Edwardian

Edwardian 1900AD - 1919AD

The Edwardian era brought in great changes in fashion, as evidenced by the rapid changes in fashion throughout the era. This can be seen by the stark differences in fashion tastes when comparing the very beginning and the very end of the era, and was in line with the great changes happening outside the fashion world at the time: from a time of opulence and extravagance to a time of war and utility. Because of this, it is best to look at the styles of the era in two parts: early/mid and late.

Key Style Features - Early/Mid (1900-1913)

Men's:

Suits: Suits were the main attire of men in the early Edwardian era, with different types suitable for both casual and formal occasions.

     Lounge Suit: Precursor to the modern day business suit in cut, and was usually cut from          lighter fabrics than black (as black was generally reserved for formal suits). Usually              paired with a Homburg.

     

     Frock Coat: Early version of the current day tuxedo, this coat was almost always black,          with matching black pants and with the well known 'tails' at the rear of the coat. Usually      paired with a Top Hat.

Homburg: A felt hat with a dent running along the top and a stiff brim curled at the sides. Extremely popular at the time, generally worn for all occasions except for formal.

Top Hat: At this point top hats had been a popular piece of men's fashion for over 100 years, but still remained a necessity for formal occasions.

Women's:

Hats: Women's hats of the era were often flat and wide brimmed, and more often than not were adorned with feathers, flowers and occasionally stuffed birds.

Blouses: Blouses became increasingly more elaborate in this era, making extensive use of lace and other intricate fabrics, and were generally very high in the collar so high as to cover the neck.

S-Bend: The S-bend was not a particular item of clothing, but rather a body shape that women of the era tried to achieve by using corsets and other restrictive clothing. The body shape thinned the waist whilst pushing the bust forward and the hips back.

Hobble Skirt: The hobble skirt had a narrow hem creating a pencil-like silhouette, drawing inspiration from asian fashion. Special corsets often had to be worn to restrict the movement of the wearer so as not to rip the hem.

Neck/Shoulder Wear: Furs and feather 'boas' (scarves made of feathers strung together) were popular accessories, reflecting the extravagant styles of the time.

Key Style Features - Late (1914-1919)

Men's:

War/Work Clothing: As a result of the Great War, suits and other formal men's attire gave way to more practical clothing, such as leather jackets, wool caps, sweaters, etc.

Lounge Suit: The lounge suit used more for semi-formal occasions, and a popular choice for war time meetings between world leaders. This was the beginning of the growing popularity of this type of suit over other cuts.

Women's:

Work wear: With most men sent of to fight in the Great War, women began to take a more active part in the workforce. Because of this, clothing needed to become more practical and so were often 'tailored' for a better fit, taking on a look similar to men's suits.

Thin Silhouette: Formal wear for women cut back on laces and trims due to the economic tightening from the war. Draping fabrics and lower necklines became popular, and figures changed to resemble thin straight frames.

Images of the Era

Figure 1

Key Features - Practical work wear, cuffs and sleeves similar to men's shirt, fitted clothing to prevent workplace accidents

Figure 2

Key Features - Neck high collar (left), hats with feathers adorned, S-bend figures from restrictive corsets

Figure 3

Key Features - Lounge suits and Homburg hats (left/right), Frock coats and Top Hats (centre)

Modern Interpretations on Edwardian Fashion

Figure 4

This Ziad Nakad dress from their 2014 haute couture range is a very interesting piece when viewed in reference to popular styles of the Edwardian era, as it brings together a number of influences from both the pre-war and war parts of the era.

Perhaps the most obvious Edwardian influence is the silhouette of the dress, which is reminiscent of the thin straight styles of the very late Edwardian era. The dress itself has been designed to hug the skin tightly, which shows off the natural curves of the model's body. The type of fabric and adornments of the dress support this, as nothing sticks out from the dress so as to stay true to the shape of the dress and the body it covers. The dress is not trying to 'straighten out' the look in this instance though, but rather show off the frame of the naturally thin wearer of the outfit. This change is likely due to recent changes in people's perspectives on body image, which has seen a reduction in clothing which tries to restrict or change the body into a certain shape and instead supports clothing which emphasised the natural shape of the body.

Another influence seen here is the very low neck line on this dress. The Edwardian era was the first era where women began to open up the neck line, with V neck dresses emerging in the later era. At the time it was a controversial fashion choice, as some believed it showed too much of the body off. This current piece reflects the changes in ideals since then, where women are able to show much more of their bodies without garnering as much of a reaction as you can see in the very low 'V' line. The lower part of the dress also allows for the legs to be visible, which is both an extension of the above point, but also draws influence from another change in women's fashion in the Edwardian era. When the Great War came about and the more extravagant fashion styles became less popular, women often found that shorter and higher dresses were much more practical, which lead to more leg being visible. Legs were well covered in previous eras by often multiple layers of skirts, and so the Edwardian era was the first to see fashion which showed more of women's legs.

