History of Fashion Design: Then and Now.
A grasp of the history of the fashion business, both from a historical and an inspiring standpoint, is essential for every fashion designer who wishes to succeed in the industry. Louis XIV, the monarch of France who ruled from 1643 to 1715, ordered life-sized fashion dolls clothed in the newest Parisian styles to be distributed across all of Europe’s royal societies.
aristocratic ladies would have their dressmakers duplicate the attire on the dolls and grade them according to their own body measurements Marie-Jeanne Rose Bertin (1747–1813), a French milliner and dressmaker to Marie Antoinette (queen of France from 1774 to 1792), is credited with being the first French fashion designer who brought fashion to the forefront of popular culture.
Marie-Jeanne Rose Bertin (1747–1813) was a milliner and dressmaker to Marie Antoinette (queen of France from 1774 to 1792).
the letter “c” stands for “charles” and the letter “r” stands for “richard” and the letter “t” stands for “thirteen.”
Charles Frederick Worth (1826–1895) was the first person to establish himself as a fashion couturier in the United States. He had a well-established maison couture, or fashion establishment, in Paris, and he was a member of the Chambre de la Syndicale as well as a registered couturier in that city.
He is regarded as the “Father of Couture,” since he established the tradition of being the originator, creative director, and image creator for his own company, as well as the first person to determine what his customers should wear in the first place. He was born in England and worked at a number of drapery stores in the capital before relocating to Paris in 1846.
During his time as a draper, he met and married one of the company’s fashion models, who would model his shawls and bonnets in the shop so that his clients could see them in action. To go with the accessories he was making, he decided to create some outfits for his wife. As you can expect, buyers came up to him and asked for replicas of the gowns. In 1858, he formed a partnership with Otto Bobergh to establish Worth and Bobergh.
They adorned the gowns of empresses, countesses, debutantes, and other titled and prominent female figures in history. He subsequently attracted the attention of the affluent and famous in New York and Boston, who would fly to Paris to have their clothes tailored by him in the following years.
A signature of his work was the use of simple, sumptuous materials in attractive designs with the right fit, and he was renowned for his ability to reinterpret the feminine body. It was a big success for him, and he made the bold decision to break from tradition by doing what is now known as an informal trunk show four times a year, rather than allowing his clients to determine the designs they wanted to purchase.
He became so well-liked that he had to reject away clients, which only served to increase his already-impressive elite position even more. The idea he developed, titled “AN INTRODUCTION TO A CAREER IN FASHION DESIGN,” radically transformed the dressmaking industry and continues to this day. 59
Charles Frederick Worth as seen in an 1895 portrait.
GASPARD-FELIX TOURNACHON was the photographer.
At the time, no one else had considered this possibility.
Instead of being referred to as an ordinary craftsman, he was seen as a real artist of distinction.
Because of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, Worth was forced to close his company. When he reopened, he did so without his original business partner, and he renamed his design firm The House of Worth.
When Worth died in 1895, his sons (including one who was the creator of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture) joined him in the firm, which continued to thrive until Worth’s death. The work of Charles Worth has been honored with the establishment of the Charles Worth Gallery at the Bourne Heritage Centre in his hometown of Bourne, Lincolnshire, in the United Kingdom.
Paul Poiret
Paul Poiret (1879–1944) was a French fashion designer who rose to prominence in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as the second most known fashion designer in the world.
Poiret had a lot of ambition, and he sold his drawings to several couture businesses all across Paris. In 1896, he was employed by fashion designer Jacques Doucet, and they sold 400 red capes fashioned from his very first design, which was the inspiration for his subsequent designs.
Later, he joined the House of Worth, where he created garments that were basic, functional, and free of frills. Worth’s previously established and conservative clientele, on the other hand, did not take to his innovative perspective on dressmaking very well at first.
In fact, when Princess Bariatinsky of Russia first laid eyes on a kimono-cut coat created by Poiret, she cried, “What a monstrosity!”
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Poiret made the decision to open his own design studio in Paris.
It was with his iconic kimono coat, the identical garment that had been rejected by his prior customers, that he built a reputation for himself, illustrating the notion that every fashion designer must remain loyal to his or her own brand and vision.
Poiret marketed his work via spectacular window displays and famous parties, and he became well-known for his uncanny ability to promote and brand himself in a way that no other designer had done before him.
