THE END OF THE '800
The last thirty years of the 18th century was a period of relative calm for Europe. Every nation began to acquire its own cognisance and independence. Regarding home furnishings, there was a return to exoticism. As to curtains, they were heavy and enriched with fringes and tassels and were hung asymmetrically arranged in pleats. They blocked out the light creating a gloomy theatrical atmosphere.
There were massive pieces of walnut furniture, uncomfortable sofas and armchairs devoid of any function, oriental objects of questionable taste completed the furnishings.
In this period, women's fashions were of great importance. Close fitting clothes were in vogue. There was a return to the Renaissance look, with short cloaks worn on one side and the sellino (or tournure).
The skirt ballooned at the back and, by means of a corset, the bust (bosom) was pushed forward. Various types of fabrics were used in one dress to give it a multiform (or a mix and match) look.
Importance was given to fashion accessories such as gloves, parasols, fans and small decorative hats. Later, the dress became close fitting at the waist and the train came back into fashion. In 1880, the tournure, which had been out of fashion for many years, returned, and the skirt, enriched with drapes and many button fastenings, was widened to allow more freedom of movement.Women's fashions underwent many changes, amongst which was the hourglass look.
Men's fashion did not undergo much change. The only new thing was the rather high necked dinner jacked. In the summer, the men usually wore a straw boater (paglietta).
Sport activities were always practiced by men, which gave them the possibility to be more free in movement and in dress. In this period, for the first time, we see bathing at the seaside. Women wore bathing costumes consisting of dark coloured blouses and trousers trimmed with lace and ribbons, with parasols and sun-hats.
Men had more freedom of dress. Short-sleeved vests soon changed to sleeveless ones and legs slowly became uncovered, first to the calves and then above the knees. The enemy sun was slowly accepted to be less hostile and proved beneficial in the recovery of various illness. The seaside was a cure for diseases like consumption which was like rife all over Europe
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THE AGE OF "ART NOUVEAU" (LIBERTY)
The 1800s saw the assertion of the industrial middle class who desired to raise itself and enjoy the comforts that industry had to offer. The great aspirations for social reforms would have repercussions on various levels. Women became aware of the necessity to emancipate themselves and fought to affirm their rights for equality and independence. methods in art were looked for.In painting, previous styles, which represented object realistically, were rejected and essentiality of form and evocative expressivity of colour took over. Impressionism was born and, later on, with Van Gogh and Gauguin, arrived the maximum exaltation of the expressive possibility of colour. At the end of the 1800s, there was the idea to look for a modern style, contrary to the features.
A new artistic expression appeared from England. This was characterized by curved lines and ornamental swirls, based on relatively naturalistic but tortuous plants, and called stile floreale (art nouveau).
In Italy, it became known as Liberty and started in the artisan sector (furniture, curtains, wallpaper, upholstery, etc) and then architecture. Even, due to a more active life, women's fashions took on this look. After the 1870s, the bustle disappeared while the train remained.
The "principessa" ( a rather figure hugging one piece dress with long sleeves), which appeared at the end of the 188s along with women's emancipation. Around 1895, another fashion item came from England the tailleur. This consisted of a masculine cut jacket, worn over a blouse, with a skirt. Gone were the leg - of mutton sleeves; gone was the protruding bust: gone the narrow waist; gone the hourglass figure.
The fashion had the possibility to change hair styles, skin colours, and the poise and composure of women.
In this period, "Art Nouveau" also influenced fashions in such a way that many artists designed clothes especially for their wives (or girlfriend); artisans used it on lace and weaving ("Aemilia Ars") and even in the Trovisseau; and humble handwork of needle and thread was not bereft of the style meaning even the lower classes caught on to it.
Then there came the bodice (waistcoat) tightly fitting from the bust to the waist, along with the blouse, or dress, with a high lace collar reaching up to the chin.
The underwear was elegant and refined. Women's clothes were completed with an overcoat decorated with gilt buttons or, according to the seasons, trimmed or lined with grey squirrel fur. There were expensive sables and chinchilla capes and overlarge wide hats decorated with ostrich feathers, flowers, fruit, etc.
Only during the 1910s, due to drastic changes shaking Europe, did women's fashions change, with Paul Poiret (the Parisian designer) abolishing the whalebone corseted bust giving women more freedom of movement Poiret's creations were straight in line while keeping a luxurious and decorative look.
So the feminine form underwent a great change with this freedom of carriage.
While one fashion magazine suggested a soft Botticellian look, Paris recommended the Jupe culotte (similar to trousers worn by Turkish women) and the entrave look. The former was not taken up, while the latter was. The dress was wide at the shoulders and narrow at the ankles.
THE EARLY '900
The century opened with the first world war, which influenced the customs of the population, especially the less well off. It was also a century rich in scientific discoveries.
In 1918 the Great War ended, leaving with it a population trying to find place.
Moral and civil values underwent a great change. The terrible events of the war and the great loss of men, forced women to work in factories and offices, putting an end forever, of the fragile and sensitive woman of the 1800s.
Immediately after the war there was a manifestation of a mentality of exasperation which can be defined as rational. Rationalism opposed aestheticism, being modern, simple, practical, etc., and this showed itself both in life and art.
Le Corbusier's theory of architecture affirmed structure over ornamentation, while in painting and sculpture, cubism represented object as an assemblage of geometrical forms, and futurism expressed movement and growth.
Around the 1910s, men's and women's fashions still had extravagant materials and textiles at odds with a modern concept.
Later, in the 1920s, Giacomo Balla Broke with tradition in creating textiles and colours unusual for the times. There were the years that saw the birth of Art Deco, a decorative art style characterized by precise and boldly delineated geometric motifs, shapes and strong colours. Even the shape of women changed.
