PRE-HISTORIC

MODERN

                During the 1920s clothing styles entered the modern era of fashion design. The traditional divide that had always existed between the high society and worker class was suddenly questioned in the West. A new young generation was born who fought against the existing differences. Women began to liberate themselves from constricting and uncomfortable gowns for the first time. They were open for casual and more comfortable styles like pants and shorter skirts, low waistlines, and revolutionary styles of the flapper era. 

              As the European hierarchies were overturned and due to the decrease of the raw material, Europe was more than ready to adopt a quality ready to wear garment on American lines, something to occupy the middle ground between off the rack and high dress making. New developing technologies made it easier to literally manufacture ‘mass-manufactured’ clothes and beat handmade, high-quality fashion for the very first time but of course could not stop fashion leaking out onto the streets. Unlike haute couture production, the mass-manufactured production cycles were much longer due to the larger quantities. Fashion designer had to try to assume more than a year in advance what their costumers would want and wear.

               During this decade women’s fashions moved away from the brash, daring style of the 1920s towards a more feminine, romantic silhouette. The female body changed into a more neo-classical shape that why dresses were made to fit close to the body in order to emphasize youthful elegance. The waist was restored to its proper position, hemlines dropped and the slim-fitting day dresses became very popular. The term ‘ready-to-wear’ was still not widely used, but the fashion workers and boutiques already began to describe such clothes as ‘sportive’ and being used only for sport matters.

              The fashion styles of the flapper era lasted throughout the 1920s and into the early 1930s before the hardships of the Great Depression forced more conservative trends back to a more traditionally feminine look: skirts became longer and the waistline became a more important part of the dress again. Due to the Depression which caused many women to do more work at home themselves, the fashion designer were forced to distinguish between day and evening styles. Women needed more casual and practical clothing for the daytime and could wear then easily simple skirts and casual outfits at home without any worries. Couture’s new fabrics like silk, metallic lamé, synthetic fabric rayon and cotton on the other hand, became an important part of many designers’ fashions during the 1930s.

BAROQUE

                Baroque period is a in the history of Western arts coinciding with the 17th century. It's a style that used motion clear and exaggerated easy interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music. The style started around 1600 in Rome, Italy and spread to most of Europe. For example, some traits and aspects of Baroque paintings which can allow one to differenciate this style of art from other styles are the abundant amount of details, the often bright polychromy, the less realist faces of subjects, and an overall sense of awe, which is one of the artist's overall goals in the painting.


              Fashion in the period 1650-1700 in Western European clothing is characterised by rapid change. Following the end of the Thirty Years' War and the Restoration of England's Charles II, military influences in men's clothing were replaced by a brief period of decorative exuberance which then sobered into the coat, waistcoat and breeches costume that would reign for the next century and a half. In the normal cycle of fashion, the broad, high-waisted silhouette of the previous period was replaced by a long, lean line with a low waist for both men and women. This period also marked the rise of the periwig as an essential item of men's fashion.


               For women, the wide, high-waisted look of the previous period was gradually superseded by a long vertical line, with horizontal emphasis at the shoulder. Full, loose sleeves ended just below the elbow at mid century and became longer and tighter in keeping with the new trend. The body was tightly corseted, with a low, broad neckline and dropped shoulder. In later decades, the overskirt was drawn back and pinned up to display the petticoat, which was heavily decorated.


               As an import, cotton was banned during the Baroque period to protect the integrity of the European textile market. Without cotton, upper-class undergarments used linen, although linen was not considered fine enough for outerwear. The outer garments of the upper classes were made from silks, brocades and velvets. Lower-class garments were made predominately from wool.


    
            Fashion played a large role in the French Revolution.  Revolutionaries characterized themselves by patriotically wearing the tricolor—red, white, and blue—on rosettes, skirts, breeches, etc.  Since most of the rebellion was accomplished by the lower class, they called themselves sans-culottes, or “without breeches,” as they wore ankle-length trousers of the working class. 

RENAISSANCE

                 
                   The Renaissance period is a historical era and cultural movement in Europe that extended from the 14th to 17th centuries. Clothing played a fairly large role in Renaissance society. The clothing in the Renaissance was all about defining and showing off. Due to laws prohibiting who disallow to wear what, and  also the cost of materials, there was a very difference in attire between the classes. 


                    In Renaissance the style of Women's Clothes was extravagant and multi layered. A wealthy woman's attire would have at least five layers ( underskirt, bodice, a skirt, over-bodice or vest, hoop and collar are standard pieces for women's wear). While the early Renaissance period had women wearing fewer layers that consisted usually of kirtle and gown, by the mid 1500s the women's silhouette was stiff but puffed out and padded with layers. The reason for the layers was simply that layers was a status symbol. The more clothes you were wearing, the wealthier you were. The corset, or 'stay' as it was sometimes referred to, was a garment that was stiffened so that it cinched the waist in and flattened the breasts as part of the thin, cone shape. The era gave rise to the corset as fashion.

