Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
Costume Handling Session
The social history of fashion, 1890s to 1980s
Information for Teachers (KS3+)
What can clothing tell us about society at different points in history? How can changing
fashion trends reveal the changing status of women from the late Victorian period to the
1980s? How does fashion dictate the ideal body image? Explore these questions and more by
handling historical clothing and objects from the 1890s, 1920s, 1950s and 1980s. Experience
what it felt like to wear different styles of clothing by trying on replica outfits. Fine tune your
historical skills of enquiry and deduction to work out the identity and lifestyles of women living
in different decades.
Contents
Introduction
Aims of session
National curriculum links
Risk assessment
Group leader sheet
Guidelines for your visit
Pre visit and post visit activities
Background information
You may also like to visit
www.heritagelearningbrighton.org.uk
heritage.learning@brighton-hove.gov.uk
03000 290903
Introduction
The costume handling session explores items of clothing, objects and ephemera relating to
women’s fashion and social status in different decades of the 19 th and 20th centuries. Key
outfits that pupils will investigate include a mourning outfit from the 1890s, a flapper dress
from the 1920s and a party dress from the 1950s. In addition, the museum teacher will
deliver the session wearing an outfit from the 1980s.
The handling session provides an opportunity to gain an insight into the ideas, attitudes,
experiences and events that affected women’s lives and shaped their clothes over time. It
allows pupils to ask and answer questions, make deductions and connections and develop
their skills of empathy for other people’s experiences through close observation, discussion
and by trying on replica outfits from different historical periods.
This pack is intended to give a brief introduction to the session, the objects and the way they
are used at the museum. The session supports areas of the KS3 History, and Art and Design
curriculum (together with elements of the Literacy programme of study).
The pack also provides general information about the museum, suggestions for planning and
preparing for a visit, together with background information on some of the artefacts with which
the pupils will be working.
Outline of the session
The session lasts one hour. Pupils work in three groups. Each group has an outfit, a selection
of objects and ephemera relating to a specific decade of history (1890s, 1920s and 1950s).
Pupils explore and investigate the objects and ephemera in order to make deductions about
the identity and experiences of a typical woman for each decade studied. The groups move
around the tables, and are able to handle all the artefacts. The accompanying adults are
asked to support the pupils’ learning at certain points throughout the session by encouraging
discussion, posing questions, making suggestions, looking for evidence and encouraging
close observational work. Following these investigations, the museum teacher will lead the
pupils in a whole class discussion about what fashion items, objects and images can tell us
about social history and the changing role of women from late Victorian times to the 1980s.
Group organisation
Please make sure that you have organised the class and the adult helpers into three groups
for the handling session.
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Aims of the session
The session aims to support the following areas of the curriculum:
1. Develop historical skills of enquiry by using primary sources to investigate aspects of
social history
2. Use clothing and other primary sources to identify the characteristic features of different
periods of history, focusing on the ideas, attitudes, experiences and events that affected
women
3. Make connections and identify differences in women’s social status by investigating
fashions from different decades
4. Develop pupils’ critical and creative thinking skills by evaluating the sources used in order
to reach reasoned conclusions
The session provides opportunities for
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Discussion
Observation
Questioning
Speaking and listening
Describing (speaking, writing, drawing)
Deduction and/or interpretation
Social skills
1. Co-operation
2. Respect for things/other people
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Curriculum Links 2014
History
Key Stage 3


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changes in an aspect of social history, such as crime and punishment from the AngloSaxons to the present or leisure and entertainment in the 20th Century
ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901
challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day
social, cultural and technological change in post-war British society
the study of an aspect or theme in British history that consolidates and extends pupils’
chronological knowledge from before 1066
1.
understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence,
similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw
contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own
structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
2.
understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously
to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and
interpretations of the past have been constructed
3.
gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts,
understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history;
between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between
short- and long-term timescales.
Art & Design
Key stage 3

to analyse and evaluate their own work, and that of others, in order to strengthen the
visual impact or applications of their work

about the history of art, craft, design and architecture, including periods, styles and
major movements from ancient times up to the present day
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Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
Generic Hazard Sheet – Organised visits
This sheet will enable schools or groups to use this information for the development of visit
risk assessments as required by statutory regulations on Health & Safety.
