Fashion through the Ages

Article Added: 14/08/2009 11:28:50
Fashion today seems to be about making a statement. With designers such as John Galliano who creates amazing outfits, but who also makes sure he puts on a runway production that will wow his audience, fashion no longer seems to be just about the clothes. It’s about the meaning behind them, the statement and how they are presented to the public. But how did fashion get to where it is today?

It all started in 1947 when Christian Dior famously launched his New Look Collection, his aim being to bring back femininity to ladies fashion after the military and masculine uniform clothing of the war years. The most famous of his designs is the Bar Suit from his 1947 collection, a fitted white jacket and a full black skirt that came out from the waist, which gave the classic hourglass shape. His timing was immaculate, although some did criticise Dior, many women wanted to forget the clothes they had been wearing for the past years and wanted something new. He made a statement, it was this that made him one of the most famous and successful designers not only of his time, but in the history of fashion.
    
Towards the end of the decade, a new style was forming in America. That of teenagers and Rock ‘n’ Roll, with people such as Elvis Presley and Marlon Brando becoming style icons, music and film started to influence teenagers. There were ‘Greasers’ who wore leather jackets and denim jeans. There were the Teddy Boys, who wore long jackets, drainpipe trousers and shirts; overall a much smarter look. At the same time their girlfriends wore full and circular skirts, a definite influence from the Haute Couture designs coming out of the Paris fashion houses.
    
These styles that had emerged from the 1950s were worn up until the mid sixties, which is when fashion made another dramatic change. The 1960s saw new subcultures and was very much the decade of the teenagers. It became known as the ‘Swinging Sixties’ with Britain being the place to be, London was fast becoming one of the fashion capitals of the world.

The most popular trend seen in the 1960s has to be the Mini skirt, or Mini shift dress, which Mary Quant starting producing and selling in her London Boutique Bazaar. With girls wanting something new, they were willing to wear something as short as this and the trend was mainstream by 1967 and is still around today. Another big name in 1960s fashion is Biba, a shop that started out as a mail order service by Barbara Hulanicki. The first Biba shop was opened in Kensington in 1964. The building was near derelict when Barbara Hulanicki first bought it, and she kept many of the qualities, using antique and faded furniture which helped create an atmosphere not seen in any other shops.  People of very different status’ all mixed under one roof, Biba became very popular with celebrities such as Twiggy and Julie Chrisite. The clothes were very affordable, allowing women to look more like those seen on the catwalks in Paris.

The music scene was becoming increasingly more popular. Bands and artists such as The Beatles very much influenced what teenagers would wear and how they would behave. Subcultures were being formed such as the Mods and the Rockers. Towards the later years of the 60s, moving into the 1970s there were becoming more of these cultures, all determined by what they wear.

All the different fashion trends were available because of the new fabrics that were being produced, such as synthetic fabrics which could be used for underwear, swimwear and sportswear. There was now much more choice, and more radical things happening. Paper dresses were one idea that took off during the 60’s invented by the Scott Paper Company. Women ordered half a million of these dresses in under a year, which led other companies to the idea, even PopArt artist of the time Andy Warhol created his own. Of course this was one fashion trend that didn’t catch on after the craze during the 60s, unlike other fashions which are still around today.

It’s clear that fashion and society have always linked. Social happenings and what is going on over the world is often used in fashion and affects the trends. Like, for example, when new materials were being produced in the 1960s, fashion became very much about trying these new materials and new things. And of course, celebrities are constantly influencing the trends and what people want to wear.

The latest thing that seems to be affecting fashion is the sustainability issue. It is starting to become fashionable to be eco friendly and certain companies and designers are starting to be more sustainable.

Fashion has jumped forward in recent years but with new technologies being created and designers constantly trying to be one step ahead, it does become very reminiscent of the 1960s which were full of statements and new things.

Fashion is constantly repeating, even Dior had clear influences in his designs from previous fashions of the early 1900s. The latest catwalk shows have shown designs that are very much 1940s glamour and 1980s influenced. Designs from the 1950s are constantly being used and will always be fashionable, so although fashion has moved on and is making a new name for itself in this generation, the fashion of the past will always help make the fashion of the future.