living conditions and child care.
The Gilded Age and the Roaring Twenties: A Fashion Legacy
The Roaring Twenties and the Gilded Age have come to be seen as revolutionary periods for the fashion world. With the emergence of influential designers like, Jacques Doucet, Mariano Fortuny, and Coco Chanel, this era of change has left a lasting impression on the fashion world as we know it today. The fashion evolution of these respective periods is a direct reflection of the evolution that was transpiring in American and European culture, making the world of fashion more than just a hobby for the wealthy, but an art form for the entirety of a culture.
“The Gilded Age”, a term coined by Mark Twain in his satirical novel, refers to the period of time in America where social and economic issues were “gilded” with a thin layer of metaphorical gold as if to hide the growing problems of the country. During this period we see the growth of industrialization, the expansion of the railroad system, the woman’s suffrage movement, two major nationwide depressions, and countless other forms of social reform. The evolution of fashion during the gilded age correlates with the shift in culture, primarily for woman. Urbanization offered woman a new opportunity to become more visible to the social world. Fashion styles of woman called for a perfect and well rounded woman, someone who could be both a beautiful home maker and a sporty socialite. This ideology resulted in creation of a figure of fashion called “The New Woman.” The "New Woman" refers to the middle and upper-middle class sect women who dominated the public eye during the Gilded Age. These women were emerging from their domestic responsibilities into a new sphere of social activities. They ...
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...arijuana and vodka. Although the means through which we rebel are different the principle remains the same, and will remain the same for generations to come.
To summarize, fashion is just another outlet through which we can view our ever changing world. It is just as important as literature, cinema, and other means of creative expression that document history. However, fashion plays an even bigger role than most other art forms because it can shape the identity of a generation. Similarly, the clothes you wear can tell a story about who you are and your part in shaping a culture. In history class we often view historical events and facts so objectively that we forget that the people we read about had their own colorful culture as we do. Observing fashion and fashion history, ultimately, breathe life into the past and help us to understand how we operate as a society.
To me, they are portrayed as classy, wearing long dresses, shirts with long sleeves, hats with ribbons, stylish, attractive, slender and fashionable. These women were the foundation of what the style of fashion and beauty was then and sets the basis for style of the modern fashion women of today. The similar business practices and ideas to basic concepts of women’s fashion was important during the Gilded Age as they are today. However, the images of men shows the “Arrow Collar” man looking upper class, confident, classy, and elegant, having a bow tie with handkerchief and educated. He resembles as either a lawyer or businessman being successful. What these images and pictures showing of how people dressed during the Gilded Age, these are similar concepts and business practices to the ways businesses market and advertise their products in the 21st century. It seems to me that business practices in clothing, fashion and style have always been an important factor still to this
In the novel The Great Gatsby it is greatly seen how the roaring 20’s was a booming society after the World War One. The Roaring Twenties was a period when economic success was sustained. This was a time to rejoice as well as a time to overcome the restrictions of the Victorian era. The fashion in the 20’s was less restricting than the past years and began to wear more comfortable clothes such as short skirts or trousers, the music was all about the jazz and the alcohol and dancing this was rapidly developing in Chicago, the most popular dances during the decade the foxtrot, waltz, and American tango.
The 1920’s was an era of dramatic political and cultural change, where many Americans lived in cities rather than farms. Many inventors came to be noticed as new cars were invented and as music entered the entertainment industry. A new style of music was invented mainly in the African American community, creating the Harlem Renaissance; which was an evolution of music and entertainment in Harlem, New York City. The women of America began to evolve in the 1920s, adding new styles to our fashion industry and changing the way women dress, act, and are portrayed in society for generations. Women were viewed before the 1920’s as innocent housewives, who made little to no money, as they often relied on their husbands’ income.
How were young women of all classes dressing to be modern in the nightclubs and dance halls of the 1920s and 1930s? Focusing on the middle-classes, yet considering women of both the upper and working classes, discuss what were the influences in their fashion choices.
If we didn’t have fashion then a lot of people wouldn’t have jobs because there are a whole bunch of fashion designers out there, also all of the celebrities wouldn’t have name brand clothing because there would be no way to make them because we wouldn’t have designers. Fashion of the 1920’s played a very big role in today’s fashion. Including the material our clothing is made out of also the styles of clothing we wear. Many things women wear today first came from fashion in the 1920's. Flappers, shoe styles, and accessories are a few things that we wear today have came from. Many celebrities still wear some things that people wore in the 1920's including flappers. Have you ever wondered what the amazing fashion of the 1920's was like?
