Evolution of western fashion

Late 1700’s-modern day

My objectives

My objective to to analyze the shift of clothing for western women.

I will address and compare the types of clothing over time.

I will explain some political, economical, social, and medical reasons for fashion change.

I have used many academic journals and scholarly sources to establish these findings.

According to Anthropologist

Since the 1980’s Anthropologist have placed emphasis on clothing. They have placed body surface at center stage. As the desired body dimensions change clothing evolves. Other factors are social structure, social agency, economy, or accessibility of affordable clothing.

Social structure- influences like social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, and customs.

Social agency- the capacity of individuals to act freely and make their own choices.

Women of privilege in the late 1700’s

Today our clothing varies but in the late 1700’s clothing painted a portrait of your class.

Wigs, fancy hats, and well fitted extravagant dresses were a great indicator of wealth.

Working class attire of the late 1700’s

Many servants in this period wore bonnets or hats rather than wigs. Some servants were offered second hand clothes from their masters but they would sell them to survive rather than wear them.

Working class women almost always wore hats.

About the working class?

It is harder to study the working class in earlier eras.

One of the main reasons is the fact that few artists would spend the time painting someone without wealth.

Wealthy people were regularly painted but working class couldn’t pay to plaster their walls with self portraits.

Von Sömmerring

Von Sömmerring, a physician and well-known anatomist, argued that the back-laced corset, as worn by fashionable ladies of the time, constituted a heath hazard by compressing the ribs and other internal organs and he claimed that this lead to tuberculosis, cancer, and scoliosis, or curvature of the spine.

He spread his cause throughout newspapers and eventually wrote a best selling book in 1803 that was translated in many different languages.

Feminist pressed for less constricting attire.

1800’s

In the early 1800’s start to see a more cone-shaped dress pattern emerge. Apart from that petticoats surfaced.

Mid 1800’s

Between 1820 and 1840 the west experienced major shifts in clothing due to the industrial revolution.

Textiles were the dominant industry of the Industrial Revolution in terms of employment, value of output and capital invested. 

This made clothing more accessible and cheap. Clothing started becoming a phenomenon rather than a necessity.

Introduction of pants for western women

During the late 1800s, women started to wear pants for industrial work. During World War II, women wore their husband's pants while they took on jobs, and in the 1970s, pants became especially fashionable for women.

Negative reactions over fashion?

In the 1920’s places such as France fashion was still a highly charged issue.

In 1925 a woman cut her hair resulting in actual tears and grinding of teeth.

Men would actually lock their daughters in the house until their hair grew back.

This was labeled an epidemic and men would sue barbers that cut their women's hair.

The bob was considered “promiscuous” and caused deaths for over a decade.

This style women adapted was the “ flapper” style.

1900s

The early 1900’s we start to see the hoop disappearing and gowns slimming down.

Late 1930/ 1940’s

1900 / 1910 1970 / 1980

Modern dress

From the 1970’s to modern day pants have been especially fashionable for women.

The 1940’s set the acceptance for shorter hair. Now most women have short to shoulder length hair.

Most women own over 10 outfits yet they can never find “anything” to wear.

Because many of our clothes are made in third world countries they are very cheap and affordable.

Globalization

Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade.

The west does not get many of it’s materials or even clothing from the actual west. Globalization has changed clothing astronomically. Many of our outfits come from China and if this were not the case not as many westerners would have the clothing they obtain.

Evolution of style over time

Four common modern fashion types

Casual Business casual Preppy Vintage

Evolution of fashion in a nutshell

As the rights of women changed and movements occurred clothing became more comfortable.

As women took on men's roles and jobs the stereotype of what women should wear changed.

As nations became industrialized clothing became easier and cheaper to make.

Industrial revolution also expanded middle class so more people could afford clothing.

As globalization kicked in westerners have been able to get cheaper clothing elsewhere.

Created by Jessica Fowler

Second year student Delta College of Michigan. Marketing management major. History 112- Later Western

Civilizations,Professor Laura Dull, Fall 2014.

Hansen, Karen Tranberg. "The World in Dress: Anthropological

Perspectives on Clothing, Fashion, and Culture." Annual

Review of Anthropology  Graves, Donna. "Women in World War Two." Www.nps.gov. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014 Robinson, Dwight E. "The Economics of Fashion

Demand." The Quarterly Journal of Economics 75.3 (1961): 376-98. JSTOR. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1885130?ref=no-x-route:21831cef8c539e270af2e01a5d674415>.

Coroline, Jeff. "Jeff & Caroline's Pages of 17th Century Stuff."/www.12eyes.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.

Sources

Sources continued

"Source. Prints and Photographs Collection, History of Medicine Division, National Library of Medicine."Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Am J Public Health, 9 July 2002. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.

Roberts, Mary Louise. "Samson and Delilah Revisited: The Politics of Women's Fashion in 1920s France." The American Historical Review 98.3 (1993): 657. JSTOR. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.delta.edu:2048/stable/21675

45> "That Whim of Women: Fashion." The Lotus Magazine 7.6 (1916):

258-68. JSTOR. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/20543731?ref=no-x-route:83e09642f8cb5b6249ea692fcd635a3f>

Sources continued

Cage, E. Claire. "The Sartorial Self: Neoclassical Fashion and Gender Identity in France, 1797-1804." Eighteenth-Century Studies 42.2 (2009): 193-215. JSTOR. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/40264250?ref=no-x-

route:43aff1265372382b04042438e6b895c0>. "TEXTILES IN THE NEW WORLD." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.

Terrizae. "Western Fashion Timeline by Terrizae on DeviantART." Western Fashion Timeline by Terrizae on

DeviantART. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

Picture sources

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Park Archives and Records Center, Interpretation Negative Collection. Www.nps.gov. Web. 3 Dec.  

Jessica Alba. 2012. Www.fanpop.com, n.p.

Georgiana Cavendish Duchess of Devonshire. N.d. Www.thetudorswiki.com.

à La Tarare; à L'Espagnole; Chapeau-bonnette; à L'Anglomane. N.d. NEW YORK: SCRIBNER, WELFORD, AND ARMSTRONG LONDON: BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS. www.americanrevolution.org.

Country Woman. N.d. Jeff & Caroline's Pages of 17th Century Stuff, Http://www.12eyes.co.uk/caroline/ordwomen.

 N.d. Jeff & Caroline's Pages of 17th Century Stuff,

Http://www.12eyes.co.uk/caroline/ordwomen.

Picture sources continued

Modes in Dress – 1900 and 1909. N.d. Glamourdaze.com,

Http://glamourdaze.com/history-of-womens-fashion/1900-to-1919. 1940's Summer Frocks. N.d. Glamourdaze.com. Adriana. History of the Corset. 2014.

Https://prezi.com/xcoadxn5fds9/history-of-the-corset/. Unknown. 1817-walking-dress-La-Belle-Assemblee. N.d.

Http://en.wikipedia.org/. Sömmerring, Von. Un·named. 1793.

Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222278/.

Picture sources continued

Unknown. Good Girl Gone Plaid Shirt - Red + Navy. N.d. Http://www.pinterest.com/pin/379850549796074277/, n.p.

Unknown. Fall Time. N.d. Http://blog.styleestate.com/style-estate-blog/2014/10/4/57-great-fall-outfits-on-the-street-for-2014, n.p.

Unknown. Vintage Pleated Mid-Length Skirt. N.d. Http://www.pinterest.com/pin/273030796134863354/, n.p.

A personal photagraph, Saginaw MI. Personal photograph by Jennifer O'donel . 2012.