Fashion in the contemporary age is characterized by a return to minimalism starting in the late 1990s. This minimalist yet stylish trend included casual clothing like T-shirts, jeans, hoodies, and sneakers that has continued into the 21st century. Traditionally, the contemporary age is considered to have begun with the French Revolution in 1789, which introduced principles of political and economic liberty that shaped the modern world.

1. FASHION INTHE
MIDDLE AGE

2. Introduction
• In the Middle Age, fashion was determined by the social class people were
belonging to. During this era people wore clothes that provided
information about the status of the person wearing them. Clothes were
influenced by the styles of king and queens of the kingdom and also by
crusades.The Middle Ages has lasted approximately 1.000 years and the
French fashion was inspired by the Italian and Spanish one.

3. Fabrics
• Form the 12th century there was a great development of the textile
industry in many Italian cities like Florence, Genoa and Lucca.These towns
soon became the major producers of precius fabrics and silk, a highly
refined fabric. Other important fabrics were linen (that replaced wool in
many regions), cotton, leather (used to produce shoes) and velvet to
produce clothes for nobles.

4. The colours and their meanings
Natural colours were used, for example:
◉Blue, meant loyalty
◉Red, meant force and courage;
◉Green, meant beauty and youthfulness
◉Yellow, meant richness and nobility
◉Black, meant humility

5. Eleanor of Aquitaine, the fashion icon of
the era
• Eleanor ofAquitaine has been an icon in the Middle Ages thanks to her style and
her taste. She was known for her lipsticks, for her jewels and for her fancy
dresses. She revolutionized the style of the dresses: she introduced the bliaut
with a tighter bodice but with a softer skirt on the hips delineated by a luxurious
belt rich of precious stones.This model of dress needed lavish fabrics like Middle
Eastern silks that had a colour from blue to burgundy.

6. FASHION DURING
THE INDUSTRIAL AGE

7. • The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th to 19th centuries, was
a period during which predominantly agrarian, rural societies in Europe and
America became industrial and urban. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, which
began in Britain in the late 1700s, manufacturing was often done in people’s
homes, using hand tools or basic machines. Industrialization marked a shift to
powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production.
Introduction

8. • The characteristics of women and men's clothing, deriving from the Industrial
Revolution, are based on simplicity and the type of life that people led,
belonging to the Anglo-Saxon society.The models were similar for the different
social classes and they differed only in the quality of fabrics and accessories.

9. • Peasants and workers had only one dress for every day and a more elegant one
for parties. Sport and freedom influenced the fashion of the time: the
“redingote” or “masculine suit”, at the beginning was a sort of mantle open
behind to ride better as well as the ”tait”, which was considered elegant
clothing. It was a double-breasted country dress worn over the waistcoat and
with other accessories such as: white shirt, tie, beige trousers.
Even the female dress loses much of the typical frills of the Baroque period and
Rococò to become simpler, adherent and light. It was usually made up of
several pieces: an open skirt in front, which left in plain sight an underskirt and a
very tight-fitting bodice and a cone.
The wealthy classes used more dresses for the different moments of the day:
morning, afternoon, evening, horse riding, hunting, leisure time and tea.
Furthermore, a certain etiquette had to be respected which was not always
simple especially for women.

10. • The colours of the fabrics and the jewels followed the same rhythm of the day.
Naturally, the clothes worn at home were different from those worn outside.
Fashion also determines the hairstyle (never loose for women), headgear,
gloves, shoes, bags, sticks, etc.

11. FASHION INTHE
VICTORIAN AGE

12. Introduction
• Victorian fashion includes the various fashions and trends of
British culture that emerged and developed in the United
Kingdom throughout theVictorian age, from about 1830 to
about 1900.
• In the '40s and ‘50s of the 1800s, women's dresses had wide
and voluminous sleeves.The clothes were simple and of pastel
colours, embellished with realistic floral decorations. Corset,
underskirt and shirts were worn under clothes.

13. Dresses
• Before all, dresses in soft colors could be
refreshed with detachable white collars and
cuffs.
• In the 1840s, extra flounces were added to
skirts and women wore a short over-skirt in
day dressing. Skirts widened as the
hourglass silhouette became the popular
look, and women took to wearing layers of
petticoats. Bodices took on aV shape and
the shoulder dropped more.

