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Fashion Through The Years By Isabella Carlow
When you think about it, clothes are a big part of everyone's life; I mean, you wear clothes every day. Throughout the years, this fact stays the same, yet the style of clothes and what is fashionable during different times is constantly changing.
When you think about it, clothes are a big part of everyone’s life; I mean, you wear clothes every day. Throughout the years, this fact stays the same, yet the style of clothes and what is fashionable during different times is constantly changing. Because of this, popular pieces tend to come back, sometimes even decades later. Every decade is defined by different things that were trending during that time or things that happened, but a big variation between them is clothes. It really sets apart different time periods, and looking back 100 years ago you can see the major change in clothing from then to now. It’s kind of cool to look back and see how fashion has progressed through the years and notice the recurring trends too, which clothing designers use to create new pieces or bring something back. To really see the change in fashion through the years, I decided to do some research and write about it; and here’s what I found.
The 1970s:
At the beginning of the 70s, clothing designers began to get away from tight-fitting clothes and made more relaxed clothing, kind of like how clothing has been in recent years. Sweaters became very trendy because they could be dressed up or down, were comfortable, and could be tight or baggy. Towards the middle of the seventies, the looser clothing styles still carried on. Fabrics like tweed and flannel, as well as cashmere, were popular. Jumpsuits were also a big hit during this time and were made in all kinds of materials, and bell bottoms are practically a symbol of this decade.
For men in the 70s, it was all about mixing different textures and colors together, and “It wasn’t uncommon to see a man at the office wearing a plaid jacket, a checkered vest, and solid flannel pants,” (1970s Fashion: Styles, Trends, Pictures & History- Retrowaste). A pretty weird combination of clothes in my opinion, but was somehow trending at the time. Closer to the end of the 70s, clothes were still baggy, yet became tighter again in 1978, as designers noticed an increased interest in exercise. They used inspiration from the past as well as current trends such as this to make sure all their designs would be relevant and trending. By the end of the 70s, casual clothing was out and business-style clothing was back; although by the time the 80s came around, fashion changed drastically yet again.
The 1980s:
Fashion in the 80s was all bold patterns and flashy colors, as stripes, polka dots, and neon colors were very popular. Singers like Madonna and Micheal Jackson heavily influenced what people wore, and fashion was very rock-fixated throughout the 80s. Jewelry and makeup were bold as well and were worn in big amounts. One of the biggest trends during the ’80s was fitness fashion; tights, leotards, headbands, leggings, and leg warmers were all popular everyday items for women. Jane Fonda, an actress, was the first major actress to make an exercise video, sparking the transition of sports clothes from the gym to the catwalk (Jonas and Mitchell).
’80s was an important time, because not only were the styles of clothing very different, but it was also the first time in history when men’s fashion was as important as women’s. Of course, since everything was big in the 80s, shoulder pads were pretty fashionable, and were in men’s and women’s clothes, especially power suits, fitted suits with wide padded shoulders. Another favorite of both men and women was animal prints, mostly zebra, leopard, and snake, which totally makes sense considering everything had to be flashy at the time. Honestly, just a great way to sum up that this decade is big and bright.
The 1990s:
The iconic bold and flashy clothing styles of the 80s quickly changed to grunge early in the 90s. Flannels, sweaters, worn-out jeans, and hiking boots were commonly seen, as well as sportswear like leggings, casual jackets, and tennis shoes, a trend that continued on from the ’80s. The rise of the grunge style and vintage clothing encouraged the growth of thrift stores which started in the 80s, and are still popular now. Bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam influenced fashion, and animal print clothing and accessories gained popularity again. Jackets, especially denim and leather were a staple in everyone’s closet.
By the mid-’90s, women’s clothes became more feminine again, moving away from the grunge look. During this time slip dresses became pretty popular because they could be dressed up or down; another trend that’s popular currently. You can see that as time progressed, more and more movie stars and musicians heavily influenced fashion, and hip-hop and rap were a big influence in the 90s. Men’s sportswear, baseball caps, basketball shorts, and hoodies, were accepted as casual wear because of them. As the decade came to a close, women’s fashion took a turn towards more bohemian styles, influenced by the ’70s, with embroidery and mixed fabrics weaving their way into fashion once again.
The 2000s:
During the 2000s, men and women no longer looked towards supermodels or the fashion industry to see what was fashionable, but rather to musicians and TV stars. People like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie were fashion icons for women in the 2000s, and NSYNC for men. Crop tops, short skirts, and body jewelry were worn by women, as well as cargo pants and camo print; opposite ends of the fashion spectrum. For men, technology heavily influenced fashion in the 2000s because the internet was in its early stages at the time, and the progression of technology was exciting, hence it being represented in clothing.
The color palette for clothes was mostly shiny blacks and metallics. Most men’s looks included a leather jacket, statement dress shirt, and chunky shoes. Of course, denim was big at the time in both men’s and women’s wardrobes, but it was now being used to create shirts, jackets, and hats instead of just jeans. Speaking of jeans, low-waisted jeans, and skirts were a main part of clothing in the 2000s, and could be seen everywhere. A trend that popped up in the 2000s that has recently come back is crochet clothing; it originally started in the 70s, then came back in the 2000s, and again now, which shows how trends are constantly recycled.
Current day (2023):
Current-day fashion is definitely different from what it was years ago; although if you look, a lot of pieces are very similar to, or were made using inspiration from the past. I guess this is another example of “history always repeats itself” if you want to put it that way. Currently, clothes are pretty 80’s and 90’s inspired, with corsets, slip dresses, flannel, and leather jackets trending right now, among other things. After all this research it’s been made even more clear to me that designs are reused and recycled over and over again throughout time by different designers or even just regular people. As time goes on, the cycle continues, adding more things to the mix once in a while. This cycle reminds me of life because people pass on and new people are born, and the cycle keeps repeating. Anyways, doing this piece was pretty fun, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
Works Cited
Ellis, Perry. “1970s Fashion: Styles, Trends, Pictures & History.” RetroWaste, https://www.retrowaste.com/1970s/fashion-in-the-1970s/. Accessed 6 April 2023.
Jonas, Carla, and Olivia Mitchell. “The Complete Guide to 80s Fashion.” The Pearl Source, 11 September 2022, https://www.thepearlsource.com/blog/the-complete-guide-to-80s-fashion/. Accessed 6 April 2023.
“1990s Fashion: Styles, Trends, History & Pictures.” RetroWaste, https://www.retrowaste.com/1990s/fashion-in-the-1990s/. Accessed 6 April 2023.
Oh, Hannah, and Yoora Kim. “12 ’90s Fashion Trends That Are Back – Best Nineties Fashion.” Seventeen Magazine, 13 September 2022, https://www.seventeen.com/fashion/trends/g41159789/90s-fashion-outfits/. Accessed 6 April 2023.
Reddy, Karina. “1990-1999 | Fashion History Timeline.” Fashion History Timeline, 24 September 2020, https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1990-1999/. Accessed 6 April 2023.
Sutton, Samantha. “Y2K Fashion: Questionable ’00s Trends That Have Returned.” InStyle, 29 March 2023, https://www.instyle.com/fashion/early-2000s-fashion-trends-style-came-back. Accessed 6 April 2023.
“2000s Fashion: 57+ Fashion Trends, Tips & Outfit Ideas.” FAVERIE, 19 November 2022, https://www.faverie.com/magazine/2000s-fashion/. Accessed 6 April 2023.