• How women dressed in 1917. Women's fashion at the beginning of the 20th century. Children's fashion. Originals. Photo. e: Youth subcultures choose their heroes

    Fashion dictates not only our wardrobe, it proclaims ideals, whether it is admiring the forms or the fashion for gothic morbidity. The fashion for clothes comes from the fashion for the body. Emphasized detached tenderness, as from the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites, aristocratic white skin, feminine curls, flowing dresses to the floor. Charleston dresses fit perfectly on a flat boyish figure. Heavy masculine skin crosses out tenderness and focuses on strong woman with an even majestic figure. Fashion directly tells us what to wear, along the way whispering in our ears how to wear it, what kind of posture to observe at the same time, what look will accompany us when leaving the hairdresser, where, undoubtedly, we did with our hair what Mrs. Fashion told us. female beauty is a mirror of history.

    Antiquity

    The culture of Greek antiquity deified the shape of the body, extolling everything connected with it: the Olympic Games, bewitching with the beauty of the forms of athletes, public speeches, which included the ability to show with gestures the meaning of speech for those who are in the back rows and do not hear the speaker, gymnastics in front of passers-by, and of course, one should not forget about sculpture, which was the highest art among the Greeks.

    The situation was completely opposite in the East, where the body was just a temporary shell of an immortal spirit. The highest value is thoughts, writings.

    Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and modern times, our modernity is a series of ups and downs of spirituality and the cult of the body.

    1900s fashion

    The interpretation and image of the female body has changed from decade to decade, from year to year. Until the First World War, the woman retained the mystery and the female body as such, that is, female nudity was not in vogue. In the 1900s, the fashion for the female silhouette began its transformation, first subjected to a very strong influence of the Art Nouveau style, which identified a woman with an unearthly being. The new silhouette changed fashion to gothic with a protruding belly and a back curved back. The fashion for such a silhouette was associated with the popularity of the look of a pregnant woman in the era crusades and the absence of men. The new S-shaped silhouette was the complete opposite of its predecessor, and was caused primarily by the structure of the linen characteristic of that time and the especially curved shape of the corset that lifted the chest and placed emphasis on a narrow waist, which in extreme cases reached up to 37 centimeters.

    In 1906, during the Edwardian era, the fashion for the female silhouette absorbed the tastes of the English aristocracy of those years, acquiring a more straightened neoclassical silhouette. More respectable in relation to French Art Nouveau and more straightforward, even the black and white and striped colors of the outfits emphasized their elongation and geometricity.

    1910s fashion

    Since 1909, there has been a wave of interest in the harem theme, generated by the success of S.P. Diaghilev in Paris. Fashion abandoned corsets and drew attention to phlegmatic half-naked round women reclining on ottomans. The object of adoration has become full forms with plump, plump arms and legs. Paul Poiret, the famous "emperor of fashion", was the first to pick up this fashion trend and introduced corsetless dresses, the first bloomers-knickers and sheer dresses. This was the first fashion for the body as such in the twentieth century.

    During the First World War, women took over men's functions, which caused the emancipation of women's fashion. Labor activity straightened the silhouette, moved the fastener forward from the back, cut the hair, making combing easier. Due to the absence of men, the fashion for the female body was dissolved in a military fog.

    In those days, a new type of woman was born - a vamp woman, in the slang of those times this type of women was called "Vampire", which was a synonym for an insidious seductress, which emphasized a hard look, thickly summed up with black shadows. The first such vamp was the movie star Theda Bara.

    Fashion of the 20s

    In 1918, when the war brought back the thinned ranks of men from the front, the competition between women increased so much that the display of the body permeated the entire fashion of that time. The era of the 1920s gave birth to a new art deco style, a kind of fusion of neoclassicism and modernity. was born new look women, with a completely new attitude to the body and its forms - the image of a half-boy woman, a teenager. With the light filing of the famous scandalous novel by V. Marguerite "La Garcon" (which means "boy" in French), women's fashion has acquired boyish forms - the absence of breasts, hips, a wide flat waist. If the 1900s forced women to eat a variety of drugs to increase the bust, visit massage therapists, then the 1920s chained women in special flat bodices that hide their breasts.

