How did fashion appear?
For quite a long time, clothing served only to protect against the cold. The value of clothing was determined only by its warmth and comfort.Only in the 14th century did the “dress revolution” take place in France and the production of fabrics began. Tailors began to develop new styles of clothing and learn how to model them. At the same time, costumes begin to be decorated with beads, stitches of bright threads, and leather fringe.
And in the 15th century in Italy, fashion appeared not only for new types of clothing, but also for incredible hairstyles. Women dye, curl and style their hair in completely unimaginable ways.
Fashion fully penetrated into Russia only under Peter the Great. Before him, everything that was brought from other countries was simply prohibited. Peter, as a lover of everything German, began to actively instill German fashion in the state. He issued decrees, describing in detail what clothes were required to be worn and what was prohibited.
But as an industry, fashion did not yet exist because there were no people defining what was fashionable and what was not. There were no artists who would create sketches of new models. The customer explained to the tailor what he wanted “on his fingers”, and the tailor sewed.
The official point from which fashion begins is considered to be 1820. This happened in England. It was then that the clothing industry began to gain momentum very quickly, and the profession of an artist developing clothing styles appeared. This is how the first couturiers appeared.
Literally a few years later, the first fashion houses appeared, which gradually began to compete with each other. The first clothing lines were produced in very small quantities, since only very wealthy people could afford such clothes.
From that moment on, fashion began to change. At first these changes occurred slowly and were insignificant, but over time they began to gain momentum. With the cheaper production of fabrics, fashion began to concern absolutely all segments of the population. More and more imagination and invention were required from fashion designers in order to surprise the spoiled buyer.
At the moment, fashion is changing so quickly that in just one season there are about a dozen fashion trends. Fashion products now include more than just clothing. These include accessories, jewelry, perfumes, and cosmetics.
Fashion has long and deeply entered people's lives, it manifests itself in literally all aspects - clothes, hairstyles, car accessories and even kitchen gadgets, but still more often it is associated with clothes. The history of fashion begins in ancient times, so today it is taken for granted. But when did people feel the need for it, and this concept arose?
Historians draw a parallel between the emergence of clothing and fashion, because these concepts reflect the entire path of humanity. And each state at different times contributed to the formation of this phenomenon.
More than one millennium ago, people began to have clothes; then they were functional things that protected them from adverse weather conditions. But gradually they began to give it a more aesthetic appearance, perhaps from that time the history of fashion began.
Despite the fact that the roots of fashion go back to ancient civilizations, it acquired a global scale in France by the 17th century.
Archaeological research
According to archaeological excavations, clothing originated at the dawn of civilization. Then people used plant threads or animal sinews to make it, which they used to fasten materials of natural origin. Leaves, tree bark, skins, and straw were used. Headdresses were also present and they were sometimes quite unusual. They were made from ostrich egg shells and dried tortoise shells.
It is reliably known that they learned to use the bone needle, which people used for sewing things, 30-10 years ago, it was then that settlement took place all over the earth.
Researchers obtained a lot of archaeological material from the Sungir burial, in which the remains of a man and two children, 9 and 13 years old, were discovered. Thanks to the reconstruction, it was possible to restore their attire; for an adult it was a shirt and trousers made of tanned hides and leather.
In addition, all clothes were richly embroidered with beads made from mammoth ivory. It was not possible to determine the exact age of the finds, but it varies from 25 to 33 thousand years.
The history of fashion development has different periods - from a significant rise to practical extinction, however, the latter did not happen. Naturally, the first clothes were very primitive, however, with the improvement of tools, the complication of shapes and designs occurred.
Craftsmen improved methods of processing furs and leather, learned how to make woven fabrics, obtained natural pigments for coloring them, and made folds and pleating on products. And wars contributed to the fact that the traditions of different states penetrated into other countries.
Middle Ages and Renaissance
The history of costume and fashion is inseparable, because national attire is what it is. It spoke about a person’s class affiliation, his marital status, and wealth. Despite the fact that the process of borrowing some details from other nationalities has always taken place, however, peoples have their own traditions that are of great importance.