The Golden Age did wonders to advance the lives of the rich, however it did little for the lives of the poor. The lower class was highly neglected by society in the 1920s. The standard of living declined instead of improving for the poor; they faced falling rates in healthcare, education, wages, and consumption. Their lack of wealth left them to be victims of the business boom of the 1920s. However, the absence of money did not impede the poor from attempting to live a meager version of the rich’s lifestyle. Destitute women tried to imitate affluent women’s style by wearing similar fashion and makeup, but it they were run-down versions of the true affluent women’s style. The men merely attempted to reach the level of the wealthy by constantly working. Yet, they could never gain enough hours or a steady income to move up from the lower class. The poor’s constant need and want to be like the rich was part of the reason they were ridiculed and ignored by the rest of society. The other part was because they were poor; in the 1920s it was unheard of to mingle with people who were not of the same social class. The rich stuck with the rich and the poor stuck with the poor. This was an unspoken rule of society that everyone
To begin with, I will look at each of the two subjects. Fashion is an extremely large subject with many sub-categories and can mean many different things, however in this essay I will take fashion to mean the popular clothing style. I will put emphasis on looking at high fashion as these are the leaders of their field. Fashion itself though, is not to be confused with clothing. Clothing is a part of fashion, but it is predominantly purely functional, for protection from different aspects of the environment. Fashion however, is primarily for image. It is a way to present individuality and personality. A physical mouldable form of expression. Designers wish to create works of art that can be worn, and this is wear clothing becomes an art form.
FASHION is a play that permeates throughout the centuries. Its themes about fashion and our treatment of it speak strongly to each subsequent generation in America. What is important to us? What matters most to us? How do we want others to see us? How do we want others to accept us? It would be just as easy to produce the play contemporarily today with just a few adjustments. The audience would certainly understand it, and many would see themselves within it.
Throughout history, there were many things that influenced fashion and the ideal body image of the time. Things such as politics, and changes in social roles were some things that had an influence on the fashion of the day. One particular shocking thing that had influenced on the fashion around the 1800s were sickness and diseases. Not only were diseases and sickness caused by different fashion trends, but it set the tone for certain ideal body images and also influenced the fashion of the time.
Time flew by and as the war ended in 1918, the 1920’s decade of change soon approached. The year was famously known as “The Jazz Age” and “The Roaring 20’s” because of the newly found freedom, social and political changes, and the time of prohibition. Among these powerful new changes was the freedom that women were finally able to vote and enjoy what was about to come. Instead of being confined at home, the women joined labor forces, worked with wages, and experimented with different types of behavior that would have been unreasonable a few years back. Along with these dramatic changes were their fashion styles. This style changed their rights and relationships with others completely. With that change, a new woman was born. There were not many ways for women to stand up for themselves and what they believed in. They had no voice but in the 1920’s, women found a way of freely expressing themselves and changing their relationships with others all with the start of fashion.
In conclusion, Fashion will always transcend throughout the ages. Fashion is a form of expression, an art form if you will. The 1950’s will always be a foundation for the fundamentals of fashion. What someone has created will repeat itself in history, even if it unknowingly was a symbol meant for prosperity when in this day and age it stands for
Fashion plays an important role in the lives of billions all over the world; people, as part of a status craving society, turn to “fashion capitals” of the world for ways in which to dress and carry themselves. New York, Milan, and Paris are leaders among this fierce industry that the world lusts after. Fashion can speak volumes about ones personality, or also about the condition the world is in at the time. In France, fashion changed rapidly and feverously as the times changed.
Fashion in the 21st century is a big business, as its production employs millions of people and generates billions of dollars in revenue. Fashion has for the past century been, and is still today, used as an indicator of social change and progress, as it changes with the social norms of the society and the political changes of the world (Finkelstein 3). Works Cited Finkelstein, Joanne. A.S.A. & Co. Fashion: An Introduction to Fashion. New York: New York University Press, 1998.
middle of paper ... ... It also analyzed the influences of modern dresses. As Palmer and Clark (2005) mentioned earlier, both decades are the classic era in fashion history.
Clothing has been around for thousands of years; almost as long as the modern human has. At first, it served the practical purpose of protection from the elements; but, as life for early humans stopped being a constant struggle to survive, they started noticing how they looked and the concept of fashion began to take shape. These first few garments were typically dyed draped cloth that was pinned at the shoulder and/or waist. This was seen in many ancient civilizations around the world, Greek and Roman the most notable. Over time, clothing began to get more and more complex and formed to the body’s shape, eventually leading up to the tailored style we now have today. However, the sophisticated world of Haute Couture; or high fashion, can distinctly trace its roots to Paris during the mid-19th century. Clothing from there was thought to be superior to those from anywhere else, and women began to come from all over Europe just to buy dresses. This was probably due in part to one notable dressm...