The following hazards have been identified as being inherent to visits to and use of Brighton
Museum & Art Gallery and its facilities. These hazards are themselves subject to individual
risk assessment by this organisation. This list may not include all hazards that may be present
and the council does not accept liability for omissions to this list.
Control measures indicated are for guidance only and the group must satisfy itself as to their
suitability.
Hazard
Fire
Collision with objects on
display
Reckless behaviour –
injury to self and others
Trips, slips, falls
Doors
Passenger lift
Handling objects –
physical injury or toxic
reaction
Arts and Crafts activities
Cutting and fastening,
choking, paint and glue
Lunch Room
Recommended Control
Evacuate immediately on alarm or if asked by
museum staff. Follow all evacuation instructions.
No running. Follow instructions on behaviour from
staff.
Verbal instruction and adult supervision
No running. Beware of changing light levels and
changing floor levels. Beware of group members
and group leaders looking at displays and not at
floor. Verbal instruction on hazards.
Beware of trapped fingers, automatic doors and
collision with glass doors
Supervision required
Follow instructions on behaviour. Do not place
objects or hands in mouth or eyes. Wash hands
afterwards.
Use only equipment provided or recommended.
Follow instructions. Adult supervision.
Adult supervision required
August 2014
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Group Leader’s Sheet
Group Leader
Group Members
Schedule for the day
The group should collect information about
They should use the following galleries/displays
They need to
Please encourage pupils to ask questions and talk about the things they find. Ask them lots of questions
to encourage them to look at the display closely. Can they find out more from the labels or objects
around them?
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Visit guidelines
BEFORE YOUR VISIT
 Please ensure that pupils have pens or pencils and clipboards if necessary.
 The pupils should wear suitable footwear.
 Please ensure that you have enough adults to provide adequate supervision for your group.
Minimum staff ratio is 1:10 KS1+2, 1:15 KS3.
 All group leaders and accompanying adults must have a copy of the confirmation letter and a
group leader sheet that lists the itinerary for the day.
ON ARRIVAL
 Groups must arrive at least five minutes before their first activity is due to start. The teacher in
charge should escort the group into the main entrance of the museum and report to the
information desk. It is essential that you tell us how many pupils and adults are in your group.
GALLERY VISITS
 School parties must remember that the museum is open to members of the public as well.
Please supervise your group so they do not block walkways or displays. It would be very
helpful if group visits to different galleries are staggered. Worksheets can be distributed before
entering the galleries. A range of worksheets can be downloaded from the museum’s website
at www.heritagelearningbrighton.org.uk
TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
 The temporary exhibitions on the first floor change every 3-4 months. There will be warning
signs on the door if the content of the exhibition is unsuitable for particular age groups or
contains sensitive material. Please take note of this before allowing pupils in.
PHOTOGRAPHY
 Photography is allowed throughout the museum. Occasionally photography will not be allowed
in the temporary exhibition galleries and there will be a sign on the door to indicate this. When
taking photographs please be aware of other visitors around you and ensure you do not block
gangways or disturb others.
TEACHING SESSIONS
 If you have pre-booked a teaching session with a museum teacher please report to the
information desk where your teacher will meet you and escort you to the education rooms.
ACCESS AND SPECIAL NEEDS
 All areas of Brighton Museum & Art Gallery are accessible for wheelchair users and people
with limited mobility. Please inform Museum Learning of any access or special needs
requirements when booking your visit.
 Sessions can be adapted to suit individual groups. Please discuss any specific requirements
with Museum Learning when booking your visit.
MUSEUM SHOP
 Pupils must be accompanied by a teacher or adult at all times.
LIFT

The lift is primarily intended for elderly and disabled visitors. Please tell your group this before
the visit. The lift is situated in the World Art gallery on the ground floor and the Fine Art gallery
on the first floor.
TOILETS
 There are toilets on the ground floor and in the basement by the education rooms. There are
accessible toilets on the ground floor by the education rooms and on the first floor by Brighton
History Centre.
SCHOOLS’ PICNIC ROOM
 School groups can picnic in the Pavilion Gardens in good weather.
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
The Picnic Room is heavily booked so schools must adhere strictly to their allotted time.
Please show your confirmation letter to staff at the Information Desk and they will escort you to
the Picnic Room. If you are paying on arrival please pay at the Museum Shop. Please ensure
that your group places all litter in the bins provided.
BEHAVIOUR IN THE MUSEUM
 Teachers are responsible for the behaviour of their groups throughout the visit. Please ensure
that your party is divided into small groups and that a member of staff or responsible adult is in
charge of and in sight of each group. Other visitors must not be disturbed by inconsiderate
behavior.
 No food or drink, including sweets, may be consumed anywhere in the museum, except the
Picnic Room and the Café.
 It is not permitted to touch any of the exhibits on display. This is for their long-term preservation
and for safety reasons.
 We regret that failure to abide by these rules may result in the group being asked to leave the
building and future visits by the school being stopped.
TO GET THE MOST OUT OF INDEPENDENT VISITS
 Please ensure that you have a structured day and that your pupils and all
accompanying adults know what the itinerary is. If you have any queries regarding exhibitions
or activities please let us know well in advance of your visit if possible. It is very helpful if you
contact us before your visit so we can monitor how many people are in the museum and advise
you on the best time to visit.
 Please ensure that your pupils have been given something to do and know why they have
come to the museum. Occasionally pupils are left to wander with nothing to do, which has
potential for negative behaviour and can lead to increased safety risk and disturbance to
others.
 Care and consideration must be given to all other users of the museum.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
 The museum has staff fully trained in first aid should you need assistance. In this event please
alert your museum teacher if you have one or another member of museum staff.
 It is essential that groups adhere to our rules and regulations regarding running in the galleries,
down the stairs etc. This helps to prevent accidents and ensures that all visitors to the museum
have a safe visit.
 The museum has full evacuation procedures in case of emergency or fire. All fire exits are
clearly marked and all staff have received training in evacuation
procedures. Please ensure that your group understands the importance of following such
procedures in the event of an evacuation.
 The museum has £25 million Public Liability Insurance cover.
TRAVEL AND PARKING
 Brighton Museum & Art Gallery can be reached on the following buses
1, 1A, 2, 2A, 5, 5A, 5B, 7, 12, 12A, 13, 14, 14B, 14C, 17, 20, 21B, 22, 24, 25, 25A, 26, 27, 27A,
28, 28B, 29, 37, 38A, 40, 46, 46A, 47, 49, 49A, 50, 50A, 52, 55, 56, 57, 59, 77, 81, 81A, 81B,
81C, 87, 273, 700
 Coach drop off point is in Church Street BN1 1UD
 Minibus and car parking is available for disabled group visitors but must be booked in advance.
Please tell us the registration number of the vehicle when you make your booking.
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Preparing for a Visit
A visit to Brighton Museum & Art Gallery will be most effective if it is embedded within your
existing curriculum plans as part of an ongoing project, rather than as a one-off experience.
The pre and post visit activities offered here provide a number of ways of making links
between investigating objects at the museum and learning in the classroom.
Film clips can provide historical context
The various decades covered in the museum handling session can be introduced to pupils
through film. Showing brief clips of films that are either contemporary or retrospective can
provide the basis for discussions about differences in fashion styles and social conventions
between the decades. Possible films are suggested below, but these suggestions should be
viewed with appropriate attention to copyright issues and age certificates. It is also possible
to view film clips of British films from the decades covered in the museum handling session
via the British Film Institute’s website www.screenonline.org.uk/film.
