They say “Necessity is the mother of Invention”.
Fast forward to 2020, Necessity is the mother of innovation. Brands, Companies and Individuals have been increasingly innovative to survive and grow during these difficult times.
Without an iota of doubt, we will come out stronger. Fashion will change, fashion will reinvent like it always has, but fashion will survive. Let’s introspect how fashion, even earlier has given a tough fight in the face of worldly calamities- like the World War 1.
Fashion had swiftly moved out of the Victorian era, with more and more women opting to work outside the domestic circle, into the Edwardian era. Paul Poiret, King of Couture in France revolutionised the face of Fashion when he introduced the slimmer form fitting gowns with long-tunic like jackets, requiring a new slimmer corset.
This was the first precursor to the abandonment of the corset that was to follow. Women going to work started opting to wear a tailored suit with no frills, girls in college wore a skirt (slightly shorter than what was common) with shirt. Hence the Edwardian era had already prompted women to dress for a more active lifestyle, the war just catapulted this change.
Fashion during and after WW1
Belle Epoque’, the period preceding WW1, was quickly replaced by pragmatic sportswear. It is during this period that women started opting for muted tones because of the abundance of this coloured fabric. Flouncy over the top gowns & corsets became irrelevant as skirts became shorter and boxy silhouettes ubiquitous. Androgynous fashion was born with women cutting their hair short and adopting more from mens fashion. Gender specific roles and clothing was eased, women started wearing knickers and men took the wrist watch.
Women working in factories needed to wear uniform, so military style dressing was introduced and pants started being worn by women more commonly. Women started to shave their legs for the very first time as skirts grew shorter.