Vive La Mode or Let The Fashion Begin!

Fashion As The Symbol Of France

What makes France so fashionable?
Love of luxury – it is possible, but not enough.

To answer the question, let’s see what fashion means. Fashion is a manner of dressing and behavior characteristic of a given age. It is also used as a means of setting social boundaries – the aristocracy with its dressing style wanted to clearly distinguish it from the commonwealth.

Going to modern definitions becomes more interesting. Fashion is seen as a language, a way to think, express and claim yourself. Trends are just a set of words, but to be able to speak the language of fashion properly, you need to turn it into your individual style and style.

This is where fashion becomes French, because of the rooted French sense of style and chic being what makes fashion such a powerful yearning for millions of women in the world.

History Of Fashion

For the first time, the term appears in the expression “new fashion” – la nouvelle mode in 1482 to mark changes in the clothing of the elite of society. In 1549 the expression became “to keep up with fashion” – être à la mode.

The first fashion magazines and newspapers came out in the 16th century, but only in the nineteenth century they began to offer themselves at affordable prices. And this is the beginning of the democratization of fashion, turning it into the aspiration of the whole society.

When we talk about fashion as a synonym for style, we have to give London the meaning. Since the 19th century, women’s fashion is dictated by Paris and the London man. The invention of the mechanical loom, the sewing machine and the big stores fundamentally change the world of fashion. French high fashion is the rudder, but the steamer moves from the confection, as it is today.

Paradoxically, Englishman Charles Frederick Wopt, who immigrated to Paris in 1845, became the first lawmaker of high fashion by introducing seasonal collections and for the first time using live models to showcase these garments. Clothes are expensive and few can afford it, but in the ready-to-wear stores for ordinary citizens are offered their exact copies.

The period from 1895 to 1914 is known as the Belle Epoque – La Belle Époque. This is an age that is associated with beautiful and exquisite clothes and a luxurious lifestyle, the privilege of the richest. This is the time when the phone, the first air flights, the silent cinema and the first cars, the time of the trade union movement and the fight of women for social justice and electoral rights.

In the twenties of the twentieth century, designers take power in their own hands, and fashion conquers the minds and hearts of millions of people around the world.

Around the middle of the 20th century fashion got its first real icons and legislators Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Nina Ricci, Pierre Carden – of course, Frenchmen. They revolutionize fashion and turn it into one of the most common languages ​​of the modern world.

A language that from the nineteenth century until now is dictated by Paris, conquering all continents.

The Big 3

France is the home of dozens of cult designers, and if we want to make a fairly accurate fashion story, we have to describe the revolutionary visions at least the first 5, but here we will restrict ourselves to only three who really put the pillars of the concept of fashion as we apologize in advance that we miss such cult names as Eve Saint Laurent, Nina Richie, Jean Paul Gaultier and many more.

Pierre Carden is a French designer of Italian origin, one of the most influential names in the history of fashion. In 1947 he worked with Christian Dior, but three years later he founded his own fashion house.

Carden’s Revolution: For the first time he used the unisex style in 1958, and two years later he broke all rules and made a separate male line.
One of his muses is the Maya Plisetskaya ballerina.

Christian Dior is the founder of the most famous French fashion brand Christian Dior. During the Second World War, he wore the wives of French officers, in 1946 he founded his own fashion house. The name of Christian Dior’s first collection, presented in 1947, is Corolle.

The then chief editor of Harper’s Bazaar Carmel Snow renamed the New Look collection. Compared to the clothes offered during the Second World War, those of the Dior look more sensual and lavish. Dior was a master in creating forms and silhouettes, creating in his own words “women-flowers.”

Dior works mainly with a chase, a bustier type buzzer, a variety of seals that emphasize the thighs, corsets that emphasize the thin waist and the petticoats that make his clothes look dense and lush at the bottom.

The hem of the skirts are decorated around the knees or ankles and form a beautiful silhouette. Initially, women took the Dioor models, because the clothing offered covered the legs, and this was not usual for the period, due to the war imposed by the fabrics.

The quantities of materials used to create Dior’s clothing are the cause of the displeasure of many: during a photo shoot at a Paris shop, the models are attacked by vendors because of the waste of materials. With the end of the war and the severe recession, discontent ended.
Dior’s Revolution: Already with his first “New Look” collection, he has radically changed the women’s clothing and turned Paris into a fashionable capital. In these years, the designer’s assistants are still the unconfirmed Pierre Carden and Yves Saint Laurent, who later headed the company Dior.

Coco Chanel – her name itself is synonymous with a revolution. Modernist, revolutionized female fashion with the inclusion of male elements, one of the most influential figures in the fashion of the 20th century, Coco has been identified as a pioneer in fashion.

Her philosophy, her ambition to clean lines, and the elements borrowed from the male fashion give her a reserved place in fashion development. Thanks to the impact Coco Chanel has on fashion and lifestyle in general, TIME magazine puts her in the ranking for the 100 most influential 20th-century figures, the only representative of the world of fashion in the rankings.
Chanel gives a new life to fabrics like jars, which were previously considered to be clothing for poor people. Her style is often associated with the image of young girls from the Twenty Twenties – the 20s of the 20th century, who were self-confident and often behaved defiantly to established social norms.

Her clients are girls demonstrating their independence with new looks and behavior – with short skirts and hairstyles, using large amounts of makeup and cosmetics, drinking cocktails and smoking cigarettes in a public place. But the “rebellion” of these girls is not limited to their appearance. They boldly participate in various sports, drive their own cars and go out to nightclubs where they listen to jazz and dance charleston.

Chanel’s famous jacket, turned into an icon, is in itself a small world in the designer’s fashion philosophy. The cut of the jacket distinguishes it from the traditional jacket, as the sleeve structure is three parts.

This remains the most distinctive mark and designer’s trademark, along with handmade stitches, heavy metal buttons and the metal chain at the base of the coat. All these elements are not only a part of the decoration but also serve as weights that give it the shape and shape.

Paris Fashion Week

An obligatory stop for any lady who wants to be part of the trends, not to follow them.

She must have been a high fashion meeting with her clients and the media. If a designer manages to get to the Paris week, this is already an event if he can be spotted – it’s a triumph.

A lot of champagne, many backstage passions, lots of tears and exceptional victories – The Paris Fashion Week, which is held twice a year, is like the Holy Week for anyone whose bible is fashion.