The Future of Fashion

Fashion

Fashion is defined in the dictionary as thelatest and most admired style in clothes andcosmetics and behavior. Over the years

fashionhas evolved through many phases and haschanged greatly. The future of fashion will Only bring about more change.

Fashion Through the DecadesThe Roaring 20’s

 

The costume history image in our minds of a woman of the 'Roaring Twenties' is actually likely to be the image of a flapper. Flappers did not truly emerge until 1926.  Flapper fashion embraced all things and styles modern.  A fashionable flapper had short sleek hair, a shorter than average shapeless shift dress, a chest as flat as a board, wore make up and applied it in public, smoked with a long cigarette holder, exposed her limbs and epitomized the spirit of a reckless rebel who danced the nights away in the Jazz Age. 

Coco Chanel 1883-1971

The great fashion designer Gabrielle Chanel self styled herselfto be known as Coco Chanel.  By 1920 the silhouette of her clothingdesigns have come to be the epitome of 20's style.  The work of

otherfamous designers beside hers seemed old fashioned and outmodedbelonging as they did to the pre World War One era. She promoted

thestyles we associate with flappers. She worked in neutral tones of

beige,sand, cream, navy and black in soft fluid jersey fabrics cut with

simpleshapes that did not require corsetry or waist definition.  They were

clothesmade for comfort and ease in wear making them revolutionary andquite modern.  She was the Jean Muir or Donna Karan of herday and the originator of the LBD - that little black dress.

50’s Fashion

Women dressed "smartly' in the Fifties. Good grooming and a

tailored look were prized. Acting and looking "every inch the

lady" was taught virtually from the cradle. Dresses wereextremely popular in the fifties and that was just abouteverything that women and teens wore. Girls also would

weardresses and skirts to school.

Norman Hartnell1901-1979

Norman Hartnell was born in 1901. At a veryEarly age it was clear that he had a great talent for drawing and design, but it was while he wasstudying Architecture at Cambridge that hestarted to design clothes . After UniversityNorman started in the fashion trade, opening asalon at No.10 Bruton Street. Early clientsincluded actors Noel Coward and GertieLawrence and author Barbara Cartland. He wasa very big in the 1950’s creating gorgeousevening gowns.

70’s Disco Fashion

By 1970 women chose who they wanted to beand if they felt like wearing a short mini skirtone day and a maxi dress, midi skirt or hotpants the next day - that's what they did. Bellbottoms became immensely huge in this

decadeas well as platform shoes and mini skirts.

Also many people ore bright obnoxious colors.

Yves Saint Laurent1936- Present

Fashion Designer Yves Saint Laurent was born 1936 in Oran,Algeria. After winning first prize in the International Wool Secretariatcontest for his asymmetrical cocktail dress in 1954, Saint Laurent

wentimmediately to work for Christian Dior. Saint Laurent became HauteCouture designer when Dior died in 1957. He introduced the trapeze

dressin his first collection for Dior in 1958. He was replaced by Mark

Bohen in1960, when he fulfilled his military obligations. Afterwards, he

opened hisown couture house, financed by Pierre Berge, in 1962. During the

70’s heintroduced the "Le Smoking" tuxedo jacket, see-through blouses

(1968),peasant blouses, bolero jackets, pantsuits, and smocks.

The 80’s

1980s fashion history is memorable and quite distinctive. A variety offashion looks ran parallel to each other in the 1980s. Women of this erabegan to feel they that really could at last choose from one of the manycontrasting looks available. The fashion look that was the most powerfulover the decade was the wide shoulder.   Fashion history reveals that the 80sfashion look was a tailored look. It was hard to go anywhere without atleast a jacket, but preferably a complete suit. This was influenced byseveral movements including media influence on 1980s fashion throughThe popularity of TV dramas like 'Dynasty' and 'Dallas'. Costume dramasbrought fashion into real everyday eighties life.

Christian Lacroix 1951- Present

In the late 80's, fashion reporters clocked the rapid success of Lacroix.Studying Art History with dreams of becoming a museum curator orcostume designer, Lacroix fell into fashion by chance. He was an assistantat Hermes, collaborated with the couturier of the Tokyo Imperial Court, andthen joined the House of Patou in 1981. Five years later, he launched hisown label with the bouffant, or "pouf," a milestone in fashion history. Hislabel, regarded as "one of the fastest growing brands in the LVMH

universe“has spawned a line of perfume, linens, and children's clothing.Unapologetically glamarous, dramatic, and expensive-looking. Lacroixcame to epitomize the 80's through his use of sumptuous fabrics (velvet,satin, taffeta) and overlapping patterns (patchwork, stripes). His followersdescribed his signature look as having "panache" or "gaiety," whileminimalists (though there were very few in the 80's) preferred to see hisornate bustiers and opera capes left to the stage.

Fashion of TodayThe 2008 spring and summer runways wererich with culture and flooded with fashioninfluences from every corner of the world. Fromsaris and caftans to batik and ikat,contemporary designers looked to ancientwisdom. Bright, bold designs passed downthrough generations helped to infuse currentcollections. From Latin Americas embroidery toIndia’s vibrant colors to African prints to

Greece’sdraping and details, fashion iscoming from all places of the world

The Future of FashionUnless you've been living under a rock for thepast couple decades, you know that pollutionand global warming are ever-increasingproblems in our society. Recently, there hasbeen a major boom in the production andpurchase of "organic" products, everythingfrom food, to fabric, even beauty products!

Fashion is Going Green

Many new clothing designers are creatingrunway looks that are environmentallyfriendly. From the little black dress to patentleather high heels, the style looks right off therunway. Domino Magazine style editorChassie Post said some clothes are made ofharvested silk charmeuse and shoes coloredwith vegetable dye.

Pros and Cons

There are many pros and cons to fashion goinggreen. Some of the cons are: a lot of the time itis more expensive then using other materials. Also many people do not know about it. Thepros of it are: it is eco friendly and completelyfashionable without people knowing that it iseco friendly by looking dorky.

Designers Going Eco-Friendly

• Loomstate is committed to a sustainable future by using only 100-percent organic cottons.

• Edun was founded by Ali Hewson and her rock-star husband, who is U2's front man, Bono, along with Rogan Gregory.

• The Anthropologie chain of stores carries eco-friendly fashions which range from shirts and dresses to jeans. All of which are becoming more popular with consumers.

• Levi's are becoming more eco-friendly. For only $65, one style of jeans is made of organic cotton, and they're actually one of Levi's biggest selling jeans.

• Some stores are devoted exclusively to fashion and fashion accessories with an eye on the environment. Moo Shoes in lower Manhattan on Allen Street also sells footwear, handbags, belts and more.

Recourses

1. http://www.nbc6.net/goinggreen/11420372/detail.html

2. http://www.fashion-era.com/1970s.htm3. http://www.fashion-era.com/stylish_thirties.htm4. http://www.fashion-era.com/1940s/index.htm5. http://www.fashion-era.com/power_dressing.htm6. http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/

designers/bios/christianlacroix/7. http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml8. http://www.fashion.net/

By Nastasia Nelson