Fashion through the ages

The term 'fashion' is used to describe a style of clothing that is worn by most people at a certain time. Fashion is constantly changing, with different styles going in and out of fashion all the time. We all know what is fashionable today, but what were the fashions in the past?
----

The Sixties
In the 1960s, many women wore knee-high boots and miniskirts, and the bikini first became fashionable. Extremely short shorts, which were called 'hotpants', also became very popular. Fashion in the sixties was also influenced by certain trends. In the early sixties, many people followed the Mod trend, which is short for modernism. The Mods wanted to look neat and tidy, and often wore Italian suits. In the second half of the decade, the hippie trend took over. Rather than trying to look perfect, the hippies believed in freedom. This showed in their choice of brightly coloured clothes in unusual styles, such as bell-bottom jeans and tie-dyed garments.
----

The Seventies
The hippie trend of the sixties was still followed at the start of the seventies, with tie-dyed and jeans popular, often worn with platform shoes. However, skirts became longer — their new look, which was often down to mid-calf, was called the 'midi skirt'. In the later seventies, punk rock bands were popular and many people followed the style of punk rockers, who wore ripped jeans and torn T-shirts. They often had brightly dyed hair and even wore safety pins as jewellery.
----

The Eighties
Fashion in the eighties became more masculine or boyish. More and more women were working and they wanted to show they were equal to men. They wore clothes with large shoulder pads for a masculine and powerful look, while the men wore 'power suits'. The fashion for teenagers was more relaxed and sporty. It included sweatshirts and accessories like leg warmers and headbands. Leather jackets, bleached denim jackets and slim-fit jeans were also popular, and earrings became fashionable for teenage boys.
----

The Nineties
By the 1990s, power dressing was out and was replaced by a more casual style. In the early nineties, fluorescent colours were common. Denim jackets were still popular, but stone-washed denim now replaced bleached denim, and the jeans were less tight. the sporty look was still in, with tracksuits, leggings and baseball caps all popular. In 1992, the grunge style took off. This style was quite casual, with Doc Martens-style shoes and boots, hooded sweatshirts and black and white or dark fabrics instead of bright colours. hippie, punk and Mod styles aslo made a comeback in the decade.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu