History of fashion design in simple pictures

Do you know how Art Nouveau differs from Empire, and Romanticism from Baroque?
The history of fashion and costume is very important to know for anyone who wants to be a stylist or fashion designer in order to take ideas for creating clothes and understand what is relevant today.

Our teacher of the Faculty of Fashion Design has compiled a handy cheat sheet for you on fashion eras and costume history.

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Baroque (XVI century)

  • pretentiousness
  • corset
  • gold
  • an abundance of decor, a lot of embroidery and curlicues
  • deep rich colors
  • puffy skirts and voluminous sleeves
  • heavy fabrics: brocade, velvet

Rococo (mid-18th century)

Empire (first third of the 19th century)

  • loose tunic dress
  • lantern sleeves
  • antique hairstyle
  • neckline
  • high waistline
  • light flying transparent fabrics
  • romanticism

Romanticism (first third of the 19th century)

  • skirt bell
  • lantern sleeves
  • very thin waist
  • plaid dresses
  • sleeves “lamb ham”
  • bandeau hairstyle
  • dress amazon
  • flowing fabrics

Art Nouveau (late 19th century – early 20th century)

  • high collar
  • mutton sleeve
  • S-shape figure
  • big hat
  • bell skirt
  • stand collar
  • umbrella

1910s

  • high waist
  • kimono sleeves
  • oriental motifs
  • turban
  • natural lines without corset

1920s

  • silhouette: straight low waist
  • silhouette: boyish figure
  • finishing: beads, fringe
  • knee length
  • pleating
  • black eyeliner
  • sad image
  • cloche hat

1930s

  • silhouette: narrow hips, broad shoulders
  • bias cut
  • Hollywood chic
  • polka dot print
  • lantern sleeves
  • white collar
  • train and neckline
  • silk gloves to the elbow

1940s

  • silhouette: closer to the rectangle, broad shoulders
  • trousers
  • knee length
  • long jackets
  • military jacket
  • pencil skirt
  • large pockets
  • dress shirt
  • turban

1950s

  • silhouette: hourglass
  • Chanel suit
  • tulip skirt
  • neckerchief and gloves
  • pearl jewelry
  • cropped trousers
  • polka dot print
  • 3/4 sleeve

You can see the following epochs in the part 2 of this article.