20th Century Fashion

Throughout the 20th century cross-cultural and historical influences exerted a profound impact upon fashion design. The styles, designs and materials of other times and cultures became more accessible to designers at first hand as improved travel and communications enabled continents to be crossed with ease. With developments in photographic and printing techniques, they were also able to glean ideas from secondary sources such as lavishly illustrated books, magazines and journals. From the 1950s European designers needed only to look around them to see a rich variety of clothing from all corners of the world.

The early 1900s marked the rise of the haute couture movement in Paris. Women of the upper classes coveted the Parisian designs, which set the tone for the rest of the Western fashion world. These designs debuted at horse races, and Vogue took on the role of informing the public about what was going on, who was going where, and what was being worn. Corsets and full skirts enhanced unnatural curves, and hats grew out of control.

However, as World War I began in 1914, attention and resources were drawn away from fashion. British Vogue launched in 1916, but the emotional and economic consequences of war were making androgynous dressing more popular.

The Wall Street Crash of 1929 kicked off the Great Depression, from which the general public escaped through Hollywood. The movies became the new glamorous medium for fashion.

As another war seemed imminent, clothing became more functional and military-inspired with square shoulders. Techniques for mass production of uniforms carried over into the creation of ready-to-wear fashion.

Once World War II was underway, clothes became even more restrained. Cloth was severely rationed. Uniforms were commonly seen in public.

Once World War II ended, newcomer Christian Dior rebelled against the austerity of the time and produced an extravagant design of a fitted jacket with a cinched waist and a full calf-length skirt using ten to eighty yards of fabric. This style, dubbed the "New Look," would prove to be a turning point in the postwar. Dior's designs became extremely popular, as women were longing to dress femininely and frivolously again.

Chanel countered the voluminous look with boxy suits and slim skirts in tweed. Synthetic fabrics (nylon, polyester, and acrylic) became more widely used because they were affordable and easy to maintain. A consumer market was born, and for the first time, teenagers became a force in
the fashion market as a result of influences such as music and film.

Materialism defined this decade, as the western world experienced an economic boom. The power suit became a symbol of the eighties, especially after John Molloy argued in his book Women’s Dress for Success that women would need such a suit to climb the corporate ladder. People flaunted designer brands as symbols of wealth. Increased use of credit cards encouraged spending. 

The creation of MTV revolutionized the music industry by turning musicians into television stars who had the power to influence through fashion and visuals in addition to music. Princess Diana also became a fashon icon during this time.

As technology made working from home more feasible and offices instituted “Casual Fridays,” fashion became more laidback and comfortable. In contrast to the excessive consumerism and gaudy color palette of the eighties, 1990s style veered toward a more minimalist aesthetic with lots of black and neutral colors. The fashion industry blossomed the most in the United States, where Calvin Klein used overtly sexual advertisements to shook a supposedly "unshakable" nation. Grunge was an alternative rock subculture that began in Seattle and spawned a style of unkempt dressing.