Posted on July 5, 2024

Fashion is not merely a way of concealing one’s body; fashion is an artistic and social phenomenon that reflects various modes and statuses of women in society at various stages of her existence. Fashion has always remained an influential practice for proclaiming the distinct self, and women’s fashion especially has acted as a forceful means of subverting phallocratic structures. Studying women’s fashion we can see unexpected transformations acquiring meaning of the reflection of the changes in women’s lives, starting from the corsets for the waist slimming and finishing by pantsuits, flapper dresses, and athletic wear.

 The Early 20th Century: Break and Shift

The beginning of the 1900s was considered the beginning of the triumph of ‘modern’ or ‘new’ woman’s dress – due to the emergence of suffragettes with their desire to wear more comfort sweaty and free-form garments. The Victorian fashion silhouette of constricting the waist was replaced by more relaxed and comfortable style. The clothing of the 1920s presented this liberation probably because flapper dresses made of loose, drop-waist, freed women to dance and step at will. There was also the advent of the radical x.com, and the empire of Coco Chanel brought out more functional yet elegant apparels for women including; the little black dress and the Chanel suit.

 Mid-20th Century: Glamour Scepticism

The mid of the twentieth century was focused on the wearing of glamorous and rebellious attire for women. The fashion of the 1950s was marked by ultra-feminine designs, a snug waist, a full skirt, and the famous figure of hour-glass which was introduced by Christian Dior. However, the question is that the traditional norms of the society were challenged in the 1960s. The mod fashion movement with the combination of the main colors: red, blue, half-tones, geometric patterns and mini skirts: analogue watches reflected the desire of the youth for a change. Women slowly got more liberated with regard to dressing and started wearing pants lot and other so called ‘men’s wear’.

The 1970s and 1980s: Working women and diversity/Power dressing

The 70s were a period of tremendous variation in the fashion of women which has been socially depicted and accepted. Going from the bohemian style where maxi dresses and bell-bottoms had become popular to the disco craze jumpsuits and platform shoes women have never had it better in terms of self-actualization. Whereas, the 1980s came with what was known as power dressing. With more women joining economic activities, fashions change to include business wear with structured coats, shoulders pads denoting power. Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani were associated with this era’s design.

 The 1990s and 2000s: The Minimalism and Eclecticism

The subject relates that minimalism swept the clothes of women of the 1990s. The grunge movement, which was marked by the relaxed, even slackerish nonchalence of the look and androgynous sensibility of the clothing was a decided reaction to the flash of the decade before. Slip dresses, flannel shirts, and combat boots were popular among ladies, men, and women were dressing up in slip dresses and flannel shirts wearing combat boots. Meanwhile, new models such as Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss were emerging, who gave attention to high-fashion and sophistication. The 1970s witnessed the postmodern’ architectural phase, while the 1980s and early 1990s continued in the pursuit of high tech. Women started to wear dress in different combinations and began to shift the old pieces with modern fashion. Other factors that also impacted the fashion of that period included the hip-hop culture and the golberg, fast fashion brand proliferation.

In the early 2010, fashion started to advocate for diversity and sustainability in different fashion establishments. The body positivity movement was difficult and eventually caused the elimination of size zero models and brought more variability of the figures into the fashion business. Some brands such as the Savage X Fenty and Aerie keyed into this trend because of their provision of sizes and styles. Further, shift in people’s consciousness regarding environmental issues also impacted fashion industry and such innovations as sustainable brands and other environmentally friendly methods appeared. Several keywords appeared as designers and fashion brands began to pay attention in the production materials that they used and the processing systems that were used as a new fashion and better way of doing business.

 Conclusion: The following are some of the topics that may be cherished as the future of women’s fashion:

 The advancement of women’s fashion in the future will still progress through the causes of more technology adoption, healthier culture change, and the return to personalization. This is a rather optimistic perspective with what digital fashion has to offer at the moment, with virtual clothing and fashion technology. Further, the fashionable world’s constant demand for the development of sustainability and inclusion guarantees that the fashion industry is still in great demand and corresponds to the needs of contemporary women. In conclusion, women’s fashion is and will always be in a way a representation of their might, innovation and tenacity with which they interactively celebrate their persona by evolving each time.

Categories: fashion

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