It was decided to extend Poiret’s mansion to include furniture, décor, and fragrances. In 1911, he developed Parfums de Rosine, which was named after his daughter, and he made history by being the first fashion designer to debut a signature scent.
He staged a magnificent costume gala at his enormous house for the introduction of the fragrance, which was attended by only the crème de la crème of Parisian society.
As a result of his service in the military during World War I, Poiret was forced to shut down his design firm. When he returned, his company was on the point of going out of business.
Poiret’s mansion was formally closed down in 1929. He went on to work as a street painter in Paris, where he died in 1944, impoverished and unacknowledged for the innovative ways in which he affected the fashion world. In the end, his friend Elsa Schiaparelli paid for his funeral, which enabled him to reclaim part of his former fame and fortune.
Historically, ladies wore corsets; Poiret is most known for releasing women from these restrictive clothes and employing his exceptional draping talents to create free-flowing, unrestrained gowns (a dramatic departure from the tailored designs that were popular at the time).
He is credited with the invention of the hobble skirt (a skirt with a hem at the knees that causes the wearer’s stride to be hindered), as well as the invention of harem pantaloons and lampshades tunics.
Old-fashioned gowns served as Poiret’s source of inspiration, and he preferred clothing that was cut along straight lines and built of rectangular forms.
Jean Patou (1887–1936)
Founded in 1912 by French fashion designer Jean Patou (1887–1936), Maison Parry was a modest dressmaking salon in Paris that served the local community. In 1914, at the time of the outbreak of World War I, an American collector purchased his whole collection.
Patou had to temporarily close his couture firm in order to serve as a captain in the French army, but he restarted his business in 1919 after completing his military service.
At the start of the twentieth century, the flapper style was all the rage, and he helped to put an end to it by extending the skirt and developing sportswear specifically for women.
He is widely regarded as the originator of knit swimwear and is credited with inventing the tennis skirt, among other things. He was also the first designer to popularize the cardigan, which he did in the 1920s.
His objective was to make garments more comfortable for people to wear.
In the following years, he went on to create the women’s designer tie, which he made out of dress materials.
Following that, he made history by developing the world’s first suntan oil. Because clients could no longer afford Patou’s couture apparel when the Great Depression struck, not only did the stock market plummet but so did the couture industry.
He reinvented himself, like any good designer would, and decided to establish a fragrance line in order to increase sales. The most well-known perfume he produced is “Joy,” which for many years was the most costly perfume in the world until he made “1000,” which is based on a rare blooming plant and became the most expensive perfume in the world.
Înainte de releasing Joy, Patou released a number of different fragrances, each of which was inspired by a certain event that was taking place in the world at the time.
A gift-with-purchase (GWP) was an uncommon marketing strategy at the time, but Jean Patou came up with the concept of providing a silk scarf printed in the same design as the perfume box with every purchase of the fragrance.
Joy continues to be the world’s second-best-selling fragrance, behind only Chanel No. 5. As a result of Patou’s death, in 1936, his sister and brother-in-law continued to manage his design firm as a family business until 2001, when Procter & Gamble purchased it.
Madeleine Vionnet (1876–1975)
French fashion designer Madeleine Vionnet (1876–1975) was known as “The Queen of the Bias Cut” since she was the first person to utilize this kind of sleeve cutting in the fashion industry.
She was regarded as somewhat of an architect, and she is most known for her costumes in the Grecian style.
Vionnet made no attempt to conceal the fact that she was a highly private woman, adopting a no-nonsense and—as famed and respected stylist and fashion editor Polly Mellen, who has been in the industry for 60 years, would say—”fussy finished” approach.
Vionnet often expressed his distaste for the fashion industry, stating, “Insofar as one can speak of a Vionnet school, it is mostly due to my having been an opponent of fashion.”
“There is something shallow and volatile about the seasonal and ephemeral whims of fashion that offends my sense of beauty,” says the author of the book. Her authenticity, as well as her ability to execute her vision of the feminine form and the beauty of a woman, were much more important to Vionnet than the glitter of her profession.
The garment should not hang loosely on the body, but rather should follow its contours. It must walk with its user, and when a lady smiles, the garment must also smile. — Madeleine Vionnet et al.
Mariano Fortuny (1871–1949)
Mariano Fortuny (1871–1949) was a Spanish fashion designer who, while having been schooled as a painter, was also an excellent architect, inventor, couturier, and lighting technologist in addition to being a fashion designer.
