1. World events sometimes impact fashion. Name the war during this time period and tell how it impacted the world of fashion.
Great changes came to couture, during the First World War (1914-1919). Gray and black were the colors mostly worn prior to the First World War. Women dressed down to the ankle and long sleeves to the wrist. In addition, two-piece dresses were very poplar in Britain and extended worldwide. However, at the beginning of the First World War a drastic change took place’s Women started wearing short haircuts, dressing less conservatively. Due to the necessity of combined labor for the nation, social barriers dissolved, colors became sober. The skirts were worn shorter and fuller to facilitate movement for workingwomen’s. Some started to dress in a more masculine manner.
In the 1920's flappers became a very popular fashion trend. The fashions for women include wearing their haircut ultra short In addition to wearing a significant amount of make-up, they were using a look of covering their chest and exposed their limbs. It was considered as a fashion royalty the look of a boyish figure with flat abdomens and long and thin limbs. Some women even wore trousers for war work; while women working in public continued to wear skirts. The visible changes in fashion for women took place based on the changes in women social rolls. Visible changes in acceptable dress for women paralleled changes in women's social roles.
2. Select a prominent fashion designer from this time period, discuss what made him/her famous, and describe the fashion styles that are attributed to this designer.
Paul Poiret began his career in the House of Worth, working for Charles Worth sons. Their design philosophies were not similar, and Poiret left in 1906 to open his own design house. His greatest influence was from the year 1903 to WWI. His designs during this time helped to revolutionize the physical appearance of fashionable women’s. He is known for his use of vivid colors and for his oriental influenced style. In 1912 he introduced the tunic and hobble skirt’s in 1913 he introduced harem trousers by lessening corsets and eliminating layered petticoats, Paul Poiret was a pioneering French couturier that revolutionized modern dress. He also introduced the first modern, straight-line dresses. He was the first couturier to introduce his own line of perfume, called Rosina named after one of his daughters. He was also know for innovative marketing strategies; he was the first designer to have a fashion show outside of his couture house, and to travel with his models to other countries to show his designs.
3. Give a description of new materials that were used in clothing during this time period.
Historically, only natural fibers were used. However, cotton and linen wrinkled from wear and washings; silk required delicate handling; Wool shrank, and was irritating to the touch. Only a century ago, rayon - the first manufactured fiber - was developed. Fiber chemistry for endless application began. In the year 1920 rayon, a manufactured fiber, becomes more popular for women's clothing. This causes a decline in cotton's use. Rayon, synthetic fibers made from cellulose or clothing oven from such fibers; more rayon is manufactured than any other synthetic fiber. The name was adopted (1924); in instead of calling it artificial silk the first commercial scale production of a manufactured fiber was achieved by French chemist Count Hillarie de Chardonnet. In 1889, his fabrics of "artificial silk" caused a sensation at the Paris Exhibition. Two years later, he built the first commercial rayon plant at Besancon, France, and secured his fame as the "father of the rayon industry. The American Viscose Company, formed by Samuel Courtaulds and Co., Ltd., began its production of rayon in 1910. Before, several attempts to produce "artificial silk" in the United States were made during the early 1900's, but none were commercially successful.
4. Discuss with a family member, friend, or neighbor pictures of fashions you found from this time period. Discuss whether these fashions have cycled back into recent times’ The person you interview does not need to have lived during the time period. You can ask him/her what he/she learned or what he/she remembers about the fashions you researched and have him/her explain if he/she sees these fashions in recent times. Write a three to five sentence paragraph that includes the name of the person you spoke with and the details about these fashions.
The person I interviewed was my mother, Merly Velazquez; she was born in a fashion-oriented family she lived all her life like she said in the fashion industry ever since she was a little girl. All the conversations that she remembered were talking about, textile and fashion design. Also at her short age of 21 she was a buyer for women’s clothes for a department store for very important chain store. She explained to me that in 1980 fashion began using natural fabric, like linen and cotton and stopped using synthetic fabric. Also the corset was started to being used once again. In 1970 the Charleston look came back. She also told me that the fashion always returns several years later at around 20 years after, it means to me that reading this, things that I can see today in fashion came from hundreds years back.
5. Pretend you are a buyer for a department store and you attended a fashion show during this time period. In your own words, write a short story of what you observed on the runway.
I found myself observing at a runway fashion show looking at a spring fashion line for 2010. And the new colors that I observed for the season will be socking pinks, electric blues and retro jades contrasted with desert tans and soft, peachy oranges. With the style of short dresses, short skirts, bustier, long pants, short pants, in conclusion an explosion of colors for the new season more feminine than ever!
http://udel.edu/~orzada/trends-29.htm?
http://encarta.msn.com/text_761585452___9/fashion.html?
http://muse.museum.montana.edu/sof/jazz.html?
http://costume.osu.edu/exhibitions/fas/?
http://www.googalies.com/microfsa.html?
http://www3.fitnyc.edu/museum/HistoryGallery/1900-1949.htm?
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wrth/hd_wrth.htm?
http://rdujour.com/2008/10/27/the-fashion-according-to-germain-charles-worth/
