The Victorian era’s restrictive women’s fashion, specifically corsets, symbolizes the complete control that men had over their lives.
The power dressing fashion trend of the 1980’s had aspiring business women emulating “masculine” silhouettes with extreme shoulder pads, in attempts to be taken seriously in what was then known as a “man’s world”.
The utility clothing of wartime Britain in the 1940’s exhibited the total control that the government had over civilian life.
The many events throughout the hippie movement of the 1970’s culminate in its overall goal of rebelling against mainstream culture and ideals, especially war efforts and capitalism.
The dramatic fashion shown in Renaissance portraits, like chopines, ruffs, and bombasting, were important in establishing social status, however absurd they may seem today.
The appropriation of the Royal Stewart Tartan by the UK punk’s during the 1970s’s epitomizes the movement: subverting authority.
The many historical threads of the 1920’s are woven together to create the flappers subculture, who utilized DIY activities to emulate high social status on their nights out.
The goal of the artwear movement of the 1970’s is to subvert what is commonly seen as “fine art” and “high fashion”, combining the two to create something highly controversial in these spheres.
The flamboyant mods of the 1960’s in London rebelled against the repressive and conservative British society that relied heavily on gender roles.
The 1950’s housewife hid many dark secrets behind her glamorous facade, and suffered greatly in her attempts to abide by societal gender roles that forced her to be the perfect wife.
Power Dressing
“Power dressing” highlights historical fashion trends and how they relate to power dynamics, to imply that clothing transcends beyond self expression and can have deep political roots.