                   
                    Men's clothing changed a few times with fashion in the Renaissance. Men's fashions were centered around a "square" silhouette that was achieved by widening the shoulders on vests and coats and padding them. Padding was normally made of horsehair. On their legs they wore padded breeches and hosiery with square toed shoes. Very wide sleeves are also an easily recognizable Renaissance fashion, and in men's clothes sleeves often had long vertical slashes down them with another layer of fabric puffing out through them to create the "slashing" technique and style.


                     In Renaissance people always wear headwear with their outfit. Women had a variety of headdresses, including the "Pointed Cone" style that played to the cone fashion for women, as well as lace trimmed veils and various headdress, such as the popular French Hood style. Some headdresses had a woman's usually long and braided hair completely concealed, while others allowed some or much of the hair to show along with the headwear. Men's headwear included wide brimmed hats to finish off their 'square' look.

                    In Conclusion clothing were very important in renaissance  because the way that each person dress was the way that they represent how wealthy they are. German, Italian and French fashions were influenced the rest of Europe in the period. Clothing was one of the main ways that the wealthy displayed their wealth to the world, and so it was the wealthy that set the fashions and trends that were to be followed.

MEDIEVAL

                        The Medieval clothing varied according to the social standing of the people.
Most people in the Middle Ages wore woolen clothing, with undergarments made of linen.
The clothing of the upper class and the lower class were clearly different.

                        The clothing of peasants during the Middle Ages was very simple, while the clothing of nobility was fitted with a distinct emphasis on the sleeves of the garments. Knights decorated themselves with sleeveless covered with a coat of arms. Barbarian nomads wore clothing made of wool, leather, and fur. They wore long trousers, some of which had the trouser all the way down to feet. For the footwear they wore Fine leather shoes. Imports such as turbans and silks from the East were very normal for the more fortunate of society.

                        Nowadays, clothing styles of medieval men changed periodically. At the end of the 13th century, the once loose and flowing tunics became tighter fitting. Besides tunics, the men wore undershirts and briefs covered by a sleeveless jacket and an additional tunic. Stockings completed the ensemble. Men's medieval clothing also consisted of cloaks with a round opening that was slipped over the man's head.

                        The Balance of the early medieval women's clothing consisted of "kirtles", which were tunics worn all the way to angles. These tunics were usually worn over a shirt. When the women were in public, they normally topped the tunics with an even shorter "kirtle."  The Rich women wore more luxurious clothing than those of the poor women lifestyle. Women, especially those who were married, wore tight-fitting caps and nets over their hair, which was wound in a "bun" on their heads. Other women wore veils over their hair, which was left either hanging loosely, or braided tightly.

                       Most of the holy orders wore long woolen habits in emulation of Roman clothing. One could tell the order by the color of the habit , the Cistercians, undyed wool or white the Benedictines wore black. St. Benedict stated that a monk's clothes should be plain but also comfortable and they were allowed to wear linen coifs to keep their heads warm.

                           
     

EQYPT

                     In ancient eqypt the clothing are very important to the eqyptian to protect their skin from very hot dry temperature weather and animals. All men wore a wrap round skirt that tied at the waist with a belt. Sometimes the material was wrapped around their legs. All women wore full length staright dresses with one or two shoulder straps. Eqyptian children did not wear clothes until they were about six years old. 

                     Eqypt has a very hot weather climate. The weather climate is generally dry. The temperature are very hot in the summer and warm or mild in winter, warm in summer night and cool in winter night. 

                      The eqyptian wore clothes for protect their body from sunlight, to warm them up when they are cold and protect their skin from animals and Insects. The material of the clothing is linen(a planet which was grown along the Nile river) according to a hot dry weather. The Eqyptian also used wool to make their clothing. The color of the clothing was mostly in white. 

                      Footwear is the same for both gender. Eqyptian were usually barefoot, sandals were worn on a special event or when they hurt their feet. The sandals worn by poor people were made from woven papyrus or palm while those worn by the rich were made of leather. 

                        Clothing is very important for eqyptian because of the weather and dry desert can burn their skin easily. The eqyptian also chose the right material for make clothing. In eqypt the clothing also represent the class of people in social. 

MESOPOTAMIA

                          The Mesopotamia clothing was essentially made from wool(Sheep skin) or flex (Flex is a plant with blue flowers. The stems of these plants are used to make the clothing).  All men wore kilt like skirts and women wore longer dresses. Both genders wore make up. The mesopotamian likes to decorate themself by wearing jewelries and rings.

                       Firstly, the mesopotamian used only one piece of fabric to cover their body and most of them worn a cultural designed clothing. The mesopotamian were not involved to design so they just wore whatever they have.

                        

                        Secondly, according to the hot tempurature the mesopotamian made their clothing from thin fabric. To design their own clothing that made from thin piece of fabric they would have to make their own style by adding colours and pattern.

                      Thirly, The style of the clothing were unique for each person from head to toe. This period only wore one piece of clothing and did not have a zipper or buttons. We could see the beautiful harmony flow form of the clothes clearly.

                          

                       In Conclusion , each period people had to make their own clothing that suits their culture, the environment and themselves by using the design base on the culture of their period.