Another obvious inspiration from the Edwardian era is the use of feather-like trimmings as the fabric for the dress. Although not as popular directly on the clothing at the time, feathers were very popular in the era for use on hats and in feather boas. The particular feather style on this dress looks very similar to those used in feather boas, and both make use of sequins in amongst the feathers.

Another popular fashion style that arose in the Edwardian era was the hobble skirt, of which this dress seems to be inspired by. The traditional hobble skirt was very thin at the hem, and although this seems to widen out at the very end the intention is the same: to make the bottom half of the body seem straight and thin. Ordinarily this would in require restriction of the legs of the wearer so as not to damage the dress, but this is where the design differs from its Edwardian counterpart. Where the traditional hobble skirt will narrow right down to the hem, this dress narrows throughout the lower leg, but opens up again at the hem. This small but important change allows for easier and wider movement of the legs.

Whether or not the designers of this dress were directly inspired by the styles of the Edwardian era, it is a credit to the time that there are a number of parallels to be drawn with this outfit and the styles of the era. It is obvious that this era has had a significant impact on subsequent and current fashion trends.

Georgian

Georgian 1750AD - 1820AD

Key Style Features

Mens:

Wigs: British taxes on the powder used in wigs made their wearing more exclusive for the high class later in the era. Middle classes began styling their own hair when unable to afford wigs.

Hats: Cornered hats were still popular in Europe, but in Britain were beginning to give way to early incarnations of the top hat)

Formal Clothing: Mens' formal clothing of the time became more refined and less flamboyant than the baroque era, with less use of lace, frills and embroidery, and instead began focusing more on simple and well tailored garments as a marker for fashion and quality.

Cravat: A precursor to the modern neck tie, a popular trend in this era.

Womens:

Hair: Womens' hair was often made up into large extravagant styles, often styled artistically and containing various adornments.

Open or closed robe

Reticules: Due to the designs of womenswear at the time, clothing often left little to no room for storing items, and so reticules were popular for carrying various items and accessories.

Stomacher

Chemise: An undergarment. Most outer clothing was very difficult and time-consuming to wash at the time, so a chemise was essential for protecting the outer clothing from the oils and sweat of the skin.

Sleeves: Were often trimmed with laces and embroidery.

Petticoat

Pannier: A framing for skirts and dresses worn as an undergarment.  

Sack Dress: The sack dress brings together a number of different items to complete a well-known look of the era. Usually paired with a pannier to give the back of the dress shape, a stomacher at the front, and a petticoat to wear over the dress.

Images of the Era

Figure 1

Key Features - Top hat, styled hair, cravat, tailored formal clothing

Figure 2

Key Features - Extravagant hair with adornments, lace trim sleeves, sack dress, pannier, stomacher

Figure 3

Key Features - Reticule, embroidery

Modern Interpretations on Georgian Fashion

Figure 4

This is an tailcoat dress from the Jean Paul Gaultier Spring/Summer 2011 Couture show. This particular piece is an interesting twist on the classic tailcoat, which is a popular mens style suit coat. The usual characteristics of a mens tailcoat are a high front (with the hem usually coming up to the waist line) which lead around down to one or two long tails at the back (usually falling to the knees). The coat is usually collared and double breasted as with most suit coats. 

Considering that a mens tailcoat is designed to the fit and style of a man, this particular design is interesting in how it makes the transition from a traditional mens garment to something more feminine and fitting in with a women's garment. The essence of the tailcoat is dropped down slightly so that the front 'hem' reaches just below the hips (rather than the waist), and the tails at the back just touch the floor (rather than the knees). This creates a nice silhouette around the hips and legs of the wearer, and draws attention from the chest down to the legs.

This draws a few different inspirations from the Georgian era to bring together an effective modern depiction of Georgian fashion. The most prominent is the tailcoat, which was popularised in the Georgian era by the emergence of 'dandyism' (a following of men who focused intently on presentation and appearance), and namely Beau Brummell (a prominent influence on British mens' fashion in the Georgian era). 

Another influence is the head piece, which draws parallels to the extravagant styles and adornments of women's hair in the Georgian era. This particular style is somewhat less flamboyant and extreme, likely as a reflection of the modern influence on the style. 

