Colour and Fashion through the Ages

In one of my recent lectures we were told all about how colour has been used in fashion during the 20th-21st century. I found it really interesting to see how colour and fashion adapted according to changes in society. We were also told the significance of certain colours and their meanings in fashion and how colours can communicate a certain message.

1920’s- During the 1920’s in art bright unnatural modern colours were being used. De Stijl and Bauhaus were well known artists using block colours in their work during this period. This has inspired many modern designers to create clean sporty and young pieces using bright bold colours.

Sonia Delaunay- Sonia was a artist who spread her work into fashion and textiles, her work was part of the orphism movement, which focused on bright colours in an abstract way she famously said “I wasn’t interested in fashion, but in applying colour and light to fabrics.”

Jeanne Lanvin- Jeanne was a French haute couture designer in Paris during the 1920s, her ideas very much adopted the ‘flapper’ style of the era and were very romantic using pastels and black and white in many of her designs.

1950’s- After the darkness of the war, fashion began to change. There was no longer the restraints of rationing and skirts became fuller a new silhouette was born, with the creation of Christian Dior’s New Look. This created a whole new way to look at fashion during the 1950s and his designs inspired the glamour of Hollywood. Fashion and lifestyle evolved after the end of war and brought a new prosperity and optimism to the world. Bright colour and patterns could be found across both fashion and lifestyle adding glamour and fun back into the lives of those affected by the war. The 1950s was a time for businesses to grow, capitalism to thrive and fashion to develop.

1960’s- The 1960s was full of technological and social advances. The exploration of space became possible, women experienced the life changing effects of the brand new contraceptive pill for the first time allowing them to live a more free unapologetic life than they ever could have imagined. With these changes in society came a change in fashion.

Mary Quant- Very popular during this time, Quant re invented the way women would dress for the rest of time. Mini skirts and extremely high hemlines made her work stand out and the use of block colours, black and white and the influence from pop art gave her designs a distinctive style. Without the work of Quant, it would be hard to picture the fashion of the Swinging Sixties in the same way. Women were finally allowed to explore their new freedom, with many housewives now in the workplace and with their own money, they were able to spend on these new designs which represented their new place in society.

Fashion Photographers- We also took a closer look at some photographers and how their use of colour palette affects the mood and message of an image.

Lillian Bassman- Lillian worked as a fashion photographer for Harper’s Bazaar during the 1950s and 1960s. Her photography mainly focused on black and white studies highlighting the difference between light and dark. Her photography has a rather intimate feel and has a sense of mystery and complexity.

Miles Aldridge-

Focusing on the pop art style, Aldridge’s work uses bright, hyper-real colours giving his work a rather cartoon like effect.

I really enjoyed learning about the different eras of fashion and the colours and designs used by fashion designers of the time as I have a passion for fashion history and find it really interesting to see how society shapes trends and the inspiration designers gain from the world around them.

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