast.

Artificial fabrics were at their apogee and natural fibers were hardly used. Blouses were made of synthetic fabrics, mostly in white or other light colors. At the beginning of the 1960s designers introduced a new style characterized by dynamic, comfortable and discrete clothing. Designer Paco Rabanne used metal, plastic and leather, and made eccentric dresses of almost any color. Youths tried to demonstrate that they were against the tendency to repeat fashions that had been in vogue during previous years. Op and pop-art were major influences in the development

of new trends.

Some of the most influential music groups of the era were The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Glam Rock fashion, worn by such rock performers as Rod Stewart, David Bowie, and Marc Bolan, was also very influential in clothing design. Women and men started to be seen as equals, and a new style called unisex emerged. Further, the late 1960s and earlier 1970s saw the flowering of a romantic style of dress with the revival of earlier fashions. Victorian long skirts, frilled blouses and laced boots were the rage again.

The hippie movement of the 1970s introduced a new fashion trend distinguished by long, loose and colorful Indian or South American garments like baggy pants and oversized athletic jerseys. Moreover, men were no longer reluctant to trying new styles, and started being fashion-conscious. As a consequence, new designers appeared and introduced original ideas. French designers popularized a style called retro. Synthetic materials such as Lycra, Spandex, and viscose became widely-used, and fashion, after two decades of looking resolutely to the future, once again turned to the past for inspiration.

High heels came in again, and also elegant dresses that had been in vogue during the early 1950s Flowery patterns and exotic garments were fashionable again principally for women. From 1970 to 1980 there were different styles, though no major changes were introduced. Fashion trends went from functionalism to consumism, and later a new free style was introduced. Meanwhile, after the glamorous 1980s, the 1990s saw a trend towards fluidity and simplicity. The style during the 1990s did not introduce new changes, but only revived the trends of the last few decades.

In 1993, though, the craze

was a new style based on the recycling of clothing. Two American designers, George Hansen and Susan Deputy, promoted a new trend towards making garments out of old pieces of clothing, car upholstery, seat belts, dishcloths and even registration numbers. Recycling fashion was understood as a fight against waste and in favor of protecting the environment. More, designer Ann Demeulemeester built her designs on contradictions; introducing contrasting elements that appealed to women who dressed to please themselves and wanted to express their individuality rather slavishly follow trends.

Retro clothing inspired by the 1960s and 1970s was popular for much of the 1990s. Retro frocks came in again, and bateau necks - which have been a la mode during the 1970s – were revived in today’s fashion. In the early 2000s, aside from continuing the minimalist look of the 1990s, a new style of clothing was in fad, mostly in the hands of designers like Gianni Versace and, Dolce and Gabbana. Followers of hip-hop, especially the men, wore huge baggy jeans with full patterned shirts again. Name brands became particularly important among young people and many celebrities launched their own lines of clothing.

People of both sexes wore low-rise jeans that were intentionally cut lower on the waist, thus covering less body on front and back. Low-cut dresses and shirts that showed off women’s cleavages were very popular among teenagers. Simultaneously, fashion began to resemble 1980s styles, and Punk was one of the major trends throughout the decade. Modern Punk fashion, for instance, absorbed elements from many other similar fashions, most notably Heavy Metal. During the early 2005 there was a revival of lace clothing, which had been

in vogue during the 1940s. Once ore fashion imitated styles from the past and adapted them to the needs and likes of current customers. Frocks and skirts have a lot of details such as ruffles, pleats, darts and petticoats. Designers Lupe and Pilar Posse have paid homage to the 1970s by combining pop and bohemian styles to launch a new collection of clothing for today’s customers. There is also a revival of the 1980s fashion in the aspect of the masculine and rock and roll styles. The year 2007 saw the return of leggings for women worn with long, fitted tunic tops, or baby-doll dresses and shirts with empire waists.

As in the 1980s, they were sometimes paired with mini skirts. The late 2000s saw a return to the grunge look of the 1990's in men’s fashion: flannel shirts worn with bright colored shirts underneath, T-shirts worn with long sleeved thermal shirts, vans, beanie hats, work boots and ripped loose-fitting stonewashed jeans. The late 2008 and early 2009 saw a strong increase in the basic elements of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Based on the specifics and particulars presented and illustrated above, it could be comprehended that fashion change includes both short-term fluctuations in style and longer-term trends.

Three trends seen in the 20th century seem likely to continue in the future. The first of these is the blurring of gender boundaries. Fashionable clothing of the early 20th century made very sharp distinctions between men's and women's clothing in color, shape, fabric, and decoration. Gradually these distinctions broke down, especially when women claimed masculine items of clothing. A second continuing long-term fashion trend is the increasing importance of casual attire in

the overall wardrobe of both men and women. Tailored suits as business attire are now rapidly giving way to more casual dress.

The third is the custom of bringing back the fashion style of the past generation. Preponderantly, it could be deduced that most of the new fashion vogues are just mere modifications and revivals of previous fashion models. In point of fact, in the 21st century, more 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s style fashions are expected to be adapted, revived and modified. Besides, we could also infer that designers of today could hardly devise and concoct new fashion ideas that are far unique, exceptional and inimitable from the past and at the same time, would be accepted by the society or most of the populace.

Nevertheless, we should thrust aside or dispense the fact that these fashion creators and stylists exert loads and heaps of creativity so as the erstwhile fashion would not look so old- fashioned and thus, be appreciated and cherished by the youth. Yet no new fashion succeeds until people are ready to accept it. The final decision about what to buy, or whether to buy anything at all, regardless of design or trend, belongs to the sole purchaser, the consumer. …