The 1910s Women’s Fashion

Madalina – Laura Tiba

Anglo-American Studies II
Mass Culture – prof. Adina Ciugureanu
 Fashion in the
Western world:
- characterized by
a rich and exotic
opulence
• A new look in women's fashion - in contrast with
developed in 1908 the practicality
of garments
• The definable style of the decade
lasted until 1918, at which time the worn during
trends of the 1920s began to set in. the Great War.
 The Belle Époque – Age of Opulence

2 great principles in women’s

dress:
freedom and convenience.
If you were a fashionable young English lady of the social elite, you would
make a twice annual pilgrimage to Paris, joining other women from as
far away as New York and St Petersburg.
 1908
the unnatural "S" figures that were pushed and pulled with
bustles and corsets

a straight, natural figure( the waist was loosened, a straight

line was adopted)
+ the frills and flounces of the previous decade were gone.

The hobble skirt caught on quickly. This style remained the

height of fashion until around 1915.
• The silhouette moved gradually along a
decreasing s-curve from 1901 to
the Empire line by 1910 .
 The Titanic
• For 1st class passengers on the Titanic,
the trip wasn’t just amethod of travel
from one place to another, but a lavish
five-day party.

• Women would be changing clothes at

least three times a day and the multiple
layers of underwear included meant
that many first class ladies took a lady’s
maid with them on the voyage.

• An example of the average day would

be:
- going to breakfast in a tailored suit
- wearing a “tea gown” for tea
- wearing a different dinner dress for
each night.
The Hobble Skirt
• a skirt with a
narrow
enough hem to
significantly
impede the
wearer's stride
• a short-lived
fashion trend
that peaked
between 1908
and 1914
 Ironically, the hobble skirt became
popular just as women were
becoming more physically active.

Boarding a streetcar in a hobble

skirt was particularly difficult.

The term "Hobble Skirt"

originates from around 1910.
+
Oriental influences on the
creations of designers
 In popular culture:
• The Addams Family:
Morticia commonly wears
long, black gothic hobble
dresses.
 1915
• the hobble skirt replaced with a full skirt cut just above the ankles

• the V-neck was the popular neckline of the second half of the 1910s.
 Women’s fashion - affected by the
war in Europe
• Travel restrictions = end to the constant
flow of fashion queues from Paris
• New ideas, strictly American, began
influencing the way women dressed.

• skirt styles that opened up at the bottom, allowing

freer movement.
‘war crinoline’
a precursor to
a modern
conservative skirt

described as bell-
shaped

a “very full calf-

length skirt”

requiring extra fabric

to attain its flowy,
romantic look.
1918
• clothes were
becoming straighter
and more curveless

• The boyish look of

the 1920s began to
evolve during the late
years of the 1910s.
 The boldest fashion
transition in the 1910s
was the subtle shift
from
curvaceous, hour-glass
forms
to a
straight, shapeless
silhouette.
 Day Outfit
• a high necked white or pale cotton blouse + a
dark tight fitting A-line skirt,
reaching from the ankle
to just below the bust.
 Car Coats
• increasing popularity of
the automobile => the
fashion conscious woman
began to seek pretty car
coats for the autumn and
winter.
• highly fashionable
• cut straight from the shoulder
to about fifteen inches below
waist.
• If it was a wet or snowy day,
you might also wear
a duster over your whole
costume, to keep the mud and
grime off your clothing.
 Afternoon Dress
• in highly colorful
pastel shades and
lots of applique
detail
• remained fairly
conservative during
the 1900s
• worn to formal
meetings and
conservative
female gatherings
 Tea Gowns
• usually worn by 5pm
• often white cotton
• extremely
comfortable
• in an Edwardian
lady’s day, this was
the only moment
when she could
remove her corset
and breathe normally
 Evening Dresses
• flamboyant and
provocative
• low cut bodices
allowing an overt
display of jewelry
• Evening frou-frou
in the 1900s =
luxurious
sensual fabric
 1910 to 1920
• Shape and silhouette constantly evolved
• More radical styles (hobble skirt + lampshade skirt)
enjoyed their moment in the sun
• The Edwardians - playful and innovative + an interest
in asymmetrical draping techniques.
• Suits - fashionable for daywear
• Walking was eased– the skirt hem rose to the ankle
• The First World War provoked another fashion – skirts
that rose to well above the ankle.
• Bodices tended to lean towards the higher waist
• Skirts were full and tiered
 1910 to 1920
• Other popular fancies: bat-wing sleeves + over-drapes and
flying panel skirts
• Wool and linen walking suits - appreciated for their practicality
• Asymmetrical designs in bodices and skirts
• Preferred fabrics: satin, taffeta, chiffon and lightweight silks +
washable cottons to ease hot summers.
• The fabrics employed were:
linen [ if you were poor ]
cotton [ if you were middle class ]
silks and high grade cottons [ if you were upper class].
• Early Art Deco inspired prints - in the post war years.
• The automobile achieved status => driving clothes were
developed to protect against dust, including the duster (long,
lightweight coat).
1910 – 1919 Fashion
 Sources:
• http://glamourdaze.com/history-of-womens-
fashion/1900-to-1919
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1910s_in_Western_f
ashion
• https://www.uvm.edu/landscape/dating/clothing_
and_hair/1910s_clothing_women.php
• Laver, James: The Concise History of Costume
and Fashion, Abrams, 1979, pp. 224–230.
• Black, J. Anderson, and Madge Garland, A
History of Fashion, New York, Morrow, 1975, pp.
308–314