Throughout history, the clothes we’ve worn have been affected by the availability (and, at times, the legality) of fabrics.
As new fabrics have become available, clothes have changed to make use of them.
In our earliest history, clothing was merely practical – we wore what was available to keep warm, and covered. But gradually, clothing also took on the role of making us look and feel good, and our clothes began to change to reflect the times we lived in, not just what it was possible to wear. Fashion was born.
I wonder when clothing first became something more than just a practical necessity?
Did you hear recently about the monkey who wore a leaf in her hair? A trend-setter of the jungle! If monkeys think like that, I’m sure humans did from time immemorial – it was just a case of practicalities. You can’t choose to wear a garment using fabrics and methods which haven’t yet been invented / discovered.
In this country, wool was the main fabric for clothing for many years. The wool trade was so important that our legislators (in the House of Lords) have sat on a woolsack since the 14th century.
Cotton was first imported to England in the 16th century, silk began to be produced in London at the end of the 17th century, when French Huguenots fled religious persecution, and velvet was first made in England during the 18th century. In all cases, these fabrics were very expensive at first, so only the wealthy could use them. These expensive fabrics were imported before they were manufactured here, but they were even more expensive then, and therefore even more exclusive.
It was 1676 before the first fabric-printing works was developed in England, so until then – and often for a long time afterwards – fabrics were plain. Any decoration was added in the form of ribbons, beads, fancy stitching and other embellishments. Again, this made the clothes expensive, so they were only for the wealthy.
This was still the case at the turn of the 20th century, when changes in fashion started to happen much more quickly.
In the early years of the century, women’s dresses were still long, as they had been for centuries. Clothing became more streamlined than it had been at the end of the 19th century (think about the bustle, the ‘image’ of the Victorian woman). Now, the line of dresses was more graceful, with lots of feminine touches. The corset-formed ‘S’-shaped body was still common in the early years of the century, gradually becoming straighter in the later years of the first decade.
Dresses for the wealthy, especially for evening wear, were full and elegant, using many yards of fabric (up to 15 yards of 36″ wide fabric for one dress!), made from luxurious fabrics and embellished with pin tucks, beading, lace, ribbon. Day wear was a little more practical, but mainly in the choice of fabric, which would probably be something a little more hard-wearing than the silks and taffetas of the evening, with a little less decoration.
For working women, the ‘shirt waist’ ( a costume with a bodice, or waist, tailored like a man’s shirt) became common. Generally speaking, whatever the fashion of the day, the working woman’s version would be simpler – and cheaper to produce, made from cheaper, easier to care for fabrics.
Hats were an essential whenever you left the house, and were often very large, maybe to match a dress; straw boaters were also popular.
Although patterned fabric did exist, it was mostly used for soft furnishings – see William Morris. Decoration on clothing was almost exclusively provided by adding texture – lace, beads, ribbons, tucks. And, of course (if you could afford it!), textured fabric like velvet, and beautiful flowing silks. You might see the occasional woven tartan or stripe, but mostly fabric used for clothing was plain. Evening wear was mainly pastels, whilst day wear would be a little brighter, or black and white.
I’ll continue with the fashions of the 1910s in another post.
