In the last century, women have come exceptionally far in more ways than one. But what stands out the most, is how far we’ve come in fashion. In honor of this achievement and in lieu of, well, just being a woman, I have decided to look back at the evolution of fashion over the decades. And to quote the iconic Rachel Zoe, Style is the best way to say who you are without having to open your mouth. Whoever said women would never have equal rights was clearly getting dressed in the dark.
The beginning of the 20th century sparked a trend in terms of what was acceptable for the female population to wear. Women started to dress in clothes that conveyed their admiration for more freedom. As the years transpired, the image of women continued to change in terms of their public appearance. In the 1910′s, skirt length began to rise from the floor to above the ankle. Although this may not seem like a drastic change in today’s day and age, it was a huge step for women at the time. The vivid colors and the short bobs made way for what was soon to become “The Jazz Age.”
By the 1920′s, women’s fashion started to become quite risqué. Tube dresses with a hip level waistline that barely shape your figure and long waves of tassels started to become prominent. More commonly known, these shapeless dresses were referred to as Flapper dresses. They paved the roads with glamour for what was yet to come. The 1930′s didn’t have a very distinct style to it but it did however begin to bring in tighter clothes that shaped the figure to yield a more flirtatious approach.
Slowly but surely, short skirts, padded shoulders and tailored seams started to come into play. At this time, women preferred these looks because they were too busy with their jobs and helping out with the war. During this time, women shed away from their feminine style and began wearing more masculine clothing. Coco Chanel was a huge influence during this era. She was one of the first women to really reject the feminine look, which is partly what made her such a prominent figure.
The 1950′s emphasized a strong year in women’s fashion trends as styles worn by movie stars and celebrities began to readily influence society. The late, great, Marilyn Monroe was amongst one of the numerous icons to heavily define the 50s.
The 60s conveyed a more vivid era of styles. Women all over began accessorizing with the hats that Jackie O deemed famous but furthermore, the hippie era had begun. Thus came along more relaxed clothing, long braided hair, bellbottoms and peace signs. Woodstock was in the air and from that, came Studio 54.
The 70s transpired quickly, going from the hippy era to disco inspired in what seemed like overnight. A whole new world of clothing came into place. The bell-bottom pants became larger, tie-dye and animal prints were seen on every street corner, the jumpsuit fab came into light and platform shoes grazed the streets (insert Austin Powers visual here.)
The 1980′s marked another great era of fashion. Madonna and Cindy Lauper stepped onto the scene and that’s when girls really began to have fun. Bright colors, leggings, off the shoulder sweat shirts, headbands and bracelets were amongst a few of the popular items to rock during the 80s. Then, when Party of Five and Beverly Hills 90210 struck in 1990, fashion became slightly offbeat. The look expanded back to dressing down and women started to wear shorter skirts and comfortable athletic clothing. Plaid shirts and pantsuits with massive shoulder pads also became a distinctive trend at this time. But then again, so did MC Hammer and where is he now?
When Ace of Base, TLC and The Spice Girls came smashing into the early 2000s, things began to shift for the worst. Baby Spice thought she could bring back platforms from the 70′s, Left Eye started wearing Bongo jeans and black football eye shades and yet after playing “I Saw the Sign” on repeat, no one seemed to get it. (Yes, I am quite opinionated about this era because all I remember was the confusion that set in every morning before 8th grade). Needless to say, I grew to love the latter of this era. Now being 2012, I have actually grown quite fond of current trends; I may even go as far to say that it has become my favorite fashion decade. Thus because, it has emerged into being acceptable to rock all trends from every era. I have friends that aspire to be Grace Kelly, friends that radiate hemp tunics, emulate Twiggy and me? I hope to one day be able to raid Nicole Richie’s wardrobe. Yep, I said it.
And as if we could tie in fashion and events even more then we already have, this years Met Gala’s theme was comparing the stylistic designs of the late Elsa Schiaparelli and the present day queen bee, Miuccia Prada. These two Italian designers are from two completely different eras yet both women contrive coincidental themes in their work through very different approaches.
So next time you decide to throw on a high waisted skirt with an off the shoulder top and some epic platforms, remember that those very trends were once socially unacceptable, became acceptable and are now legendary in the fashion world. I speak for myself when I say, without fashion and trends, I wouldn’t have a job. So thank god for all of those years of women evolving to land me right where I am today. Oh, the irony of it all, haven’t you heard?
Until next time, xx
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