1890s
1920s
1950s
1980s
Contemporary films
Hove Film Pioneers: Kiss in the
Tunnel, Early Fashions on Brighton
Pier, Derby Day
Metropolis, The Jazz Singer,
It (starring Clara Bow)
Roman Holiday (starring Audrey
Hepburn), High Society (starring Grace
Kelly), Rebel Without a Cause (starring
James Dean)
Educating Rita, The Breakfast Club,
Pretty in Pink
Retrospective films
Mrs Brown, The Importance of Being
Earnest, Finding Neverland
The Great Gatsby, Bullets Over
Broadway, Enchanted April
Grease, Far from Heaven, Wish You
Were Here
Son of Rambow
Looking at historical clothing
Ask pupils to bring into school items associated with clothing from the 1890s, 1920s, 1950s or
1980s. These items could be books, family photographs, actual items of clothing or
accessories. Encourage pupils to investigate the different styles of clothing, thinking about
the material used and the person who would have worn the item. These investigations could
then lead on to a written piece of work – script, story, diary entry – in which pupils create a
character who wears their chosen item of clothing and describes what it was like to wear this
style of clothing.
Questions for developing investigative skills when looking at historical clothing
 What is the garment made of? Why was this material used rather than others?
 For what occasion was the garment made? What makes you say that?
 What shape is the garment? What parts of the body does it accentuate?
 How was this garment made? By hand or machine? How can you tell?
 How would the garment be cleaned?
 Where would this item be purchased? Bespoke tailors or high street shop?
 What would the garment feel like to wear?
 In what ways is this garment restrictive (is there any activity that the wearer could not do
wearing this item)?
 What does this source tell you about the times it was worn in?
 How is it different from and similar to the clothes we wear today?
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Post Visit Activities
Create a timeline
Create a whole class timeline for the four decades covered in the museum handling session.
As a whole class, research and discuss the key historical events (social, political and
economic) that shaped each decade. Plot these on the timeline. Divide the class into four
groups and assign each group one of the following areas to research across the decades:
 the arts (literature, music, art)
 leisure and sport
 technology and transport
 housework and interior design
Encourage the groups to identify the key figures and developments in their field for each
decade and ask them to share these with the rest of the class by making a presentation and
then plotting them on the timeline. The timeline could be extended by looking at other
decades in addition to the ones covered in the museum handling session. When the timeline
is complete, ask the class if they can summarise some of the similarities, differences and
trends across the decades: what does the timeline tell us about how life changed for women
in the 20th century?
A further extension to this task could be for pupils to research life in the 21st century, exploring
the same areas as those covered in the whole-class timeline. Ask pupils to identify
similarities and differences between their lives today and those of people (especially women)
living in previous decades.
Design clothing inspired by the past
Pupils could develop ideas for a contemporary piece of clothing, which is inspired by fashions
from the decades covered in the museum handling session. For example, pupils could be
given a brief to design four party dresses, each displaying obvious influences and features of
clothing from the 1890s, 1920s, 1950s and 1980s. These features could include fastenings,
decorative details, accessories, undergarments, the silhouette of the outfit, colours or choice
of materials.
Visit the museum’s online collection
Pupils could undertake further research into fashion history by accessing the museum
collection online. The Fashion & Style gallery contains exhibits that explore four themes:
1. George IV: his coronation and costumes in the procession
2. Internationalism: international influences on historical and contemporary fashion
3. Renegade: clothes chosen and worn by individuals belonging to a specific group or
subculture, including teddy boys, punks and Goths
4. The collection: items that reflect the geographic, social and cultural nature of Brighton
& Hove's community, including objects made and sold in Brighton & Hove, those worn
by local people and the historically outstanding
Pupils can use the website to find out more about the people behind the clothes by reading
gallery labels, researchers’ notes, and in some cases, listening to oral recordings made by
those who donated their outfits to the museum. The website address is www.brighton-hoverpml.org.uk
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Background
This section is intended to give the teacher background information on the four decades of
fashion the pupils will be looking at during the session. Please do not use this information with
your class BEFORE your visit as it will undermine their investigation and discovery on the
day.
Possible starting points could include investigating the key cultural figures and movements of
each period, in order to enhance pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the four decades,
and the ideal of womanhood that typified each period.