    Through the efforts of Poiret, women took off their corsets, and thanks to the simple forms of Coco Chanel's suits and dresses, they were completely forgotten. That part of the body that until recently has not been shown at all has come into fashion - the back. Women wore corsets early XIV century and, having lost it, decided that now the back should be shown as often as possible. The only fact that prevented a new fashion trend was pallor. The first mixed beaches appeared, where women first opened themselves to the sun, then to appear before society in evening dresses with an open back and bare arms. The fashion for gothic pallor was replaced by a fashion for tan.

    Arrest girls in Chicagofor wearing a swimsuit in a public place

    The elongated silhouette of dresses with a low waistline dominated until 1924. Emboldened, showing their backs and arms, the women decided to toughen the fight for the attention of men by showing their legs. In 1924 and 1925, the fashion houses of Chanel and Jean Patou dressed women in cropped, knee-length skirts. Ladies began to show off their calves and ankles and this led to the birth of body stockings. Women's fashion more and more revealed the body, she was helped in this by popular dances to jazz music (for example, the Charleston).

    Fashion of the 30s

    But in 1929, the Great Depression ended the enjoyment of luxury. Quite different values ​​replaced the courage of the 20s with a cocaine drive on Rolls-Royce and dances in sparkles. Fashion adopted the streamlined silhouette of the neoclassical beauty with the forms of the Venus de Milo. Parisian fashion houses such as Elsa Schiaparelli, Madeleine Vionnet complemented the femininity of the fashionable silhouette with antique-style draperies.

    40s fashion

    In 1935, under the influence of European totalitarianism, elongated dresses were replaced by strict forms of jackets, suits and coats. Feminine fashion wrapped itself in the square masculinity of the first padded shoulders, hid forms under frame clothes. This direction of women's fashion reached its peak in 1943, during the Second World War, when the size of the shoulders became simply incredible. Martial law has turned women into fighters.

    50s fashion

    Undermined military fashion legendary "New look" from Dior in 1947. Bringing back Victorian fashion, Dior cinched the women's waists into corsets, rounded the hips, and took out padded coat hangers from war-weary ladies. Fashion has regained mystery, femininity and sophistication.

    Fashion 60s

    In the 1960s, under the famous "Beatles" and "The Rolling Stones", they opened a fashion for young people that simply did not exist before. Women's fashion has regained the boyish silhouette of the 20s, which has become a popular model Twiggy. Despite the repetitive silhouettes, the fashion of this period made many discoveries. Spaceflight wove fashion out of aluminium, plastic and shiny fringe, displacing wool, silk and cotton. This direction was supported with pleasure by Paco Rabanne, Pierre Cardin, Courreges, who turned their models into the crew of a spaceship. But changing fabrics was not enough for this fashionable era, and it changed its shape - with the light hand of Mary Quant, miniskirts came into fashion.

    Fashion acquired a new look in 1968, dressed in the same cut as men's clothes: T-shirts, vests, shirts, jeans - unisex was felt everywhere, even in hairstyles. Hippies completely changed the attitude towards the body, along the way decorating it with stickers and tattoos symbolizing love and peace.

    70s fashion

    This narcotic bliss could continue to this day, only the female essence did not reconcile with gender equality and resurrected under the luxury of a new retro style that arose in the early 1970s in connection with the love of pre-war fashion of the 20s and 30s. Narrow shoulders, slim waists, maxi and midi skirts, platforms that changed the proportions of the female body, renewed interest in the female body. Free love, the first adult films, magazines, undressing has become commonplace.

    80s fashion

    But in the early 1980s, the consequences of free love became known, and this was reflected in fashion and attitudes towards the body, and an awareness of its value came. Japanese designers such as Yohji Yamamoto and Kenzo Takada carefully hid women's bodies in layered black outfits, and the rest of the fashion house designers followed suit. Fashion has deformed the female silhouette, and the successful collections of Thierry Mugler and Claude Montana have returned the shoulders of the 40s.

    90s fashion

    The success of Japanese designers was followed by the response of French fashion - Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix revived the fashion for female forms. The first three years of the 90s echoed the 30s and 50s with emphasized corsets and deep cleavage of female sexuality. And then followed the crisis and the birth of new styles, such as grunge, ethnic and ecological.

    Fashion for interest in the body was revived in the form of ritual tattoos of Brazilian Indians, proposed by Jean-Paul Gaultier. But in order not to scare his fans too much, the designer suggested not to get tattoos on the body, but to try them on with the help of flesh-colored turtlenecks he created with pictures printed on them.

