Fashion has been on the forefront of major changes across the globe. In some cases it has even been the trigger. Whatever web our history weaves, you’ll find fashion at the core.
Fashion is culture. Fashion is art. Fashion is politics. Fashion is everything.
Here are some of the fashion trends that have taken the world by storm and earned their place in the history book.
The Flapper Dress
The symbol of sexuality in the Roaring ‘20s. A time when inhibitions were tossed and fashion was redefined. The Flapper Dress represented and perpetuated female freedom through fashion. No more buttoned-up, restricting petticoats. In the Flapper era it seemed like the party would never end.
The Bra
Sexy, functional, not always comfortable, but a welcome departure from the corset. The bra was popularized in part because of World War I; metal was needed for the war and corsets were made of the stuff. As the bra became more popular it took on a mystique of its own, though it eventually came to represent the same restricting force as the corset during the feminiest bra burning demonstrations of the ‘60s. We’re seeing new focus on the bra with the current trend of bralettes too.
The Miniskirt & The Bikini
The definitions of scandalous for some and freedom for others. Both the bikini and Mary Quant’s miniskirt remain a staple of modern wardrobes. Separate trends that pushed at the seams of propriety and couldn’t be put back in the closet no matter how hard polite society tried. Women would no longer be shamed about their bodies, it was time to own them and the power they possessed. And with that newfound power, the wave of change only grew.
Power Suits
Fashion is power. Power Suits rocked the ‘90s by flipping traditional gendered fashion on its head. No longer just for stuffy businessmen, power suits empowered women to kick down the boardroom doors and claim a seat at the table. You can’t help feeling confident when you’re decked out like that.
Hipster & Retro Chic
History has turned on its head in recent decades. There are a lot of definitions of a hipster, but it’s often about taking traditional looks and making them modern. Recapturing the retro, tossing the current trend. The hipster trend may have started as an ironic return to the traditional looks of our parents and grandparents, but it has revitalized past styles and morphed them into something new. Fashion forward is sometimes looking backwards.
The Modern Era
With the current trends of streetwear, ironic styles, and global influences we’re seeing the boundaries of fashion being stripped away. What’s been broken can now be put back together in new and exciting ways. On the street, online, on the runway, in our quarantine, wherever.
You’re a part of fashion history right now. What will the history books say about you?
