Fashion Through Ages

 

At the time of the Museum's founding in 1870, Boston and the surrounding area were at the center of the American textile industry. In 1877, the first costume entered the museum - an 18th century brocade court dress. The Textile and Fashion Arts Collection now holds approximately 40,000 objects and is global in scope, ranging from Egyptian pleated dresses from 2323-2150 BC to contemporary haute couture. Two major collections form the backbone of the costume holdings: the Mrs. Philip (Carrie) Lehman Collection of textiles and costume accessories, donated in 1938; and the extensive collection of costumes, accessories, needlework, costume books and prints from Elizabeth Day McCormick acquired between 1943 and 1953. The MFA also holds an extensive and important collection of fans, assembled by Esther Oldham, and the largest collection of sable beadwork in the world. The objects here are Western fashion and accessories from the 16th through the 20th centuries, some of which were exhibited in She Walks in Splendor (1963), The Well Dressed 18th Century Man (1979) and High Style and Hoop Skirts (2005).

18th century

1770s fashion simplified the earlier decades styles for both womenswear and menswear, leading to new fashions that exemplified the 'casual' aesthetic that had taken hold

19th century 

The fashion of the 19th century is renowned for its corsets, bonnets, top hats, bustles and petticoats. Women’s fashion during the Victorian period was largely dominated by full skirts, which gradually moved to the back of the silhouette. However, towards the end of the period, the less restrictive Aesthetic style began to emerge

20th century 

Fashion in the 20th century went from strict corseted dresses to the “anything goes” attitude of today. In 1900, most men wore suits and everyone wore a hat when they went out in public. The jazz age flapper of the 1920s got rid of all those restrictions in order to have fun.

21th century

Fashion has incredibly morphed through different eras of time to 21st century clothing and fashion. Have we ever thought about how much fashion has changed over the course of time? The way we choose clothing in the 21st century is completely different from the ancient times. This all revolves around making fashion statements. All the changes in the nineteenth and twentieth century are the reason behind the fashion in the 21st century and has impacted the lives of many people in different ways.

With nine years of the decade behind us, we feel safe in our predictions as to which trends will endure most over time. Skinny jeans came into their own this decade after gradually making their way into the mainstream, and despite endless articles heralding their death, they're not likely to be going anywhere anytime soon. Same goes for athleisure (and, to a smaller extent, its more ephemeral cousin, normcore): Now that we've experienced the joys of walking around in sneakers, tees, and hoodies all day while still looking stylish, who would want to go back?