Fashion History @ vintagevixen.com - <b>Poiret and Eastern Influence

Fashion History:

1900s * 1910s * 1920s * 1930s * 1940s * 1950s * 1960s * 1970s

Antique Black Leather Granny Boots

ca. 1915 Black Leather Men's Boots

More Items From The 1910s...

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Poiret and Eastern Influence - Women's Fashions of the 1910s

Silhouette For daywear, head-to-ankle coverage was required, with lowered necklines for the first time in decades. Both neck and arms were often bared at night. The primary silhouette was a straight, squarish outline with low hips; sometimes a more natural, high-waisted, and Art Nouveau styled figure was popular. The ankle-length hem was extremely narrow for the hobble skirt style, and wide picture hats narrowed through the decade.

Common Designs

Horizontal layered appearance in skirt or vertical wrap effect on tailored jacket-and-skirt sets and dresses
Long, ethnic-influenced tunic with skirt and waist sash
High-waisted silhouette with cummerbund-style wrapped waist, square neckline, and often stylized or Classical draping for evening

Fabrics Available Natural fibers (linen, cotton, wool, and silk) used, with rayon (artificial silk) a new invention in 1910. Medium to heavy weight fabrics like serge and gabardine seen in tailored daywear. Lightweight, often sheer fabrics- organza, chiffon, crepes- worn in evening and afternoon dresses, with jersey popular as leisure fabrics. Chanel used denim as a leisure fabric at this period, well before denim's heyday of popularity.

Popular Colors and Prints Solids or small figured prints worn for daywear, with white, black, shades of gray or brown being most common. Evening saw brighter, varied colors and larger, exotic prints. Poiret was well-known for his specially concocted vibrant hues.

Trims and Detailing Extensive same-color embroidery and beading commonly seen on both day and evening wear. Braid worn on tailored garments and other daywear. Feathers, furs, and tassels donned for the new mystique look of fashion.

Hemlines Day and Night For daytime, the hem fluctuated between a few inches above the ankle and the instep. Evening wear was floor-length, often with simple trains, though later styles were ankle-length.

The Latest Fads

Couture designer Paul Poiret's influence:
Extremely narrow "hobble" skirts
Oriental and Middle Eastern ethnic motifs and silhouettes
Turbans and feather-spiked bandeaux
Lampshade skirts (wired to the shape of a lampshade hung from the waist)
Corsetless "liberated" women

Innovations Rayon invented in 1910 as the first artificial fiber. It was introduced to common fashion in the late teens, but used by Chanel as early as 1915.

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