Fashion History during :-
1990s-Technology Era
2000s-Internet Era
Introduction
Fashion refers to the styles of clothing that are currently popular
– ‘currently’ being relative. It is always evolving and changing
and going back.
Recalling back a little bit, during the eighties major characteristics
of 1980s fashion were all about volume, shoulder pads were
everything. And the more polka dots, the better. Finishing a look
off with bold matching accessories was a must.
Globalization led to international influences in fashion. Fashion
images spread through the internet and television led to fashion
adopting international influences.
Fashion during 1990s-Technology Era
o Basically this was a period whereby there was existence
of highly effective and innovative modes of performing
works through the use of machines.
o During this time fashion continued to move towards a
more casual style of dressing and minimalism.
Influence of the fashion.
o Celebrities, musicians, Work Places, Companies,
Organizations and also the Social and Economic conditions
within the particular century played a major and key role to
enhance the wide spread as well as influence existence of a
particular fashion.
o Also in the early nineties fashions worn by hip hop artists
were becoming increasingly mainstream. Brands like
Timberlands and Flat Caps were most worn during this period
especially by young people.
Major historical events and how they influenced fashion.
oMany things happened in the 1990s. End of Cold war, the
bombing of World Trade Center– all this changed
everything the world had known before. The oil bust of
the mid-1980s in the US contributed to a state of restrain
in consumerism as well as fashion sentiments. As the US
was and is a major stakeholder in fashion, this affected
the whole world too.
oIn 1990 Recession had occurred in major economic
superpowers of the world in a sense that it led to the so
called “recession-weary”.
Continuation..
So what happened? Consumers/ civilians were willing to only
spend money into buying clothes that would stay in style for a
long period of time. As a result this changed the FASHION
STYLE.
For women who didn’t care so much for skirts, there were
always pants. The pants resembled the early 1970s styles, with
flaring boot cuts. Pants were worn at work, at home or out to the
movies.
Many cost-cutting women were getting their clothing from Wal-
Mart, K-Mart and Caldor. They would often “cross shop”,
meaning they would get one or two pieces in an upscale shop,
then supplement it with a cheaper pair of jeans or a sweater.
o The fashion industry was shocked by the senseless murder of
Giovanni Versace on July 15.1995
o Starting in the mid-90s, industrial and military styles crept into
mainstream fashion. People were finding any way to make a
fashion accessory out of a piece of machinery. Camouflage
pants were ironically worn by anti-war protesters.
o By the late 90s, rave culture swept through and people were
looking for clothes that were more glamorous again. The
grungy styles of the early nineties were old hat. Looking rich
was cool again. Name brand designers were back in a big
way.
Trends of the century
o At the beginning of the decade, the high fashion “supermodel”
peaked and was also the one which had been termed as the
Trend of the Century. Weekends were about biker shorts,
turtlenecks, high-waisted jeans and baggy, logo tees. Hair was
scraped into scrunchies.
o Casual styles, such as anoraks and parkas were prominently
seen in cold-weather climates. One other major change was the
lengthening hemline.
o In early 1994, the “grunge” style had completely taken over the
American fashion world. A style derived from clothes worn by
Seattle rock musicians.
Simply put, grunge was an assortment of jackets, vests, sweaters,
skirts, scarves, and footwear that resembled hiking boots.
Grunge Style
Continuation..
In 1995
o Increasingly, companies were offering “casual Fridays” in which
employees were allowed to wear jeans to work.
o Women chose the “little black dress”, with or without subtle embroidery.
Luxury was expressed quietly, with precious fibers like silk and cashmere.
In 1999
o By the end of the century, employee in the business world influenced the
shift from wearing “business suit” into a new wave of wearing “business
casual” not just for employee comfort, but as a tactic to recruit younger
generations.
o Brightly colored handbags, glittering hair ornaments and jewelry, such as
arm bands and bracelets had made a strong comeback.
o Garment Silhoutte.
Among the silhouette during that era was the bell shape, a
line shape, also there were the straight skirts which are short
above the knee.
Famous designers
James Galanos from Los Angels and Geoffrey Beene,
regarded by many as the most prestigious designer in New
York City.
A trend setter in the jacket trend was Chanel, who introduced
loose versions of the famous Chanel jacket slit vertically at the
hem.
Marc Jacobs developed a grunge collection.
Continuation..
Demi Moore was on trend with her spaghetti strap, beaded
gown, and lilac shawl.
In Italy Gianni Versace, with his brilliant, sexy, and colorful
designs, and Dolce & Gabbana.
The London-based designer Rifat Ozbek was also popular,
particularly in New York and Milan. His youthful style, which
mixed references to India, Africa, and his native Turkey
Types of mostly favoured fabric.
o Brocade, embroidered satins and laces were important, but the
most popular style of eveningwear was the slender black dress,
worn quite short with black stockings and high-heeled shoes.
o The jacket remained the key to daytime dress.
o In the winter of 1990 the short, swingy coat was worn in full
force. Women loved how racy the coat looked over short skirts.
Types of color mostly favored.
o The biggest difference in 1990 fashion was an explosion of
color, with alarming arrays of bright yellow, orange, red, purple
and green. Neon bright
o Some were bright colors like hot pink, tangerine and white.
