How long has fashion been around

In the beginning of the 20 th century, new developments in fashion would take place in Paris first, from where they would spread to the rest of the world. New designs of clothes would be born in Paris before they found their way to other parts of the world.

In other words, Paris emerged as the 'fashion capital'. Towards the mid th century, fashion garments began to be mass-produced. The bulk of production increased, and people began to have more choices of garments. Towards the end of the 20 th century, fashion awareness among people increased, and they began choosing clothes for themselves based on comfort and their own style, instead of relying on the trends prevailing in the market.

Today, as stated above, f ashion designing is well accepted as a career option. A number of institutes have come up the world over, offering courses in various arenas of fashion. The number of students who consider fashion as a serious career and who have gone in for courses in the same has gone on rising over the years. Specializations in fashion designing have come into being. There is a wide range of options for a designer to choose from, such as lingerie, swimwear, women's wear, bridal wear, children's wear, men's wear, footwear, handbags, etc.

Fashion designers used to be self-employed earlier now find a number of career opportunities open for them. They can work with garment firms and export houses.

They may also be engaged in the job of remodeling haute couture and adapting them to the tastes of the mass market. They might also hold jobs in departmental stores or specialty stores. Developments in the field of fashion designing have given rise to other related career paths such as hairstylist, make-up artist, fashion journalists, fashion advisors, fashion photographers, etc.

Another significant change that has come about in the fashion designing industry in recent times is the increased use of computers and technology. A number of software packages have come up to aid designers in the process of designing as well as other stages in the production of a garment, easily and speedily.

Fashion designing as a trade has also grown. Fashion designers have gone on to get repute not only in their own countries, but internationally as well. The number of fashion shows and participation in the same has gone up considerably in recent times. From the s on, long, straight hair was popular for women, as well as for some men.

Hairstyles were usually parted down the middle. Large puffy hair worn by Motown singers were considered stylish from on to the s, and short wavy hairstyles like Jodie Foster wore in were popular too. During the seventies layered haircuts were also popular and this trend continued into the s. From the mid to late eighties big hairstyles that were teased and curly or wavy with bangs were very popular. In the early s straight hair and long spiral perms became popular, while later in the decade angled bobs and shaggy, mid-length haircuts were made popular by celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox on the TV show Friends.

From the s to the current time punk hairstyles such as shaved heads, Mohawks, and painted hair were worn. These were usually the hairdos of those who wanted to make a statement, or just simply to be different from mainstream society.

Many mainstream and independent artists had punk hairdos. Heavy metal hairstyles for men were quite popular, especially after the s. There are still standards for hairstyles in the present.

For the workplace hairdos are very conservative, usually in a straight style, or sometimes waved or slightly permed. Names of designers that were alive during the s and the s include Jeanne Lanvin, "Coco" Chanel, and Pierre Cardin.

Each these designers have set his or her personal mark. For instance, Lanvin is remembered for her intricate trimmings, lavish embroideries, and beaded decorations. These were all implemented in clear, light fabrics. Chanel is remembered for designing fashions of clothing as if it would be what she would wear. She also is known for masculine-cuts and silk blouses. Pierre Cardin is known for items such as his draped pale blue mohair dresses or jacket with fur-trimmed head.

These designers were thought of as revolutionary style artists. With globalization and the massive changes to society over the last eighty years, fashion has changed to cope with the differences. Designer ranges from small independent designers to large fashion houses that have existed for several decades. And, while trends still dictate the fashion world, modern designers have often drawn inspiration from the past and have modified classic looks from the past eighty years to be the height of fashion today.

Designers for mass retailers seem to be less focused on creating ground-breaking images in fashion and more focused on adapting popular styles to fit all purposes and body shapes. As we have become more sedentary, our waistlines have expanded and clothing has adapted to that as well with more retailers offering larger sizes and more figure-flattering options. After World War I and until about the year men's wear was fairly relaxed and less formal.

For example, softer collars were worn during this time period. Sleeveless sport shirts became popular and were worn with white pleated trousers and a belt. Celebrities in the s and s would sometimes combine casual pieces with formal pieces for a new look. Evening wear such as the double-breasted white cotton pique was also worn during these decades, as well as day suits with wide lapels. These suits were worn with accessories such as wool tie, black trilby hat, or black gloves. Black leather shoes were also made popular during this time as well.

Wide lapels on men's suits also were very popular in the s with both British and American style suits. Materials used to make these suits were usually a type of wool. Sportswear in between the mids and included items such as white straight-leg flannel trousers for tennis playing or dark blue elastic-wasted cotton knickers for playing football.

A red cloth coat was sometimes worn with black leather boots for riding. These sportswear outfits were very much influenced by the British.

After , men wore items such as black trousers, single-breasted wool jackets, and suits with wide lapels and wide collars. Suit accessories included black bow-ties, black homburg hats, and black shoes. By the war rations on materials had ended, so more extravagant men's clothing could be made after this time. The s British styles were in some ways different than in the s and the s. One of the signature items for men during the first year of this decade include the knee-length single breast overcoat grey-colored and cuffless sleeves although cuffless sleeves were sometimes worn in earlier times.

