What is fashion really? Clothes can easily be trendy today and outdated tomorrow. From the beginning of time, it has always taken a very popular face who is capable of influencing the mass public into following a fashion statement and within a matter of seconds, something is good enough for everyone to buy and wear. It’s not exactly clear when fashion became an important part of society but it is quite clear when high fashion became well known.
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1858
It all started in the English couturière industry when Charles Frederick Worth introduced what became to be known as the first-ever haute couture house in Paris. This was also around the time he managed to commercialise the luxurious fashion items for women in the upper-class and through this, he earned the title of being known as a fashion designer which he explained to people as a form of art meaning he saw himself as an artist instead of just being known as a basic dressmaker.
1868
Le Chambre Syndicale de la Haute couture was established as a way to save high-fashion. This gave designers a chance to label themselves as couture houses but just like everything else this came at a price and designers soon realised that they had to follow a specific number of specifications.
1908
This became a big moment for fashion as the world heard the phrase haute couture for the very first time. It was not such a big deal at the time but from then the complex world of fashion was properly introduced to the rest of the world. From then there would be fashion items like jumpsuits in the 1970s, overalls in the 1990s, printed suits in the 2000s, alter-neck swimwear in the 1950s and fitted waist swimwear also in the 1950s according to the halter tops by Debbie Sessions.
1960-1961
Matching coats and dresses made fashion statements among many upper-class women as it was a sign of elegance and luxury.
1962
The first lady of the United States of America at that time, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis introduces pillbox hats, tailored coats, elbow-length gloves and strapless gowns and as they would have it was Beyoncé or Rihanna people followed the new set fashion statement.
1963
If you are wondering when bow collars were introduced into the fashion industry, well here’s your answer. In 1963 there was a new trend of different bow collars.
1964
In 1964 women started becoming bold with design and colour which gave the way to different bold-coloured fitted dresses.
1965
As music became a big part of everyday life it also ended up being infused into the fashion world as music inspired outfits became a big focus for this year. This came to be known as modernism or mod which was brought on by young men from London who listened to modern jazz.
1966
This year saw major changes in women’s fashion. Women started wearing sleek suits, polka-dot outfits, black-and-white also became the go-to combination for this year and panelled dresses were introduced.
1967
Different coloured and styled mini skits were introduced into the high-fashion industry. You would be surprised at how long “miniskirts” were during those times compared to today.
1968
People became so obsessed with the characters from Bonnie and Clyde so much so that they equally loved wearing fashion items inspired by the movie.
1969
Knee-length boots became popular among the ladies. Yes ladies knee-length boots are not yesterday’s topic.
1970
We can see in many movies produced during this year that the fashion during that era was highly inspired by “Hippie” fashion and mod-style shirts. These were turtle necks, neck scarves and wide-legged pants.
1971
Following the introduction of turtlenecks, there was the introduction of halter necklines.
1972
People stopped caring about looking presentable and neat. Around this time fashion started becoming a way in which people could express themselves and embrace their preferences. This brought an introduction to many styles and colours.
1973
Just like the music, disco-inspired outfits started becoming famous around all walks of the world. This meant that men wore bell-bottom pants and platform shoes.
1974
This was the business era where many women and men started making formal suits a big part of their working attire. Women started wearing suit styled dresses, suit jackets paired with skirts and men started wearing casual suits, this meant that they would couple a jacket with a pair of jeans and other styles of suits.
1975
Women started experimenting with a high-fashion ensemble that is still classified as luxury and elegance today called the jumpsuit.
1976
The weird thing about this era is the fact that they saw dresses that were buttoned in front of something different and refreshing. Weird right? I mean we see dresses buttoned at the back and it feels different and irregular for us but dresses that were buttoned in front was a new and exciting fashion statement at that time.
1977
Both men and women started exposing skin with the clothes they wore. This could mean that men would wear their shirts with the buttons only closed at the bottom and left open at the top.
1978
All clothes during this ear were influenced by music dance genres.
1979
A style that was introduced in London in 1975 became extremely popular in other parts of the world. Ripped jeans and leather which were part of the punk subculture was popular amongst the youth.
1980
Bright colours started becoming mixed into everyday wear.
1981
This is when the world started seeing women and men using voluminous shoulder in dresses, jackets, suits and coats.
1982
Everything was black and white during this era. Especially so among women.
1983
During this era, men became highly obsessed with athletic wear. This means that brands such as Adidas were highly preferred during this time.
1984
We love pinstriped pants but we don’t know where they come from. during this year both men and women wore pinstriped pants.
1985
Both long and shorts skirts were seen as attractive and stylish during this year. Women would comfortably go clubbing or go to major social events with both options.
1986
The genre of rock and roll was not just music but also a fashion category among the rebellious and upper-class.
