The clothes 100 years ago

Charles Frederick Worth worked in the 19th century as the designer of Paris. As he died his sons worked in his shop until World War II.
From 1900 – 1910 the corset was in fashion, but doctors did not like it because it was bad for one´s health. Corsets made the waist smaller. The breast was stressed forming a new silhouette that would later be described as an ”S”. Over the corsets women wore light blouses with a fishbone stand-up collar. Arms looked like a ham. In 1904 the shape of the arms were a reversed.
From 1894 on wards rubber stripes were attached to skirts to protect them from the dust of the floor. ”Jupons”, a kind of underskirt, were made with frills, laces and plissés.
Swimsuits were made with a corset and the neck was small. The arms were like those of a T-shirt.
The reform dress fell losely from the shoulder and went down to the floor. Sport dresses were ankle long. The fashion was more luxurious than before and of a wasteful and a crafty processing. Woollen clothes were lined with silk. Women wearing a skirt with train looked small.

In 1907 the hat reached the width of 60 cm. Bulging hairstyles were not rare. On top, women wore card wheel hats held with chiffon scarves.
The leather and linen caps were held by chin straps.
The fan was needed for balls and social events. The long sport skirts of these women irritate us today.

Women sport wasn´t typical. Tennis would be played in a long dress. The “sporty note” was achieved by a round men´s straw hat. When women drove cars they wore long dustcoats and dense veils, because the streets weren´t as good as they are today. Cars weren´t as comfortable as cars today.
Men wore long white woollen trousers for sports with a club cap and a jacket. They often took cigarette – cases with them. At work and on the street men wore suits. The suit was of a fitted style with a fairly high front. With time the fitted style became stronger, and the lapels became longer, trousers had turnups (cuffs) and pressed creases. In the evening the smoking was the society suit.

Words

By Jacqueline Dupré, Inge Schumacher and Bianca Klesse

Sources

Loschek, Ingrid: Die Modedesigner. Ein Lexikon von Armani bis Yamamoto. München: Beck, 1998.
Mulvagh, Jane: Vivienne Westwood - Die Lady ist ein Punk. München: Miriam von Schröder, 1999.
O'Hara Callan, Geogina: Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers. London: Thames and Hudson, 1998.
Seeling, Charlotte: Mode - das Jahrhundert der Designer. Köln: Könemann, 1999.

Lennig, Gertrud: Kleine Kostümkunde. Berlin: Schiele&Schön, 1962.
Eberle, Hannelore et.al.: Fachwissen Bekleidung. Wuppertal: Europa-Lehrmittel Verlag, 1993.
Lowack, Charlotte: Modekunde Kleines Arbeits und Bildbuch. Verlag Handwerk und Technik, 1987.
Lehnert, Gertrud: Schnellkurs Mode. Köln: Dumont, 1998.

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