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Amy T Peterson, Valerie Hewitt, Heather Vaughan, et al

Page 28

by The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing Through American History 1900 to the Present (pdf)

the confining corsets that had been an integral part of women’s fashion

  for centuries.

  The first half of the twentieth century was characterized by a shortage

  of materials and suppressed consumerism because of WWI, the Great

  Depression, and WWII. WWI resulted in a scarcity of materials for mak-

  ing clothing. Manufacturers found themselves with very little wool,

  169

  170

  WOMEN’S FASHIONS

  cotton, linen, or silk, which were the primary fibers for nearly all fabrics.

  Even when they secured raw fibers, the labor shortages slowed the pro-

  duction of finished fabrics. As a result, less fabric was used for women’s

  garments as the skirts became shorter, the volume in skirts was reduced to

  a shorter overskirt, jackets became shorter, lapels became smaller, and

  ornamentation was eliminated.

  After the war and winning the right to vote, women became more

  active in sports and outdoor activities. Women’s sportswear became a

  growing industry. Manufacturers developed both general activewear and

  sportswear for specific sports such as golf, tennis, and horseback riding. In

  the 1920s, outdoor activities became more popular, and tanned skin

  acquired through outdoor leisure pursuits was fashionable. By the 1940s,

  sportswear became as common as everyday wear and had reached unprece-

  dented levels of popularity.

  The Great Depression of the 1930s required women to be resourceful

  in procuring garments. They reworked existing garments into new fash-

  ions and sewed much of their families’ clothes. The emergence of new

  trends slowed as women were less able to purchase new fashionable

  wardrobes.

  The production of supplies for WWII caused a scarcity of materials

  for most American consumers. Wool, cotton, linen, and silk fabrics were

  diverted to wartime production, and newly developed artificial fibers such

  as rayon became the fabric used for many mass-produced garments. The

  War Production Board issued L-85 Regulations that governed the pro-

  duction of garments. These regulations had a distinct influence on the

  fashions created during the war because they restricted French cuffs, full

  sleeve styles like balloon, dolman, and leg-of-mutton, coats with capes or

  hoods, dresses with belts larger than two inches, and hems longer than

  two inches.

  In the short period between 1900 and 1949, the influence of social

  class on fashion changed. In 1900, the wealthiest classes set the styles of

  popular fashions. Their styles of dresses were publicized in magazines and

  newspapers. By the end of this time period, the Hollywood and youth

  culture had supplanted the wealthy as trendsetters.

  Distinctions between types of dress began to erode during this period.

  At the beginning of the century, women wore several, distinct styles of

  dress each day. Morning dresses, tea gowns, walking suits, dinner gowns,

  and ball gowns each had their place within a woman’s wardrobe. Addi-

  tional garments such as cycling suits and riding ensembles were worn for

  specific sports. By 1949, casual wear became the norm for daytime. Suits

  were worn for business or dressier daytime activities, and evening dresses

  1900–1908, The Edwardian or La Belle Epoque Era

  171

  were worn at formal events. Sportswear had become multipurpose; the

  same outfit could be worn for golf, tennis, and cycling.

  At the beginning of the century, Paris was the undisputed fashion cap-

  ital of the Western world. Haute couture fashions originated from there

  and were copied by American manufacturers. When the United States

  was cut off from Parisian fashions during WWII, the center of American

  fashion moved to New York City. Unlike Parisian couturiers who created

  designs for private clients and retail stores, which then licensed the design

  and reproduced it, American designers worked for ready-to-wear manu-

  facturers. They created designs that were immediately mass produced and

  disseminated to retail stores. By the end of the 1940s, Paris reemerged as

  the world’s fashion capitol, but American designers continued to have a

  significant influence on the U.S. casualwear market.

  1900–1908,

  T H E E D WA R D I A N O R L A B E L L E E P O Q U E

  E R A

  During the Edwardian period, women wore formal clothes for dinner and

  balls. Dinner gowns or ‘ dinner toilettes’ were less elaborate and more som-

  ber than ball gowns. This period was named after Edward VII, who

  ascended to the British throne in 1901.

  FORMALWEAR

  Silhouette

  The S-curve silhouette marked every style of women’s fashion during the

  Edwardian period. The silhouette was modeled after the figure of a mature

  woman and featured a full, heavy monobosom that whittled into tiny, cor-

  seted waist, which blossomed into a rounded hip and bottom. The corset

  pushed the bosom forward and threw the hips backward, resulting in a cur-

  vaceous S shape when a woman was viewed from the side. This silhouette

  was worn by old and young alike.

  Skirts

  During the Edwardian period, dresses were usually two pieces: the skirt

  and bodice. Formal skirts fit tightly across the hips and reached the

  ground. They were gored to achieve a trumpet or bell shape. The most

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  WOMEN’S FASHIONS

  elaborate of these skirts included as

  many as fifteen gores. Sweeping skirts

  with

  trains

  were

  fashionable

  for

  women when they attended receptions

  or the opera. Typically, these skirts

  were only worn by the wealthy, those

  who had enough money for carriages

  and valets to keep their skirts from

  getting dirty.