American styles of sports and leisure wear that were created in the s included a single-breasted fitted brown jacket, narrow lapels, and flap pockets. These were worn during riding, and perhaps along with knee-high leather riding boots. During the late sixties and into the late seventies, fashion was influenced by designers from numerous countries.

For example, Pierre Cardin from France had created a new design of a two-piece grey cloth suit that had a double-breasted long fitted jacket. In the year , the cloth jacket with a zipper was worn as a day wear outfit. This item was made with large hip-level flap pockets and tight sleeves which flared at the wrists and brown cloth trousers which were also flared. Leather outfits also became more popular after Leisure suits and disco-influenced styles were also popular with men in the seventies.

The s was a time of its own unique fashion. Men during this time who worked as an executive or other position of higher authority usually wore items such as a brown two-pieced double-breasted suit with long narrow lapels. These suits were designed with broad shoulders and shoulder pads.

Casual clothing that was significant of the s included denim blue jeans, often worn with a matching jean jacket. Punk fashion in the s for men included clothing items such as sleeveless black leather jacket, off-center zip fastening, or flap pockets.

In the s blue jeans were also very popular, but unlike the s, bell-bottoms, wider-legged and baggy pants were in style. Black polo neck sweaters were popular in the year , as well as two-piece wool striped suits with small collar and narrow ankle-length trousers. From the s to the s teen dress was fairly conservative in contrast to present-day styles.

For the most part teens dressed very much like the adults of this time. In the s teens wore outfits such as the schoolgirl cadet style outfit which consisted of a gathered skirt with a hemline just below the knee.

This skirt was usually accompanied by a V-necked bottom-down jersey knit cardigan, white collared shirt, and tie, all topped with a beret hat. Other teen girls and older children often wore cardigan sweaters, cotton frocks, and canvas shoes. Sometimes they wore sandals with their outfits. In the s, during World War II, natural materials for clothing were scarce.

During this time, clothes were mended when worn and when new clothes were needed drapes, sheets, pillow cases, and other household materials were used to make new clothes. During the s, new teen fashions began to develop, especially between and In fact, this was the period of time when teens began to purchase their own clothing, which was one of the reasons why they became such an influence on clothing that was made during this time.

Teen girls in the mid to late s wore clothing items such as an oversized sweater, buttoned cardigan, and a simple long tweed skirt.

Around their necks they sometimes wore a string of beads along with it or a patterned fashionable scarf. Also in the fifties, groups of teen girls also sometimes wore baseball jackets and loose jeans rolled up.

During the sixties, mini-skirts and mini-dresses became very popular. During the late s long flowing "hippie" dresses were sometimes worn by teens or young women. These styles along with jeans and T-shirts and psychedelic clothing were also very popular with youth, especially those at least This trend continued on throughout the s, which also included the wearing of bell-bottoms. Magazines would send their editors, ordinary clothing stores would send their tailors to Paris in order to catch up on the latest trends and spread them in different regions around the world.

The 20th century also saw the introduction of fashion shows where designers had the opportunity to showcase their finest work. Jeanne Paquin was one of the first female couturier and the first to open branches in London, Buenos Aires and Madrid. She is credited with organizing the earliest fashion show, a trend that has only grown till this day. After this, fashion trends and the way clothes were designed changed significantly over the years. Fashion grew and transformed considerably from medieval times but the s were a significant time in history.

This was primarily due to the fact that the sewing machine was invented in Not only did this allow faster and mass production of various garments, but it also allowed for more intricate and precise printing on different clothes. This new invention came at the time of the first Industrial Revolution that occurred between and The materials with which garments were produced evolved to a great extent with knitted and woven fabric of fine gauge being produced by machines at a faster rate.

The quality of these products was better and the time was quicker as compared to handmade stitching. People still ask when did fashion start and the question has quite clearly been answered here, but the way this industry evolved is seldom given consideration. The introduction of the sewing machine meant a lot for the industry but it did little to promote fashion in general. The concept remained confined to a limited circle of wealthy and powerful individuals for more than years.

Not many considerable changes occurred in the industry until the 20th century. With the dawn of the 20th century, fashion was no longer limited to a select circle of wealthy individuals. It began to become more accessible to the masses for a variety of reasons. Rising incomes and more affordable brands allowed consumers from across various social classes to embrace fashion trends. The rise of Hollywood during this era played an influential role in bringing fashion to each and every household around the world.

Icons like Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Marlyn Monroe were able to woo audiences with their iconic and signature clothes. Soon their dressing would become the newest fashion trend inspiring a whole segment of society to adopt and flaunt the respective designs.

This was a time when the Industrial Revolution meant that money was flowing into American households giving rise to a large number of entrepreneurs, industrialists and celebrities. This was perhaps one of the last great rises of French fashion because after World War II ended, there was little left standing.

This was a time when the fashion industry witnessed one of the biggest transformations in history.