    Fashion is an art, it either gives rise to a work of the author's fantasy, or admires the majesty of the past, or is depleted under the pressure of the present. But it is always moving, moving cyclically, reflecting history. Fashion sometimes wraps female forms in cocoons, as if hiding the fragile creations of nature, sometimes mocks female body, exalting unnatural ideals, but sometimes she shows the true beauty of a woman - and in these moments she is beautiful!

    (Visited 592 times, 2 visits today)


    Certainly, Paris is one of the brightest and most famous fashion capitals, and even a hundred years ago it also aroused admiration and surprise of the whole world with its bold design solutions and its refined style. If now the most interesting thing happens on the podium, then in 1910 it was enough to come to the hippodrome to see the most fashionable dresses and accessories with your own eyes.






    By 1910, the silhouette of a woman's dress had become softer and more graceful. After the grandiose success of the ballet "Scheherazade" in Paris, a craze for oriental culture began. Couturier Paul Poiret(Paul Poiret) was one of the first to bring this trend into the fashion world. Poiret's clients were easily recognizable by their brightly colored pantaloons, flamboyant turban hats and brightly colored dresses, in which the women looked like exotic geishas.






    At this time, the art deco movement was formed, which was instantly reflected in fashion. Hats made of felt, high turban hats and an abundance of tulle came into fashion. At the same time, the first female couturier Jeanne Paquin appeared, who was one of the first to open representative offices of her design abroad in London, Buenos Aires and Madrid.






    One of the most influential fashion designers at that time was Jacques Doucet. The dresses of his design were different from the rest - they were dresses of pastel colors, with an excess of lace and decorations that shone and shimmered in the sun. It was a favorite designer of French actresses who flaunted in his dresses not only on theater stages, but in everyday life.¨






    At the beginning of the 20th century, high-waisted dresses were popular. However, by 1910, tunics over a long skirt came into fashion. This layering of outfits was observed in the collection of almost all couturiers of that time. Later, in 1914, they became fashionable skirts strongly narrowed at the ankles. It was quite difficult to move around in such outfits, but fashion, as you know, sometimes requires sacrifice.














    The 1900s came and the 20th century began. Nothing yet foreshadowed the horrors and catastrophes of the new century, the tragedies of two world wars. Porcelain faces of beauties smiled from magazines and photographs, among which one could see Gibson girls, new beauties appeared next to them - trendsetters of beauty and fashion. Lina Cavalieri belonged to them - an incomparable opera singer, whom all fashionistas tried to imitate in everything, the metropolitan audience applauded the French dancer - Cleo de Merode, everything seemed to be eternal ...


    1900s - a continuation of the Art Nouveau style, which existed in the last decade of the nineteenth th century, offering either a mutton sleeve or an S-shaped figure with a tired crooked gait, and towards the end of its existence completely approached the expulsion of corsets. The Art Nouveau style in France was called "Art Nouveau", in Germany - "Jugend style", in Italy - "Liberty".




    In the early 1900s, women's corsets were still flattering. It was during this bright, albeit short, modern era that the corset took a fundamental place in the women's costume. At the end of the 19th century, the S-curve of the body was barely perceptible, but in the 1900s it was already serious. The Art Nouveau corset has become one of the most perfect examples of applied art. All its parts are not only unique in terms of purpose, but also beautiful in themselves.


    The corset, a creation of the 1900s, deserves special attention and study of each of the elements, their functionality, location and combination with each other. The heyday of Art Nouveau was the last period of the existence of the corset, which kept the upper part of the figure curved forward, and the lower part back. The chest looked lush and voluminous, somewhat shifted downwards, the waist was minimal.




    The corset tightened the stomach and lengthened the front of the torso so that the waistline was lower in front and higher in the back than the natural line. Therefore, the S-shape was even more expressive. It was easier for those who possessed Rubensian forms, while others had to go to cunning and inventions in order to weight two “hills” on their figure - in front and behind. Sometimes these "hills" were so elevated that their owners were threatened with loss of balance.


    At this time, advertisements appeared in magazines about artificial busts, which could increase in volume at your request. To add splendor to the hips, special pads were used, attached to the corset. In general, the whole construction of the corset of that time deserves admiration.


