No CC Decades Outfits 2.0

1900s Changes in Fashion

For 1900s fashion I find it’s more about adding new styles rather than removing old ones. The biggest changes in fashion were colors (lighter and brighter) and the female silhouette (slimmer). For men the top hat moved from day wear to evening wear to be replaced by a range of other hat shapes. So let’s look at the different classes and their changes in fashion.

Working class: 

For working class people not much of anything changed. These were clothes designed for durability and practicality, and so they weren’t really replaced because of new trends. In fact, for men, the basics of working class clothes looked pretty much the same from Victorian days until the 20s and 30s.

Middle and Upper Classes:

I’ve chosen to put this as one heading as the changes affects both classes. For upper class men the major change would be no tails or top hats during daytime, meaning his style became closer to the middle class (of course he’d always have better material in his clothing and more expensive clothes in general). For middle class men there were even fewer changes. The biggest change was the shoes, that went in a more informal direction. Two tone shoes started become more popular, and oxfords could now be used in leisurely fashion at times.  In the changes I’ve made below I’ve updated some of the hats, and changed the shoes to a more modern shoe with laces. I’ve tried to represent the fabrics-choices in especially the first outfit, as plaid was really common in suits and sports jackets.

Outfit 1: Jacket: DU. Pants: MWS, Shoes &Hat: BG - Outfit 2: Suit, hat and shoes (also 3+4): GT - Outfit 3: Hat: BG, Vest &Pants: MWS - Outfit 4: BG

For women the largest change was the slimming of the skirt, meaning that a few of the options for the last decade actually fits better here (the ruffled skirt). I also find that the really slim BG skirt fits well, although it has to be coupled with something that covers it as its waistline is way too low for the time. Colors in this decade was generally light (with the exceptions of winter skirts where black was becoming popular). Pink, peach, light blue and light green were all popular. In the summer white might be worn. Late in the decades grays and purples were popular. Another new item of fashion was the knitted cardigan which was always long and a perfect item for winterwear.

Outfit 1: Top: CoL, Skirt (2,3+5): BG, Shoes (all outfits) Vampire, Gloves: MWS - Outfit 2: Top: HSY, Gloves: BG - Outfit 3: Jacket MWS, Gloves and hat: BG - outfit 4: Top (4+5): BG (masculine frame), Skirt: CoL, Hat: CoL, gloves: BG - Outfit 5: BG

For middle class formalwear we have one perfect outfit in the GT dress which can also be an everyday outfit for the upperclass women with a different styling (add a hat and lose the makeup).  The slim silhouette and lace was perfectly on point. I’ve also chosen two other dresses that fits the slim silhouette, the preference for lace and floral patterns. The last outfit is more of a wildcard, but I wanted to show something that wasn’t a full dress for formalwear. I’ve also added diamond and pearl jewellery, which was the preference of the time.

Jacket: DU (masculine frame), Skirt: GF Gloves: BG, shoes: Vampire

Finally, I wanted to add something for sportswear for women, as more were becoming available. Here I’ve tried to recreate a golfing outfit, and as you can see the skirt is quite short for the time. In gym-outfits it could be even shorter! When it comes to nightgowns and swimwear, however, I have nothing new to add as nothing much happened in that respect in this decade.

As children's clothes didn't change much I don't see a point for a post about them yet.