1890s
Style icons
Music
Literature
Artists and
designers
Royal family, especially Princess Mary and Queen Victoria
Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Music Hall show tunes
Thomas Hardy, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Christina Rossetti
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, William Morris textiles
1920s
Style icons
Music
Literature
Artists and
designers
Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Josephine Baker
Jazz: Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, Josephine Baker
F Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Virginia Woolf
Clarice Cliff, Omega Workshop, Art Deco Movement
1950s
Style icons
Music
Literature
Artists and
designers
Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe,
Rock and Roll: Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Doris Day, Peggy Lee
Enid Blyton, Sylvia Plath, Alan Sillitoe, John Osborne
Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Richard Hamilton (the beginnings
of Pop Art)
1980s
Style icons
Music
Literature
Artists and
designers
Madonna, Princess Diana, Grace Jones
Pop: Live Aid concert, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Eurythmics
Margaret Atwood, Tom Wolfe, Iain Banks
Cindy Sherman, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Anish Kapoor, Anthony
Gormley
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Fashion and clothing in the 1890s
Women's clothing in the 1890s symbolised their constricted lives. Tight corsets and heavy
skirts impeded women's freedom of movement. Until the 1880s, the cage crinoline was
popular as it replaced the many layers of petticoats women were expected to wear, but it was
cumbersome and humiliating. Sitting down, the cage rode up embarrassingly at the front. The
skirts were so wide that many women died engulfed in flames after the material caught fire
from an open grate or candle.
European women throughout the Victorian era wore tightly laced corsets. Young girls were
put in corsets to grow accustomed to the restrictiveness. Many illustrations and contemporary
references from the turn of the century depict the painful process of tightening the corset. The
corset wearer would lie on her stomach on the floor, while someone else put a foot on her
back and pulled the laces. Women who perpetually wore tight corsets suffered from a variety
of health problems, including deformed spines and ribcages, difficulty with breathing, and
compression of the internal organs. Health fads of the 1890s and 1900s encouraged women’s
sporting activities, particularly bicycling, which promoted sport clothing as a fashion which
required more freedom of movement than a corset would allow. This, together with women's
increasingly public protest over access to suffrage and birth control, brought daily corset wear
into question.
For most of the Victorian period, girls received less education than boys, were barred from
universities, and could obtain only low-paid jobs. The accepted reasoning was that the career
for women was marriage. The qualities a young Victorian gentlewoman needed were to be
innocent, virtuous and dutiful. A wealthy wife was supposed to spend her time reading,
sewing, receiving guests, going visiting, seeing to the servants and dressing for the part as
her husband's social representative. The Victorian head of household dressed his women to
show off family wealth. As the 19th century progressed dress became more and more lavish
until clothing dripped with lace and beading as the new century dawned.
A wealthy woman's day was governed by etiquette rules that encumbered her with up to six
wardrobe changes a day and the needs varied over three seasons a year. In addition to this,
the rules regarding mourning clothes were complicated, and depended on the relationship to
the deceased. Widows were expected to wear full mourning for two years. For deepest
mourning clothes were to be black, symbolic of spiritual darkness. The colour of cloth
lightened as mourning went on, to grey, mauve, and white (called half-mourning). Jewellery
was limited to jet, a hard, black coal-like material sometimes combined with woven hair of the
deceased.
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Fashion and clothing in the 1920s
World War I (1914-1918) had a pronounced effect on women’s fashion in the western world.
Several trends that had roots in the decades prior to the war were rapidly accelerated by
wartime conditions. The most lasting change happened to women’s hemlines. Hems which
had risen from floor length to ankle length prior to the war, rose to mid calf length by 1916.
Several avant-garde fashions like women’s trousers and short hair (decried before the war as
sinful and ugly) were promoted as practical fashions for war work. Most women did not
suddenly cut their hair, but once it became acceptable to do so, gradually more and more
women did in the following decades.
During the war, many women gave up domestic service work and became involved with war
work. They drove trams and collected the fares, did administrative tasks, postal work, worked
as chimney sweeps and nursed. When the war ended the same women simply did not want to
return to being maids for other people. They had gained a new freedom working outside the
home with set hours and a comradeship and respect that they relished. Amazingly after all
their efforts only the jobs of bus conductresses remained open to them, but the barriers were
broken and soon a wider choice of options became usual.
In 1918 the Suffragettes finally won the vote in the UK and in America voting for women was
won in 1920. In the aftermath of the war, people questioned the values of the older generation
that had led to the conflict. The increased sense of freedom that women enjoyed in society
was reflected in the style of clothes they wore. Fashion trends towards a more casual look
typified the 1920s.