    By lengthening the torso, it becomes possible to place a lot of overhead elements on the bodice: lush frills, draperies of the bodice, lace coquettes, frills, ruffles, etc. The skirt was tight around the hips and fanned out down the hem. High stand-up collars were held by celluloid plates or were made in the form of numerous frills.





    Evening dresses had a deep neckline - a neckline, and such dresses were usually worn with decoration - a "collar", for example, it could be pearl beads in several rows. The stand-up collars and the shape of the neck ornaments emphasized the long "swan" neck, on which the head rested with a magnificent hairstyle, sometimes not from one's own hair, but with lining rollers.


    To keep all these structures on the head, all kinds of combs, hairpins and hairpins were required. These hair ornaments were made from tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, flattened openwork horn, and many were limited to celluloid combs imitating tortoiseshell.


    Indispensable accessories were silk stockings, which one could only guess about, and tight gloves that did not even leave a thin strip of a bare arm. The Art Nouveau lady was so carefully laced and draped that a small part of the naked arm or neck aroused admiration in men and provoked the solution of the secret of this person.


    All lady in full assembly of her attire was something incredible, consisting of thin flowing fabrics, with beaded patterns, cascades of lace and ostrich feathers, precious furs and silk with shimmering threads. The S-shaped figure had to be balanced with large hats, which were decorated with feathers, ribbons, bows. Such hats lasted almost until the end of the 1900s. And ostrich feathers were the most expensive decoration and even a symbol of high position in society.






    In winter outfits there were fur hats and hats, in Russia they wore "boyar" hats. Huge hats, boas, muffs, perfume, ruffles, lace, fans, airy elegant underwear - all this had an attractive power and aroused admiring glances, because at the turn of the century they were means of seduction. By the way, underwear, which only the elite could see, demanded especially increased attention during that period. This was facilitated by numerous magazines published in Paris and covering fashion on this topic.


    In the second half of the 1900s, the East began to penetrate into the ladies' wardrobe - kimono-style robes and morning capes, wrap-around blouses, Chinese silk parasols, and geisha-style hairstyles appeared. But there were still no juicy and clear colors of the East, pastel colors prevailed. After all, from the moment when the Russian Ballet appeared in Paris, when its first tour was a sensational success, the East opened up for fashionistas with its splendor of bright colors and patterns.


    Gradually curvaceous forms began to give way to graceful and thin. During this period, much was written in magazines about the reform of clothing, which should be comfortable and spacious, not restricting movement and breathing, and corsets should be completely banished from the women's wardrobe.


    Simple dresses appeared, which were called so - "reform" dresses. They fell from the shoulder, were quite spacious, with a barely outlined high waist. At first, some ladies allowed themselves to wear such dresses at home, and they accepted only close friends and relatives in them.


    Another example of a ladies' attire from the "reforms" was a white "American" blouse with a stand-up collar, over which a tie is tied, and a skirt, widened downwards and narrowed at the waist and abdomen. It was a day outfit - "deuce". There was also a “troika” outfit, in which the “deuce” was complemented by a fitted jacket. The sleeves were gathered at the shoulder, but they were the remnants of the former greatness of the sleeve - the ham, just above the elbow to the wrist, the sleeve was narrowed and ended at the very fingers, because a decent lady should be draped from ear to toe.


    The three-piece suit was called a trotter. In addition to it, there was an umbrella-cane, with which many ladies did not part. They liked to wear such costumes in spring and autumn. In the winter season, they wore seki coats, coats, rotundas with fur, fur coats, and velvet coats.


    Capes-pelerines embroidered with embroidery were in fashion. Capes, as a rule, were worn in combination with a wide-brimmed hat.


    Shoes more often they had a “French heel”, they were made of the softest chevro leather - lamb skin of especially fine workmanship. All models of shoes had elongated toes, decorated with buckles or had a closed rise - “tongue”, half boots and boots with lacing were in fashion. A metal overlay was attached to the “French heel” - a “pompadour” made of engraved steel.


    But in the same decade, when the ladies looked laced up to their ears, the era of emancipation was approaching, the era new woman, under the light dress of which a slender figure was hidden instead of a magnificent corset, even if it was a masterpiece of design thought.

















