1910s in Western fashion

The 1910s in Western fashion encompasses styles from 1910 to 1919. Western fashion in this period carries influences from oriental and neoclassical inspirations as well as the subsequent effects of World War I. Over the decade, Women's fashion experienced a shift towards shorter hemlines and dropped waistlines in addition to the more practical garments necessitated by the war. In men's fashion, evening wear largely continued to adhere to previous conventions while trends in informal outerwear continued to evolve. During the period, shifts in fashion made way for styles associated with the Jazz Age of the 1920s.
During the early years of the 1910s the fashionable silhouette became much more lithe, fluid and soft than in the 1900s. Public interest in all things "oriental", in combination with neoclassical inspiration from the Empire or Directoire style of the early 19th century, were the major influences of the decade on women's fashions. The Art Deco movement began to emerge and its influence was also evident in the designs of many couturiers of the time.
The Empire-style revival was first seen in Paul Poiret couture collections of the late 1900s, an example being his iconic "Josephine" evening dress, created in 1907. When the Ballets Russes performed Scheherazade in Paris in 1910, a mania for Orientalism ensued. Eastern influences melded with the revival of Directoire style. As an art practitioner with an Orientalist bent, couturier Paul Poiret was one of the first designers to translate this vogue into a fashion trend. Poiret's clients were dressed in flowing pantaloons, turbans, and garments of vivid colors or in geisha-style kimonos.
Two influential fashion designers of the time were Jacques Doucet and Mariano Fortuny. The French designer Doucet specialised in superimposing pastel colors; his elaborate, gossamer-light dresses suggested the Impressionist shimmers of reflected light. His fluid lines and flimsy, diaphanous materials met with sustained success.
The Venice-based designer Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo employed innovative techniques and piloted new approaches. For his dress designs he conceived a special pleating process and new dyeing techniques. He patented his process in Paris on 4 November 1910. He gave the name Delphos to his long, clinging sheath dresses that undulated with color, so called because it emulated the dress of the bronze statue of the Charioteer of Delphi. Each garment was made of a single piece of the finest silk, its unique color acquired by repeated immersions in dyes whose shades were suggestive of moonlight or of the watery reflections of the Venetian lagoon. Breton straw, Mexican cochineal, and indigo from the Far East, were among the ingredients that Fortuny used. Among his many devotees were Eleonora Duse, Isadora Duncan, Cléo de Mérode, the Marchesa Casati, Émilienne d'Alençon, and Liane de Pougy.
During this period, the first prominent female couturier, Jeanne Paquin, was the first to promote her couture by using mannequins to display her designs at prestigious public events, such as the racing at Longchamp and Chantilly. Paquin was also the first Parisian couturier to open foreign branches in London, Buenos Aires, and Madrid.
Couturier designs came in a variety of shapes, but the most popular silhouette throughout the decade was the tunic over a long underskirt. Full, hip-length "lampshade" tunics were worn over narrow, draped skirts. By 1914, skirts were widest at the hips and very narrow at the ankle. These hobble skirts made long strides impossible. Tunics became longer and underskirts fuller and shorter. By 1916 women were wearing calf-length dresses.
Early in the period, waistlines were high (just below the bust), echoing the Empire style (or Directoire) of the early 19th century. The waists were loose and softly defined. Gradually, they dropped to near the natural waist by mid-decade, where they were to remain through the war years. When the Paris fashion houses reopened after the war, styles for 1919 showed a lowered and even more undefined waist.
The tailleur or tailored suit of matching jacket and skirt was worn in the city and for travel. Jackets followed the lines of tunics, with raised, lightly defined waists. Fashionable women of means wore striking hats and fur stole or scarves with their tailleurs, and carried huge matching muffs.
Most coats were cocoon or kimono shaped, wide through the shoulders and narrower at the hem. Fur coats were popular.
Changed dresses during World War I were dictated more by necessity than by fashion. As more and more women entered the workforce, they demanded clothes that were better suited to their new activities; these derived from the shirtwaists and tailored suits. Social events were postponed in favor of more pressing engagements and the need to mourn the increasing numbers of dead, visits to the wounded, and the general gravity of the time meant that darker colors and simpler cuts became the norm. A new monochrome look emerged that was unfamiliar to young women in comfortable circumstances. Women dropped the cumbersome underskirts from their tunic-and-skirt ensembles, simplifying dress and shortening skirts in one step. By 1915, the Gazette du Bon Ton was showing full skirts with hemlines at calf length. These were called the "war crinoline" by the fashion press, who promoted the style as "patriotic" and "practical".
