A Timeline Through Fashion; 1940s to the 2010s

 1940s fashion consisted of bright, floral patterns with dress hems hanging to knees.This is due to shorter dresses requiring less fabric in a decade rationed in every necessity.Most dresses utilised some form of collar to still show modesty and formality, but hair accessories and open toed shoes added a sense of femininity to this era. Hats and gloves were also worn to further show femininity. 

icons of the era- Bette Davis, Joan Crawford

1950s fashion consisted of the same  bright colours from the 1940s but also new, crazy patterns such as poodle skirts. Women wore  flouncy dresses below the knee with an underskirt to make them flare out, perfect for dancing that became popularised once again. Tight, pencil skirts to the knee also became popular due to Marilyn Monroe, a staple in order to create mystery for a man. 

icons of the era- Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe

1960s fashion carried on with bright colours and patterns.The term ‘flower power’ was born alongside hippie culture and peace, in light of World War 2 and the Cold War.Furthermore, mod culture was born with mini skirts and thigh high boots referred to as go go boots. Women would wear their hair short as inspired by Twiggy’s pixie cut and with thick eyeliner. 

Icons of the era- Twiggy, Brigitte Bardot

1970s gave birth to high waisted flared trousers and thick turtlenecks.Bright colours were swapped for more muted, earthy tones such as browns, greens and oranges with lots of corduroy and denim. Cardigans and knitted button ups were also paired under pinafore dresses with lace up smart shoes. 

Style Icons- Farrah Fawcett, Diane von Furstenburg

1980s gave way to the phenomenon of double denim. Athleisure was also widely popularised at this time including legwarmers, unitards and cycling shorts.Neon colours were frequent and paired with cropped jackets and tops. Smart blouses were worn with mom jeans and blazers with thick shoulder pads. This led to the power suit as women wearing suits became more common as more women entered the workplace. 

Style Icons- Madonna, Molly Ringwald

The 1990s took inspiration from heavy music influences with rappers and rock bands(such as nirvana and pearl jam) rising to fame. Thin, strappy tops layered over baby tees became popular, as well as fabrics like tartan and plaid heavily featured in matching two piece sets such as the one worn by Cher Horowitz in the iconic movie Clueless. Baggy, Straight leg denim jeans with rips, paired with leather blazers or oversized shirts made fashion more masculine for girls and tomboyish. This was then balanced with tiny dresses that had delicate lace and lattice hemlines to show a sense of femininity.Long midi skirts and button up mini skirts were also popularised as worn by Phoebe and Rachel on the show Friends. Accessories such as butterfly clips and fluffy bags were featured in 90s fashion catalogs such as Dehlias, as well as a heavy influence of animal print 

Style Icons- jennifer Aniston, Naomi Campbell

The 2000s, commonly referred to as the ‘noughties’ brought in low rise, bootcut jeans, that showed off the abdomen that was often pierced at the naval. Crop tops and strappy camis stayed in fashion from the 90s as well as open toed sandals. Girls would wear cropped denim jackets with baggy cargo trousers, and brands such as juicy couture cultivated velour tracksuits. Celebrities paid heavy influence to trends of the time with many showing up on the red carpet with dresses over jeans and streaky highlights resembling a badger. 

Style Icons- Britney Spears,Paris Hilton

The 2010s paid homage to many trends of previous decades with mom jeans from the 80s being popularised by the likes of Gigi Hadid and for the super stylish- flares beginning to make a comeback. The early 2010s brought us ugg boots and most well known, the super high waisted skinny jean as worn by Kendall Jenner and hugely popular for this decade. Almost everything else worn was recycled trends, however. With the term ‘chav’ being coined for a wrong shade of foundation wearing, skinny jean and bandeau top girl. Snake print also made a comeback with harlem pants and mesh tops also being prevalent.

Style Icons-Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid