A New Chapter in Fashion History!

The year 1920 is marked as a turning point in the world of fashion. 1910 saw the silhouette rise to prominence, which was much more fluid and soft. But it was the 1920’s when fashion truly entered a modern era. Two distinctive styles characterize the 1920s; the first was relatively conservative in nature and it was only in the second half that changes started to take root.

The ‘Golden Age’ commenced with the end of World War l, and this had a great impact on all socio-cultural aspects of society including fashion. Men were busy with the war, giving women the opportunity to get out in the world as professionals. Obviously, gowns weren’t the best options for the workplace so their outfit changed to accommodate comfort. Women stared wearing pleated skirts with slits to allow movements. Women also started wearing loose pant suits that were called ‘pajama suits’.

The 1920s was filled with lively colors; designers included colors in every article of clothing. The burgeoning entertainment industry influenced the era in a major way, and Vogue magazine was also started in the 20s. Corsets became a thing of the past, while silhouettes for this decade became loose and shapeless with lighter fabrics taking center stage.

A new class of women known as ‘The Flappers’ emerged, changing women’s fashion dramatically in this era. Flappers were known to dance to jazz music, drank, smoked and had casual relationships. 

             

                               

Women cut their hair into a bob, which inspired hats that were smaller and more fitted. Hats were as colorful as the outfits themselves.

           

                                     

After hats, purses and handbags were the favored accessories. In fact, they were considered ‘eye-candy’. They came with beautiful beading and in materials like silk. Women would make one, if they were unable to afford it. In Jewelry pins and brooches were popular as they would stylishly hold clothes together.

Bathing suits made a very controversial entry during this time. They were initially very unflattering and uncomfortable, but the mid 20s saw swimsuits gain a new identity by way of form-fitting suits and vibrant colors.

Men’s fashion saw a fair few changes during the decade. Suits became slimmer with wide legged trousers, while short suit jackets were preferred and the long jacket from the previous decade was donned solely on formal occasions. V-neck sweaters with white trousers became famous. During the mid 20s, men went for shirts with attached collars, which when compared to detachable collars were much softer.  

The 1920s was packed with more fashion trends than any amount of words could suffice for. The vibrancy and liveliness of the decade are not going to end here. There is way too much to talk about, and this is just the start! 

A Page from Fashion History

The flashing lights on the stage, the smooth surface of the runway and the stunning models in beautiful clothes is what fashion shows are made of. People have always desired to look their best, making fashion one of the oldest existing businesses. Today there are countless fashion shows in London, Milan, Paris, America, India and almost every country in the globe so much so that it has become a common occurrence. But, the commencement of fashion shows has a vague history. France, one of the prime places where fashion flourished could be said to be the first ones to start the tradition of fashion shows. It is hard to narrow down the time or place for the first ever fashion show but let’s explore history.

Our story begins somewhere in the 1800s, during which time a horde of fashion parades took place in Fashion saloons; the glitz or glamour was mellow during that time, compared to what we are used to today. The models, who were called ‘Mannequins’, at that time, were taught the art of walking and posing in a saloon for onlookers. This was a way of displaying their collection and the latest trends. In all technicality it was a fashion show, though the models that time had fuller figures, but that too changed later on. In fact, depleting of the figure has been so much that we have size zero now!

In 1903 there was a resemblance of fashion show in New York City in Ehrlich Brothers boutique. The events had more of a theatrical flair to them compared to today. The show was generally organized around a theme which was narrated by someone. A couple of years later many of the large department stores such as Wanamaker’s and Philadelphia were also organizing these shows. 

The events exhibited couture gowns from Paris or gowns inspired by Paris fashion. Soon these events were taking place across New York City. But towards the end of the century, somewhere around the 1970s and 80s designers started having private shows which became the start of what would eventually become fashion show.

Nowadays we have fashion shows running on for weeks all over the world. For this we have some bright minds in the past to thank who in difficult times, when war was looming bring with it million of problems along, did not let the art die and found a way to reach the world. So remember when you see a fashion show next this all started in some saloon tucked somewhere in France.