The History of Fashion

During my studies in the Fashion Department at Shenkar, I was exposed to the study of the history of clothing, where we learned about the history of garments primarily through the lens of art and later through photographic evidence. These were fascinating lessons in which we learned about the subtleties and nuances of clothing, and especially the silhouette that changes from era to era. I will touch upon this fascinating field called "History of Clothing," with an intriguing summary of how clothing has evolved over the years. Fashion has, of course, existed since prehistoric times, but here we will focus on some key milestones over the last few thousand years in Western culture, which has long been considered (and perhaps still is?) the dominant culture of dress.

Clothing sources can be divided into two types that evolved over time in different cultures: The Draping Tradition – This developed in stable cultures (such as India, China, Egypt, and Greece), where large fabric pieces were woven on large looms. In this tradition, fabric pieces are wrapped around the body. The final garment is larger than the body, so a young girl could literally grow into her garment. The Tailoring Tradition – This developed in nomadic cultures, where small looms, which could be transported from place to place, were used. This tradition flourished among the barbarian peoples who invaded Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. In this tradition, the garment is made from small pieces of fabric sewn together.

In ancient Greece and Rome, clothing consisted of a base garment – a garment worn directly on the body (in Greece called chiton and in Rome tunica) – and an outer layer – a garment worn when going out in public, a covering that represented the person when in public and provided psychological protection. Both the base garment and the outer covering were based on the principle of a rectangular piece of fabric worn on the body, fastened with pins (fibulae), belted, or wrapped around the body in draping. There were differences between Greece and Rome, both in terms of color and the way the garment was wrapped around the body, as well as the shape of the fabric itself. However, the similarity lies in the principle of dressing according to the draping tradition.

Later, during the period of the barbarian invasions into Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, it was nomadic cultures where the tailoring tradition began to develop. This refers to the joining of fabric pieces woven on small looms that could be moved from place to place, with the garment being made from the joining of these parts.

In a later period, during the Middle Ages, there was a combination of the two traditions. European clothing became fitted to the body, three-dimensional, and made of parts that connected to each other. Starting in the 14th century, we begin to see a true revolution in the appearance of the garment. This marks the beginning of the garment as we know it today: a garment not made on a large loom, nor from joined parts, but a cut garment that fits the body, three-dimensional, and made of parts that are connected to each other (such as an inset sleeve, buttons, and laces).

The development of the garment from antiquity to the 14th century

From here on, fashion takes on the modern sense of frequent changes in silhouette. From the 15th century to the 19th century, we can observe a transformation in silhouette approximately every hundred years. During these years, new and striking styles entered art, among the most prominent being: the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Impressionism, Realism, and more. Regarding clothing, the silhouettes and sizes of garments became a matter of "who has more expensive and who has larger." Below is a sample of the changes in silhouette from the 15th century to the end of the 19th century, showing that the silhouette only grows larger and more prominent over time:

Fashion in the 15th century

Fashion in the 16th century

Fashion in the 17th century

Fashion in the 18th century

Fashion in the 19th century

Until the early 20th century, changes in fashion occurred at a very slow pace. Fashion remained relatively unchanged for many years, with shifts happening once every several decades, or even once per century. With the arrival of the 20th century, we begin to see much larger and more frequent changes in fashion. This is due to the Industrial Revolution, which meant that now there were factories and production lines. Items could be mass-produced and sold cheaply. Additionally, more people who were not nobility had more money, leading to the creation of a leisure and consumption culture, as people had both money to spend and time to spend it. Now, the pace of fashion change accelerated: every decade saw a shift.

Fashion in the 20th century: Acceleration in the pace of fashion change. Every decade there is a change

Fashion had previously been the domain of the aristocracy only. As we move into the 20th century, the interest in fashion, which until then had been exclusive to the wealthy, becomes more accessible to the general public. As a result, this period marks the beginning of the emergence of stores that sell clothing.

The beginnings of the first fashion stores. John W. Nordstrom in front of the Wallin & Nordstrom shoe store, downtown Seattle, 1901

Another change that occurred in the 20th century was the rise of Haute Couture. This was the golden age of the finest and highest fashion, characterized by luxurious clothing and accessories made and tailored specifically for individual clients. Haute Couture garments are typically made from fine fabrics and are sewn with the utmost attention to every detail, often by hand. A garment defined as "Haute Couture" is specially made to order for the client, according to their exact measurements, and is usually made from expensive raw materials. It is sewn with great care for stitch quality and finishing, often employing complex, manual techniques that require a long working time. In the design and tailoring of Haute Couture garments, the primary focus is on the appearance of the garment and its fit to the client's specifications. Therefore, these garments and accessories are significantly more expensive than mass-produced clothing.

Pierre Balmain fits a dress on the model Ruth Ford, 1947, photo: Carl Van Vechten

In addition, this century is characterized by the establishment of fashion shows.

Dior fashion show, 1950s

The rise of large fashion chains

By the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, with the advent of the digital revolution, fashion experienced new changes. Now, bloggers have become trendsetters, and those who are famous and have followers can become fashion icons and dictate trends. An example of this can be seen in the "Kate Effect." This refers to the influence that the famous Duchess Kate Middleton has on the sales of specific items she wears. Every item the Duchess wears, from special dresses and event outfits to designer gowns and shirts, sells out at lightning speed and becomes "Sold Out" within minutes to a few hours after she is seen wearing it. This phenomenon highlights the significant power that famous personalities have today as fashion and trend influencers.

"The Kate Middleton Effect"

In summary, the relationship between the body and clothing has shifted over the years, oscillating between clothing as a means to enhance the body beneath it, highlighting the natural body and female nudity (such as the Greek garment), and designing the natural body through artificial means (like in the 19th century: corsets and intricate constructions) with an ideal of very narrow waists. To this day, both approaches persist: the balance between "naturalness" and "artificiality." The body is a cultural construct: each era has its own beauty ideal, and clothing shapes the body according to the prevailing ideal of the time (such as the classical beauty ideal, the Gothic ideal, the Mannerist ideal, the androgynous ideal, etc.). There is no doubt that we can learn much from the changes in clothing over the years, alongside the changes humanity as a whole has gone through. Is fashion today more "natural" or "artificial"? And what does the future hold for us?

Iris van Harpen, Syntopia collection, What does the future hold for us? A lecture on fashion in 3D

This post is a taste of my lecture on "3D fashion" and is the introduction to the lecture.

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For all details: liatbrandel@gmail.com