Fashion is always evolving based on the trends of the past and what is currently affecting the youth of the current generation. Both females and males alike have seen so much improvement in fashion over the past decades that even seeing someone from a century ago would yield quite outlandish looks.
Many years ago, when the 1920's were starting to take shape, women started to become part of the flapper mold. Flappers, as they have come to be called, were eccentric and flexible types of clothing that allowed for a new generation of women to compare themselves to men as equals. Braziers even restricted the chest so as to give a more manly look to females- as to show their worth to men.
The 1940's brought an interesting change as the economy of the United States was recovering from a very deep depression. Conservative styles were in fashion so as to save on material and costs. Men's styles were equally as conservative, with suits becoming a simple pair of pants and a jacket instead of a full suit. While it was hardly professional or stylish, such times couldn't be helped due to World War II.
The next big mark in the fashion industry came in the 1960's, with a rebellion in what was considered formal and conformist. The hippy movement brought loose-fitting clothes that valued comfort over how one looked on the outside. While most associate the 1970's with such fashion styles, it was in the 1960's where such types of style gained popularity.
More recently were the 1990's, where we all like to poke fun at the obscene colors and pastels that most wore throughout the decade. As grunge became increasingly popular in music, darker clothing and lifestyles also become more apparent. Different groups of cliques formed around different styles of clothing, in which gave this decade a simple stereotype of a melting pot of styles rather than one defining style.
As it stands today, fashion has become a melting pot of hundreds of different styles combine into one. There are the sophisticated business dresses that come from the 1980's, the pastels that we remember the 1990's by, and even the "flapper" styles that were popular almost a century ago. As it would look to be, it seems fashion is only going to continue to mix and match its way into a rather diverse and exciting field.
Final Thoughts
Fashion is always changing based on the effects of the economy, art, music, and politics of the current generation. It'll be interesting to see where the next couple of decades take us in terms of new-age styles and designs- something that we will only observe in due time.
