Survey #6

Edwardian fashion

Edwardian fashion refers to the clothing that was in style between the late 1890s and 1914 or the beginning of the Great War (World War I). Also called La Belle Epoque, and the Gilded Age, this was a time when women’s fashions took on a new opulence and extravagance, inspired by the hedonistic lifestyle of Britain’s King Edward VII.

The popularity of the hourglass-shaped dress faded by the end of the Victorian age and the “S” curve became increasingly popular during the Edwardian Era. This new fashion style embraced a “healthier” corset that was far less constricting than the previous styles during the Victorian age and provided better support for the spine. Also at the beginning of the Edwardian Era (1901) ladies hats grew in size, but this trend only lasted until around 1911.

As the women’s suffrage movement continued through the Edwardian Era women began to mimic their style and attitude after the famous “Gibson Girl”. The “Gibson Girl” was a pen-and-ink drawing done by Charles Dana Gibson. She portrayed the modern women of the time, beautiful and independent. His drawings quickly became very popular and were displayed in all of the top magazines.

In 1910 fashion began to change once again. More women were working, playing sports and being more active in general and they needed clothing to reflect their new lifestyle. The “S” curve transformed into a pre-flapper style with more straight lines and less structure. This era of fashion is also said to be called “la Belle Epoque” (“The Beautiful Epoch”).

References

http://www.premierexhibitions.com/exhibitions/3/3/titanic-artifact-exhibition/blog/fashion-during-edwardian-era

https://bellatory.com/fashion-industry/FashionHistoryEdwardianFashionTrends1890s1914

http://www.victoriana.com/EdwardianHats/

http://victorian-era.org/edwardian-era-womens-clothing.html