    The development of fashion in the 1910s of the XX century was largely determined by global events, the main of which was the First World War 1914-1918. The changed living conditions and worries that ended up on women's shoulders demanded, first of all, convenience and comfort in clothes. The financial crisis associated with the war also did not contribute to the popularity of luxurious dresses made from expensive fabrics. However, as is often the case, difficult times created an even greater demand for beautiful clothes: women, not wanting to put up with circumstances, showed miracles of ingenuity in search of fabrics and new styles. As a result, the second decade of the 20th century was remembered for models that combined elegance and convenience, and the appearance of the legendary star Coco Chanel in the fashion sky.

    At the beginning of the second decade of the twentieth century, Paul Poiret remained the main dictator in the fashion world. In 1911, women's trousers and culottes made a splash. The fashion designer continued to popularize his work through social events and various trips. Poiret noted the creation of the Thousand and One Nights collection with a luxurious reception, and later in the same 1911 he opened his own school of arts and crafts, Ecole Martin. Also, the fashion revolutionary continued to publish books and catalogs with his products. Then Poiret went on a world tour, which lasted until 1913. During this time, the artist has shown his models in London, Vienna, Brussels, Berlin, Moscow, St. Petersburg and New York. All his shows and trips were accompanied by articles and photographs in newspapers, so that the news about the French couturier spread all over the world.

    Poiret was not afraid of experiments and became the first fashion designer to create his own fragrance - Rosina perfume, named after eldest daughter. In 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, the House of Paul Poiret ceased its activities, and the artist made an attempt to return to the world of fashion only in 1921.

    This, however, turned out to be a failure, largely due to the fact that the luxurious and exotic style of Poiret was supplanted by the revolutionary models of Coco Chanel.

    Emancipation and the first practical models

    The first step in the transition to "comfortable" fashion was the final disappearance of corsets, voluminous hats, and "limping" skirts from women's wardrobes. In the early 1910s, new models came into use, the main among them was the "yule skirt" with a high waist, wide hips, drapery and narrow at the ankles. As for the length, until 1915 the hem of the dresses reached the ground. Skirts, on the other hand, were shortened a little: models came into fashion that reached “only” up to the leg lift. Dresses were often worn with capes, and dresses with a train were also popular. A V-shaped neckline was common, not only on the chest, but also on the back.

    The craving for practicality touched not only clothing, but the entire female image. In the second decade of the twentieth century, ladies for the first time stopped doing intricate elegant hairstyles and opened their necks. Short haircuts have not yet become as common as they were in the 1920s, but the fashion for long, beautifully styled hair on the head has become a thing of the past.

    At that time, operetta was extremely popular throughout Europe, and the dancers who performed on stage became an example to follow, including in terms of clothing. Along with the operetta, the audience enjoyed the cabaret, and especially the tango dance. Especially for the tango, a stage costume was invented - Turkish trousers, as well as draped skirts, in the cuts of which the dancers' legs were visible. Such outfits were used only on stage, but in 1911 the Parisian fashion house "Drecol and Beschoff" offered the ladies the so-called trouser dresses and a skirt-trousers. The conservative part of French society did not accept the new outfits, and those girls who dared to appear in them in public were accused of denying generally accepted moral standards. Women's trousers, which first appeared in the early 1910s, were negatively received by the public and became popular only much later.

    In 1913, emancipant women began to protest in Europe against movement-restricting clothing, insisting on the appearance of simple cut and comfortable models. At the same time, there was still a slight but tangible influence of sports on everyday fashion. Abundant stripes and decorations, intricate appliqués and details that adorned clothes began to disappear. Women allowed themselves to bare their arms and legs. In general, the cut of clothes has become much more free, shirts and dress shirts have come into fashion.

    All these trends were characteristic of casual wear, while dressy models were still kept in the style of the 1910s. High-waisted dresses with elements of oriental style, models with a narrow bodice and wide skirt with frills were still popular in the world. A pannier skirt came into fashion, the name of which is translated from French as "basket". The model was distinguished by a barrel-shaped silhouette - the hips were wide, but the front and back of the skirt was flat. In short, the outfits for going out were more elegant and conservative, and some fashion designers sought to keep the trends observed in the fashion of the 1900s. Erte became the most notable among the artists who adhered to conservative models.

    Loud debut of the great Erte

    The most popular fashion designer Erte, whose name is associated with luxurious and feminine images of the second decade of the twentieth century, did not recognize the trend towards practicality and functionality.