  On ball gowns, the detailing on the

  skirts generally emphasized the waist or

  the hem. Often the waist was high-

  lighted with a sash-like waistband. The

  hem might be trimmed with lace or

  ruffles. Many popular designs featured

  underskirts that were revealed from

  under the hem of the skirt or through

  a slit in the front or side of it.

  Dinner gowns featured more mod-

  est trains and generally did not

  include underskirts. Like the ball

  gowns, they highlighted the waist

  with an exaggerated waistband and

  An evening gown with open neckline and tiara, c. 1905.

  often emphasized the hem with trim.

  [Library of Congress]

  Most often the trim on the hem was a

  contrasting fabric or dark-colored

  lace.

  Bodice

  In formalwear, the bodices were tightly fitted and usually included boning

  of their own, almost like a second corset. Some ball gowns featured an

  empire waist, which was a waistline that began just below the breast. Even

  in empire-waist dresses, the torso and waist were corseted and fitted.

  Necklines

  During the Edwardian period, a long, graceful neck was fashionable, and

  ball gowns were designed to accentuate it. Their necklines were low and

 
appeared in sweetheart, round, or square shapes. Although these formal

  necklines were more revealing than daytime ones, they were shaped into a

  monobosom and did not reveal any cleavage. Lace, ruffles, and draped

  fabric usually encircled the neckline, enhancing it.

  1900–1908, The Edwardian or La Belle Epoque Era

  173

  Unlike ball gowns, dinner gowns had high necklines or collars that were

  similar to daytime necklines. Many dinner gowns had high lace collars inset

  into deep V necklines. High, square necklines were popular as well.

  Sleeves

  Ball gowns highlighted the graceful femininity of a woman’s shoulders.

  Most women opted for puffed short sleeves made of lace or sheer mate-

  rial, although a few women wore sleeveless or off-the-shoulder gowns.

  Dinner gowns featured puffed sleeves that extended to the elbow or just

  below it.

  Decorative Details

  Queen Alexandra of Great Britain, who succeeded Queen Victoria in

  1901, ushered in the popularity of the pastel colors that dominated the

  sumptuous ball dresses of the first decade of the twentieth century. The

  popular colors included silver, gold, white, and soft colors that were often

  described as ‘ sweet pea’ colors. These pale colors were a departure from

  the vivid colors produced by the aniline dyes that were popular in the pre-

  vious decade.

  Ball gowns were typically made from lightweight silk that was tucked

  and folded to create elaborate detailing. Lace, embroidery, ribbons, jet

  beads, net, and flowers were frequently used to trim dresses. Cloth was

  often draped in swags along necklines and hems. Frequently, bows and

  flowers accented the tops of the swags.

  Whereas dinner toilettes were usually adorned with lace, the decora-

  tion was far less elaborate than it was on ball gowns. Dinner gowns were

  made in dark colors that offset the white of the lace.

  BUSINESS WEAR

  Silhouette

  Business wear followed the S-curve silhouette, with its emphasis on the

  monobosom, tiny waist, and thrust-back buttocks.

  Suits

  During the Edwardian period, many women had firmly established them-

  selves in the workplace, and tailor-made suits were an all-purpose outfit

  that women found functional and comfortable. These suits were often

  called ‘‘tailor-mades’’ and consisted of a narrow skirt, a simple jacket, and

  a basic blouse, which was called a shirtwaist. Tailor-mades were worn as

  an everyday outfit, for traveling, and by working women.

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  WOMEN’S FASHIONS

  The skirt and jacket were usually made of wool in a tweed or serge. The

  skirt was short enough to clear the ground, making it easy to get around

  and work. The jackets featured sleeves that puffed at the top of the sleeve

  and were narrow from the elbow to the wrist. Although the hem of many

  jackets ended at the hip, others ended just above the waist to highlight the

  narrow waistline. Both single- and double-breasted jackets were stylish.

  Separates

  The blouses that were worn under suits tended to be less elaborate than

  other blouses that were worn during the Edwardian period. They usually

  did not have elaborate ruffles or gathers, because they were worn under

  close-fitting jackets. They featured high collars, with wire supports, that

  reached up to the chin. The monobosom silhouette and the puffed sleeves

  were evident even in these more utilitarian garments.

  Often, working women would wear a shirtwaist blouse and skirt. The

  shirtwaists could be simply designed, like a man’s shirt with a folded over

  collar and tie, but invariably they would feature feminine puffed sleeves.

  Other shirtwaists followed the lacy, ruffled styles that were popular in

  other daywear. Typically, these more elaborate shirtwaists would have

  pleats or ruffles down the front, a high lace collar, and puffed sleeves.

