Fashion has taken many different forms throughout history, and each time it changed it was because of a significant reason. It started out as simply as a plain animal hide, and as technology advanced through time, fashion advanced with it. It went to robes, to dresses, to even heavier dresses, to very heavy dresses, and then gradually seemed to simplify to light dresses and then to ready-to-wear clothes we see today! Clothing is what really displays a person. I suppose you could say dancing, music, and art are also equally as self-expressing, but the first impression you put on a person is 90% in the clothes you wear, and your expression is similar to the message you want to send to everyone who looks at you. Clothes are like the envelope of the heart! They represent what is felt inside, and if we look at what people wore in the past we can peek into their state of mind and behavior.
In the time of ancient civilizations, clothes were a brand-new idea. In the very beginning, they had nothing to do with a person’s vanity or sense of style. Clothes were meant to protect oneself from the environment. In Mesopotamia, around 300 B.C., people first used the skin of animals to clothe themselves, until they learned to pound wool or goat hair into felt or weave it into cloth. Also, coming from simple loincloths, the wrap-around skirt was introduced, which hung to the knee or lower (“Mesopotamian Clothing”). Fringe was very popular in all civilizations of Mesopotamia, for both men and women. It adorned clothes worn by all classes of people, seen mostly on skirts and shawls. The wealth of the person wearing the clothes was determined mainly on what type of material they were made out of. Linen and wool made the clothes worn by low or middle classes, where fabrics like cotton and silk were worn by the higher classes. Royals wore headdresses made of gold or silver and were embedded with beautiful gems (“Fringe”). During that time, veils were worn by women to hide their faces from public view, because they were the property of their fathers and husbands. Prostitues and slaves, however, were forbidden to wear veils because they were considered impure (“Veils”). The clothing worn in the early times really represent two kinds of people: rich men and poor men. Masters and slaves. Kings and subjects. But we can’t deny the fact that they were very behind in technology, so they most likely did not have much time to spend on th design and manufacturing of clothes. Fortunately, as time progressed, people managed to incorporate much more into their clothes.
In the Dark Ages, clothing picked up style. The strange thing is, during that time clothes got longer, heavier, and more fitted. It is generally assumed that this is because it was a reaction to the spreading Christian view that the human body was actually a pit of vice, and not beautiful (Maginnis). It is also believed that the world’s weather pattern shifted, making it the colder continent it is today. In the Byzantium Empire, many long robes were worn. Byzantium’s silk initially came from China, where it was a big business. However, when monks discovered silkworms they began their own silk production (Rowland-Warne). Many of the garments were woven, embroidered, beaded and embellished beautifully, especially for the wealthier of the citizens. This style of decoration survives to this day in the priestly vestments of Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe, Greece, and Russia (Maginnis). The Dark Ages really were a time where things were more serious and organized, supposedly. And this time was really represented through clothes. Luckily, with the advance of technology, style was improved and the solemn times were pulled out of their funk.
Feudalism was buzzing about in the Middle Ages. It was the time of the Renaissance, and people were forming a completely new vision on life. Humanism was blossoming, and people didn’t want to just live, they wanted to thrive! All the exaggerated styles displayed the power of aristocracy in that time. The peasants were spinning and weaving their own fabrics in colorful designs (Rowland-Warne). Women wore large, flowy gowns that were bolder and more dramatic than ever before. Also, elaborate head wear became popular. Some headdresses were shaped like hearts, others butterflies, and they even wore things like steeple caps and Italian turbans. Most holy officials wore woven habits in emulation of Roman clothing. A habit is like a uniform for any kind of holy order, and back then the order of the habit could be classified by the color. For example, the Benedictines wore black habits, and the Cistercians wore undyed wool or white (“Clothing”). The only major dilemma of the Renaissance when it came to appearance was hygiene. It became common to cover all blemishes on the face with cakes of powder, and to disguise any body odor with the saturation of perfumes. Fashions then took another step into the 1700’s, where it transformed.
Probably one of the highest points of fashion appeared in the 18th century. Everyone in that time looked so refined and elegant, though it wasn’t at all easy. Many wealthy women needed several dressing maids to accomplish a look. Even men wore very feminine attire because it was considered high-fashion. In the mid 1700’s, the hoop skirt was extremely popular. There were boxy, square versions and also circles and half-circles, all very flat and wide. This trend got quite extreme, and on occasion the skirt would be so wide, it would reach a longer width of the arm-span of the wearer! Another extreme trend involved hair. Here is the concept: It was draped over a wire cage, rolled into large locks and decorated with flowers, feathers and pearls. It could be powdered gray/white, and take different forms. Some hairstyles even look ship-like forms. During this time, the ideas of the enlightenment motivated people to exert their influence on the fashion world. Strangely enough, the fashions took a turn towards the end of the century, after the french revolution. Clothes gradually got simpler, vaguely resembling Greek dress of the older centuries (“History of the 1700’s costumes”). The way people felt affected the way they dressed, which is a common habit throughout history’s course. So, we can tell that life must have gotten easier as life progressed.
