FASHION'S STORY

FASHION'S STORY

First information (from Romans to XVI c.)

The story from XVII c. to the 20's

The story of our century

FIRST INFORMATION

Romans

Middle Ages

Renaissance

THE STORY FROM XVI C. TO THE 20'S

From XVI c. to XVIII c.

Italian Baroque

Neo-classicism (XVIII c)

The XIX c.

the romantic period

reminiscence of XVIII c.

The beginning of our century

THE STORY OF OUR CENTURY

The 20's

The 30's

The 40's

The 50's

The 60's

The 70's

The 80's

THE STORY FROM XVI C. TO THE 20's

From XVI c. to XVIII c.

In the XVI c. European clothes were conditioned by Italy and Spain.

From Italy arrived, for men, the low-necked doublet; from Spain, for women, the vertugade, a very ample skirt. In the upper part of clothes the trunk was imprisoned in a rigid bodice.

In 1575 the ruff, a pleated end of shirt ed for the first time in France.

In 1650 Italian and Spanish influences were surpassed by the French and Dutch superiority.

Fashion was influenced also by art: during Baroque period clothes were enriched with many ornaments.

Baroque and Neo-classicism

In the XVII c. the French fashion with coloured silks spread, arriving also in Milan.

Instead in the south of France the big blue Oriental cotton clothes were used for popular wearing.

European  fashion was born in Paris during the XVIII c. and spread in all directions by special mannequins. In that century there were a lot of changes : you always had to create new clothes and new fashion. The silk workers in Lyon exploited the power of French fashion in the world to export their goods abroad.

Indian, printed, cotton clothes arrived in Europe and women liked them very much.

THE XIX CENTURY

In XIX c. there were changes only about women-fashion. In 1795 there were no bodices and no fences; the dress, long and soft, underlined the ure under the breasts. This thread-like line was inspired by the Greek and Roman tunics. Sleeves were generally  swollen and court and, if long, they were re-covered by a top pleated cuff.

Masculine suit adopted cloths of wool. His principal element was the open suit, designed like the actual evening suit (frac). With it were combined or wide trousers, or long horseman pants and boots.

THE ROMANTIC PERIOD

From 1820 to 1840 fashion was influenced by Romanticism. Women's waist, underlined again by a corset, took back his normal place. The skirt widened and the sleeves were more and more voluminous. On the necks women dressed foulards and shawls of cashmere.

Imitating women, men wore a bodice that tightened the waist and swelled the breast and a clinging overcoat.

REMINISCENCE OF XVIII C.

From 1845 fashion of XVIII c. returned with new cloths called Pompadour and, ten years later, with a special underskirt. On the dress women wore the basquine, a clinging jacket, and a special kind of coat: shawls weren't used. From 1868 women wore an oval hat.

Men began to wear dark suits until 1914.

THE RETURN OF THE NO-VOLUMINOUS

In 1870-80 fashion noted the return of the no-voluminous. In that years the skirt became heavier, with bends and double volants; the bodice contracted. In 1895 the bell-skirt and the inflated-sleeves resuscitated, and very small hats alighted on women's heads.

THE STYLE OF THE BELLE ÉPOQUE

For fashion the Belle Époque began in 1898, when woman took the characteristic 1900's style, with bodice that lifted the breasts and cancel the belly. Tailleurs had a little mantle with heightened neck and adherent jacket. All was completed by flowery or plumed hats.

ORIENTAL STYLE

From 1911 to 1914 another style, that had an oriental character, triumphed over. This style didn't have any bodice and adherent clothes, and introduced soft clothes with bright colours.

This style had oriental trousers with evening mantles, that marked the waist on the flanks. There were premonitory signs of the next revolution of fashion.