Historical Artistic Styles

IMPRESSIONISM 19th century

Impressionism was an art movement in France that began in the 1860s. Implicit in its name, impressionism attempted to capture experience or mood of a situation or environment and was less about realistic depictions.

John Galliano for Dior 2008

ROCOCO 18th Century

Rococo was mainly a decorative art that existed in 18th century France. It was considered an opulent style and was characterized by shell-like structures and ornate details. Due to a peak in interest in Gothic architecture, the Rococo style gained popularity in England.

Marni 2008

DECONSTRUCTIONISM 1960s-1980s

Deconstructionist fashion was introduced in the 1970s and was characterized by showing the inside construction of garments and/or removing expected elements from clothes or switching their positions. For example: removing sleeves from a shirt and making them into pant legs.

Martin Magiela 2008

ART DECO 1925-1939

Art Deco was a very popular movement from 1925 to 1939 and remains a popular historical style having influenced architecture, interior design, graphic design, fashion and many other art forms.

Marc Jacobs 2007

EGYPTIAN circa 3200BC - 343BC

Egyptian dress consisted mainly of lightweight linen fabrics draped around the body. The Egyptians were also fond of ornamentation including wearing jewelry on the neck, head, wrists, anklets. Since wall paintings are the primary way that historians have learned about Egyptian clothing, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish this style from other draped styles. Egyptian styles tend to have straighter lines and are often cinched at the waist on women.

Chrisitian Siriano 2009

BELLE EPOQUE 19th century to WW1

Belle Epoque, “the beautiful age” was an era in late 18th century though early 19th century France that characterized by a life of comfort. Fashion during this period was opulent and carefree and led to the creation of haute couture.

Vivienne Westwood 2008

Genealogy of the Power Suit

The power suit first appeared in 1980 as a statement against male social dominance and introduced the world to the new "working woman" in a way never done before. Famous female leaders of the past including Hatsheput (pictured above) represent a legacy of women in powerful positions who assumed male clothing and behaviors. Hatsheput was the fifth pharoah of the eighth dynasty of Ancient Egypt and was known to dress in traditional male garb and was referred to as "king". Other female leaders who were known to have dressed in traditional male attire were Vietnamese rebel leader, Trieu Au and of course, Joan of Arc.

Joan of Arc

Trieu Au

Ralph Lauren is credited with having introduced the power suit, however, there was definitely something similar happening in Europe, perhaps just slightly less career-oriented. The American power suit had wider shoulders and higher shoulder pads. In European designs, these elements were a little softer and found their way into formal wear as well.

Ralph Lauren, 1980

Calvin Klein, 1980

Giorgio Armani, 1980

Yves Saint Laurent, 1980

The power suit seems to have seen its day in the 1980s and then became too outrageous to endure. Perhaps Tina Turner's costume in the Mad Max movie of 1985 made the look seem too "costumey". Nonetheless, the look softened abruptly in the 1990s.

Tina Turner in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, 1985

Designed by Norma Moriceau

A softer "power suit" inspired by a men's three-piece suit by Katherine Hamnett, 1998

The baggy look becomes popular in the 1990s evidenced by the less fitted version of the power suit by Ralph Lauren in 1999.

Today wide shoulders and shoulder pads are not as visible. They are of course a part of just about any well made suit, however the look is much more natural today than it was in the 80s. Although prominent padding of the shoulders has nearly vanished in today's fashion scene, emphasis on the shoulder area still remains especially in clothing geared toward a more fashion-conscious professional woman.

Ralph Lauren, AW2002

John Galliano for Dior, AW2006

Historical Draped & Tailored Garments

Garments that are classified as draped today may also have elements of tailoring. Today, it is rare to find a garment that is completely draped. For instance, the draped garment in Module 4, probably has some kind of interlining that holds the shape for the bust area. I find it difficult to classify more modern garments as either draped or tailored because there are usually elements of both techniques in their construction.

This dress work by a Native American girl taken in 1907, represents a historical draped garment.

The way kimono is worn is an example of draped garments. Kimono can be layered and worn at different lengths, and then obi is draped and tied to hold the garment in place.

This Madeleine Vionnet dress is from 1914. Vionnet is credited as having started the bias-cut draping revolution.

This dress was made in Victorian-era England by Madame Hawkes. It represents the epitome of high fashion tailored dress and would have been worn with a fitted corset and bustle underneath.

The "Souper dress" was made anonymously in response to the PopArt movement of the 1960s led by Andy Warhol. The shift dress represents the most basic elements of a tailored garment and is usually made entirely by pattern.

In the 1990s, Jean-Paul Gaultier reinvented the corset giving it a new edginess including visible "nips". In similar ways, Vivienne Westwood has used inspiration from Victorian corsets and bustles in her collections over the last 3 decades.

Discovering the history of fashion will be an inspirational journey into the history of people as well.  As I have always believed that fashion is one of the most accessible forms of expression for human beings (and sometimes their animals), I am excited to learn more than just what I have discovered in books.

The photo on my blog is one of the knitted coats from my collection showing this February at Academy's NYC Show.  It was made with invisible thread, viscose yarn, magnets, and boning.  I look forward to exploring the unconventional in fashion's past.