In the time of ancient civilizations, clothes were a brand-new idea. In the very beginning, they had nothing to do with a person’s vanity or sense of style. Clothes were meant to protect oneself from the environment. In Mesopotamia, around 300 B.C., people first used the skin of animals to clothe themselves, until they learned to pound wool or goat hair into felt or weave it into cloth. Also, coming from simple loincloths, the wrap-around skirt was introduced, which hung to the knee or lower (“Mesopotamian Clothing”). Fringe was very popular in all civilizations of Mesopotamia, for both men and women. It adorned clothes worn by all classes of people, seen mostly on skirts and shawls. The wealth of the person wearing the clothes was determined mainly on what type of material they were made out of. Linen and wool made the clothes worn by low or middle classes, where fabrics like cotton and silk were worn by the higher classes. Royals wore headdresses made of gold or silver and were embedded with beautiful gems (“Fringe”). During that time, veils were worn by women to hide their faces from public view, because they were the property of their fathers and husbands. Prostitues and slaves, however, were forbidden to wear veils because they were considered impure (“Veils”). The clothing worn in the early times really represent two kinds of people: rich men and poor men. Masters and slaves. Kings and subjects. But we can’t deny the fact that they were very behind in technology, so they most likely did not have much time to spend on th design and manufacturing of clothes. Fortunately, as time progressed, people managed to incorporate much more into their clothes.
In the Dark Ages, clothing picked up style. The strange thing is, during that time clothes got longer, heavier, and more fitted. It is generally assumed that this is because it was a reaction to the spreading Christian view that the human body was actually a pit of vice, and not beautiful (Maginnis). It is also believed that the world’s weather pattern shifted, making it the colder continent it is today. In the Byzantium Empire, many long robes were worn. Byzantium’s silk initially came from China, where it was a big business. However, when monks discovered silkworms they began their own silk production (Rowland-Warne). Many of the garments were woven, embroidered, beaded and embellished beautifully, especially for the wealthier of the citizens. This style of decoration survives to this day in the priestly vestments of Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe, Greece, and Russia (Maginnis). The Dark Ages really were a time where things were more serious and organized, supposedly. And this time was really represented through clothes. Luckily, with the advance of technology, style was improved and the solemn times were pulled out of their funk.
Feudalism was buzzing about in the Middle Ages. It was the time of the Renaissance, and people were forming a completely new vision on life. Humanism was blossoming, and people didn’t want to just live, they wanted to thrive! All the exaggerated styles displayed the power of aristocracy in that time. The peasants were spinning and weaving their own fabrics in colorful designs (Rowland-Warne). Women wore large, flowy gowns that were bolder and more dramatic than ever before. Also, elaborate head wear became popular. Some headdresses were shaped like hearts, others butterflies, and they even wore things like steeple caps and Italian turbans. Most holy officials wore woven habits in emulation of Roman clothing. A habit is like a uniform for any kind of holy order, and back then the order of the habit could be classified by the color. For example, the Benedictines wore black habits, and the Cistercians wore undyed wool or white (“Clothing”). The only major dilemma of the Renaissance when it came to appearance was hygiene. It became common to cover all blemishes on the face with cakes of powder, and to disguise any body odor with the saturation of perfumes. Fashions then took another step into the 1700’s, where it transformed.
Probably one of the highest points of fashion appeared in the 18th century. Everyone in that time looked so refined and elegant, though it wasn’t at all easy. Many wealthy women needed several dressing maids to accomplish a look. Even men wore very feminine attire because it was considered high-fashion. In the mid 1700’s, the hoop skirt was extremely popular. There were boxy, square versions and also circles and half-circles, all very flat and wide. This trend got quite extreme, and on occasion the skirt would be so wide, it would reach a longer width of the arm-span of the wearer! Another extreme trend involved hair. Here is the concept: It was draped over a wire cage, rolled into large locks and decorated with flowers, feathers and pearls. It could be powdered gray/white, and take different forms. Some hairstyles even look ship-like forms. During this time, the ideas of the enlightenment motivated people to exert their influence on the fashion world. Strangely enough, the fashions took a turn towards the end of the century, after the french revolution. Clothes gradually got simpler, vaguely resembling Greek dress of the older centuries (“History of the 1700’s costumes”). The way people felt affected the way they dressed, which is a common habit throughout history’s course. So, we can tell that life must have gotten easier as life progressed.
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