Fashion in a nonprofessional’s language can be defined as the trendy clothing, behavior hairstyles, or decorations. The word fashion to most people means something popular, new or that has been modified/lasts for a specified period. Some people are considered the backbone of the fashion industry. These are designers, and they have been there for a long time, but the one who made a significant change in fashion, was Charles Frederick Worth who was the first person to label his designs in 1858. This started a new era in the fashion industry.
The Nineteenth Century Fashion
Before the nineteenth century, dressmakers and tailors were dealing directly with the clients and made clothing, which was made-to-measure, as there was no readymade. The Queen of France, Marie Antoinette who was known as the ‘Minister of Fashion’ always tried to dress in a way that suggested she wanted to connect to the people of France.
Her dresser was Rose Bertin, and her career was disturbed during the French Revolution, but it later stabilized as all the designs she made for the Queen were recognized and made the Queen to be considered a person of style. Charles Frederick Worth was the first to make the tailoring business in large scale by employing many tailors. His clothes were becoming popular such that Napoleon iii insisted that no visitors were to enter the palace if they did not have the formal dressing, which was made by Charles. There were shows in which other countries would come to Paris and copy the design to sell in their own countries.
The twentieth century fashion
This is the century, which fashion began to take another course. Women were not concerned about dressing to cover up more but to show more skin. The first fashion house to offer women tailored suit was Maison Redfern. A lawsuit was considered to be only for men, but with time, it became part of any well-dressed person. During the world war, women were required to work therefore they had to dress in clothes that fit the occasion. It is also at this time that the great Coco Chanel came to be. She was pushing the bob hairstyle and short dresses, which took the industry after the First World War. The fantastic French designers Jeanne Lanvin and Jean Patou also emerged during this time.
People also were introduced to heels, Salvatore Ferragamo and André Perugia were the most prominent and valued designers in footwear. People also had permed hair as a fashion for sometime around the 1940s. It is in the 1970s that things like bell-bottoms, bikinis, paisley prints, and the hippie and psychedelic movements emerged. The 1970s was dominated by the afro look. This fashion was all about ‘me’. Hip-hop fashion was typical in the 1980s. In the 90s, designers simply wanted everyone to be comfortable with what they dress even if they were poor. In 1921, the renowned Italian fashion house was founded followed by Prada. Some significant designers at the time were Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, and Michael Kors. Calvin Klein is the founder of the well-known Calvin Klein brand that deals with perfumes and accessories. Marc Jacobs worked with Louis Vuitton-Moet Hennessy group a job Louis Vuitton offered him. Nike label was also birthed during this time that spandex was being used a lot to make sport wear. Other names include Versace, Dolce, and Gabbana among many others.
The current fashion
Small groups of people who call themselves designers do not define fashion nowadays. People have learned to style themselves according to various factors like height, body shape, color and so on. Designers have not been stripped off their position in the industry, but it is the clients, who determine what trends in the market and what does not. Some fashion shows that are held are rated as a failure, if whatever was being presented, did not meet the needs of the customer.
People also have different styles, and it does not matter if one is covering up too much skin or showing too much of it, because at the end of it all what matters is comfort in the kind of dressing one has. Of late, there have been blurred lines between what men and women wear because some clothes are unisex such as the sweatpants, hood, and sneakers among others. Designing is a profession regarded with high esteem nowadays than it was years back. Nowadays schools and colleges are also offering fashion courses to students to further their fashion careers. This has led to the emergence of more complex and artistic fashions that attract a lot of attention.
Celebrities still set trending fashions since most people tend to follow them and take them as their role models. In this age, we have seen accessories being used so much on garments to give them the flashy celebrity feel. Instead of bell-bottoms, people prefer skinny jeans and leggings. Most chiffon tops are used for formal wear while tank tubes, crop tops, and spaghetti tops are preferred for casual wear. There is also a lot of color blocking and color coordination but with style in it. High heels have become part of every woman’s day especially those who work in offices. Men’s fashion has also evolved, and most of them like fitted suits with mixed colors. Actors and musicians have their costumes when performing or recording videos. However, these costumes cannot be used in their day-to-day life.
There is no everyday hairstyle because people go with what works for them. Some designers cater for children only, something, which was not, that defined before. Designers in this new age are more competitive than they used to be because they have to try their best to remain relevant to the market. Designers do not copy other designers’ pieces because that is considered as theft and one can be sued. Patent laws protect every person’s profession, including designers. Due to the emergence and evolving of technology, fashion design has gone a notch higher, and technology has taken most operations in the industry. Market trends and demand, will keep fashion evolving throughout the years.
