The Influence of the World Wars on Fashion

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The Influence of the World Wars on Fashion The emergence of the modern world brought dramatic changes in clothing. Different societies have different notions of grace and beauty. They observe certain rules regarding the way men, women and children should dress and present themselves. As times change and societies transform, these notions change as well. Since World War I and World War II, clothing-both for men and women-underwent dramatic changes. The wars brought in industrial and social changes, and created acceptance of cultural , once unthinkable. People used styles and materials drawn from other cultures and locations, and western dress styles for men were adopted worldwide. The impact of World War I had a paralysing effect on fashion and gave way for the demise of the corset. A corset is a garment worn to hold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purpose. It had been made popular during the Victorian Era, where women believed that having a small waist was a womanly duty. They wore tightly fitting corsets which caused spinal deformities and disrupted blood circulation. They were to accept the torture and pain they went through, as normal. The World War I freed women from the bondage of the corset and encouraged them to embrace their natural body shape. Many women stopped wearing jewellery and luxurious clothes. As different classes of women mixed together, social barriers came down and women began to dress similar. As more women got employed in factories, it became necessary to wear short clothes. In ammunition factories, they wore a working uniform of blouse and trousers with scarves or khaki overalls and caps. As the war went on, sober colours replaced bright ones, skirts got shorter and trousers became more common among women. Simplicity in clothing gave women greater freedom of movement. It reflected seriousness and
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