Colson - The Ultimate Fashion Guide: What to Wear and How to Wear it with Style

The history of fashion can be traced back thousands of years. The clothes of the ancient Romans and Greeks prioritized function over style. They were never fans of tight fitting clothes. They wore flowing and loose clothing, mostly tunics, which were covered with layers of cloth.

During the start of Christianity, peoples choice of clothing became more modest. They wore garments with sleeves and longer hemlines. They also started to add beading and embroidery.

When the Renaissance period arrived, women traded their dresses with long trains for robes or dresses with attached skirts and bodices. They also started to adorn their hair with veils and jewels.

Renaissance

Later on, puffed sleeves, high collared necklines, and voluminous skirts with wicker or wire hoops became popular. People also started to slash or cut the outer layer of their clothes to reveal the inner layer.

During the Elizabethan period, people wore clothes that covered every inch of their body. Soon, they preferred straight waistlines and tightly fitted sleeves over V-shaped princess cuts and ruffled sleeves. Rich women also wore huge gold pendants and French hoods on their necks. They also wore hairnets known as snoods.

Elizabethan

The Baroque era gave rise to the popularity of Cavalier-style dresses, which had simple trimmings such as lace and buttons. Their bodice necklines were square and wide, and their waistlines were heightened. Eventually, their sleeves became full and were softly draped below the elbow. It was during this period that the lower arms of women were seen for the first time.

Baroque

Rich women started wearing eschelle stomachers, fancy corsets adorned with bows of different sizes, during the Georgian period. They also wore trimmed and embroidered petticoats, skirts that were supported by rattan or cane hoops, and knee-length undergarments with laced sleeves that go as far as the elbow.

Georgian

Then, the Regency era came and designers raised the waistline to just below the bosom of the wearer. Such waistline was defined by a bow tied at the back of the dress. Women wore pelisses or spencers, as well as broad-brimmed hats. Lightweight fabrics in subdued and plain colors replaced the embroidered silks and brocades from the previous era.

Regency

During the Victorian era of the 1800s, dresses consisted of layers of cloths, trimmings, and shades. Fitted sleeves replaced puffy mutton-leg sleeves. Eventually, bell sleeves became all the rage. Women also strived to achieve an hourglass figure by wearing restrictive corsets. It was also during this time that skirts evolved from crinoline to hoop to bustled.

Victorian

During the Edwardian period, designers created dresses with an S curve to allow women to finally get rid of their restrictive corsets and replace them with health corsets that support their abdomen and spine. It was during this time that the Gibson Girl rose into popularity. Women also started wearing suits, ties, and hard collars. Later, in the 1920s, pre-flapper and straight-line clothes became the style. Men and womens clothing generally became more practical and more comfortable.

Edwardian