African fashion

 

European manufacturers for the West and Central African textile trade in the late nineteenth century, African prints became a vital part of many local “popular” fashion systems over the course of the twentieth century. While distinct styles developed, so did shared regional preferences, resulting in African-print fashions that are diverse yet often interconnected. Print fashion has over time come to present distinctive visual codes that carry a sense of African identity and cultural heritage, and because of this, it is pervasive and prominent in twenty-first-century African and diasporic visual cultures. Today, the expanding virtual presence of African-print fashion on the Internet and social media attests to its immense popularity, as well as to its capacity to generate global interest and appeal.

Featuring an abundance of colorful, boldly patterned African-print cloth and garments, vintage photographs, and contemporary works of art, African-Print Fashion Now! is the first major volume to delve into the history, significance, and multifaceted meanings of this dynamic fashion mode. The book foregrounds the stylishness and cosmopolitanism that have long flourished on the continent, while highlighting the expansiveness and innovation of twenty-first-century print fashion.

Velvet dress

1883 – CHARLES FREDERICK WORTH,

RED SILK SATIN AND VELVET DINNER DRESS

 1880-1889, 19th century, garment analysisThis dinner dress designed by Charles Frederick Worth displays the definitive fashion trends of the early 1880s, with its complex train, protruding bustle, and apron style overskirt.

ABOUT THE LOOK

his dinner dress was created by English fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth in 1883. Worth, often referred to as the father of haute couture, had a large influence over Parisian fashions in the late 19th century. His ornately decorated gowns were sought after by many women.

This 1883 silk satin evening gown is a rich red color, featuring a deep square neckline that emphasizes the collarbone It includes a standing collar that lies flat on the neck, edged with a tulle material that continues around the entirety of the neckline. In the center, an attached rose embellishment is highlighted. The three-quarter length sleeves are trimmed with the same tulle-material used on the neckline, as well as large, silk ribbons The bodice is adorned with a row of buttons down the front with a deeply pointed basque waistline, and is decorated with a rose leaf motif consisting of velvet stripes.

The overskirt is draped in an apron style , and gathered at the back of the gown to create the bustle. The prominent bustle elongates into a train decorated with the same rose leaf motif seen on the bodice. The skirt of the gown is arranged in a straight silhouette featuring the rose leaf and velvet striped pattern in addition to knife pleating trimming the gown. The train of the dress is also edged with pleats.

FANCY FASHION

 Fashion started when humans began wearing clothes, which were typically made from plants, animal skins and bone. Before the mid-19th century, the division between haute coutureand ready-to-wear did not really exist, but the most basic pieces of female clothing were made-to-measure by dressmakers and seamstresses dealing directly with the client. Most often, clothing was patterned, sewn and tailored in the household. When storefronts appeared selling ready-to-wear clothing, this need was removed from the domestic workload. 

More is known about elite women's fashion than the dress of any other social group. Early studies of children’s fashion typically pulled from sources of folklore, cultural studies, and anthropology field-based works.One trend across centuries was that Christian children typically dressed best on Sundays for religious purposes.Another is the importance of ‘hand-me-downs,’ receiving used clothing.In addition to hand-me-downs, sharing clothing among siblings has also been a trend throughout history.Prior to the 1800s, European and American children’s clothing patterns were often similar to adult’s clothing, with children dressed as miniature adults.Textiles have also always been a major part of any fashion as textiles can express how much one can afford.

From the late nineteenth century on, clothing was increasingly based on printed designs, especially from Paris, which were circulated throughout Europe and eagerly anticipated in the provinces. Seamstresses would then interpret these patterns as best they could. The origin of these designs lay in the clothing created by the most fashionable figures, typically those at court, along with their seamstresses and tailors. Though there had been distribution of dressed dolls from Francesince the 16th century and Abraham Bosse had produced engravings of fashion in the 1620s, the pace of change picked up in the 1780s with increased publication of French engravings illustrating the latest Paris styles, followed by fashion magazines such as Cabinet des Modes. By 1800, all Western Europeans were dressing alike (or thought they were); local variations became first a sign of provincial culture and later a badge of the conservative peasant.

In the 20th century, fashion magazines and, with rotogravure, newspapers, began to include photographs and became even more influential. Throughout the world these magazines were greatly sought-after and had a profound effect on public taste. Talented illustrators – among them Paul Iribe, Georges Lepape, Erté, and George Barbier – drew attractive fashion plates for these publications, which covered the most recent developments in fashion and beauty. Perhaps the most famous of these magazines was La Gazette du Bon Ton which was founded in 1912 by Lucien Vogel and regularly published until 1925.