When Ancient Rome fell, the time came for a new round of history, which was called the Middle Ages. Naturally, changes also affected fashion. At that time, people living in different regions wore excellent clothes.
In the early period it was distinguished by its simplicity and some primitiveness. And this continued until the 11th century. In the X-XIII centuries there was a surge in the development of sewing skills and completely new models began to appear more and more often.
Some historians are confident that the origin of fashion dates back to the 12th-13th centuries, when costumes began to be decorated with elements that did not carry a special load and had exclusively decorative functions.
In the 15th century, the history of fashion began to develop rapidly, and the art of tailoring reached a new level. It was then that model design began, and technological processes became significantly more complex. Western Europe was the first to lay the foundations of cutting, which radically influenced the shape of clothing for the fair sex.
The later Middle Ages are characterized by renewal in the world, including in fashion, updated silhouettes and models appear. Experts note that if we consider fashion as a socio-psychological phenomenon, then its origins occur during this period.
At the turn of the 16th-17th centuries, European models were influenced by Spanish fashion and style fundamentals. It is not for nothing that this period was called the Golden Age of Spain - the state managed to achieve success in the economy and become one of the political leaders on the world stage. Naturally, and popular National Costume this country attracted close attention, many of its elements were borrowed for models in other countries.
At the end of the 16th century, fashion began to be influenced by the trends of another country, namely Italy. Weaving was well developed here, and many fashionistas sought to obtain local materials. Italian velvet, satin, taffeta and delicate lace enjoyed unprecedented popularity among the wealthy public. Two regions turned out to be the main trendsetters: in the 15th century, Florence; in the 16th century, Venice took over the initiative.
Further development
During the Renaissance, the history of fashion received a new twist - after all, printed publications began to appear that were dedicated to clothing. These were a certain kind of reference books and guides, telling you what to wear, how to apply makeup, and what meets the requirements of fashion trends today.
And although in the literature of Italy, even in philosophical treatises, there are references to outfits, jewelry and other attributes of beauty and luxury, there was still no fashion in the modern concept. Its intensive development in developed European countries began to occur in the middle of the 17th century, at which time the national costume began to fade into another plane.
Modern fashion trends arose during this period in France, which was facilitated by the growth of the economic and political power of the country, which became a powerful power under the reign of Louis the Great.
Having become a political and cultural center, France could not help but become the capital of fashion. Moreover, this phenomenon was not accidental or spontaneous, but an essential component of the life of such a developed country.
Thus, the first creators of fashion are considered to be King Louis XIV and his minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who pursued policies in such a way that the state took care of the territorial expansion of the country, its cultural and political level.
Then many industries, established and just emerging, became state units, and the government controlled their activities. This led to an important milestone in the fashion world - the production of clothing was separated from its distribution. A legislative framework appeared - decrees controlling the purchase of luxury goods. At that time, the center of fashion was the royal court.
At that time, wars were a frequent occurrence, and they influenced the industry as a whole, yet France managed to remain a trendsetter, and its capital, Paris, a cultural center.
In the 17th-19th centuries, styles and models of clothing underwent significant changes, sometimes becoming more complex, sometimes becoming very laconic. In the middle of the 19th century, the history of fashion experienced its turning point. Important events include the penetration of elements of the men's wardrobe into the women's wardrobe; the foundations were laid for the emergence of sportswear, and there is also a general tendency to simplify models.
Iconic personalities in fashion history
Notes the history of a fashion hero - Charles Frederick Worth, a French fashion designer, Englishman by birth. He founded an organization in Paris - the Syndicate of Haute Couture, which united existing fashion houses. This organization still exists today.
Another famous personality in the field of fashion is Paul Poiret, a fashion designer from France, who is considered a reformer who created not only new models, but also changed the lifestyle of residents European countries and America.
The history of the fashion hero gave impetus to the emergence of a whole galaxy of talented couturiers who had a significant influence on fashion trends. In addition, their names still inspire respect, and their work has found a modern continuation - these are Coco Chanel, Jean Patou, Jeanne Lanvin and others.
