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Black became normal
During the 18th century, being in mourning was often more about etiquette than actual grief. Widows stayed in mourning attire for a year, and it was customary for the entire court to don funeral wear if any member of the European royal family died. Black was in such regular rotation in the outfit color scheme that people got quite used to it and began to value its practicality. As mourning traditions started to fade, black became a color of everyday dress. -
Fashion Magazines
In the late 1700's, Vogue was publishing new issues about every ten days -
Everything was starting to be outdated almost instantly
Any new accessory or trimming had a ticking clock on it from the moment it was sent out into the world. Everything was going in and out of style in the 18th century. -
Everything was custom-made.
The customers would work with designers and fabric salesmen to make a unique garment. -
Even royal people went to thrift stores
It was the in-style to wear clothes that had been previously owned. Even the wealthy and royal would wear thrifted clothes. Servants would then wear the clothes that their masters had decided they didn't want anymore. -
Poufs were popular
The iconic pouf stylings of the time—with their feathers, flowers, ribbon, lace, jewelry, fruit and other miscellanea—weren’t just about looking cool or displaying wealth; they were meant to be a reflection of personal and cultural events, or even newsworthy occurrences in science or politics like the American Revolution. Topical fashions extended to fans, men’s waistcoats, and even gowns. -
Rose Bertin
Bertin was a milliner who was introduced to Marie Antoinette by the Duchess of Chartres and, from there, became one of the “it” designers in Paris. She charged a lot for her work, dressed well, and even had servants and a carriage. As someone who started out in a lower class, Bertin’s ascension to life among the royals was a subject of controversy. She was also unique in that she dressed the queen as well as others. -
Aprons were stylish
Aprons became a fashion statement in the 1700s -
People wore their political allegiances
he tricolor cockade was the look of a revolutionary though it eventually became mandatory to wear the hat or some sort of tricolor fashion during that time if you wanted to avoid conflict. -
Ettiquette Laws
Louis XIV implemented costume changes throughout the day in France. -
Spinning Jenny Invented
James Hargreaves made the spinning jenny sometime in 1764. It's a machine that can produce several spools of thread at once. -
Hot Air balloon is a fashion inspiration
The French brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier invented the first hot air balloon in 1783. A bag of hot air might not seem a likely source of fashion inspiration, but inspire it did, with the industry hoping to ride the coattails of the popular innovation. Montgolfière even became a term in hair styling. -
Eyeglasses Invented
Bifocals were invented by Benjamin Franklin -
Cotton Gin
The cotton gin was patented on March 14, 1794, by Eli Whitney. It was a machine that cleans cotton, and removed all the seeds. -
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New Changes in Dress
short-sleeved chemise dresses and Spencer jackets, upper class women began wearing cropped dresses as opposed to dresses with long trains or hoops that restricted them from leaving their homes. In a sense, women were influenced by male fashion, such as tailored waistcoats and jackets to emphasize women’s mobility. -
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Hair Change
Often masses of curls were worn over the forehead and ears, with the longer back hair drawn up into loose buns or Psyche knots influenced by Greek and Roman styles. By the later 1810s, front hair was parted in the center and worn in tight ringlets over the ears. -
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Undergarments changed
There were several layers of undergarments for women. First came the chemise, or shift, which was a thin garment with short, tight sleeves. It was made of white cotton and a plain hem that was shorter than the dress. The next layer was a corset or a stay, but these corsets were not the type that constricted the waist. The final layer would be the petticoat, which was actually a bit fancy, since the bottom edges were meant to be seen when the over dress was lifted to avoid wet soiling the dress. -
Napoleon brought fashion back
He brought back the luxurious dressing of King Louis XVI. -
Women's clothing changed at the turn on the 20th Century
This reform process culminated in the 1920s in the phenomenon of the "new woman" with bobbed hair, a cigarette and wearing a knee-length skirt or shirt dress, thereby revealing the naked female leg which had been hidden from public view for centuries -
Women began wearing pants
In the 1920s and 1930s, women began to wear pants as leisurewear.