1909 - 1967 FASHION

In those days fashion was changing very rapidly and many various costumes were made.

Day Dress 1909

Womens’ dresses were straighter and short-waisted with a new severity of outline.

The most important accessory was the hat, very large and much trimmed.

The band of trimming at the ankle of the narrow skirt suggests a 'hobble' and makes it look difficult to walk, which was rather an odd fashion for women who were fighting for freedom and equal rights.

Gentlemen wore long frock coats or lounge suits.

Day Clothes 1920

Women

- shorter, low-waisted dress, loosely cut and concealing, not defining, the figure

- small hats worn over neatly coiled hair

- Evening dresses were often low cut, supported only by shoulder straps and made in exotic materials and colours.

Men

- lounge suit and long jacket.

- straight trousers but shorter, generally with the turn-up, introduced about 1904

- spats protecting shoes, introduced in the middle of the 19th century

- new soft felt  hats

Day Clothes about 1927

Women

- raight, loosely-fitting, low-waisted dresses

- legs clad in beige flesh-coloured stockings were visible to the knee

- flat figures and short 'bobbed' hair-styles reflected the boyish styles of the time

Men

- suits were still aisted with rounded jackets

- trousers were full, sometimes widening at the turn-up to form 'Oxford bags'

- cntrasting sports jackets were beginning to be worn at this time

 Day Clothes 1938

Women

Styles were varied and inspired by French designers like Elisa Schiaparelli and Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, and by what the film stars wore.

Outfits had become square at the shoulder, with a fairly tight, natural waist and full, flaring skirt.

Evening dresses were 'classical' in satins and sequins or 'romantic' with full skirts.

Hats were still small and worn tilted over the eye.

Men

Suits had become much broader and more padded at the shoulder, with a long jacket and wide straight trousers.

Narrow 'pin'-striped materials were popular. The soft felt hat generally replaced the bowler.

Day Clothes 1941

Women

Suits were designed in 1941 when materials were restricted because of war. Modelled on the soldier's battledress, jackets were waist-length with flapped pockets. The line was still pre-war with its square shoulders, natural waist and flaring skirt.

Hair was worn curled, sometimes in a long, eye-covering style. For comfort and warmth many wore 'slacks' and headscarves.

Men

Suit had a new longer waist and fits more loosely. Sports jackets with contrasting trousers gave variety and economised on the 'coupons' that were issued to everybody when clothes were rationed.

"The New Look" 1947

In 1947 Christian Dior presented a fashion look with a fitted jacket with a nipped-in waist and full calf length skirt. It was a dramatic change from the wartime austerity styles. After the rationing of fabric during the Second World War, Dior's lavish use of material was a bold and shocking stroke. This style became known as the 'New Look'.

Day Clothes 1967

Women

By 1966 Mary Quant was producing miniskirts that were set 6 or 7 inches above the knee, making popular a style that had not taken off when it made its earlier debut in 1964. The Quant style became known as the Chelsea Look.

Women wore simple natural hairdos with exotic makeup. They wore short, mini-skirted semi-fitted tunics made of linked colourful plastic disks, one of many new materials. The cut is simple and variety of texture, pattern and colour are all important.

Men

Short hair, dark coats and trousers and plain white shirts had been worn by men for a hundred and fifty years. Now however men's hair was worn longer, and there was a return to flamboyant materials, bright stripes, velvet trimmings and flower patterns on shirts. They wore Georgian style cravats, mid-Victorian tail coats and military trimmings.

Here is a short movie in which you can see many kind of miniskirts from 1970: