My favorite style of clothing was from the early 20th century. I think that evening gowns in the 30s were so beautiful and elegant, and in modern day I feel as though they are not recreated as much or if they are it does not feel like it has the same elegance as the original style. They were tight up to the hips then flared to floor length and were built with a bias cut. They usually were open back. The open back and the silhouette of the gowns just screamed elegance and old Hollywood vibes which made them my favorite piece of clothing.

Throughout the 20th century many different types of style tribes arose and were created. One of these tribes was the preppies this tribe’s ideology was more of superiority over others and that fact that they are untouchable. It was reflected in their clothing through classic cuts like bermuda shorts, polos, stripes, and boat shoes or a loafer type style. Common colors associated with this style are red, blue, green, and white.

Another style tribe that contrasts with the preppies ideology was the goths their ideology stemmed much on being outcasts and not conforming to societies norms to the cookie cutter clothing style of bright colors. This was reflected by the heavy use of black clothing, ripped/distressed clothing, spikes and chain type jewelry, and teased hair styles.

A current style tribe nowadays would be the student athlete tribe. Their ideology is on the fact that they are part of a team and are an athlete and that reflects by them usually wearing athletic wear or their sports team wear.

Some of the reasons behind the dress reform movement were feminism, temperance, suffrage, and women’s education. A lot of these ideas promoted the removal of covering the body “adequately” and to not follow fashion principle of the time. These ideas promoted a type of dress that was actually practical to the wearer and allowed them to move and be comfortable. The dress reform movement also tried to educate the public on the health hazards of corsetry and crinoline. Both of these common fashion practices had many health risks especially when done to excessive amounts. The sport movement signaled the end for corsetry and large dresses. Some types of styles like bicycle suits arose that promoted knickerbockers and bloomers. This type of clothing allowed women to ride bicycles and participate in sports.

Beau Brummell was considered the king of dandyism. Dandyism was the rejection of the bourgeouis modesty in the ninteenth century. A dandy was a man who conserns himself with his appearance, and he wishes to look like aristocracy eventhough it is usually a man of the middle class. Beau Brummel went against the style at the time and he popularized the suit. The type of suit he popularized was well-fitting and hand-tailored. He rejected breeches and stockings which were common at the time and instead wore full-length formal trousers with either both matching or different jackets. He also embraced the natural hair style of the Romans instead of using wigs.

Currently in the 21st century I would not consider that anyone has the amount of influence on style as Beau Brummel did at the time. Since fast fashion is so common and styles and fads are constantly changing and evolving I would not say that anyone has that type influence as it is more of a random event through social media. I would not say that one person does not have that type of control or charisma to influence everyone to wear something so widespread that it reaches a whole social class.

Three technological advances that advanced clothing in the Renaissance were the development of humanism, the printing press, and the textile industry all influenced clothing styles or ideas about the human body. The development of humanism clearly influenced the idea of the perfect proportioned human body which led to clothing being made to fit those “perfect proportions” of Vitruvius. The printing press influenced clothing much more subtly than humanism did. With the invention of the printing press many more people became literate now that the written language was in the vernacular and not latin. This invention led people to think more about knowledge and to seek it out which inturn could have subtly influenced clothing styles. When people learn more and become self aware they can focus on other subjects and influence different fields, one of those fields being clothing.

One other invention was the development of the textiles industry. Since the industry became much more advanced, that opened up the door to much more complex styles and fabrics. For example silks and velvets were now being made in Europe. This allowed for the styles to change and included these once rare and sought after fabrics. With the development of the textile industry also introduced the addition of textile guilds. Each guild had different designs to mark who made the fabric. This added more patterns and designs to clothing. I think the technological advance of social media in the 21st century has greatly influenced fast fashion and clothing styles. With new ideas always being introduced it created the idea of fads and quick fashion.