Looking back to look forward

1
Looking back to look forward

• A brief historical perspective of fashion.
• Karen M. Videtic
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• Department of Fashion Design and Merchandising

2
20th Century Dress

• Fashion is evolutionary, rarely revolutionary.
• Fashion is a mirror of the times.
• Fashion is not based on price.
• Consumers establish fashion by accepting or
  rejecting it.
• All fashion ends in excess.

3
Historic Fashion allows us to explore

• Social themes and societal events
• Economics
• Culture
• Artistic influences
• Technological influences

4
What goes around, comes around.

• Product developers look for historic influences.
• They know that fashion is evolving from previous
  seasons.
• They understand that events can change the
  direction of fashion.
• Product developers drive inspiration from
  historic fashion.

5
Turn of the Century

• US Events
• Spanish American War
• Immigration averages one million a year
• 20 of the wages are earned by women.
• Fashion Trends
• Bustle
• Pigeon chest
• Trumpet skirt

6
1980s Glitz to the Max

• US Events
• Ronald Regan is elected
• Time names the computer as man of the year.
• Iran hostage crisis
• Fashion Trends
• Brooke Shields loves her Calvins
• Dress for success
• Flashdance influences fashion
• Overtops with stirrup pants

7
Workshop Assignment

• Form a production team centered around someone
  who has a computer.
• No more than 5 people on a team.
• You will be assigned a decade to research.

• This decade will be the basis for your new line
  of clothing that you will produce later in the
  workshop.
• Be prepared to make a presentation after we
  return from lunch.
• Resources can be found on the computer and from
  my resources.

8
Websites for your research.

• www.costumegallery.com
• www.costumes.org/history
• www.teonline.com/costume
• www.dept.kent.edu/museum/costume
• Museum of Costume, Bath
• Victoria and Albert Museum, London