Week 3: Orientalism & Art Deco

January 24, 2017

1910s Orientalism silhouette: Tent (Lamp Shade Dress); Spindle (Hobble Skirt)

Women were FINALLY liberated from the corset and stiffer forms of garments. Garments became looser, silhouettes were less structured and hemlines started to rise.

Together with influences from the East, and the re-defining of fashion styles, designers had more ways to experiment, thus leading to the emergence of fashion houses. This is what I believe to be the case.

In this era, designer Paul Poiret, especially played a huge part. (Later, he also went on to be one of the first to design pants for women.)

Lamp Shade Silhouette

Day Dresses over the 1910s

(Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/b1/c2/c0/b1c2c09f263c34c48f92d6e3ae358a3b.jpg)

Fashion details concentrated on the bustline to create a more elongated look in skirts and legs.

Necklines, openings and cuffs started to take on more shapes as well.

Exaggerated and Original Lampshade Dress and Tent Silhouette by Paul Poiret

(Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/223913412698073412/)

Spindle Silhouette

Hobble Skirt by Paul Poiret

(Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/cd/c8/65/cdc86523e4e74b626c4579cf89cf3786.jpg)

The hobble skirt reaches to about ankle length, and is tight at the bottom, restricting mobility for women, creating the spindle-shaped silhouette.

The Orientalism inspired wrapover is still trendy and fashionable today. It has become a very casual style that easily exudes comfort and elegance.

Modern Wrapover

(Extracted from Lookbook: 'better late than never' by Ava F.)

1920s Art Deco silhouette: Column (Flapper Dress)

This was the period where women started to be liberated and people began to express their individuality through fashion, so its one of my favorite eras.

Column Silhouette

1920s Day Look/Flapper Dress

(Source: http://www.1920s-fashion-and-music.com/images/x1920s_fashion_lineup.jpg.pagespeed.ic.A-9Pxu5Bkz.jpg)

Evening Dresses over the 1920s

(Source: http://image.glamourdaze.com/2014/04/1920s-DRESS-TIMELINE-eveningwear.jpg)

The Garconne look was in trend, thanks to designers then like Gabrielle Chanel and Jean Patou. This was when women don a more masculine approach with their short tubular dresses, short bobbed hair (similar to the 1910s) and loose fitting garments, where waistlines dropped to the hips, hiding their womanly hourglass figure

Clothing was also largely designed to give the illusion of smaller or no breasts as at, requiring women to undergo dieting or wear breast-flattening bras/narrow boneless corsets to fit flapper dress that had a straight cut

Art Deco designs

Art Deco designs consists mainly of defined and bold curved or straight lines, inspired by the geometric forms and lines of Cubism.

Below are some SIGNATURE PIECES of the time worn by INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE at that time.