The bosom became flattened, wide hips disappeared, and a slim figure appeared with longer legs. The fascination of exoticism returned with jazz music and afro American culture, along with the hardships of black people.
The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, by the Englishman Howard Carter in the 1920s, along with the treasures found, was another cause for exoticism in women's fashion. As a reaction to the masculinization of women the vamp was born, and with it, the desire to dominate the male body and soul, thought not wanting to lose their femininity.
At this time there was the garçonne (page boy) look, with short cropped hair and masculine clothes which, while still wanting to be feminine, women felt they should have the same freedom as men.
In France, Coco Chanel changed the look with the tailleurs, simple and unadorned. But, apart from short hair, arms, legs and backs began to be shown.
Shorts sleeveless dresses enriched with sequins, fringes and rows of pearls became the norm. stockings, which until then were made of grey or white cotton, were made of transparent silk which, at first, caused a great scandal.
The male look reached its peak in 1928 but then women felt the need to return to the protection of men, so the look became softer and more feminine.
And along with it, longer skirts to the calf and more jewellery and ostrich feathers.
Until this time men's fashion remained much the same as before.
THE FASCIST PERIOD IN ITALY
The usual sombre double breasted suit or overcoat. But, at the end of the 1920s, thanks to Edward, prince of Wales, a new look appeared: jacket and trousers of different patterns and materials and different colours.
In fact the prince of Wales became the icon of men's fashion for the whole of Europe and beyond.
The 20s were characterised by the birth of the Fasci of Combattimento which, at the beginning were a relatively unimportant political movement. However, from 1921, they suddenly gained status, causing both the popular discontent with the inflation of food prices and the reaction of the more well-to-do towards the numerous working and rural strikes.
The menbers of the Fascist action squads started violently attacking the activities of the working and socialist movements. They were supported by the higher classes and by the industrialists.
They started their rise to power. With the march on Rome, in 1922, they took peaceful command with no obstacles from the king.
While Mussolini was dealing with the principal liberal leaders about his presence in the governement, he himself let fascist militias prepare a "coup d'état".
In 1926 the Fascist dictatorship abolisched the right to strike and recognized only those trades-unions involved in the Fascist power structure, and it established a scholastic reform.
A Tribunale Speciale was established and also electoral reform, which in 1928 introduced the sistem of the one party list.
This marked the beginning of a totalitarianism, which brought a condition of cultural, political and economical prostration to Italy. There was no more freedom of speech, of thought or of action.
The union with Hitler's Germany caused the beginning of the Second World War and the entry of Italy in a world-wide catastrophe.
FROM THE AFTER WAR TO THE PRESENT
The 1940s saw Europe in war again and with it an abrupt change in life and fashion. Skirts were shorter of dresses simpler due to the shortage of dress material. Shoes, for reasons of economy and the lack of leather, were a type of cork soled clog, called orthopaedic.
They were long and difficult years when, due to the fact that men were called to war, women took the role of heads of families and had to work in all sectors including the war industry. In fact, in this period, women wore a working overall for the first time.
Also, women took part in the partisan warfare against the German enemy.
Many pages have been written about the risks and suffering women underwent during this period but, at the end, they reached their final objective. Finally, on the 25th of April 1945 there was peace and liberation.
Reconstruction was slow and hard and, apart from the rich upper classes, the total Italian population had, through all the debris, destruction, death and starvation, to start with nothing.
Only the solidarity of the people, along with some hope for the future, gave support for the population.
So there was an advance, for the lower classes, towards quality and quantity in the new social situation.
Figuratism prevailed in abstract art. During the 1950s and 1960s, optical art, conceptual art, minimal art and pop art came into being. Nothing referred to reality. Likewise with fashion.
Name=I 240; HotwordStyle=BookDefault; In 1948 there was a clamorous after war change in fashion. Skirts became long and wide and tight at the waist, due to the availability of material.
In Paris, Christian Dior invented the New look. At this time, the French dominated the world of fashion, but, in 1951, Gian Battista Giorgini had the idea to invite buyers, used only to seeing Paris shows, to Florence, thus introducing original Italian fashions to the world for the first time.
Of course, at this time it was all high fashion and only for the elite. But with new synthetic fabrics and more sophisticated machinery, the fashion scene completely changed. Clothes became cheaper due to the new technology and gave people the opportunity to change their wardrobes more often.
In the 1960s ready made clothes (prêt a porter) were available to everyone. Top fashion designs could be reproduced, in all sizes, due to modern technology.
In 1965/1966, a new innovation caused a great sensation. Mary Quant, in London, introduced the miniskirt which, after scandalous beginnings is, after 35 years, still worn today. Then came hot pants which caused a controversy but, however, was short lived.
Some years later, there was the maxi skirt, reaching down to the ankle and, then, the midi skirt reaching down to the calf. At the same time shorts appeared.
In 1968, with the rebellion of university students, long hair and unkept beards became the norm, along with unconventional styles of dress. It was an affirmation of antimoda simply wearing what was the more comfortable.
Then in the 1970s many styles came forth pop, beat, ye ye, hippy but just to protest against the bourgeois morals. At the same time, unisex was born with women giving up the skirt for trousers (though men did not give up trousers to wear a skirt).
Jeans, thanks to James Dean and Marlon Brando, were worn by everyone in all seasons and all occasions.
The second half of the 1970s saw the development of the casual look. This consisted of a mix and match coordination of different fabrics and colours. The 1970s also showed an advance in fashions made in Italy with designers such as Valentino and Armani.
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