The history of fashion is not only the appearance of clothes, it is a deep cultural layer that affects all spheres of human life and allows us to find out various details of the existence of ancestors.
In its modern form, as we see it today, it was born not so long ago. Although, of course, everything is relative and sometimes one year is a long time.
One day, Charles Frederick Worth, who was a supplier to Empress Eugenie, began marking the things he created with his name, as famous artists do. This is how the trademark was born. From that moment on, the supplier turned into, and the fruits of his work are called the word FASHION.
He rightfully equates himself to artists, especially since their works are unique things self made from high-quality expensive materials. In 1900, at the World Exhibition, a new caste of couturiers was formed and outlined its tasks. All of them were focused on Charles Worth, who by that time had already died five years ago, and his sons Gaston and Jean-Philippe continued his work.
It has always been human nature, and the desire to dress beautifully has always been there. There has always been a variety of styles fashionable clothes, which varied depending on the area and social status. For each social class there were certain forms and types of clothing, fabrics, dress details and jewelry. Clothes say a lot, they even reveal hidden desires.
A person adapts to the world around him, he accepts fashion, but at the same time, with the help of fashion, he strives to differ from others.
One of distinctive features fashion is variability. No sooner does something become fashionable than it already goes out of fashion. Buying expensive interesting thing, you think that you will wear it for a long time, but a little time passes and you see that the thing is already going out of fashion.
Maybe such changeability depends on the desire or inconstancy of the couturier’s thoughts? No, not everything is so simple in the world of fashion. In reality, their creations are successful only if the master captures the spirit of the times. does not arise out of nowhere, it always, and very accurately, reflects the slightest changes in the life of this world.
This is Short story the emergence of fashion, however, fashion in its modern form was introduced by fashion designers of the sixties, realizing that items of clothing in the age of technological progress and mass production should not exist at all, only in the singular, in order to be considered a creation. Trademark became independent. Now fashion brands decorate not only clothes, but also Sunglasses, dishes, etc., and the fashion designer is not always personally involved in the creation of models - just his signature or a brand known throughout the world is enough.
At all times, women have strived to look beautiful. Clothes play an important role in creating a beautiful appearance. Modern fashionistas They adhere to different style trends, there are a lot of alternatives in fashion nowadays, the choice of clothes is amazing. But I propose to plunge into the past and see how fashion has changed over different decades.
In 1929, the world was gripped by an economic crisis, which made its own adjustments to the world of the fashion industry. Clothes were treated with care and care, old items were mended and altered.
To achieve the elongated silhouette that was fashionable in those years, frills, ruffles, and flounces were sewn onto old dresses.
The length of dresses and skirts reached the ankles, and the skirts were cut on the bias. Required elements women's clothing there were puff sleeves, deep cutouts in the neckline and back, and turn-down collars.
The film industry has had a great influence on fashion. The main style icons were famous film actresses of the 30s, such as Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn. These women showed what is now called “Hollywood chic”: dresses with trains, decorated with fabric flowers, bows, and a long peplum.
Fur was considered a chic accessory; fur capes and capes were especially popular. Handbags, various hats(with wide brims, small pillbox hats, berets) and gloves are mandatory attributes of clothing for fashionistas of the 30s.
Outstanding designers of that time include Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. Chanel offered conservative, classic models. Elsa Schiaparelli amazed with her extravagant, avant-garde outfits.
On the fashion of the 40s. The Second World War had a great influence. Silhouettes with broad shoulders and military style have come into fashion. Women's jackets resembled men's military uniforms. The length of skirts and dresses became shorter, just below the knees. The shortage of accessories led to the start of making homemade buttons covered with fabric.
Regarding headdresses, hats were replaced with scarves. In the USA and Europe, a turban was considered especially chic, which was made from scarves and tied in various ways.
