The Evolution of Western Women's Fashion
Changes in Female Clothing from the Middle Ages to Present Day
Nov 29, 2008
A recent trip to Montreal Canada's McCord Museum offered a glimpse into the evolution of western female fashion. In an exhibit entitled Reveal or Conceal, the visitor is taken through a 400 period of history which explores the change in women's clothing as a reflection of the era.
Origins of Western Fashion
The concept of Western fashion did not begin until the Middle Ages. Even from then, the way clothing covered women did not make any drastic changes until the early 20th century. While attire was meant to completely conceal the wearer, the garments emphasized form and shape as a means of eroticism.
Bodices were laced tight and coupled with long, flowing skirts that were meant to the entire length of the leg. To emphasize the shape of the skirt, bustles, hoops, farthingales and bum rolls were used to alter the shape beneath the garments and give the illusion of the fullness of many skirts. When walking, the swishing motion of the skirt would at times offer a glimpse of an ankle, something that was considered highly erotic.
19th Century Formal Wear
Women attending formal dances were allowed to reveal more skin than they would on a regular basis. This was not to say women could fully expose their bodies; far from it. Since behavior at dances was closely monitored, it was socially acceptable for women’s arms to be revealed, though gloved hands were a must to avoid skin contact with strangers when dancing.
For a woman of the upper class, lower necklines were appropriate, though for servants attending their employers this was unacceptable. These women would have to conceal as if in everyday attire; otherwise they would be viewed as indecent.
20th Century Women’s Attire
The 20th century ushered in new rules garnering female fashion. With two world wars and the women’s liberation movement, the most drastic changes in women’s dress were witnessed in this century.
The year 1912 saw a less defined waistline in women’s attire and from 1914 to 1918 hemlines were raised to conserve material for the war effort. Once raised, hems couldn’t be lowered, and by the end of the First World War women’s clothing drew attention to the body beneath it. Ankles and calves were exposed and the shorter skirts of flappers became an icon of the Roaring Twenties.
By the early 1930s, formal wear as well as footwear became more illuminating. Due to the nature of more revealing ceremonial shoes, grooming and polishing of toenails became a regular part of hygiene for women. By this time, the covering of women’s hands in public became obsolete as well.
By the 1940s, the US involvement in the Second World War would allow yet another rise of the hemline. Once again, they could not be lowered once the war was over; therefore the 1950s saw women’s fashion just below the knee.
1960s Women’s Liberation
Being a volatile time in American social history, '60s women’s fashion were no exception to the rule. Hemlines were again raised, and swimsuits became even more revealing than in the previous decade. Dresses were taken above the knee for the first time in Western history, giving women the freedom to dress as they had never been able to before.
This history of western female dress has been centuries in the making. While the 16th to 19th centuries did see a great deal of trend in women’s dress, little change was made in the overall form. The 20th century would change all that; with two World Wars and Women’s Liberation, fashion made its most drastic changes ever seen.
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