    Roman Petrovich Tyrtov was born in 1892 in St. Petersburg, and at the age of twenty he moved to Paris. Erte took the pseudonym from the initial letters of the name and surname. Even as a child, the boy showed a penchant for drawing and design. From the age of 14, he attended classes at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, and after moving to the French capital, he went to work at the Paul Poiret House. His high-profile debut in Paris was the creation of costumes for the play "The Minaret" in 1913. The very next year, when Erte left the House of Poiret, his models were very popular not only in France, but also in the theater troupes of Monte Carlo, New York, Chicago and Glyndbourne. Music halls filled the talented fashion designer with orders, and Erte created costumes for productions such as Irwin Berlin's Music Box Repertoire, George White's Scandals and Mary of Manhattan. Each image created by the couturier was his own creation: in his work, Erte never relied on the experience of his colleagues and predecessors.

    The most recognizable image created by the fashion designer was the mysterious beauty, wrapped in luxurious furs, with many accessories, the main of which were long strands of pearls and beads, topped with an original headdress. Erte created his outfits, inspired by ancient Egyptian and ancient Greek mythology, as well as Indian miniatures and, of course, Russian classical art. Denying a non-fitted silhouette and abstract geometric patterns, in 1916 Erte became the chief artist of the Harpers Bazaar magazine, a contract with which he was offered by a magnate.

    Popular even before the outbreak of the First World War, Erte was one of the trendsetters until his death in 1990 at the age of 97.

    War and fashion

    The dispute between adherents of the old style and supporters of practical clothing was decided by the First World War that began in 1914. Women forced to do all men's work, simply could not afford to dress up in long puffy skirts and corsets.

    During this period, functional details began to appear in clothes, referring to the military style - patch pockets, turn-down collars, jackets with lacing, lapels and metal buttons that girls wore with skirts. At the same time, women's suits came into fashion. The hard years brought with them another reform: comfortable knitwear was used in tailoring, from which jumpers, cardigans, scarves and hats were created. Casual dresses, the length of which became shorter and reached only to the calves, were worn with high, coarse lace-up boots, under which women wore leggings.

    In general, this time can be described as a spontaneous search for new forms and styles, a passionate desire to get away from all the fashionable standards that were imposed by fashion houses in the 1900s. Trends literally replaced one another. Common to the wartime silhouettes was the freedom of cut, sometimes even the "saggy" clothes. Now the outfits did not emphasize all the curves of the female figure, but, on the contrary, hid it. Even the belts no longer fitted the waist, not to mention the sleeves, blouses and skirts.

    The war, perhaps, made women much more independent than all the emancipant outbursts that characterized the early 1910s. First, women took over the work that men used to do: they took places in factories, hospitals and offices. In addition, many of them ended up in auxiliary military services, where working conditions dictated practicality as the main criterion when choosing clothes. The girls wore uniforms, khaki sports shirts and caps. Perhaps, for the first time, women felt their independence and significance, became confident in their strengths and intellectual abilities. All this allowed the ladies themselves to direct the development of fashion.

    During the war, when almost all fashion houses were closed, women voluntarily got rid of all imposed canons, freeing clothes from unnecessary details. practical and functional style took root and fell in love with it so much that the fashion houses that resumed their activities after the war were forced to follow new trends, and attempts to restore popularity to the previously relevant crinoline and uncomfortable "narrow" styles ended in failure.

    Of particular note, however, appeared at the same time and became extremely popular "military crinolines". These fluffy skirts differed from their predecessors in that they used not the usual hoops, but a large number of petticoats to maintain their shape. It took a lot of fabric to sew such outfits and, despite the low quality, the price of "military crinolines" was quite high. This did not prevent the voluminous skirt from becoming one of the main hits of the war, and later this model became a symbol of the romantic style caused by general protest and war weariness. Unable to resist the mastered practical style, fashion designers decided to bring originality and beauty to simple-style outfits through details and finishes. Dresses "haute couture" were richly decorated with pearls, ribbons, appliqués and beads.

    The impact of the First World War on fashion cannot be described only by the emerging trend towards practicality. Soldiers who participated in battles in foreign territories brought home as trophies, including new exotic fabrics, as well as hitherto unseen shawls, scarves and jewelry from Tunisia and Morocco. Fashion designers getting to know cultures different countries, absorbed ideas and embodied new styles, patterns and finishes in tailoring.

    After the end of the war, when secular life improved, and balls began to be given again in Paris, many women abandoned the costumes that had become familiar and returned to pre-war fashion. However, this period did not last long - after the war, a completely new stage in fashion began, which at that time was most influenced by Coco Chanel.