  Sometimes the sleeves would be puffed and loose for the entire length of

  the arm. Shirtwaists featured a wide variety of decoration, from lace, em-

  broidery, applied fabric, pleats, and tucks. Embroidery on blouse fabric

  became so popular that machines were built to cheaply produce embroi-

  dered fabric to supply the demand.

  Following the S-shaped silhouette, skirts fit closely over the hips and

  flared out at the hem. Gores helped created a trumpet shape in these sim-

  ple, functional skirts, which did not have trains and had hems that cleared

  the floor.

  CASUAL WEAR

  Silhouette

  Like all other garments during this period, casual daywear followed the

  S-curve silhouette. The bodice featured a monobosom and a high collar.

  The skirts sat closely to the hip and were bell shaped.

  Dresses

  Dresses were usually one piece, although they may have been made as

  separate bodices and skirts, but they were sewn together at the waist. Lin-

  gerie dresses were a popular daytime style. They were made of white-

  colored light fabrics such as cotton or linen and featured frilly lace, much

  1900–1908, The Edwardian or La Belle Epoque Era

  175

  like the kind used on undergarments at the

  time. Tea gowns, another daytime style

  worn by wealthy women, were unfitted

  dresses that were worn in the afternoon.

  Most bodices included frilly embellish-

  ments such as lace and tucks. Usually, deco-

  ration further emphasized the monobosom

  silhouette. The sleeves were either close fit-

  ting along the whole arm or close fitting

  along the upper arm and puffed along the

  forearm and gathered at the wrist. This style

  was called a bishop sleeve. Lace insets were

  common along the forearm. Toward the end

  of the decade, sleeves shortened into a

  three-quarter length, although the sleeve

  usually gathered at the elbow and a ruffle

  extended partway down the forearm. Ki-

  mono sleeves were also popular. High,

  boned lace collars were the norm, but

  men’s-style collars were sometimes worn.

  Skirts were trumpet shaped. The effect

  was achieved by fitting the skirt closely to

  the body to the knee and using goring to

  flare the skirt down to the hem. Usually, the

  A morning gown, with gauzy material and the popular

  back of the skirt was flared as well. Skirts

  bell-shaped skirt, c. 1903. [Library of Congress]

  extended completely down to the floor often

  with a slight crease. The full back gave the illusion of a small train. It

  was common to have a sash or belt at the waist where the skirt and bodice

  joined.

  Separates

  Blouses/Shirts. Shirtwaists, as blouses were known in the 1900s, followed

  the style of dress bodices.

  Skirts. Skirts followed the style of dress skirts.

  Decorative Details

  Usually, casual wear was made from soft fabrics such as cotton lawn, vel-

  vet, and silk. During the winter, wool was commonly used. Light colors

  such as pinks, pale blues, and light yellows were popular, but darker colors

  such as emerald green and burgundy
were not uncommon (Olian 1998).

  Light colors were common for separates, and many women wore

  176

  WOMEN’S FASHIONS

  matching separates. Other women would wear a dark skirt with a light-

  colored shirtwaist. Striped shirtwaists were popular, too.

  Lace was seen all over women’s garments during this era. It was used

  on the center front of bodices, along the sleeves, in the collars, and in

  bands along skirts. Lace inserts, lace ruffles, lace jabots, and lace cuffs

  were all common applications.

  Both skirts and bodices included other decorative elements. Some fre-

  quently used embellishments were insets, pleats, tucks, embroidery, but-

  tons, bows, and contrasting piping.

  OUTERWEAR

  Coats

  Coats were available in both fitted and unfitted styles. Some sleeves were

  fitted, whereas others followed the bishop style of dresses. Some coats

  incorporated cape-style sleeves. Kimono-style coats became popular as

  Asian styles gained interest. Coats were embellished with embroidery,

  buttons, and piping.

  Shawls/Wraps

  High-necked capes and cloaks were popular outdoor garments. Capes

  were commonly worn over eveningwear. Like coats, embroidery, buttons,

  and piping decorated capes and cloaks.

  Other garments

  Boas and fur stoles were worn. As motoring became popular, women

  began to adopt the sport and wore dusters, loose-fitting long overcoats

  made of cotton, linen, or silk, to protect their garments.

  SWIMWEAR AND SPORTSWEAR

  Swimwear

  Swimwear during the Edwardian period was similar to bathing costumes

  of the 1890s. These impractical outfits were cumbersome dresses that

  included skirts, sleeves, and long stockings. These silk or wool dresses

  usually had a wool undersuit beneath the dress. A matching swimming

  cap was also worn.

  Golf

  When golfing, women typically wore simple suits with hems that came an

  inch or two off the floor. They often kept their hat on their head with a

  veil or scarf that tied beneath the chin.

  1900–1908, The Edwardian or La Belle Epoque Era

  177

  Annette Kellerman. Australian Annette

  style of suit to be immodest. When she

  Kellerman gained international promi-

  brought her swimming and diving dem-

  nence in 1905 when she attempted to

  onstrations to Boston in 1907, she riled

  swim the English Channel, a feat that

 

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