Furthermore, people were dressing less extravagantly due to funds being put toward the war effort. According to Eileen Collard, Coco Chanel took notice of this and introduced costume jewelry. She replaced expensive necklaces with glass or crystal beads. "Without grading them to size, she mixed pearls with other beads to fashion original jewelry to be worn with her designs" that were inspired by women joining the workforce.
Shoes had high, slightly curved heels. Shorter skirts put an emphasis on stockings, and gaiters were worn with streetwear in winter. "Tango shoes" inspired by the dance craze had criss-crossing straps at the ankles that peeked out from draped and wrapped evening skirts.
During the war years, working women wore sensible laced shoes with round toes and lower wedge heels.
Simple felt hats, turbans, and clouds of tulle replaced the styles of headgear popular in the preceding decade. Large hats with wide brims and broad hats with face-shadowing brims were the height of fashion in the early years of the decade, gradually shrinking to smaller hats with flat brims. Short, bobbed hair – the "bob cut" – was introduced to Paris fashion in 1909 and spread to avant-garde circles in England during the war. Dancer, silent film actress and fashion trendsetter Irene Castle helped spread the fashion for short hairstyles in America. Hair, even short hair, was frequently supplemented with postiches, small individual wigs, curls, or false buns which were incorporated into the hairstyle.
As women began to become more active with dance and sport, they started to remove their corsets at parties in order to move more freely. In response corset manufacturers marketed the dance corset, which was less constricting, lighter, and more flexible. This shift made it a necessity to own more corsets because they served different functions. At the same time women now had more agency to decide their own shapes with the variety of corsets available.
In general, styles were unchanged from the previous decade. Hair was generally worn short. Wide moustaches were often curled. A decline in wearing facial hair, a trend which had begun around the beginning of the century, continued throughout the decade as more clean shaven styles appear.
The sack coat or lounge coat continued to replace the frock coat for most informal and semi-formal occasions. Three-piece suits consisting of a sack coat with matching waistcoat (U.S. vest) and trousers were worn, as were matching coat and waistcoat with contrasting trousers, or matching coat and trousers with contrasting waistcoat. Trousers were ankle length with turn-ups or cuffs, and were creased front and back using a trouser press. The gap between the shorter trousers and the shoes was filled with short gaiters or spats.
Waistcoats fastened lower on the chest, and were collarless.
The blazer, a navy blue or brightly colored or striped flannel coat cut like a sack coat with patch pockets and brass buttons, was worn for sports, sailing, and other casual activities.
The Norfolk jacket remained fashionable for shooting and rugged outdoor pursuits. It was made of sturdy tweed or similar fabric and featured paired box pleats over the chest and back, with a fabric belt. Worn with matching breeches or (U.S. knickerbockers), it became the Norfolk suit, suitable for bicycling or golf with knee-length stockings and low shoes, or for hunting with sturdy boots or shoes with leather gaiters.
The cutaway morning coat was still worn for formal day occasions in Europe and major cities elsewhere, with striped trousers.
The most formal evening dress remained a dark tail coat and trousers with a dark or light waistcoat. Evening wear was worn with a white bow tie and a shirt with a winged collar. The less formal dinner jacket or tuxedo, which featured a shawl collar with silk or satin facings, now generally had a single button. Dinner jackets, worn with a white shirt and a dark tie, were gaining acceptance outside of the home.
Knee-length topcoats and calf-length overcoats were worn in winter. Fur coats were worn in the coldest climates.
Formal dress shirt collars were turned over or pressed into "wings". Collars were overall very tall and stiffened, with rounded corners. The usual necktie was a narrow four-in-hand. Ascot ties were worn with formal day dress and white bow ties with evening wear.
Silk top hats remained a requirement for upper class formal wear; soft felt Homburgs or stiff bowler hats were worn with lounge or sack suits. Flat straw boaters and fedora hats were acceptable for a wider range of activities than previously, and Panama hats were worn for travel. Gentlemen of all classes, especially the middle and working class often wore the newsboy cap and flat cap.
Fashion for children in the 1910s evolved in two different directions, day-to-day and formal dress. Boys were dressed in suits with trousers that extended to the knee and girls' apparel began to become less "adult" as skirt lengths were shortened and features became more child-focused. The war affected the trends in general, as well. Military influences in apparel for little boys was typical and the lengths of skirts for girls were cut shorter yet because of material rationing. Boys wore short trousers even in winter.