A Very Brief Guide of Women's Clothes From the Beginning to the mid-Twentieth Century

There have been radical changes in design over the last 100 years. Styles, the materials available and vastly lowered production costs have all made their impact. Modern womens labels such as G Star womens clothes would have been unthinkable in say 1920.

1900 was the period of long dresses that covered the legs.

The Hobble Skirt arrived in 1910. When looking at the Hobble Skirt it is easy to see why it had that name - it was very difficult to walk in.

A milestone occurred in 1913 when Mary Crosby invented a support for breasts. It was made from two handkerchiefs laced with ribbon. It was the world's first bra.

1915 saw the earliest turn of a lipstick tube.

The length of womens' knickers shortened during the 1920s, making their way steadily from below to above the knee.

The 1920s witnessed a change in fashion from a feminine look toward a somewhat boy-like designs around the middle of the decade. The leather alternate vinyl was developed in 1924 and integrated into styles and designs.

A more feminine and somewhat conservative look returned in the 1930s.

It was during the 1930s that Nylon was invented by Wallace Carothers. This {brought new design ideas|enabled a whole range of new clothing ideas.
Nylon was invented in the mid-1930, making new styles more availablebringing new design ideas.

Skirts were to become shorter through World War 2 since, well, material for clothing was not available: textiles, just like everything else including food was rationed.

A fresh wave of design occurred during the second half of the 1940s. 1946 saw the arrival of the bikini. The hour glass figure was squeezed into our consciousness in 1947.

In 1946 the bikini was revealed to the world. In 1947 the 'New Look' from Christian Dior was launched bringing long skirts and narrow waists - the hour glass figure had been born. The post-war 1940s years were a time of fashion invention.

The 1950s saw the introduction of fuller, longer skirts and an over-all more feminine look.

The 1960s were a mix of many styles but Mary Quant's mini skirt is a particular icon.