American culture in particular became very youth orientated, and fashion began to look at the
younger generation for its inspiration. The ‘college man’ and the ‘flapper’ became the new
icons of all that was young and fashionable
A fashionable flapper had short sleek hair, a shorter than average shapeless shift dress, a flat
chest, wore make-up and applied it in public, smoked with a long cigarette holder, exposed
her limbs and epitomised the spirit of a reckless rebel who danced the nights away in the Jazz
Age.
High fashion until the 1920s had been for the richer women of society. But because
construction of the flapper dress was less complicated than earlier fashions, women were
much more successful at home dressmaking a flapper dress, which was a straight shift. It
was easier to produce up-to-date plain flapper fashions quickly using Butterick dress patterns.
As the slender flat-chested tanned body and face of a 15 year old became the desired
silhouette of the bright young things of the 1920s, health and beauty clubs helped women
refine their silhouettes while getting fitter and healthier. Women's access to sports and
physical exercise in this period heightened their desire for less restrictive garments and
prompted the development and marketing of sports corsets made of lighter and more flexible
materials, such as Rayon.
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Fashion and clothing in the 1950s
After World War II, women once again strived to retain some of the independence which had
been their war experience. This time it became more acceptable for women to go out to work,
and schools began to offer more subjects that gave girls career options.
After the war, the country could afford to cut loose and dance, and 1950s clothing reflected
this. The 1950s fashion for women took to two distinct styles: the slim line or full skirted look.
Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ championed the full-skirted look. Women wore waist-cinched
dresses: a very romantic style which celebrated an hourglass figure as the beacon of beauty.
The full-skirted style was supported by stiffened paper nylon petticoats, aiming for a wide
skirt, which echoed the previous century’s crinoline in its effort to enhance a well-defined
waist. It was a more sculptured look than the shift dresses of the 1920s and created a more
feminine silhouette.
However, as the decade progressed the slim line style became the dominant shape, and by
the end of the 1950s a knee length pencil skirt was the typical fashion. Coco Chanel regarded
Dior’s look as old, a style harking back to the Victorian era. She launched the collarless box
jacket and straight skirt which was accessorised with a string of beads. It was a simple
elegant style that intentionally avoided nipping the waist in and used richly textured wool with
braid trims, and luxurious, silky fabrics to line the garments.
The development of mass produced household products made substantial changes to the
way people could manage their homes. The availability of vacuum cleaners, pressure
cookers, refrigerators – not to mention radios, record players and television sets – led to a
‘convenient’ lifestyle. Although many women still made their own clothes and continued to buy
patterns, mass produced fashion and mainstream clothing also meant that it was harder to
judge a person’s class by their appearance.
Consumerism swept across Britain during the 1950s. Perfect housewives extolled the virtues
of new kitchens with fabulous labour-saving devices. Advertisements promoted holiday camps
like Butlins, air travel, practical motoring and an ever-increasing range of food and drinks. The
1950s also saw the emergence of the ‘teenager’ and a whole new world of fashion that
included not only clothes and hairstyles but also music, dance and motorbikes.
A good example of youth fashion was the Teddy Boy style. This style was a mixture of
American and vintage English. The broad-shouldered drape jacket with a hem that reached
the fingertips and the cowboy-influenced bootlace tie, together with the quiffed ‘Tony Curtis’
hair style (worn longer at the back and combed from the sides towards the back to create a
‘DA’ or ‘duck’s arse’) were all American influences taken from the movies. The velvet details
of the jacket collar and cuffs and the brocade waistcoats were all in the English Edwardian
style, which had been revived by wealthy young city gents in the late 1940s.
Besides the clothes, the other unifying interest for Teddy Boys was the imported American
rock‘n’roll of Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and the Comets, and Little Richard that appeared in the
mid 1950s. Together, the clothes and the music created a social identity for youngsters, far
removed from the rigid class and work based identities of their parents.
