The Evolution of American Women's Fashion
The Evolution of American Women 's Fashion
Motto: “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
(Coco Chanel) Fashion has always been a reflection of the collective consciousness and unconsciousness of society. Indeed, until recent centuries, it was the concern of the aristocracy; the clothing of ordinary people changed far less radically. However, the old time consuming traditions of hand craftsmanship, has over the years gone through gradual change. But what has been responsible for this progressive change in American women 's fashion over time? What influences have helped shape the way American women 's fashion has panned out over the centuries? It was commonly agreed that this particular evolution can be credited to outside forces such as the present political conditions or beliefs among the societies in which these women take part in. The very first contact with the European fashion culture was represented by the hundreds of costumes ordered by the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the Native American colonists. The clothing order included 300 suits, 400 shirts, and 400 pairs of shoes. Of the suits, 200 are made from doublet (a close-fitting men 's jacket) and hose (close-fitting breeches or leggings that reach up to the hips and fasten to a doublet), made up of leather, lined with oiled skin leather, and fastened with hooks and eyes. The rest of the suits were made of Hampshire kerseys, in which the doublets were lined with linen and the hose with skins. Moreover, Reverend Francis Higginson of Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony, advised newcomers to America to pack carefully, "For when you are once parted with England you shall meete [sic] neither markets nor fayres [sic] to buy what you want." Women’s fashion in America is notable, in the 18th century, especially due to the enormous influence of Josephine Bonaparte, whose
Motto: “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
(Coco Chanel) Fashion has always been a reflection of the collective consciousness and unconsciousness of society. Indeed, until recent centuries, it was the concern of the aristocracy; the clothing of ordinary people changed far less radically. However, the old time consuming traditions of hand craftsmanship, has over the years gone through gradual change. But what has been responsible for this progressive change in American women 's fashion over time? What influences have helped shape the way American women 's fashion has panned out over the centuries? It was commonly agreed that this particular evolution can be credited to outside forces such as the present political conditions or beliefs among the societies in which these women take part in. The very first contact with the European fashion culture was represented by the hundreds of costumes ordered by the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the Native American colonists. The clothing order included 300 suits, 400 shirts, and 400 pairs of shoes. Of the suits, 200 are made from doublet (a close-fitting men 's jacket) and hose (close-fitting breeches or leggings that reach up to the hips and fasten to a doublet), made up of leather, lined with oiled skin leather, and fastened with hooks and eyes. The rest of the suits were made of Hampshire kerseys, in which the doublets were lined with linen and the hose with skins. Moreover, Reverend Francis Higginson of Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony, advised newcomers to America to pack carefully, "For when you are once parted with England you shall meete [sic] neither markets nor fayres [sic] to buy what you want." Women’s fashion in America is notable, in the 18th century, especially due to the enormous influence of Josephine Bonaparte, whose
References: • George Francis Dow, Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, new ed. (1935; New York: Dover Publications, 1988), 5. • John Demos, A Little Commonwealth: Family Life in Plymouth Colony, 2d ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 4.