Introduction

The history of fashion is something that must be extremely present in the minds of any student that dreams of becoming apart of the fashion industry. Fashion is something that is all around us. Fashion is art. Fashion is personal expression. Fashion is what one wants to make it. Fashion could be interpreted as the woman walking down the street dressed from head to toe in the latest trends, or the man who is bundled up in layers of every kind of fabric he could find to keep warm. The styles of today have come from the styles of yesterday. Each season recycled fashions through time can be seen walking down the runways around the world. One year hip huggers were the new chic look; no one wore any jean above the naval. Then a few years later high-waist jeans are back in style. I remember my mother telling me I looked like her in the seventies when I came home wearing a “new” pair of high-waist Levi jeans. Whatever the item of clothing is, it was once designed years before the customer decided to buy it. One may think they will be setting a new trend, but little do they know this trend has already happened, and has been brought back by the newest designer.

My aspirations for the future would be to first become a buyer for a major store in the United States, and then eventually become an international buyer working for stores around the world. The history of fashion is relevant to this career choice because I must know all the present designers, as well as the past designers to make the best choices of clothing for the companies I will be working for. The stores will want designers that create clothing, shoes and accessories that there customer will want to buy. The company knows what their target customer is so if I am educated on designers then I immediately will know which ones will offer the best styles for the company to purchase. Knowing the latest trends, as well as the ones of the past will give me a heads up in this career.

Personally, fashion history is something that has always been a passion of mine. I would rather be fully educated on the designers of the past then the ones of today. The designers that lived before me are the ones who truly established what fashion is in the modern age. It began in the Empire Period with Empress Josephine being one of the first fashion icons to wear the new design of Greek styled gowns, then to the Expansion Era with Charles Worth becoming the first dressmaker and establishing Haute Couture. The very begging of fashion is the backbone of this industry. I look forward to watching the up and coming designers of the 21^st century form a new identity of fashion. It will give me more interest learning about them when I have knowledge on the fashion designers of the past, and the history of fashion in general.

The history of fashion is very inspiring. When one is able to find guidance from past designers and make what they created into something that can be worn or used today is very motivating. I love dressing in the style of the 1950s, or wearing ensembles inspired by the swing dance revolution of the 1930s. Many clothes of the past were the inspiration of the clothing of today. Knowing the brilliance of what fashion history has to offer will give a fashion student the key to success in the future. I know that personally the clothing I choose to wear has some sort of inspiration from someone or something else in it. I do however find it very important to find inspiration in oneself, but also to find inspiration in what one wears from those who truly know the styles the best; the designers.

The designers I have chosen include Chloe, Mary Quant, Paloma Picasso, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander McQueen. I wanted to research a designer that could individually represent a certain era. Chloe was significant during The Cold War- 1950s. This time was full of tension, and the fear of a nuclear attack on the United States. I was very curious to research the way Chloe was able to create designs based on the influence around her. The Space Age and Civil Rights Movement is one of my favorite times in American History. I chose Mary Quant to study based on the fact that she was a major designer of this time. Paloma Picasso is a designer that would represent the Cultural Revolution of the 1970s. Her designs for Tiffany & Co. helped create the popularity of the exquisite jewelry. The 1980s, also known as the MTV era is a decade that has profound influence on the styles of today. Marc Jacobs has always been my one of my personal favorites, so I chose to focus on him for this time frame. Alexander McQueen is the final designer I have selected, and my all time favorite. McQueen would represent the 21^st Century, the time that we are living in today. With these designers each selected from a different time frame in American History, I feel that the project will be more spread out, and give the reader a broad perspective on fashion through the times.