rise of the machines

the fashionable silhouette in the early 1900s was that of a confident woman, with full low chest and curvy hips. the "health corset" of this period removed pressure from the abdomen and created an S-curve silhouette.

image from historic fashion

in 1897, the silhouette slimmed and elongated by a considerable amount. blouses and dresses were full in front and puffed into a "pigeon breast" shape of the early 20th century that looked over the narrow waist, which sloped from back to front and was often accented with a sash or belt. necklines were supported by very high boned collars. skirts brushed the floor, often with a train, even for day dresses, in mid-decade. 

the fashion houses of paris began to show a new silhouette, with a thicker waist, flatter bust, and narrower hips. by the end of the decade the most fashionable skirts cleared the floor and approached the ankle. the overall silhouette narrowed and straightened, beginning a trend that would continue into the years leading up to the great war.

by 1907, clothing was increasingly factory-made and often sold in large, fixed price department stores. custom sewing and home sewing were still significant, but on the decline. new machinery and materials changed clothing in many ways.

garment sweatshops

the introduction of the lock-stitch sewing machine in mid-century simplified both home and boutique dressmaking, and enabled a fashion for lavish application of trim that would have been prohibitively time-consuming if done by hand. lace machinery made lace at a fraction of the cost of the old, laborious methods. new materials from far-flung british colonies gave rise to new types of clothing (such as rubber, which made gumboots and mackintoshes possible.) chemists developed new, cheap, bright dyes that displaced the old animal or vegetable dyes.

unfussy, tailored clothes were worn for outdoor activities and traveling. the shirtwaist, a costume with a bodice or waist tailored like a man's shirt with a high collar, was adopted for informal daywear and became the uniform of working women. wool or tweed suit called tailor-mades or (in french) tailleurs featured ankle-length skirts with matching jackets; ladies of fashion wore them with fox furs and huge hats. 

two new styles of hats that became popular at the turn of the century were the automobile bonnet for riding and sailor's hat worn for tennis matches, bicycling and croquet.

this first decade of the machine age marked the full flowering of parisian haute couture as the arbiter of styles and silhouettes for women of all classes. 

in 1908, a new silhouette emerged from callot soeurs, vionnet at the house of doucet, and most importantly, paul poiret. 

 merveilleuse, directoire and empire

the styles were variously called merveilleuse, directoire and empire after the fashions of the turn of the nineteenth century, which they resembled in their narrow skirts and raised waistlines. the new styles featured form-fitting gowns with high or indefined waists, or ankle-length skirts and long tunic-like jackets, and required a different "straight line" corset. 

fash'on... BAM!