1940 – 1949
Mood of the decade
World War II
• Women re-entered the workforce
• Parisian fashion houses closed their doors due to German invasion of Paris
• American fashion designers emerged
• L-85 (General Limitations Order) restricted amount of fabric used in production of apparel.
– Designers had to create fashions that would remain stylish through multiple seasons.
– A new style of suits for women had short skirts and short jackets of twenty-five inches or less in length.
– Sheath (see glossary) evening dresses replaced the long flowing gowns of the thirties.
• Other restrictions limited use of silk, wool, rubber, metal
• Shorter skirts
• Sloppy Joe sweaters
• Bikini introduced
• Tailored masculine-looking suit
Postwar Fashion Freedom
• Women wanted a return to more feminine designs.
• Christian Dior introduced the “New Look” with rounded shoulders, fuller bust-lines, and fuller skirts fifteen inches off the ground.
• Paris was re-established as the center of the fashion world.

People who influenced the fashions of this decade
• Christian Dior – designer of the “New Look”; first designer to license his name
• Norman Norrell – winner of the first Coty American Fashion Critics Award
(the American fashion designer’s version of the Oscar); known for sweaters with luxurious skirts and beaded sheath gowns; founder of the
Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA see glossary)
• Cristobal Balenciaga – known for huge evening coats, long, full skirts, pillbox hats, and chemise dresses
• Jacques Fath – first French designer to export his designs to the United
States
• Elsa Schiaparelli – known for surreal designs and bold use of color, especially shocking pink and ice blue
• Adrian – Hollywood costume designer whose screen fantasies influenced street fashions

• Korean War
• Color television introduced
• Rock-n-Roll explosion
– Teenagers emerged as a fashion voice.
– Leather jackets and T-shirts with the sleeves rolled up
– White shirts and blue jeans
– Letter sweaters
– Beatniks
– American Bandstand
– Elvis Presley appeared on The Ed Sullivan
Show.

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Moving to the suburbs
– Sportswear emerges
– Pedal pushers, slacks, halters, shirtwaist dresses
– Cashmere sweaters with a matching scarf
– Poodle skirts
– Single-breasted jackets, narrow lapels, and natural shoulders
– Tapered trousers and penny loafers
– Shopping malls are built.

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Ivy League look
– Men wore neat single-breasted jackets with narrow lapels, pressed trousers, with white, yellow, or pale blue buttondown collared shirts, and ties.
– Female students dressed in twin sweater sets, or Peter-Pan collared blouses and sweaters, with pencil-slim or pleated skirts.

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Hairstyles
– Girls wore ponytails early in the decade. Later, the beehive was popular.
– Boys “trained” their hair into greased-back ducktails and carried a comb at all times.

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Shoes and accessories
– Two-toned bucks
– Bobby socks

People who influenced fashions
• Designer influence was significant
– Dior—the A-line silhouette for women
– Givenchy—the chemise or “sack” dress
– Claire McCardell— sashes, harem pajamas, bias-cut, dartless clothes

People who influenced fashions
(cont.)
• Movie idols and musicians
– Elvis Presley— international rock-n-roll star
– James Brown—rhythm and blues singer
– James Dean—teen idol movie star
– Marlon Brando—movie star

• Civil Rights Movement
– Black Pride
– The Afro
– African prints
– Dashiki: A loose, brightly-colored
African tunic.

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Youthquake Revolution
– Youth take ownership of the decade
– Mod look: Clothing with psychedelic colors and geometric designs.
– Go-Go Look with mini skirts, white go-go boots

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Election of John F. Kennedy
– Youngest president in history
– The bare-headed President
Kennedy begins the demise of the men’s hat industry.
– First Lady Jackie Kennedy is the fashion icon of the decade wearing Chanel suits and simple dresses, pillbox hat, pearls, and low-heeled shoes.

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Man walks on the moon
– Pierre Cardin and André
Courreges are called the space age designers.
– Space age and futuristic looks appear on high fashion runways.

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Onset of the women’s liberation movement
– See through blouses, no bra
– Unisex look
– Pantyhose introduced (Glen Raven Mills, NC, 1959)

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Anti-war movement
(Vietnam)
– Hippie look, suede fringe jackets, appliquéd bell-bottom trousers, tie-dyed shirts, love beads, granny glasses, and peace symbols.
– Woodstock Festival

People who influenced fashions
• Decreased designer influence
– Mary Quant—London designer who introduced the miniskirt
– Twiggy—skinny British model who became the top model of the sixties
– Emilio Pucci—exotic, psychedelic, beautiful prints
– Yves St. Laurent—fresh approach to fashion with Mondrian-inspired shift dress
• Jackie Kennedy
• Audrey Hepburn—classics such as the “little black dress”

1970-1979
Mood of the decade
• Watergate Scandal
• Vietnam war ends
• Dawn of the Disco, Studio 54,
Saturday Night Fever
– John Travolta’s white suit with an open-necked shirt.
– Platform shoes
– Bell-bottom hip-hugger pants
– Hot pants with white go-go boots

Mood of the decade
• Punk Rock, short-lived anti-social and anti-fashion movement
– Torn, frayed clothing
– Body piercing
– Spiked hair colored pink or green
– T-shirts being worn as billboards
– Political statement designs

Mood of the decade
• Rap and hip-hop emerge
– Athletic clothes
– Track suits
– Excessive amounts of gold jewelry

Mood of the decade
• Ethnic influence
– Macramé bags
– Crochet waistcoats and shawls
– Ponchos
– Gypsy tops with gathered necklines trimmed with bells and puffed sleeves
– Nehru jackets

Mood of the decade
• “Me” decade, self indulgence
– String bikini
– Tight clothes
– Men’s leisure suits
– Designer jeans
– Hand-braided friendship bracelets

