Historical Influence
My Favourite historical designer is Christian Dior, a French designer from the 20th century. Dior joined fashion illustration during the global financial crisis of the 1930s.
Dior sold his sketches to make a living, which I find inspiring. Many of his designs re-invented the way women dressed after the second world war and pushed against the wartime restrictions in the growing fashion industry.
Design Elements
By 1947, Dior introduced a lower hemline, cinched waists, and long skirts. He featured new styles such the H-line, A-line and Y-line silhouettes. The way he felt inspired to re-invent fashion during the Great Depression and World War 2 inspires me in the means of this old-style fashion and recreation for a new era.
The photo to the right shows Dior's A-line Corolla dress
Historic Fashion Changes
The 1940 war era was a truly influential time for women's fashion and the evolving style of modern day wear.
The government set limits on how much nylon, wool and other materials a woman could purchase to make her clothing.
The stalling of design production made the closets of wartime women drab, with little inspiration. To adapt to the world at hand, women had to make due with what they had.
However, with the limited supply of fashion, the 40s managed to bring a handful of styles to the table that still thrive in the everyday lives of modern fashion lovers. For example, floral prints were popular at the time as a form of self expression and a splash of colour. This element helped people steer away from the darkness of the war-era.
The Flapper Era
(and significance)
In the roaring 1920s, the exciting and shiny “flapper” dress and suits were worn by many progressive people of the time, but mostly women.
True 'Flapper" women were the first generation of independent, free spirited and pushed the political, economic and sexual freedom boundaries of the time. They were known as young party girls who danced in jazz bars, smoked publicly and challenged the societal norms of women of the time.