Internet Era-2000s
o Simply put, Internet Era refers to the period whereby there was
a massive emerge of internet company as well as existence of
popularity in the internet industry across the world.
o The 2000s the major fashion theme became less about a
certain style and more about fabrics and patterns.
Influence of fashion in 2000s
o Meanwhile, for a generation of teens raised on MTV and the
fictional lives of fellow adolescents -- Beverly Hills, 90210 and
Bel-Air, to name just a couple -- fashion came to be defined as
a mix of preppy garments (duster coats, plaid miniskirts, knee-
high boots) and slouchy cardigans, ripped jeans and snapback
hats.
o Fast fashion, online selling platforms and shops, mobile
obsessed consumers, economic uncertainty, ethical concerns
and sustainability, emerging markets (other than the
established markets in western parts of the world) are the
watchwords of this century. These are the drivers of fashion
forecasts of this period.
Continuation..
o Military influences
From 2005 until the end of the decade, more elaborate military inspired
clothing became a unisex trend in Britain.
Due to the popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
o Competition amongst fashion brands
But the revival hasn't stopped at the clothes. Nineties supermodels are again
commanding runways, from Naomi closing Saint Laurent spring 2020 last
September to Christy Turlington walking Marc Jacobs' Fall 2019 show.
Additionally, last year, Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin did a pretty good job
of recreating the sexy mood of those iconic Calvin Klein ads. Calvin Klein.
o Collaboration between brands and designers, and are much bigger than
designers and most of them have a presence in major countries of the
world. They are collaborating with designers to become even bigger.
Major historical events and their influence in Fashion.
In this century, it is mainly characterized by the economy and profit
drive fashion.
-Globalization existence also affected the decade's clothing trends,
with the incorporation of Middle Eastern and Asian dress into
mainstream European, American and Australasian fashion.
-During 2000s -There was Increasing eco-awareness and animal
rights made even top couture houses such as Chanel introduce fake
fur and natural fibers into their collections.
-Economic liberilization
Mitumba Clothing had been imported into Tanzania and Kenya since
the economic liberalisation of the early 2000s, and was more
desirable than newly made Chinese textiles due to its higher quality of
construction and recognisable brand labels.
Trend of the century
o 2000s fashion has been nominated by the fusion of previous vintage styles,
global and ethnic clothing (e.g. boho), as well as the fashions of numerous
music-based subcultures.
o Early 2000s (2000–03)
Notable trends include Y2K fashion which was profoundly influenced by
technology.
This was called "Y2K fashion". The apparel was made to be as dark, reflective,
technological, and as sexy as possible.
o The mid-2000s (2005) was a confusing time for dresses. In the days of Lindsay
Lohan and Paris Hilton, retro- and vintage-inspired dresses were hugely
popular.
o 2007- Slim-fit suits
In the European workplace, the cut of suits changed, as the three buttoned
jackets popular in the 1990s were replaced with 1950s inspired suits comprising
a two-buttoned blazer and matching trousers.
• Continuation..
o The very popular fashion style called ‘Streetwear style” has its base on
comfortable clothes that people like to wear.
Trends of the century 2010 includes Bodycon dress and classic Hervé Léger
bandage dress.
o In 2015
Taylor Swift shows how the biggest trend of the season–cutouts–is done at
the iHeart Radio Music Awards.
On the runways, brands like Saint Laurent, Off-White, Gucci and Prabal
Gurung have rediscovered the era's biggest trends, from grunge to velvet,
silky pastel slips and biker shorts.
o Basically From 2001 onwards, women wore long-sleeved shirts with bell
sleeves, cowl-neck tops, crop tops, Burberry, Hoodies, flare jeans, just a
few to mention.
Fewer illustrations on the Trends of the century
o Silhouette of the garment
A form-fitting bodice that gave way to a flouncy skirt was all you needed to
be a fashionista.
Fewer examples include:-
o A-Line silhouette
o European V inverted triangle silhouette.
Famous Designers of the century.
-American Fashion designers Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs,
Calvin Klein, Gianni Versace
-Italian Fashion Designer Vivienne Westwood, Angelo
Tarlazzi.
-British fashion designer, Thierry Mugler, Alexander
MacQueen, Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo.
-French fashion designers, Claude Montana.
• Types of Fabric mostly preferred.
• Synthetic materials like lycra spandex and viscose became
popular fabrics for making figure-hugging clothes.
• Cotton, jersey, and rayon had a big moment in the new
millennium.
For example, the sports label, Nike had great popularity and
materials such as Lycra/spandex were increasingly used for
sportswear.
o Color proffered:
Around the year 2000, there was a monochromatic futuristic
approach to fashion, with metallics, shiny blacks, heavy use of
gray, straps, and buckles becoming commonplace.
o Concussively
Until now the five (5) countries which drove the most
fashionable ideas and innovations were America, Britain,
France, Japan, and Italy. All the rest of the world looked up to
them for inspiration. But today countries in Asia, Latin America,
the Middle East and Africa are emerging as major markets for
the fashion industry and fashion is changing to cater to these
changing audiences and designers from these areas are
gaining global attention.