His wife, Henrietta, was an accomplished seamstress who assisted him in the construction of several of his ideas.
He and his wife resided in a Venetian villa that he dubbed his “think tank,” where he built up distinct themed chambers to serve as sources of inspiration. Fortuny took inspiration from the light and airy Greek fashions that followed the natural contours of a woman’s body.
He went against the grain of prevailing fashion at the time and designed the Delphos dress, a shift made completely of hand-pleated silk embellished with little glass beads.
Fortuny also created the Knossos Scarf, which was his first fashion garment and was made of silk with a geometric design and a rectangular form. It was his first fashion garment and was constructed in the shape of a rectangle.
He created his own textile dyes and pigments for his textiles, using techniques that were formerly used in ancient civilizations.
He started experimenting with printed velvets and silks, which he colored with the use of a wooden block press that he designed himself.
It is considered fine art, and his gowns may be seen in public museums as well as in his own devoted space, “Palazzo Fortuny,” which is situated in the Italian city of Venice.
Jeanne-Marie Lanvin
Jeanne-Marie Lanvin (1867–1946) was a French fashion designer and the creator of the Lanvin fashion studio, which she founded in 1867.
Her distinctive style was defined by her smart use of elaborate trimmings, exquisite embroideries, and beaded ornaments in muted floral hues, which became her hallmark appearance.
After the extravagant garments she produced for her daughter drew the eye of affluent onlookers, Lanvin gained her start in the fashion industry.
This apparel was requested by them to be manufactured for their own children, and so a company was established. Naturally, she progressed to sewing costumes for the moms of her young customers, and her clientele soon included some of the most prominent figures in European society.
She formally became a couturier after becoming a member of the Chambre de la Syndicale, and she founded a store on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, where she continues to work today.
When the Lanvin company was established in 1923, it comprised a dye facility in the western suburbs of Paris.
During this period, she developed a number of specialized stores that were focused on certain product categories such as home décor, lingerie, menswear, and furs, among others. However, the establishment of Lanvin Parfums and the introduction of her trademark fragrance, Arpège, was the most significant step forward in her career.
She went on to establish Lanvin-Sport and produce another iconic perfume, La Boule, which is still in production today. She even established Lanvin-Décoration, a section dedicated to interior design at her shop. The fact that she was constantly on the verge of the invention demonstrated that she was a forward thinker.
She was most known for making costumes for mothers and daughters, and she established her reputation on this notion, which was revolutionary at the time. She died in 2011.
Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel (1883–1971)
Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel (1883–1971) was the epitome of the classic “rags-to-riches” narrative. The death of her mother and the departure of her father occurred when she was 12 years old.
She was placed in an orphanage, where she learnt the skills of a seamstress to help support her family. In Paris, she established Chanel Modes, a store where she sold her hats under a licensed manufacturer’s license.
Chanel’s firm began to prosper when one of her hats was worn in a performance by a theatrical actor. The next year, she founded a second store in Deauville, France, named Chanel Biarritz, for which she designed casual jersey clothing to sell.
Her couture firm in Paris was officially established in 1919 once she was admitted to the Chambre de la Syndicale, which she had joined at that time.
Chanel founded Parfums Chanel in 1924, and Chanel No. 5 was the first perfume she introduced, and it continues to be the most successful fragrance of all time. Apparently, a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every thirty seconds, according to the French authorities.
The introduction of Chanel to American film producer Samuel Goldwyn (of MGM fame) at Monte Carlo in 1931 was a watershed point in the history of Chanel’s professional life.
Chanel was given an offer that would last a lifetime. She could create costumes for all of the actors in the famous films of the period if he would fly her to Hollywood with a million bucks in his pocket. She, of course, accepted the offer.
Chanel shuttered all of her boutiques at the start of World War II, but she finally reopened them and re-established her fashion empire. She continued to work until her death, which occurred in her sleep on January 10, 1971, at the age of 87, just after supervising the completion of her spring collection.
She is still revered today, with German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld at the lead, carrying on her legacy for the Chanel fashion business. Her life has been the subject of many films, television series, an opera, and several books, the most notable of which is the fabulously uplifting children’s book Different Like Coco, written and drawn by Elizabeth Matthews and published by Scholastic. Chanel will be remembered as a lady who lived her life in her own way, on her own terms, and in the manner in she saw appropriate.
