Fashion 1900-1910

La Belle Époque means 'Beautiful Era' in French. This was a period in social history that began in 1900. This period lasted right up until the first world war. The period was characterized by everyones optimism, new technological and medical discoveries.  

The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, this was all about celebrating the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next.

Harrods in 1909

In the 1900's fashion started to become readily available in stores, usually everything was made to measure and there was only one of each garment made.

The silhouettes from 1900 were mainly all about women looking tall and slim. Corsets were what everyone was wearing, these were widely available in stores. What they didn't know was that they were damaging their bodies. Women also wore bustles to add extra booty. Under their corsets women wore chemises, these were soft white cotton garments.

Many women were prepared to suffer for fashion even after publications and health professionals urged women to discard the corset all together. 

People often dressed according to class, the wealthier people wore made to measure couture garments. The middle classes made their own clothes. Women of the upper class were expected to change clothes at least four times a day. Women were permitted to take off their restrictive, uncomfortable corsets for a few hours at tea time. Instead they got to wear tea dresses, these were unstructured, soft and voluminous.

The sudden demand for 'ready to wear' garments depended largely on unregulated sweated industries. The workers had poor wages, poor living conditions, they were undernourished and very ill. They transmitted diseases through the clothes they were making.

Liberty is a shop in London on Regent Street, this is where women went in search of clothes and fabrics that exceeded fashion and trends.

Reading fashion publications in the 1900's automatically placed you in a higher class. Similar to how things are now (2012), people that followed fashion trends, read regular fashion publications. Fashion trends were also shown on postcards and cigarette cards.

Towards the end of the century silhouettes were changing. The founder of The Ballet Russes, Serge Diaglev, put on an exhibition of Russian Art. His ballet company performed 'Cleopatra' in brightly coloured soft simple silhouettes. This started to change the way women dressed.

Paul Poiret moved the full, curvy silhouette of the 1900's towards a long lean empire silhouette.

The new silhouette came into being in 1911 to all womens relief..