Mood of the decade
• Feminism, sexual equality, women’s lib, equal rights
– Bra burning
– Women no longer wear girdles
– Women buy pantyhose
– Women wear pants and pantsuits
– Double-knit polyester manmade fabrics
– Micro, mini, midi, and maxi skirts

Mood of the decade
• Shoes
– Platforms
– Clogs
• Movies and their stars
– Annie Hall—women wearing oversize men’s shirts, very long skirts, khaki pants, and men’s hats
– Grease—leather motorcycle jackets

Mood of the decade
• Television
– Charlie’s Angels—
Farrah Fawcett
Major’s hair style and flared trousers
– Happy Days—
Fonzie’s leather jacket, jeans, white shirt
– Dukes of Hazzard—
Daisy Duke’s cutoff jean shorts

People who influenced fashion
• Yves Saint Laurent— womenswear based on menswear
• Halston—use of cashmere
• Calvin Klein—denim jeans
• Mary McFadden—fine pleating
• Bill Blass—sporty, sophisticated classics

1980-1989
Mood of the decade
• Excess
– Shoulder pads, retro 1940s
– Big hair
– Brand names appeared on outside of garment

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• MTV
– Music becomes visual
– Videos become a major influence on apparel choices
• Lace tops, tight skirts
• Bustier worn by Madonna

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Television influence
– Dallas—jeans, boots, western shirts, and cowboy hat
– Dynasty—wide shoulder silhouettes
– Miami Vice —T-shirts worn under
Armani suits, pastel colors for men
– General Hospital —Luke and Laura
– Lady Diana Spencer weds Prince
Charles
– Diana’s wedding dress becomes one of the most copied in the world

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Workout craze, Jane Fonda
– Legwarmers, leotards, sneakers
– Nike, Reebok
– Women left their high-heels at home and wore sneakers to work
– Introduction of the thong bikini
– Stirrup pants
– Warm-up suits
– Flashdance—increased the popularity of legwarmers, sweatshirt fabric, and sweatshirts with cut out necks

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Punk
– Dog collars
– Mohawk hairstyles
– Leather jackets and chains

People who influenced fashion
• Ralph Lauren—classic silhouettes
• Calvin Klein—minimalist look, designer jeans
• Donna Karan—women’s career apparel
• Giorgio Armani—menswear styles from American Gigolo
• First Ladies—Nancy Reagan and
Barbara Bush

1990-1999
Mood of the decade
• Sandra Day O’Connor—first woman on Supreme Court
• AIDS first identified
• Collapse of the Soviet Union and the expansion of overseas companies

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Longest bull market in Wall
Street history
– More luxurious fashions are introduced as people have more money to spend.
– More luxurious fabrics enter the market.

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Casual Friday—khakis, polos, loafers, jeans with company Tshirts worn to work
• Internet
– Finger-tip access to global fashion information
– Online shopping

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Street Fashions
– Hip-Hop style
– Jeans, logo T-shirts, windbreakers, all oversized
– Body piercing
– Tattooing
– Doc Martens
– Backpack purses

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Megabrands
– Youthquake with Tommy Hilfiger
– FUBU
– Banana Republic
– J. Crew
– Old Navy, The Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch
– Tweens (8 to 12 years old), Gap
Kids, Limited Too

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Women’s competitive and adventure sports—Example: WNBA
– Athletic shoes
– Sports bras

People who influenced fashion
• Princess Diana —most photographed woman ever
• Tommy Hilfiger —“brand image” designer
• Gianni Versace—designer with rock star type sex appeal
• Isaac Mizrahi —high-fashion designer whose line is sold exclusively by
Target
• Ralph Lauren —“preppy” styles for men and women

People who influenced fashion
• Music, movies, and television
– Garth Brooks — western shirts
– Shania Twain — bare midriffs and tight fitting clothes
– Back Street Boys —“ oversized” clothes
– Madonna — the bustier
– Jennifer Aniston —“Rachel” hairdo on
Friends

People who influenced fashion
– Russell Simmons —Phat Farm hip-hop clothing
– Sean John Combs (“P. Diddy”) —denimbased signature sportswear for men and boys

• Y2K—The Millennium Bug
• Unclear winner in the United
States Presidential Election
• Firestone recalled tires
• Microsoft ordered to split
• September 11, 2001 attack on the Twin Towers
• Taliban regime

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Anthrax scare
• Invasion of Iraq
• Stem cell research
• Number of AIDS victims rises
• Arnold Schwarzenegger became
Governor of California
• Recording industry cracked down on people who illegally swapped more than 1,000 songs over the Internet

Mood of the decade
(cont.)
• Saddam Hussein captured December
13, 2003
• Street wear
– Low-rise jeans
– Slashed T-shirts
– Overtly sexual clothes
– Bling bling (big jewelry)
– Ugg boots

People who are influencing fashion
• Valentino
• Paris Hilton
• Rappers and Hip
Hop artists in music videos— baggy pants, big jewelry (bling bling) and urban wear (Enyce,
Rocawear, Baby Phat,
Phat Farm)

People who are influencing fashion
(cont.)
• Rappers and Hip Hop artists
– Sean “P.Diddy” Combs
– Lil Kim—increased the popularity of wearing weave and wigs
– Camron—increased the popularity of males wearing the color pink
– Jay-Z—wearing earrings in both ears

People who are influencing fashion
(cont.)
• Film and popstars
– Britney Spears — bare-midriff tops, skimpy skirts and shorts
– Janet Jackson — bare, sexy, metallic, urban streetwear

People who are influencing fashion
(cont.)
• Celebrities who have clothing lines
– Beyonce Knowles
– Jennifer Lopez
– Sean Combs
– Russell Simmons
– Jessica Simpson
– Reba McEntyre