A History of Fashion

First Brassiere Made

Jan 1, 1904

First Brassiere Sold The American Charles R. De Bevoise Company selects "brassiere," a Norman French term, for its new product. Brassiere translates as a woman's bodice or a child's undervest. The product looks like a camisole with a few bones to maintain its shape.

Paul Poiret designs Harem pants

Jan 1, 1906

Paul Poiret establishes fashion house; creates harem pants; first couturier to launch perfume, "Rosina"

Paul Poiret designs corset-less dress

Apr 17, 1908

Paul Poiret furthers a growing public disenchantment with the corset by designing "corsetless" dresses. Feminists and proponents of health and hygiene have already been criticizing the corset for a number of years. Once the dresses were in production, their style was criticized because their models weren’t attractive and they lacked the ability to sell. It took fashion designers like Poiret who helped the corsetless dress become popular.

Natural Rayon Invented

Apr 17, 1911

Viscose Rayon is invented and is the first manufactured fiber ever to be developed.

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel opens first boutique

Apr 17, 1913

Chanel opens first shop revolutionizes and democratizes women's fashion with tailored suits, chain-belted jerseys, quilted handbags; the most copied fashion designer in history.

World War 1

Period: Apr 17, 1914 to Apr 17, 1918

World War 1 begins and prompts women to work in factories. With this comes women wearing pants and military style clothing.

T-Shirt Introduced

Apr 17, 1919

The U.S. Navy introduces the T-Shirt. They describe it as a "light undershirt" that includes an "elastic collerette on the neck opening"

Feminine clothes are introduced

Apr 17, 1921

Madeleine Vionnet creates flowing, feminine clothes, including the chiffon handkerchief dress; creates cowl neck, halter top.

New Trends Introduced

Apr 18, 1926

Higher hemlines on skirts, zippers, shoulder pads, unusual buttons, and bright colors, such as shocking pink introduced.

Lacoste introduced

Apr 18, 1930

Tennis star Rene Lacoste, known as "le Crocodile," manufactures a versatile new tennis shirt. It features an embroidered crocodile, believed to be the first instance of a designer logo to appear on a garment.

Glamour Magazine Published

Apr 17, 1939

Glamour magazine prints its first issue, and coins the phrase "a quality each of us sees in some other human—and wishes she possessed." The editors assure their readers that all women possess "potential glamour," which can be achieved with the help of the right accessories, hairstyle, cosmetics, deportment, and of course clothing.

Board Shorts become popular

Apr 17, 1940

Board shorts, a new style that resulted from the skimpy cuts of men's bathing suits. The style arose from Southern California and were popular among surfers.

Haute Couture

Apr 18, 1940

Christian Dior reestablishes Paris as fashion center; revives haute couture; replaces wartime austerity with the glamour of the "New Look" with tight waist, stiff petticoats, billowing skirts.

Pedal Pushers created

Apr 17, 1944

"Shorter than a Capri and with a slightly wider leg," the "pedal pusher" is created by L.A. designer DeDe Johnson. She wants to create a garment that—unlike a lady's skirt—won't get caught in a bicycle chain. Teen idols Sandra Dee and Annette Funicello, as well as by Hollywood stars like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, soon adopt the look and make it into a 1950s fashion craze.

Christian Dior launches a new look.

Apr 17, 1947

One year after establishing his couturier headquarters in Paris, French fashion designer Christian Dior debuts the "the New Look," which showcases a cinched waist, rounded hips, and a long skirt.

Stiletto Heel Introduced

Apr 18, 1950

Shoes begin to have a pointed toe and the stiletto heel is introduced.

Merry Wido Corset Introduced

Apr 17, 1952

Warner's introduces the Merry Widow corset. Its debut coincides with a movie of the same name, starring Lana Turner, in which she is filmed in a white long-line corset and high heels.

Balenciaga introduces "semi-fit" dress

Apr 18, 1954

Cristóbal Balenciaga introduces "semi-fit" dresses with soft, round shoulders; is the classic designer of the 1950s.

Mod Scene enters America

Apr 18, 1965

Influenced by rock music, "Mod" scene makes London major fashion center with fun, revolutionary clothes: bell bottoms, psychedelic prints, wild colors, dresses made of vinyl, paper, cellophane, metal, covered in mirrors; go-go boots; ruffled shirts for men; Nehru jackets; fur vests. Twiggy is the face of this movement.

Halston Movement

Apr 18, 1970

Known as Halston, Roy Halston Frowick dominates 1970s with pantsuits, sweater sets, form-fitting dresses, knit wear.

Donna Karan

Apr 18, 1984

Donna Karan launches line of versatile, casual knits; favors black.

"Anything goes"

Apr 18, 1990

"Anything goes" emerges as fashion credo.

Couture Grunge and Heroin Chic

Apr 17, 1993

During the spring fashion shows, designer Marc Jacobs debuts the seemingly oxymoronic "couture grunge" that emulates the loose flannel shirts, shabby cardigans, wrinkled and torn pants, and the notoriously thin body frames of grunge rock and its largely Seattle-based musicians. This look involves an element that some call "heroin chic," characterized by extremely thin models like Kate Moss

Alexander McQueen emerges as daring new designer.

Apr 18, 1999

His designs features cozy, romantic designs, dresses looking like quilt blankets, rabbit-skin dresses; favors highly theatrical fashion shows, models parade in rings of fire, get doused with paint or water, skate on real ice.

Baggy Pants Outlawed

Apr 17, 2007

Sagging pants become an illegal offense in Delcambre, Louisiana, a town of 2,231 located 80 miles southwest of Baton Rouge. Violators are subject to a fine of as much as $500 or six months in jail.