14. • A corset is an undergarment set with strips of
whalebone (actually whale baleen), later replaced
by steel.
• Though criticized as unhealthy, and certainly
uncomfortable, corsets were a fashion staple
throughout the 19th century granting women social
status, respectability, and the idealized figure of
youth.

15. Hats
Hats (and gloves) were essential for a
respectable appearance for both men and
women. Going head-on was not correct.The
topper, for example, was a standard formal wear
for upper class men. For women, hats have
changed over time and are designed to match
their clothes.
These huge hats camewide brims were
decorated with elaborate creations of silk
flowers, ribbons, exotic feathers, when not
directly with whole embalmed birds.The wide
use of plumage for the decoration of hats, in the
period between the end of the 19th and the
beginning of the 20th century, caused the death
of tens of thousands of birds.

16. Hair and make-up
• Women's hair was generally worn long, caught up in a chignon or bun. In the 1840s,
ringlets of curls hung on either side of the head. In the 1870s, women drew up the
side hair but let it hang in long, loose curls in back.
• Crimping became popular in the early 1870s.
• Throughout theVictorian period, women wore false hair pieces and extensions as
well as artificial flowers such as velvet pansies and roses, false leaves, and beaded
butterflies often combined into intricate and beautiful headpieces.
• Make up was mostly worn by theater people.The look for women inVictorian days
was very pale skin occasionally highlighted with a smidge of rouge on the cheeks

17. FASHION INTHE
1920S

18. • The 1920s, also known as the ‘RoaringTwenties’, was a
decade of contrasts and change in fashion.
• Women felt more confident and empowered, and this
was reflected in the new fashion trends, in fact hair
and dresses were shorter.
• Men, on the other hand, continued to wear regular
suits.

19. Everyday Clothes
• For everyday fashion, women would
usually wear a tailored dress and a
pair of mid-heel shoes.
• The hat is an accessory that women
never left home without. Hats came
in all colours and usually had a
decoration, like a bow or a feather,
on one side.

20. Tea Dresses
• A woman’s most common social activity
in the ‘20s was having tea with friends,
where everybody dressed to impress
with a ‘tea dress’, which was a more
elegant afternoon dress.
• Shoes usually were classier strap heels
and stockings were always matching the
dress.

21. Formal Clothes
• For formal events like dinner and dancing parties, a sleeveless dress, high heels,
pearl necklaces, and feather headbands were essential.
• Evening dresses were made of fine materials like silk, chiffon and light velvet,
decorated with sequins, beads or feathers, just like handbags.

22. FASHION DURINGTHE
TWO WORLD WARS

23. Fashion during the first world war
The tragedy of the FirstWorldWar upset the daily life of all the
countries involved, and with it suddenly changed the fashion and
social customs. During the war, the heavy general situation and the
scarcity of available materials, led the fashion to bend to a more
severe style, to new requirements of practicality and economy,
preferring very few colors with predominance of dark colors.
The skirts were shortened to the calf, to allow faster gait.
The most economical and resistant fabrics,like wool and cotton,were
chosen with regular and simple tailoring, mainly in plain colors.

24. Fashion during the second world war
During the SecondWorldWar, fashion was characterized
for men by wool, long used for the refined fashions of
men, Jackets and trousers became more tailored during
the war, in an attempt to save material.The coats were
not often seen in traditional double-breasted style and
the seeds became two pieces and the trousers had
narrow legs.
As for women's clothes, the fashion of the time preferred
skirts with belts to emphasize the waist and blouses, for
the first time the pants became a daily garment, before
then used only in factories, the hair was long, slightly
wavy towards the tips. Children wore padded gilets,
capes and hooded dresses often made of oiled silk.

25. Functional fashion for wartime life
For men and women not in uniform, the war changed how they
dressed both at work and at home. It became important for civilian
clothes to be practical as well as stylish. Clothing and accessories
manufacturers were quick to see commercial potential in some of the
war’s greatest dangers. By the outbreak of war in September 1939,
over 40 million gas masks had been distributed in Britain as a result of
the potential threat of gas warfare.
Although not compulsory, people were advised to carry their gas
masks with them at all times. Usually they were issued in a cardboard
box with a string threaded trough so it could be carried over the
shoulder. Retailers were quick to spot a gap in the market for a more
attractive solution.The handbag seen here, like many others
specially produced, has a compartment for a gas mask.