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Fashion and clothing in the 1980s
1980s fashion history is memorable and quite distinctive. A variety of fashion looks ran
parallel to each other in the 1980s. Women of this era began to feel they that really could at
last choose from one of the many contrasting looks available. The fashion look that was the
most powerful over the decade was the wide shoulder. This was influenced by the popularity
of TV dramas like Dynasty and Dallas. Women’s fashion was increasingly inspired by clothes
more typically found in a man’s wardrobes. This male-based silhouette, with the shoulder
pads, was known as ‘power dressing’ – impressing a masculine approach in the workplace.
Femininity was expressed through hair, make-up and footwear.
Fitness fanaticism led to a sudden increase in private health clubs and gyms. Women
became increasingly empowered: aerobics was a female dominated exercise rather than a
female version of an originally male sport. Lycra and stretch jersey were popular. Sport
orientated fabrics flourished in fashion, offering the wearer a tight fitting style, often paired
with broader or baggier jumpers, blouses or jackets. Training shoes or ‘trainers’ were worn
outside sports activities as a fashion item.
Technology developed rapidly during this era: computer-based robots became widely used in
factories and inspired science fiction films. In the home, video cassette recorders, compact
discs and video games became available. Young men and women were becoming the
dominant demographic in new and old industries and hard work became credible and
fashionable. ‘Yuppies’ (standing for ‘young upwardly-mobile professionals’) worked hard for
high salaries and bonuses. Wealth became a status symbol which was flaunted in clothing,
cars and computers.
The 1980s have been described as a decade of greed with consumers being urged to buy
designer clothes and luxury goods from brands such as Versace, Armani and Calvin Klein.
Shopping malls sprang up throughout Britain to feed consumer demand for possessions, and
designer fashion houses led to a new shopping experience. Shoppers could purchase a ‘total
look’: an entire outfit (including accessories) from one label. Designer accessories like the
Gucci handbag or a Rolex watch became symbols of wealth and success and were much
sought after.
15
You may also like to visit …

The Royal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion was the extravagant seaside residence of King George IV. The lavish
interiors combine Chinese-style decorations with magnificent furniture and furnishings. Adorned
with gilded dragons, carved palm trees and imitation bamboo staircases, the palace's unique
style mixes Asian exoticism with English eccentricity. Daring and inventive colours feature
throughout, and there are many original items on loan from HM The Queen.
The Royal Pavilion offers independent visits and guided tours to school groups
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Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery was originally King George IV’s riding stables. In 1873 the
building was converted into a museum, with the incorporation of a library in 1902. In 2002
£10million was spent on redevelopment and Brighton Museum & Art Gallery now boasts
dynamic and innovative galleries that provide greatly improved access to the museum's
nationally and locally important collections. Galleries include Fashion & Style, World Art,
Performance, Body, Fine Art, Local History and 20th Century Art & Design. The museum has a
thriving temporary exhibition programme, ensuring that visitors have greater access to the
museum’s large collections, and opportunities to enjoy a broad and exciting range of art, past
and present, as well as touring exhibitions.
Independent visits and taught sessions to school groups as well as school loans can be booked.
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Hove Museum & Art Gallery
Hove Museum & Art Gallery houses the most important contemporary craft collection in the
South East outside London, and one of the most significant toy collections in the UK. Come
along and see the magical Wizard's Attic where highlights include dolls, teddy bears, a working
train set, a workshop for broken toys and a bedroom split by time. There is also a Local History
gallery containing the Amber Cup, one of Britain's most important Bronze Age finds, and Fine
Art, Film and Exhibition galleries.
Hove Museum & Art Gallery offers independent visits and taught sessions to school groups
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The Booth Museum of Natural History
This beautiful Victorian museum is the place to see dinosaur bones, a whale skeleton, and
hundreds of species of British birds and butterflies. Feel, touch and learn about natural history in
the interactive ‘hands on’ gallery, and admire the macabre art of Victorian taxidermy in this
quirky museum.
The Booth Museum of Natural History offers independent visits and taught sessions to school
groups as well as Natural History School Loans
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Preston Manor
This old Manor House evokes the atmosphere of an Edwardian gentry house both 'upstairs' and
'downstairs'. Dating from c1600, rebuilt in 1738 and substantially added to in 1905, the house
and its contents give a rare insight into life during the early years of the 20th century.
Preston Manor offers guided tours and Victorian role-play to school groups.