Chanel was a pioneering fashion designer and woman whose modernist thinking, menswear-inspired styles, and pursuit of pricey, simple classics made her a prominent role in the world of fashion in the twentieth century. Chanel was born in Paris in 1889 and died in Paris in 1954.
On the “Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century” list, she was the only person who worked in the fashion industry.
— Fashion comes and goes, but only style stays the same.
Coco Chanel is a fashion designer who was born in Paris in 1926.
Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973)
Schiaparelli, who was born into a rich family in 1890 and died in 1973, believed that her privileged upbringing had stifled her creative energy. As a result, she relocated to New York and subsequently to Paris in order to pursue her interest in both fashion and art.
During her time in Paris, she started to design and make her own outfits, and designer Paul Poiret encouraged her to establish her own company, which she did, but with little success.
After a year, she produced a new graphic knitwear collection, and after establishing a strong base, she expanded her product line to include ski gear, swimwear, and dresses.
She made a split skirt for a tennis player who was competing at Wimbledon. In the early 1930s, she expanded her offering to include eveningwear.
In 1940, Schiaparelli returned to New York, where he lived until the conclusion of the Second World War in 1945.
When she returned to Paris, her business was never the same again since she was unable to change and adjust her collection in response to the changing times.
Her company went out of business in 1954, and she died in 1973 after publishing her memoirs and moving to Paris and Tunisia, where she had residences.
Schiaparelli was renowned for her innovative use of oddly themed designs, and she was the first designer to use not just zippers, but also DTM zippers, which were dyed to match the fabric being used.
A large part of her attention was drawn to luxurious and elaborate trimmings in unexpected motifs, such as bees. Culottes, wrapped turbans, embroidered shirts, pompom caps, barbarous belts, wedge shoes, and mix-and-match athletic pieces are just a few of the things she came up with.
Her forward-thinking approach carried over to her runway displays, in which she incorporated music into the themes of each of her seasonal collections to great effect.
Modern and contemporary art, as well as surrealism, were the primary sources of inspiration for Schiaparelli.
She worked with a variety of artists, including Jean Cocteau, but it was her partnership with Salvador Dali that resulted in her most famous creations. Their designs include the lobster dress (white silk with crimson waistband and hand-painted large-scale lobster), the tears dress (light blue evening gown with trompe l’oeil tears, lined in bright pink and magenta), and the skeleton dress (white silk with crimson waistband and hand-painted large-scale skeleton) (black ribbed crepe with trapunto quilting, producing a raised surface).
She 66 BECOMING A FASHION DESIGNER introduced various fragrances and developed the color “shocking pink,” which was inspired by a 17-carat pink Cartier diamond titled Tête de Belier. She 66 BECOMING A FASHION DESIGNER
She produced the outfits for actresses such as Mae West for the film Every Day’s a Holiday (1937), which she did with the help of a mannequin made to Ms. West’s exact proportions, and Zsa Zsa Gabor for the film Moulin Rouge! (1942). (1952).
Perhaps Schiaparelli’s most important contribution to fashion was the introduction of a spirit of fun and comedy into the industry via the incorporation of art and imagination.
The mix of fabrics, colors, and textures that she enjoyed experimenting with was inspired by new technologies that were emerging at the time she worked on them.
She was the first designer to utilize synthetic textiles in a couture collection, using acrylic, cellophane, jersey (a rayon jersey), and a rayon and filter (a metallic thread) combination, among other materials.
During her career, she pioneered the creation of the first evening dress and jacket combination, as well as the creation of the first garments with visible zippers.
She developed an interest in employing unusual fastenings and buttons, such as a silk-covered cauliflower button on a jacket, as a result of this experience.
Known as “an artist who creates garments,” Coco Chanel referred to Schiaparelli as “an artist who designs clothes.”
She was the first designer to see the necessity of partnering with other artists of creative talent, and she was the first designer to take the seriousness out of couture and infuse it with a sense of playfulness into the process of creating clothes. Her clients were really appreciative of her forward-thinking attitude.
Fashion is formed out of little facts, trends, and even politics; it is never born out of attempting to manufacture tiny pleats and furbelows, trinkets, easily replicable garments, or the shortening or lengthening of a skirt, among other things. — Elsa Schiaparelli, a fashion designer