    Men's style from Chanel

    Coco Chanel, by her own admission, tried all her life to adapt a men's suit to the needs and lifestyle of a modern woman.

    Coco Chanel began her journey in the fashion world in 1909 when she opened her own hat shop in Paris. The rumor about the new designer quickly spread throughout the French capital, and the very next year, Coco was able to launch not only hats, but also clothes, opening a store at 21 Rue Cambon, and then her own Fashion House in the Biarritz resort. Despite the high cost of clothing and the simplicity of the cut, which was unusual for that time, Chanel's models were rapidly gaining popularity, and the designer had a wide clientele.

    The main task of the clothes that fashion designers previously offered to women was to emphasize the wasp waist and highlight the chest, creating unnatural curves. Coco Chanel was thin, tanned and athletic, and the style common at that time did not suit her perfectly - with all the desire, no clothes could make an "hourglass" out of a girl's figure. But she was the perfect model for her own outfits. “Cuffed in a corset, chest out, butt exposed, so tight at the waist, as if cut into two parts ... to contain such a woman is the same as managing real estate,” said Koko.

    Promoting convenience and unisex style, the fashion designer created very simple dresses and skirts, distinguished by clear lines and the absence of jewelry. The girl, without hesitation, swept aside unnecessary details and unnecessary accessories in search of the perfect model that does not restrict movement, and at the same time allows a woman to remain a woman. Disregarding public opinion, she deftly introduced women's clothing elements of masculine style, independently setting an example of the correct use of simple outfits. "Once I put on a men's sweater, just like that, because I felt cold ... I tied it with a scarf (at the waist). That day I was with the British. None of them noticed that I was wearing a sweater ..." Chanel recalled. That is how her famous plunging-neck sailor suits with turn-down collars and "jockey" leather jackets appeared.

    When creating clothes, Chanel used simple materials - cotton, knitwear. In 1914, she shortened the women's skirt. At the start of World War I, Coco designed practical sweaters, blazers, shirt dresses, blouses, and suits. It was Chanel who contributed to the popularization of pajamas, and in 1918 even created women's pajamas, in which you could go down to the bomb shelter.

    Closer to 1920, Coco, like many artists of that time, became interested in Russian motifs. This line in the work of Chanel was developed already at the beginning of the third decade of the twentieth century.

    The second decade of the twentieth century, despite all the hardships and hardships, became a turning point in the evolution of fashion - it was in the 1910s that artists began to actively search for new forms that could give women freedom without depriving them of grace. Reforms brought into fashion by the war and trends post-war years became decisive in the development of the industry in subsequent decades.

    Millionaires in Russia and a large selection of ladies' outfits.

    In a secular society, where fashion and toilets were a certain language in which the highest circles communicated, the outfit became a symbol of etiquette. Hence the appearance of fashionistas from the 18th century - the best dressmakers who sewed to order, and then Parisian dress shops.
    Paris has always been a trendsetter in women's fashion. French tailors were invited by the crowned Elizaveta Petrovna, and her de facto successor Catherine the Great, by decree of 1763, allowed foreigners to live and trade in Moscow with privileges. In Catherine's time, French milliners and various fashion shops had already appeared in both capitals: the latter appeared under the names: "Au temple de gout" (Temple of Taste), "Musee de Nouveautes" (Museum of Novelties), etc. e "a La Greek, sterlet shoes, snails, a prank women's caftan, oar chicken-form and furro-form, various bows, lace.


    After the revolution of 1789, emigrants poured into Moscow. Among them was the famous Madame Marie-Rose Aubert-Chalmet. From the end of the 18th century, Madame had a shop on Kuznetsky Most, and then in her own house in Glinishevsky Lane near Tverskaya, where, among other things, she traded in excellent hats with exorbitant prices, which is why Muscovites called her "chief rogue" - they even believe that the very word rogue came from her name. She had such an “arrival” that Glinishevsky lane was full of carriages, and the store itself became a fashionable meeting center for the Moscow beau monde. Notable clients once saved Madame herself when her shop was sealed for smuggling. The profile of the milliner was very wide. She was ordered both a "dowry" for rich girls of marriageable age, and ball gowns - this is how Madame got on the pages of the epic "War and Peace": it was to her that the old woman Akhrosimova was lucky to dress the daughters of Count Rostov.
    The modiste suffered a sad and unflattering fate. When Napoleon attacked Russia, two warring worlds clashed on the Kuznetsk bridge. Becoming an adviser to Napoleon, an experienced madam gave him valuable recommendations regarding policy in Russia, and together with the Napoleonic army she left Moscow and died of typhus on the way.

