Fashion As It Was During The 20th Century

Fashion can be very well explained as a direct reflection of the consciousness as well as unconsciousness of the society. It showcases the staidness of majority and disruptive elements of minority when times become politically conservative. It also depends on the demand for new designs with change of seasons - summer, autumn, winter and spring.

If traced back how it was during the 1900s, fashion would portray the evolution of societies from agrarian to industrial. In the early years of the 20th century, the apparel of men as well as women underwent a dramatic change throughout UK, including Bristol, Buckinghamshire and other major regions of the country. Clothing of the former saw emergence of the S-bend corset as a fashionable apparel. The corset had frilly and puffy blouses often decorated with broad ribbon ties and laced collars. Skirts usually fluted near the hem and fitted right over the hip. Men’s clothing was primarily dominated by 3-piece suits with cloth caps or bowler. Their jackets were quite narrow and had high, small lapels. Professionals associated with the clothing industry tried to keep the fashion trends nearly the same even a decade later, but military uniform and working clothes got popular among men & women respectively. 

During the 1920s, young girls began to wear barrel-shaped and high-waisted outfits along with tops designed to look like tunics. Sometime between 1920 and 1922, dress makers decided to drop the waistline of women’s attire to the hip level. This major alteration hid natural curves to create an androgynous, tubular look. Colourful garters and coloured stockings became common. Men started to wear lounge suits having narrow cuts and pointed collars along with patterned or plain knot ties.

The 1930s saw popularisation of simple evening satin gowns with low scooping backs for ladies. Knitted cardigans, open necked or soft collared shirts, tank tops and wide trousers got common among the guys. Due to the Second World War, there was severe shortage of fabric and therefore, most people wore uniforms. Civilian clothing included lounged suits & wide trousers for men, and skirts for women got fuller as well as longer.

Fashion for adults and teenagers separated gradually all throughout the next couple of decades. While the former wore day dresses, jackets, tweeds and non-matching trousers, the latter developed interest in fashion inspired by American pop stars, which included jeans and leather jackets. Dress makers began to change their couture styles as per dressing styles of the new age. Tight trousers, long jackets and pointed shoes got common among young boys and girls. 

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