The most desired element of every fashionista's wardrobe were thin stockings made of nylon or silk. But it was practically impossible to get them, since nylon and silk were used in sewing parachutes, so the use of these fabrics for other purposes was prohibited. Women were forced to imitate stockings by drawing a seam on the back of their legs.
At the end of the war, in the mid-40s. There have been changes in fashion. In 1945, Cristobal Balenciaga was the first to demonstrate models of dresses with long skirts. At the beginning of 1946, dresses and sheath skirts came into fashion, emphasizing the hips, and by the end of the year, full skirts and asymmetrical hemlines became popular.
The most iconic style of the 1950s was the new look ( New Look), proposed by Christian Dior. Dresses were supposed to emphasize the dignity of the figure: a full bust, thin waist, rounded hips.
The hourglass silhouette was a complete contrast to the straight, wide-shouldered silhouette that was so fashionable in the 1940s. At first, the public was shocked, because it took about 40-50 meters of fabric to sew one Dior dress. This was considered an exorbitant waste, an unaffordable luxury after the ascetic minimalism of the war years. But Christian Dior insisted that femininity and grace must return to fashion.
In the early 50s, the flared skirt was especially popular. A little later, a sexy and more practical pencil skirt came into fashion.
A corset, which tightens the waist to 50 cm, became an obligatory element of a woman’s wardrobe. At the same time, skirts were mostly full and multi-layered.
Among the popular accessories, small pillbox hats, multiple jewelry, sunglasses, various handbags, and scarves were popular.
The fashion of the 60s brought great changes to society. If initially the image of a luxurious mature woman was cultivated, now fashion has deliberately set a course for youth. French designers have faded into the background. British fashion designers who came up with the image of a London dude became popular.
Cut geometry, bright saturated colors, psychedelic patterns, fabrics with lurex, glitter, polyester, nylon - all this characterized the clothes of the 60s.
At the same time, the hippie style became popular with the image of the London dude. The clothes were distinguished by their simplicity of form - flared trousers, mini-dresses, mini-skirts. But great attention focused on accessories and shoes: high suede boots with fringes, huge plastic glasses, voluminous jewelry, wide belts.
Another innovation was the unisex style. Many girls broke up with no regrets long hair, having made a boy's haircut. The unisex style icon was the famous model Twiggy. Prominent representatives men's fashion in the 60s you can call the legendary group “The Beatles”.
In the 1970s, fashion became even more democratic. And, despite the fact that many call the 70s the era of bad taste, it can be said that it was in those years that people had more means to express themselves through fashion. There was no single style direction; everything was fashionable: ethnic, disco, hippie, minimalism, retro, sports style.
The most fashionable element of the wardrobe was jeans, which were initially worn only by cowboys, and then by hippies and students.
Also in the wardrobe of fashionistas of that time were A-line skirts, flared trousers, tunics, overalls, blouses with large bright prints, turtleneck sweaters, A-line dresses, and shirt dresses.
In addition, it should be noted that clothes have become more comfortable and practical. The concept appeared basic wardrobe, consisting of the required number of things that are combined with each other.
As for shoes, platform shoes have gained popularity.
Among the designers in the 70s, Sonia Rykiel was singled out, who was called new Chanel. Sonia Rykiel created convenient, comfortable clothes: sweaters, cardigans, dresses made of woolen knitwear and mohair.
Also popular was Giorgio Armani, who proposed combining fashionable jeans with tweed jackets in one ensemble.
In the late 70s, designer Claude Montana gained recognition, creating military-style clothes with a fitted silhouette and, at the same time, a wide shoulder line.
The style of the 1980s was associated with the expression “too much”, too much: too defiant, too bright, too provocative. Overt sexuality in outfits has come into fashion. It was demonstrated through tight-fitting clothes, miniskirts, leggings (now called leggings), open necklines, and shiny fabrics. Large “gold” jewelry was also held in high esteem.
High fashion was distinguished by rich embroidery and decoration, while disco and punk reigned in democratic fashion.
The main silhouette of clothes in the 80s was an inverted triangle. The emphasis was on wide shoulders, raglan or bat sleeves, and tapered trousers with a high belt (the so-called “bananas”).