Further influence is reflected in the neck piece of the outfit. This piece looks to be a modern take on the cravat, another popular piece of men's formal clothing in the Georgian era. One popular style of cravat at the time was to take the cravat and wrap it around the neck, with it coming together at the front of the neck under the chin. This iteration of the cravat is much more minimalistic, with a tighter wrap around the neck, and much less left at the front (down to the very small styling at the front of the neck piece).

Another influence is in the structure of the tails of the dress, which are slightly shaped so as to give a structured look. This is a modern take on panniers, which as mentioned earlier were a popular choice in Georgian times. As a point of contrast, the modern version will have support and structure built in to the dress itself likely, whereas traditional panniers were a separate undergarment. This is likely more a reflection on better technology in modern fashion though more than anything else.

Renaissance

Renaissance 1450AD-1600AD

Key style features

Unisex:

• Slashing: Puffs of fabric from the under garment pulled out through small slits made in the top garment.
• Ruffs: A neckpiece created by ruffled fabric. Source
• Lace: Never been used before this era.

Men:

• Camica: An undershirt for men.
• Doublet: A close fitting jacket with or without sleeves to waist or hip length. At hip length a skirt was also attached.
• Jacket
• Jerkin: Similar to a vest or waistcoat.
• Hose and the cod piece: Tights, and a fabric pouch for the groin area.
• Headwear
• Footwear: duckbill shoes, wide square toes.

Women:

• Chemise: Underdress for women.
• Bodice
• Bridged sleeves: Detachable sleeves tied to the bodice.
• Skirt: Early era style was high waisted, mid era was Spanish Farthingale - A shaped, late era was French Farthingale - rectangluar.
• Outer dress
• Headdress: Preferably high forehead, so often hairline was plucked.
• Footwear: Very high wooden platform shoes.

Images of the era

Image 1

Key features: Slashing, bridged sleeves, chemise, bodice, Spanish Farthingale skirt.

Image 2

 Key features - Male: Ruff, lace, doublet, jacket, hat, hose, cod piece, duckbill shoes.

Key features - Female: Ruff, v-shaped bodice, Spanish Farthingale skirt, outer dress.

Image 3

Key features: French Farthingale skirt

Image of a modern interpretive outfit

Image 4

Image 5

This is an outfit from the 'Sewing the Invisible' 2004 collection of Japanese-Brazilian designer Jum Nakao. The whole collection was made from paper, being cut by laser and assembled by hand. Nakao utilises his earlier career in engineering throughout the collection, as shown by the well structured designs. There is also an obvious influence from traditional origami art. There is a contrast here too in that although very structured in design and made of paper, the outfits have an air of elegance.

This particular design reflects the renaissance era with the ruff around the neck and the full length skirt in Spanish Farthingale style. The paper material used for the outfit was cut and finished to create a lace effect too, which was first used and popularised in the era.

Although influenced by the renaissance era, Nakao has made an effort to bring the designs into the modern era. Where the renaissance era focused on designs being extreme and over the top, Nakao has tried to be more in line with modern ideals by taking a more minimalist approach and simplifying design and features of the outfits. Source

Byzantine

Byzantine 555AD (height of the empire)

Key style features:

• Perpendula
• Tablion
• Tunic (Tunica)
• Cope
• Mitre
• Foliated crown
• Stola/Chemise
• Paludamentum
• Maniakis
• Stemma
• Dalmatic (Daltmatica)
• Pallium

Images of the era:

(Figure 1)

(Figure 2)

(Figure 3)

Modern outfit inspired by the era:

(Dolce & Gabbana - Fall 13 RTW)

This outfit is from the 2013 fall ready-to-wear collection of Dolce & Gabbana, and is heavily inspired by the Byzantine era. The main feature of the outfit is the tunic, which has a number of Byzantine elements. The central piece of the tunic is the portrait in the centre of the tunic, which is instantly recognisable as being of Byzantine origin. 

The tunic itself is one of the classic pieces of the Byzantine era, which traditionally has a high neck, long sleeves and knee length hem and is loose fitting. Whilst the sleeves and hem have been raised to be more appealing to modern trends, the high neck and loose fit have remained, which still capture the essence of the Byzantine tunic design.

The tunic is decorated with elements that are synonymous with the Byzantine era too. The patterns on the tunic are of a mozaic style, which was common in the popular art of the time. A number of different bright and vibrant colours have also been used, which at the time signified the wealth of the wearer. Gem stones have also been applied to the tunic as well, another common feature of clothing and accessories of the rich of the time. 

To complete the look, the model is also wearing a crown, inspired by the foliated crown that was popular in Byzantine times. The crown is adorned with jewels, and completes the look of an important and wealthy person. The crown is finished in a pointed edge pattern, with jewels placed in the crown tips.