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Fashion is a term used commonly
to describe a style of clothing worn by most people of a country. A fashion remains
popular for a few months or years before being replaced by yet another fashion. A
product or activity is in fashion or is fashionable during the period of time that a
large segment of society accepts it. After a time, however, the same product or activity
becomes old-fashioned when the majority of people no longer accept it.
The Evolution of Fashion and Fashion Changes
Major changes in fashion occurred frequently before the
1300s. Since then, the political and social conditions of a nation, plus technological
developments, have influenced fashion in various ways.
During the 1300s, rulers of many European nations began
to set fashions that were followed by the members of their courts. In the mid-1600s, King
Louis XIII of France began wearing a wig to hide his baldness. Fashionable Frenchmen soon
began to shave their heads and wear wigs. In the mid-1800s, English women were said to
have copied Queen Victoria’s stout figure by wearing puffy dresses with padding
underneath.
Some fashion changes have accompanied a breakdown in the system of having social classes. The members of the nobility lost much of their power during the 1300s, when rigid class systems were weakened in Europe. The nobility began to dress more elaborately to distinguish themselves from the middle classes.
During the mid-1800s, mass production of clothing made fashionable clothes available to more people at lower prices. People of all social classes began to wear similar styles of clothing. Today, it is easier to identify an expensive garment by the quality of its fabric and manufacture than by its style.
Through the years, fashions in games and sports have influenced the way people dress. During the 1700s, people in England adopted simpler clothing styles after they became interested in fox hunting and other outdoor sports. Today, many people wear special clothing for activities such as golf, horseback riding, hunting and tennis.
Wars have also affected the style of dress in a country. European soldiers returning from the crusades during the 1100s and 1200s brought back various eastern ideas of dress styles. The crusaders also returned with rich silks and other textiles not available in Europe.