    Ober-Chalme was replaced by the even more famous milliner Sickler, in the Moscow vernacular Sichlersha. In St. Petersburg, she had a store near Gorokhovaya Street, and in Moscow - on Bolshaya Dmitrovka. She dressed the high society of Russia and his wife
    celebrities.
    One of Sickler's regular customers was Natalie Pushkina, who loved to order toilets from her, and once presented a Sickler hat to the wife of Pavel Nashchokin, a friend of Pushkin, as a gift. From the letters of the poet it is known that the milliner more than once tugged at him for debts. It was said that Pushkin paid Sickler for his wife's toilets an amount almost greater than the fee for The History of the Pugachev Rebellion, and after Pushkin's death, guardianship reimbursed Sickler another 3,000 of his debts.
    High society ordered ball gowns from Sickler in the year when Nicholas I visited Moscow, for which the milliner had 80 thousand profits per month. Incidents also came out. Sometimes poor but gentle husbands pampered their loved ones with great financial effort.
    wives dress from Sickler, but it turned out to be so luxurious that it was impossible to appear in it for the evening in the company of their circle, and for visits it was required to sew a new toilet simpler. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin especially liked to taunt such husbands - his own wife ordered dresses for herself and her daughter only from Paris, and the “greedy appetites” of the spouses greatly upset the satirist.

    Sickler's successors were two Moscow milliners. The first was the "French mistress" Madame Dubois, who had on the same Bolshaya Dmitrovka the best shop with an exquisite round hall, where there were always the best hats and not in showcases, but in cabinets - for connoisseurs.
    The second successor to Sickler since the 1850s was the famous Madame Minangua: her fame as the best milliner in Moscow did not fade until the revolution itself. Madame had luxury shops both on Bolshaya Dmitrovka and on Kuznetsky Most, which were devoted exclusively to the latest Parisian fashions. Here they made ladies' dresses, dowries, underwear and corsets of elegant finishes. It was the largest and most expensive company in old Moscow for ordering capricious ladies' dresses, even at the time when they appeared in abundance.
    stores of ready-made European clothes.
    The most important were the ballrooms, in which a woman appeared before the eyes of the capital's beau monde - according to etiquette, even in the most luxurious dress it was impossible to show more than 3-4 times. The cheapest were girls' dresses: for the most spoiled, it cost 80 rubles in silver, light, with flounces, made of silk or gauze. The lady paid 200 silver rubles for the fabric for this dress alone, and hundreds more rubles for the dress itself. Incredible luxury, which, sighed contemporaries, right, it would be worth limiting by some law.
    Ladies' outfits of the 18th - early 20th centuries.
    Pictures enlarge on mouse click



    Moscow milliners of the 19th century.

    From time immemorial, Odessa has been known in Europe as a trendsetter, and Odessa, as Pushkin wrote about it, was originally a European city. For this reason, local ladies flaunted here and amazed visiting provincials of the most elegant style and the finest weaving with French straw hats from Madame Moulis or Victoria Olivier on Deribasovskaya in the Frapoli house, exquisite, latest fashion toilets from the shops of Adele Martin on Italian, the current Pushkinskaya Street, Madame Palmer or
    Suzanne Pomer. And Madame Lobadie, the owner of a chic salon on Richelieuskaya, even periodically invited special consultants from Paris itself, whose customers could always “have all the news
    Maud".
    With the construction in 1842 of a vast shopping complex, which Odessans who visited the French capital soon began to call the Palais Royal, the fashion store of Maria Ivanovna Stratz moved there. Opened back in pre-Pushkin times and then existed for many years, this store gained fame far beyond the borders of Odessa and for a long time had no analogues in almost the entire South. It is not surprising
    it was, because there was literally everything that only the most capricious woman’s soul desires: ready-made outfits, woolen fabrics, Dutch linen, Lyon silks, French shawls, lace, gloves of unprecedented beauty, heavy velvet of various colors and the finest batiste, which seemed to tremble from one breath ...