These days, many people, especially teenagers, are interested in fashion and wearing clothes. Many use social media such as Instagram and follow influencers and celebrities’ fashion or refer to them when wearing their own clothes. But do you guys know how fashion was at the beginning of the 20th century? I bet some might know, but most people will not be sure. So in this article, I will be explaining the evolution of fashion.

1890s

At this time, fashion just followed the same trend as in the past. Women wore dresses with big bell-shaped skirts and puffed sleeves. They still wore corsets as in the past to make an hourglass effect which was the S-shaped silhouette. They usually tied their hair high and wore various kinds of hats. Women’s hats were wide and had feathers, ribbons, and flowers.

Menswear showed a narrow silhouette as in the past. Frock coat stayed fashionable until the morning coat came out. It had a waistline seam and cutting away in the front which seemed formal paired with trousers and hat. Businessmen usually just wore everything together as a three-piece suit which was the morning suit.

1900s

At the beginning of the 20th century, Womenswear was similar as in the previous century. They wore dresses that came to the floor with long sleeves covering their arms. Expensive fabrics such as silk satin and chiffon were used as decorations to their dresses. Lace was also popular too. Most of the dresses were soft and light color, decorated with rhinestones and spangles.

Since many women started to work outside home, they needed something more comfortable and practical to wear. So the rich women started to wear tailor-made clothes. They wore it in the country or when they were traveling. Also, various kinds of sports began such as golf, tennis, cycling, and motoring. This inspired sporting wear to develop.

Sporting wear also developed even though suits were the main daily wear. Knickerbockers and tweed were used, and they were fine for daywear. Men’s evening dress continued to be formal. Hats and gloves were still worn. Menswear stayed similar until World War II.

1910s

Fashion was divided into two periods: before the war and during the war. World War I had a great effect on society and culture but also fashion. Womenswear changed into a softer silhouette, and the S-shaped began to disappear slowly. Paul Poiret’s fashion had an effect on the first half of the century. In 1911, Poiret showed the “Hobble Skirt” that had a narrow bottom which made it difficult to walk. His clothes had no corsets and no longer needed undergarments. After the war ended, simple styles continued and “barrel”-like silhouettes appeared.

1920s

The 1920s dress had a dropped waistline and creeping hemlines. Designer Coco Chanel popularized styles. Even though simplicity was key that time, evening wear and daywear had many decorations such as beadworks and sequins. Sporting wear also became a trend. Many designers also came up with sporting wear too. Tennis was the most popular sport for women and the sport that most affected fashion. Sleeveless, pleated, and knee-length tennis dresses became fashionable when tennis star Suzanne Lenglen wore them.

1930s

As fashion turned into the 1930s, women's fashion started to become boyish rather than the feminine looks in the past. Most of the silhouettes were evolving to become slender, have wide shoulders, and have a short hairstyle. They had natural waist and skirts widening at the ankle. While the evening wear became a body-skimming silhouette, daywear came in many kinds of patterns such as floral, plaid, and polka dots. Since many women looked for movie stars for fashion inspirations, many designers designed their dresses and gave it to famous movie stars.

1940s

World War II gave a great impact on fashion in the first half of the 1940s. Many designers such as Coco Chanel left the country because of the war. In France, utility dresses and uniforms were popular at that time. The utility dresses were simple and stylish. They had padded shoulders, nipped-in waist, and the length was just below the knee. Uniforms were a bit boxy and had round collars. Tweed and plaids continued to be used.

Men's fashion started to slowly change. Zoot suits evolved from the drape suits. They wore oversize jackets and big trousers. And the look was completed with a wide tie. It was an exaggerated style, but they were pretty fashionable suits.

1950s

As the time turned to the mid-1900s, many fashion designers started to show new dresses. Christian Dior showed the new look. It had nipped-in waist and straighter and slimmer silhouettes. The Givenchy dress also showed a similar style with a full skirt. Balenciaga also showed the new evening dress too. Most of the dresses had similar styles. They all had nipped-in waists and full skirts.

The youth culture started in menswear. It had a slight dramatic change until the rise of Teddy Boys in Britain and the rebellious youths who looked to Hollywood stars such as Marlon Brando and James Dean.

1960s

Many women wore skirt suits with white gloves, pearl necklace, and a matching hat. One of the most revolutionary designs were the miniskirts and minidresses. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, young women started to wear skirts and dresses that came above the knees. These short clothes were shocking at the time but were also very popular.

As womenswear became more casual and colorful, so did menswear. Men started to wear clothes with bright colors and prints. Bright-colored and patterned suits were worn by young men. Movie stars and rock stars such as the Beatles mostly influenced men's fashion.

1970s

From the 1970s, many types of styles became popular from prairie dresses to hippie styles, fancy party wear, disco nightclub wear, and athletic wear. As disco became popular, women's evening wear became extremely glamorous. They wore dresses with short pants and sequins covering everywhere to the disco.

Menswear continued to become brighter. They had longer hairstyles and wore turtlenecks, slim-fitting t-shirts, and flared trousers.

1980s

Stylish sportswear became a trend. Women wore stylish gym wear everyday. Most of the fashionable sportswear are made out of stretchy fabrics such as jersey. Also, romantic styles were still continued such as the prairie dress.

Menswear also followed the trend of womenswear which were the preppy styles and the power dressing. They wore polo shirts and knitted sweaters.

1990s

Sportswear continued to biker shorts, leggings, and oversized shirts. Also the 1960s and 1970s styles revived such as the miniskirt and punk styles. Women usually wore baggy and worn-out jeans, flannel shirts and Doc Martens boots. In the mid-1990s feminine style became trendy again. Movie “Clueless” became a trend but the fashion of the character became more popular. Young women wore undersized sweaters and knee-high socks.

Menswear became very casual. Many men started to wear jeans and untucked shirts since grunge and hip-hop had a great influence on fashion. Men also wore sportswear such as baseball jackets, caps, and shorts and tracksuits.

21th Century Both womenswear and menswear became casual after the 21st century. In the early 2000s, denim became a trend. Low-rise, flared, and bootcut jeans became popular. Later, skinny jeans and distressed jeans (purposely ripped, frayed, or worn-out) also became popular.

What do you think about fashion now that you learned the trends and how it changed? I hope you guys learned something new and interesting about fashion.