26. FASHION AFTERTHE
WORLD WARS

27. 1950’s
• In many ways, the 1950s took a big step back, especially for women.
Everything from the length of skirts to the size of collars was regulated.
This resulted in a slim, straight silhouette.
• Women wore comfortable clothing like suits and shirt-dresses, and even
began to regularly wear pants, especially to work.

28. The introduction of the bikini
• The first bikini bathing suit was introduced on July 5, 1946 by Louis Reard at
a swimming pool in Paris.They started being worn duringWorldWar II
because the fabric was being rationed for the war and uniforms. He
designed one called the “Atom”, because it was the worlds smallest bathing
suit. It took until the 1950s for most countries to allow it on public beaches.

29. Christian DiorTrends
Large amounts of fabric was used in 1947 when
Dior introduced the “New look”.There were no
more war restrictions, so he could use whatever
he wanted.
It softened women’s shoulders because during
the war the shoulders on women’s clothing were
padded, to look more masculine.
It emphasized women’s hips and pinched in
their waists, people thought it was a more
scandalous look.
Full Skirts were considered by people a waste of
fabric because they were still in the rationing
mind set.

30. FASHION INTHE
MODERN AGE

31. The 1960s
Marked by sweeping social change, the ‘60s is a decade that
still holds a special significance, seeing traditional hierarchies
begin to dissolve and make way for the birth of the modern
age.
The way people dressed was an obvious sign of shifting
attitudes. In the 1960s, many chose, very publicly, to start
looking different from the norm.
Innovative designers and more informal modes of shopping
drew a dividing line between the generations, creating a new
market for youth fashion.
This collection tracks the different aspects of this fast-
accelerating style revolution, with striking pieces from many
of the decade's most influential designers.

32. The invention of youth fashion
Paris remained the engine of the fashion industry with
sophisticated haute couture garments produced in regular
collections by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Hubert de Givenchy (the
creator of Audrey Hepburn's iconic black dress in Breakfast at
Tiffany's, 1961). But times soon changed.
At the dawn of the 1960s, young people's income was at its
highest since the end of the SecondWorldWar.
Increased economic power fuelled a new sense of identity and the
need to express it.
The fashion industry quickly responded by creating designs for
young people that no longer simply copied ‘’grown up’’ styles.

33. New shops for new fashions
Boutiques were small, self-service shops set up in London by
designers who wanted to offer affordable fashions to ordinary
young people, offering a very different experience from the often
rather formal 'outfitters' and old-style department stores.
Being 'on the ground' allowed them to get to know their customer
well and to supply their needs quickly.
Designers like Mary Quant and John Stephen were the pioneers of
this new form of retail, having both opened their first stores back in
the middle of 1950s.
Within just a few years the boutique scene had exploded.Young
people flocked to 'see and be seen' at vibrant new stores, centred in
London’s Kings Road and Carnaby Street.

34. Mary Quant and the mini-skirt
The mini-skirt, popularised by Mary Quant, quickly
earned its place as the decade's most iconic look.
She was one of the designers who took credit for the
miniskirt and hot pants, and by promoting these and
other fun fashions she encouraged young people to
dress to please themselves and to treat fashion as a
game.
Launched by Mary Quant during the “Swinging
London” scene of the mid-1960s, these super short
shorts were fashionable until the early 1970s.

35. 1960s Hairstyle
Mary Quant also sported a sudden cut geometric
hairstyle. One of the most famous and favoured cuts
of the era was the 5 point cut byVidal Sassoon.
World-famous model, Lesley Lawson, better known
asTwiggy, burst onto the scene sporting a new
version of the 1950's pixie, one that was sleek,
smooth and boyish.
The hairstyles and the short mini-skirts and mini-
dresses set the middle and late sixties fashion look.

36. FASHION INTHE
CONTEMPORARY AGE

37. Traditionally, the beginning of the contemporary age is individualized in 1789,
starting year of the French Revolution, event that introduced the principles of
political and economic liberty.

38. From the second part of the 1990s, all over the world, was defined by a return
to minimalist fashion.This remained very stylish among both sexes.The anti-
conformist approach to fashion led to the popularisation of the casual chic
look; this includedT-shirts,jeans,hoodies and sneakers, a trend which
continued into the 21st century.

39. 2E
• Prof.sse Mascali e Buttita