Fashion from 1900-1910

     The 1900s: A new century. So bring on the new fashion trends right? Not so much. The transition from the Victorian Era to the Edwardian Era consisted of some looser corsets and new sets of lace trimmings, but to say that fashion was changing with the times would be quite the fib. The Industrial Revolution was upon America, and yet men's and women's clothing could be summarized in one word: LAYERED. 
      Women's fashion was mostly made up of : long skirts, corsets, hats, lace, high collars, and "up-do's." With all of those layers breathing was not an option, especially when it came to the corset. Many women, if not all, wore these corsets to create a curvy "full figured look". As comfortable as the S-Bend silhouette sounds, it actually contorted the body shape which was far from natural. Men followed suit (pun intended) with the extreme layered-look. They generally wore: top hats/bowler hats, 3-piece slim-fit suits, canes, high collars, bow-ties, and long johns. Despite all of these layers, their clothes generally stayed in the neutral family color scheme.
       During this time, Americans modeled their fashion after the trends seen all across the Parisian streets.  Paul Poiret (1879-1944) in particular was a very well known and high credited designer; so high credited in fact, that he was deemed the "King of Fashion".  He started the trend of high-waisted and shorter skirts (ankles were now allowed to be shown!). Poiret continued to take the fashion world by storm after he became the first designer to create an outfit where women did not need a third party to help dress them. 
      During the 1900s, there were two types of fashion. One was called Haute Couture which was similar to today's "high-fashion".  The cloth in Haute Couture was exclusive and custom fitting; in other words, it was very expensive. The other type of fashion was called Pret-a-Porter, meaning "ready-to-wear" or "off-the-rack".  The clothes in this style were mass produced, cheaper, and more common than Haute Couture.

      Although minor changes were occurring in fashion, the changes that were happening in society are certainly noteworthy. This decade was the start of the Industrial Revolution, which had a HUGE impact on Americans' lives. This revolution led to new technology and assembly lines which in turn allowed fashion to be mass produced.  Times were a'changing, and fashion was slowly, yet surely, getting with the program.
     1900-1910 may not have been a whirlwind of exciting new fashion trends, yet this decade sure set the grounds for what lay ahead for America in the upcoming decade.

Ethical Questions:

• Did the corset symbolize more than just fashion to women? Did it speak to the actual confinement they felt from society?
• The fashion that fell under the pret-a-porter “class” looked expensive, yet it was not nearly as costly as fashion that fell under the haute couture “class.” Does this make the pret-a-porter “class” a “wannabe” fashion that should not even be acknowledged as fashionable to society? 
• The Industrial Revolution was a time of huge change, yet people’s fashion changed minimally. Why didn’t people want to embrace this societal change by also changing their fashion?
• Why do you think women wear corsets today as a sexy, fashion statement, when they used to be forms of confinement? In a way are women regressing by wearing corsets?

Sources:

• http://www.speak-fashion.de/category/fashion_history/1900to1920
• http://www.life123.com/beauty/fashion/trends/1900-1910-fashions.shtml
• http://dsckelsy.blogspot.com/2013/03/design-social-change-from-1900-1910.html
• http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/gibson-girls-america/
• http://blog.americanhistory.si.edu/osaycanyousee/2013/03/guest-post-great-strides-for-the-new-woman-suffrage-and-fashion.html
• All images from google images