Dress of the Twenty Century - Essay Example

Dress of the 20th Century Introduction Clothing today has emerged as a ment of the individual wearer so that terms such as "hip-hop" or "punk" and "classy" not only denotes types of clothing. For a hip-hop, it is expected to see a person tagged as one with baggy, low-waist and loose pants, or even flashy formal outfits with lots of jewelleries as exemplified by hip-hop icons. For a punk, DIY or do-it-yourself are expected such as tight, ripped-off shirts and jeans, black outfit or jackets, and metallic accessories, although these clothes and may now be both as ready-to-wear in specialty or regular dress shops elsewhere. Beyond the clothes and what is seen in a person, is an attitude that has in it a defining factor about the beliefs and inclinations of an individual. A punk may be more than a punk-rock music fan and has a daring attitude, at work or at leisure. They also tend to be living the present as they are quite known for the line "No future." A hip-hop on the other hand may be fun-loving and easy to deal with. They have a light attitude about life in general and are a bit fatalistic. But clothes per se is not the total statement of an individual as use of clothing may also have been influenced by fad or tradition, as well as events that help shape popular culture. It has been understood that fashion has always been about the elites needing new clothes to wear, so they go to their skilled designers or dress makers and tailors. Then, an impressive outfit may trickle down to the lower classes who may afford these clothes. A fashion trend is born. But a time also came that clothes of the working class, or even the "have-nots" such as the "grunge generation" produced an introverted flow of the fashion trend. So much like the working class "jeans", grunge fashion emerged from dark, underground music scenes to the flashy catwalks of Paris. It can now be said that birth of fashion does not exclusively belong to trendsetting elites. Clothing that includes all body adornments from hats to accessories, socks and shoes, as the most tangible material objects connected to the human body (Kaiser, 1990) has served more than protective and safety purposes, as well as a means of non-verbal communication (Lurie, 1992). Priest (2005), on one hand stated that "fashion remains a matter of recognition and belonging, and the events and circumstances that affect our taste or purchase decisions are global and regional." Below, this research shall discuss an era and evolution of clothing in a given period, of which fashion depicts not only clothing and fads but a movement closely connected with human culture. Discussion: Following a period where women have to be fully covered from head to foot, women's dress in the 1890's continuous to be built in a strong, heavy, upholstered style, but the silhouette changed to that of an hour glass.Their bodies were corseted to a small waist, and then padded in the buttocks, hips, bosom and sleeves to embroider the noticeable wasp-waisted effect (UAF, 2006). This depicts an era when there is much emphasis to aesthetics and the visual arts so that even clothes are somewhat exaggerated. 1895 Likewise, hats began to grow larger in use in the 1890's and continued steadily until 1911. The hats of this period are also detail-oriented and with elaborate decorations that reflect a period when visual grandiosity is very much accepted. 1891 1896 1902 1909 1911 Men's dress during 1890's took a turn for greater formality and dandyism in Europe, while in the U.S. it turned to opposite where the popular style was brightly colored sportswear (UAF, 2006). Arrow Shirt Ad. by J.C.Leyendecker The European fashion for Frock coats like the Prince Albert Coat and the Cutaway is steadily displaced by the sack, the Tuxedo in "male only" parties and semi formal events. The Hourglass shape of the woman in1890's changed after 1897 into the "S" curve of 1897 to1908. This alter came from longer lined "health" corsets that supported the spine and abdomen, particularly when they were over-laced by the fashionable. Women in this era seem to be leaning into a wind. The rounded clothing line of this era meshes perfectly with the curving lines of the main decorative style of the day, known as "Art Nouveau". 1903 Women's dress in this period was highly influenced by the advancing feminist cause, after 1903 escalated to widespread civil disobedience by "Suffragettes." Women modeled their appearance upon the Gibson Girl the popular image of the "New Woman".Women are into rebellion of the restraining and choking shapes imposed by the previous period of corset gowns so that clothes that move and emphasize their true body shape and movement. Men's clothing styles such as the suit, hard collar and tie were worn by women forcing themselves into professions once occupied by men. This may be so as women tend to be the outsiders or intruders coming in to the world of professional workers and career men. Aesthetic dress worn for a recital "In a Berlin Singing Academy" in Max Von Boehn's Modes and Manners of the 19th Century The beauty of the designs worn in this period are so apparent that the period 1890 to1914 is commonly called la Belle poque. Free flowing clothes and fashion dominate this period as there seem to be a clamor for freedom among women. "The Reformed Dress", 1902 in Max Von Boehn's Modes and Manners of the 19th Century Women's clothing after 1900 became lighter in construction and materials. An admired style in this era was the "Lingerie Dress" a feather-light white cotton dress inset with strips of open work lace and net. This may tend to be a revival of romanticism and era of boldness as women become more and more daring in their outfit. Light materials are also coming into fad as mass production is noted. This is an era of industrialisation in the west, between the United Kingdom, other European countries, and the United States. Foreground, cotton "Lingerie Dress" c. 1903, Background two dresses c. 1915-1920 After 1908, women's dress became more vertical in line. The vertical line became so obvious after 1910 that highly stylish dresses tended to hobble the wearer. Corsets began to be replaced by brasseries and other light base garments. This further signals the commoditizing of fashion and clothing as more and more women aspire to wear what may be the mode of the period. 1909 1911 The Ballets Russes production of Sheherazade, designed by Leon Bakst in 1910, pushed Paris fashion towards an Orientalist style in the early Teens. As a result of the Orientalist style, Parisian designer Paul Poiret again introduced "harem" pants for women. This interest in orientalism could have been the result of explorations and vast interest in Asia, its islands, culture and people by the westerners. Likewise, discovery of oriental materials such as silk may have also spawned this interest and production of clothing trends. Poiret "harem pant" outfit for the races, 1912 Costume after 1911 again goes into a sharp transition era, which continues until the early 1920's and ushers in the Modern period of dress. Conclusion: There may still be a big difference between designing clothes and setting fashion trends as the clothing and fashion industry has evolved into a process that has both merged the two. As McRobbie (1998, 1) wrote: The designers I knew personally, including the fashion designers, rarely saw themselves (designing for capitalism) this way. The extent to which notion of art, creativity and culture intruded upon and defined their practices as designers produced, at the very least, a sense of tension between themselves and the world of business." As stated, fashion comes with societal changes. It is therefore not conclusive to state that fashion is an independent cultural or artistic entity but a merging of social events and individual acceptance, as well as cultural or historical changes depicting an era. As discussed, certain changes in history also are depicted in the choice of clothing such as that of women revolution and exposure and interest in oriental culture. Suffice it to say that fashion and clothing in a given period depicts a cultural revolution and changes that are widely and popularly accepted by both trend setters as well as those who may afford it. Affordability, and price may also be considered as factor in the evolution or domination of a certain fashion trend or style as it was acknowledged by McRobbie (1998) how businesses, big fashion houses in particular, churn out products for either a wealthy few or a massive market all for the sake of profit. It is then necessary to state that fashion and clothing, in most ways could have also been very much influenced by business and economic movements, mainly, by major clothing manufacturers. Reference: Kaiser, S. (1990). The Social Psychology of Clothing: Symbolic Appearances in Context, 2nd edition, Macmillan Lurie, A. (1992). The Language of Clothes. Bloomsburry. McRobbie, Angela. (1998) British Fashion Design: Rag Trade or Image Industry Routledge. Priest, Ann. (2005). "Uniformity and differentiation in fashion." International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, 17 (3-4) pp 253-263. University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). "The History of Fashion and Dress." Accessed 2006. From: http://www.costumes.org/classes/fashiondress/TurnoftheCentury.htm Read More