History of Fashion

Sumerian
(Loggans, 2017) Social classes were strictly hierarchical and patriarchal. Sumerian economy
was based on the trade and export of barely, oil, and wool. Wool was the most important
product; clothes, tapestries, and decorative items were made of wool.  Women were the
producers of the textiles. They spun the the wool and wove the cloth, while Sumerian men
dyed the finished cloth. Both women and men wore skirts made of a fleece-like fabric known
as kaunakes. The length of the skirts varied according to hierarchical status. Servants,
slaves, and soldiers wore short skirts, while royalty and deities wore long skirts. They
wrapped around the body and tied with a belt at the waist to hold the skirts up.
During the third millennium BCE, the Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia was culturally
defined by the development of the art of weaving. Weaving allows  the production of
rectangles of cloth large enough to clothe the body. Statuettes and bas-reliefs of Sumerian
civilization show figures wearing both skirts composed of woven cloth and tufted fabrics,
exemplifying this transition from non-woven to woven dress.

Roman
(Home, n.d.)People in Rome dressed with a cultural bias – their clothing used to denote their
social status, wealth, etc In Rome, the woman wore a palla ( a shawl draped over her head)
over her stola ( a long dress). The Roman man used to wear a Toga over a tunic. The toga was
a semi-circular cloth draped over the body and was a mark of Roman citizenship. The draped
style of clothing was popular then and their tunics were as close to modern dresses as any.

Fashion in the Middle Ages 

This is the period after the Romans exited England. During the reign of the Anglo-Saxons, the
men and women used to wear a belted tunic. The women’s tunic was ankle length and over
this, a shawl covered their head. The color of the clothes used to denote the financial status of
the people.There were also clear distinctions between the garments of the rich and the poor.
The rich women wore layers of dresses. The rich men wore tunics that were sewn up on the
sides in contrast to the poor who had their tunics open from hem to waist.

After the Norman Invasion, fashion in England changed slightly. Clothes became more close-
fitting and elegant.By the beginning of the 14th century, men and women started to wear a
different style of clothing, a big change from the tunics used earlier by both genders.Women
wore close-fitting gowns with long sleeves and a full skirt. Tight-fitting hose made of wool or
linen were worn under short tunics by men. Older men wore long gowns with full
sleeves.Sometime later tunics were replaced by short jackets over padded doublets.

The Renaissance period

This is a very important period in fashion history, because of the high interest in fashion among
the aristocrats.A lot of money was spent on clothes. It is said that Henry VII, King of England,
spend a fortune on clothes and the aristocrats followed him in everything he did and
spend.Other than the aristocrats a new cultural order emerged who imitated the aristocrats in
their clothing- the traders and merchants (the middle class). The clothing during this period 
reflected the social standing of the wearer.

Fashion during the period between 1600-1900

Elizabethan era ( 1558-1603), Restoration (1660 – 1700 AD) Victorian Period (1837–
1901), all these periods have their own place in the evolution of fashion. But nothing
groundbreaking happened in changing the clothing styles.Gowns for ladies and trousers and
jackets for men – this was established as the dress code. Men’s fashion consisted of buckled
shoes, waistcoat, a shirt, and an outer coat. Seamstresses and tailors designed clothes for the
aristocrats and everyone else followed suit as much as they could afford.

Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (1770-1789) dictated the fashion of the period that she
reigned. Rose Bertin, the dressmaker of the queen had a lot of influence during that time.
French Revolution of 1789, which overthrew the French royals, is a historical event that caused
some upheavals in the history of fashion.

Another major development during this period was the Industrial Revolution in Britain (1760 to
1840). Textile manufacturing flourished in Britain during this period. Till this time everything was
handmade – now machines took over production and tailoring. Knitted and woven fabric of fine
gauge was produced by these machines. The invention of the sewing machine (1790) enabled
speedy and less labour intensive manufacturing of garments.

During the earlier times, the common man was not concerned about fashion. Fashion was more
of a cultural thing than showcasing a personal style.  It was only by the 16th century or to be
precise from the 1770s that fashion evolved as a mainstream thing. So the evolution of fashion
as we know it today starts from there. But not as much changed till the beginning of the 20th
century.
By the 20th Century things changed a great deal in fashion history. There was a large scale
adoption of fashion by the masses.The evolution of the entertainment industry and its massive
growth led to people being influenced by fashion in the films and the music scene. The
introduction of synthetic fibers and the availability of cheaper and practical clothes that were
mass-produced changed the fashion scenario like never before.

Fashion in the late 1800s-1900s

From the middle of the 19th Century, world fashion was dictated by designers of the fashion
capital of the world, Paris. Whatever Parisians donned the world followed and copied. London
also influenced fashion to a lesser extent.

In the late 19th century there was a revolution in the fashion scene- a designer was
born. Charles Frederick Worth (1826-95, Britain born but based in Paris) may be called the
first fashion designer of the world – In all the period dramas and historical novels that I read the
aristocratic beauties were all custom dressed by Worth. He can be credited with the start of
(Home, n.d.)fashion designing in the true sense.

The ladies of the court vied among themselves to wear his best creations.The house of worth
founded by the designer replaced the unknown seamstresses and tailors who sew clothes till
then. Many other designer houses were established to cater to the members of the royal court.

Earlier the seamstresses were at the mercy of their clients and they decided what they wanted
to wear but the arrival of Worth and other designers changed this scenario and the designer
was able to dictate terms – which fashion should stay and which should be out was decided by
the designer.

The prewar period of fashion from the 1890s to the first world war is known as La Belle
Epoque and clothes consisted of extravagantly decorated evening dresses and tailored day
dresses with corsets shaping the female body to regressive proportions. The clothing was
elaborate and ornate and very expensive. No one could dress by herself- there were many
layers and petticoats and tightly laced corsets under their gowns. 

Corsets which were tightly laced at the waist and chest made the waist seem tiny and the hips
were forced back. Hats and parasols were a major part of the elaborate dressing style of this
period.
But towards the beginning of the 20th century more practical clothes were preferred by many
women and it coexisted with the elaborate style of dressing of earlier.

Fashion magazines started to be popular and influential. These magazines started to cover the
fashion scene accompanied by photographs and this had a great impact to spread the word on
new trends in fashion. 

La Gazette du bonbon was one of the first French fashion magazines and a very popular one. In
1863 Ellen and Ebeneezer Butterick created the first sized patterns for dressmakers. 

1900s

(GLAMOUR, 2017)In the roaring twenties, silhouettes were loose and hemlines were shorter
than before. Fur, sequins, and bead embellishments were on trend

Silhouettes began to hug the body more. Bias cuts and lightweight materials such as satin were
preferred.

During the war, dress styles were simple and practical. Elements like structured collars and
pockets were borrowed from menswear.

Fifties was both glamorous and conservative. Cinched waistlines and accentuated hips and bust
achieved the ideal hourglass shape.

Short shift dresses were on trend. Bright ,bold patterns paired with white boots were a go-to.

The disco era introduced a lot of flashy sequins. Long dresses with dolman, cape-like sleeves
became popular.

From the hair to shoulder pads—80s fashion was big and bold. Mid length, brightly colored
dresses were on trend.
Minimalism characterised fashion at the time. Thin spaghetti straps and long shapeless dresses
marked the decade.