1987
Men were pairing suspenders with suits and jeans like they couldn’t make a statement without different styled and coloured suspenders.
1988
As unusual as it seemed women started mixing their athletic wear with everyday wear. This means that they would wear bodysuits with heals and jeans.
1989
Because there were many protests when it came to the use of real fur in the fashion industry, many designers started using faux fur instead.
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1990
Men and women saw the importance of adding a jacket with every outfit they wore. These would be heavy expensive jackets, long coats or everyday jackets.
1991
The famous styles of bomber jackets and famous athletic jackets became a part of everyday fashion.
1992
Women started wearing platform shoes wherever they went. Formal even or casual gathering platform shoes were a must wear.
1993
Overalls started becoming popular amongst the youngsters and at that time and in current times overalls were a way for youngsters to express their creative selves.
1994
A lot of plaid clothes became as popular as everyday t-shirts and jeans for a lot of young girls and older women.
1995
This year saw a lot more colourful designs than there already were among women.
1996
This is the year we can say formal styles fell off, in offices and at other formal events. Men and women didn't see the importance of formal dresses and suits at events anymore. Casual styles became popular.
1997
Almost every person owned a pair of Dr Martens boots. These were very high cut boots with crazy colours and thick rubber soles.
1998
Famous brand and logo-inspired clothing were introduced. These clothes are what we know today as Gucci, Fendi, Louis Vitton and other high-fashion branded items.
1999
Men accessorised with a bucket hat, giving their sense of dressing a more casual style and look.
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2000
Halter tops came into the fashion industry for both casual and formal wear.
2001
This is the year celebrities introduced denim fashion boots, dresses, skirts, bucket hats and caps. This is also when people would wear denim from head to toe.
2002
A lot of celebrities would show off their bodies by wearing low-rise jeans and so did many models.
2003
Celebrities like Beyonce introduced crop tops that look like bras and with that high-fashion was able to allow more individuals to show more skin.
2004
Von Dutch’s apparel was officially introduced in the fashion world and with that branded accessories, footwear, trucker caps and more were introduced in the high-fashion industry.
2005
Many celebrities and other people who are considered fashion influencers were wearing multi-coloured live strong bracelets.
2006
Young boys and men started wearing polo shirts over long-sleeved shirts of different colours and patterns.
2007
Many young men started wearing formal vests and waistcoats with plain shirts as everyday wear.
2008
Fashion starters introduced leggings as pants and layering them with longer tops and knee-length boots.
2009
Ed Hardy started introducing printed t-shirts and leather jackets. Ed Hardy is a tattoo artist who put his creative designs and modern tattoos designs on these items of clothing.
2010
Formal and casual peplum tops were seen coupled with skirts and dark coloured jeans as part of formal and casual wear.
2011
A lot of items such as tops, scarfs and other accessories that have skull print were embraced by a lot of fashion lovers.
2012
Many sneaker brands started adding wedge designs to their sneaker collections for women and young girls.
2013
Most fitted dresses were designed in star format meaning that the dress would have a sleeve on one side and it would not have a sleeve on the other side with open patterns creating a star pattern.
2014
Many young people nationally and internationally started wearing full-length crop tops and many brands like Nike, Adidas, Kappa and more brands started creating labelled crop tops of their own.
2015
Fashion icons such as Kanye West with his Yeezus collection and others started introducing natural coloured clothing or otherwise known as nude coloured clothing.
2016
A fashion statement that is still in the industry even to this day is the addition of off the shoulder silhouettes. These include dresses and tops, even with the addition of stylish semi-formal crop tops.
2017
A lot of men are creating and showing off suits with special patterns and designs and plain suits are not part of the plan in the fashion world anymore.
2018
Many women during this year were seen playing with a lot of monochromatic designs with bold and strong colours. These are outfits that have similar shades of the same colour that stands out. Most women make their monochromatic outfits stand out by wearing formal asymmetrical pants, a free-flowing formal blouse and a large coat or jacket and mashing shoes.
2019
The no pants trend might seem inappropriate to the mind when thinking about it without seeing it but this simply means that women would wear large shirts, sweatshirts, t-shirts and other oversized tops and not wear any jeans or pants.
2020
This is a new fashion trend where we see women expressing the simple life in the forest with floral dresses and a lot of flowers surrounding them. This trend not only coincides with the spring theme but also pushes the new floral dress trend forward.
We have seen fashion evolve from strictly formal to less formal look over the years. One thing is for sure about the fashion world however is that nothing goes out of fashion. This is why we can see items like jumpsuits and plaid coming back into fashion every year with every season. Clothing is not about luxury at this point with the introduction of thrifting. Clothing items go hand-in-hand with how a person is feeling and how they would like to express themselves.
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