Fashion Through The 20th Century

Fashion has always been evolving and changing. These pictures are just an example of the type of fashions which have shaped the 20th century to the present day...

Gatherings happened every so often where a lady can meet a fine suitor and dance with him. The group of ladies are wearing expensive attire of the era. With all the best hats and accessories seen on woman who were of a higher class.

Ladies wore long dresses for playing sport in the early part of the 20th century, making sure to cover up every morsel of flesh!

The two love birds are both wearing iconic classic 20s fashion. The lady in the picture took some inspiration from the actresses fashion of the time. Fur and wispy dresses were key staples of the 1920s wardrobes. As you can see the male in the picture looks very smart, wearing a traditional suit and tie.

The fashion of the thirties is usually over shadowed by the great depression, but the nevertheless it was crowded with style. The ideal thirties woman was tall and slender with a very small waist and narrow hips, but since most women were not blessed with slim hips and narrow waists, shoulders were exaggerated with puff sleeves, shoulder pads, full collars, and “caplet,” “butterfly’ or ruffled cap sleeves, to make waists and hips appear smaller in comparison.

With the start of the war and a strict rationing on fabric, dresses in the 1940s became shorter. Whereas the 1930s featured dresses down to mid calf, the 1940s brought them up to knee length. The war also affected the top of the dress. Where coats were also worn over an outfit with a motif or decor to pronounce fashion.

Fashion designers sold full skirts and stiff petticoats, or a super-slim skirt and sweater with bows. Tight-fitting pedal pushers or capri pants were popular leisure wear and jeans (which in the 1950s were called dungarees) were becoming acceptable after people saw a photo of Marilyn Monroe wearing a pair.

During the year of peace, love and rock and roll, Woodstock and the moon landing, dresses and skirts were worn at all lengths—mini, midi and maxi. Tie-dye, fringe, hip huggers, bell-bottoms, headbands, beads and ethnic jewelry became hippie fashion staples. Bras and shoes became optional. Long hair and floral garments were all the rage.

Early 1970s fashion was a fun era. It culminated some of the best elements of the 60s and perfected and/or exaggerated them. Some of the best clothing produced in the 1970s perfectly blended the mods with the hippies. Hipsters and long skirts were staples and Bob hair styles.

The 1980s birthed more fashion icons than any other decade, hands down. From Princess Diana to Madonna, Joan Collins to Boy George, there was a style idol for everyone and, as one of fashion’s most experimental times. Shoulder pads and permed hair dominated the fashion industry!

In 1990, recession-weary shoppers chose to spend money on clothes that would stay in style as long as possible. That meant that the wild shapes and colors of recent years needed to be toned down. Jeans and soft colours were worn with either trainers or platforms etc.