Stretch jeans and bootcut jeans have come into fashion. Miniskirts, windbreaker jackets made of raincoat fabric, T-shirts with slogans, leather jackets, elements of sportswear.
Business women wore suits in the style of Chanel and Margaret Thatcher. Basically, these were wide double-breasted jackets combined with a miniskirt or trousers, and straight-cut jackets decorated with piping.
In the 80s, designers who thought outside the box and created unusual clothes, with original decorative elements: Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Jean-Paul Gaultier.
The positions of Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Kenzo, who in their collections focused on deconstructivism, playing with geometric shapes and colors, also gained a foothold.
In the 1990s, the whole world was under the influence of an economic crisis. Many youth subcultures emerged whose slogan was a departure from standards and rejection of imposed morality. It was then that such a style direction as grunge arose. Things that have a worn look, specially aged, become relevant. Multi-layered, negligence, hippie and ethnic elements are encouraged.
A little later, clothes made of synthetic materials and bright neon colors came into fashion. It was usually worn by representatives of the neo-punk subculture.
In the mid-90s, glamor returned, with the pages of glossy magazines promoting luxury, shiny materials (brocade, satin, silk), furs, and jewelry.
In the late 90s, many designers gave a second wind to the retro style, using elements of historical costumes in their collections.
In the 90s, the world recognized the now iconic supermodel Kate Moss, who was the founder of a new style trend - heroin chic.
How is it that trends are repeated in the collections of different designers - do they agree in advance? And if there weren’t all these fashion houses and numerous clothing manufacturers, then there wouldn’t be fashion either, and everyone would wear the same clothes? How did fashion appear: did it exist in the old days or is it a new invention? The answers to these questions force us to look at the frivolous, impermanent phenomenon more respectfully.
In the late Middle Ages in Western Europe, a hitherto unprecedented situation arose: there were many different cuts and names of costumes. Representatives of the upper classes were no longer content with simple and uniform clothes that remained unchanged for a long time. In accordance with the new trend, every self-respecting person of noble origin tried to stand out and in every possible way emphasize their merits in accordance with the then beauty standards.
The supposed reason for the emergence of such costume diversity is the weakening of the influence of church dogmas. In spiritual culture, a place is discovered for earthly, worldly values, which means that the history of the development of fashion begins to go in a new direction. The cult of the Beautiful Lady, court etiquette, and courtly literature took shape. Bodily beauty is no longer considered a sinful phenomenon, and people strive to emphasize it with a variety of outfits.
The rules for combining various items of clothing in one suit began to be called “fashion” (from the Latin modus - measure, image, method, rule, norm). These rules, the characteristics of fashion, were created by aristocrats for aristocrats, but rich townspeople began to imitate them. This violation of class norms caused a wave of bans. It got to the point of ridiculousness: government decrees regarding the fashion industry regulated the length of the train, the height of the headdress, and the features of cut and decor allowed for representatives of different classes. This was the birth of fashion in European civilization.
Fashion as a social phenomenon, a combination of clothing styles
Since its inception, fashion has played the role of a social marker. For a long time it separated aristocrats from commoners. Within high society, their own trendsetters gradually emerged, mostly with great political weight. Thus, in France, during the reign of the young King Louis XIV, semi-children's clothes became popular, and the courtiers wore them with all seriousness, thereby expressing loyal feelings. The influence of fashion forced people to show their belonging to a certain group and loyalty to it.
This feature still remains today. Many sociologists believe that it is precisely the need to express one’s belonging to a certain social group generator, engine, the main characteristic of fashion. According to this theory, no one invents fashion. How did fashion appear? It arose on its own as a kind of social phenomenon.
This theory of the history of fashion development is supported by observations of groups of teenagers. It is extremely important for them to be accepted in their peer group. Teenagers form groups based on different criteria: fans of musical groups and genres, amateurs computer games or extreme sports or just a group of friends living in the same yard. Each teenage group can have its own “dress code”, its own fashion characteristic that reliably separates “us” from “strangers”.
Fashion is especially bright as social phenomenon presented in the clothing of youth subcultures. Currently these are anime fans, goths, emo, and parkour lovers. Twenty or thirty years ago they were rockers and metalheads. Even earlier, hippies, dudes. In every generation there are similar associations of young people. They appear in any society where there is an opportunity to freely express their will, and are limited to one generation. A combination of clothing styles is often used, and sometimes it becomes impossible to determine which subculture a particular young person belongs to.
As teenagers grow up, it becomes more important for them to belong to other groups with different dress codes. And now former teenagers They dress like students, then like young professionals, businessmen, executives, and like parents of the next generation of children. These children, in turn, will create their own groups and their own fashion. Fashion as a social phenomenon will continue to develop in a spiral, and after some time it will return to its previous turn.
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Designers and fashion influences
Clothing designers and manufacturers are simply using trends that already exist in society. For example, there are clothing brands that specialize in teenage subcultures. The task of designers is to understand the philosophy and visual preferences of a certain relatively large group of teenagers and come up with clothes, shoes, and accessories that will be in demand among this category of young people.
For manufacturers of clothing, shoes, and accessories, fashion is the wind that fills the sails of the fashion industry. It cannot be said about a sailboat that it creates the wind, but it moves with the help of this wind, and thanks to the sailboat the element becomes visible and useful.
Fashion– this is an industry in which significant money circulates, and no one wants to risk it in vain. If what designers offer does not find a response from consumers, then the manufacturer will suffer losses and even go bankrupt. So all designers try to minimize risks and make most of the collection in such a way as to guess demand. And here we come close to the question, where do the public’s expectations come from?
There are various social factors that shape fashion trends. The influence of fashion in the most general terms can be described by the words “people’s lifestyle and their current needs.” In other words, you and I are the ones who shape fashion without realizing it. We shape our lives by where we go, where we work, with whom we communicate, how we have fun, who we idolize or hate, what we talk about, what films and programs we watch, what we read, what forums we sit on and what we discuss. In all this seething environment, you can catch popular important themes, and they form the basis of new fashion. You just need to transfer it from one language to another. This is where professional fashion forecasters come into play.
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Fashion Forecasting
There are several approaches to fashion forecasting. One of them is formal, scientific. It is based on an understanding of fashion cycles. Observing changes in fashion over the years has made it possible to collect extensive statistical material and identify large and small periods of return of certain costume silhouettes, color range, as well as separately the shape of the sleeve, collar, shoes, size and location of parts, etc. This allows you to form a certain base based on the so-called fashion forecasting. Of course, the return of fashionable forms is not a literal repetition of what happened. Every time we have to guess what the old trend should look like in a changed world. And this requires a fashion forecaster to have good instincts.
Another approach (however, it perfectly complements the first) is observation of society. The hottest trends don't emerge from designers' studios or on the catwalk. So, Mary Quant once saw what girls from the working-class outskirts of London wore to dances, and “invented” a miniskirt.
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Of course, not every trend is “theft” from the people. But this is a mandatory observation. Trend catchers go to iconic clubs and restaurants; watch popular films and know which category A films are currently in production; they read best-selling books and popular bloggers; go on trips to fashionable countries.
They are also trying to understand what will be interesting and important after society gets tired of the current fashion.
This is the highest class of fashion forecasting work - science on the verge of intuition, or intuition on the verge of science. You don’t have to be a genius to predict that the Olympics in Sochi will give rise to a surge of interest in everything Russian in the world. Such predictions are obvious. But finding an antithesis to a popular topic and formulating it is good task, which can be solved by only a few.
The results of the work of leading fashion forecasters are published in the form of booklets, which can only be purchased by representatives of the upper segment of the fashion industry. And the point here is not the high price, but the fact that this is classified information that they try not to make available to the general public. There are simpler options, they are more accessible and widespread, but their forecast level is also lower. And some clothing manufacturers, without further ado, simply copy the collections of leading brands. That’s the whole secret of the “secret conspiracy” of designers.
