A brief History of English Fashion: from the very beginning to 2000

By Carla Aira and Paolo Calloni

It is an escursus through the century of the evolution of English fashion and the influences it had on the society. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carla Aira
• Release date: Mar 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9791220278171

Book preview

carla aira

a brief history of English fashion

from the origins to the 20th century

Cover by Paolo Calloni

inst@paolocjouney

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Table of contents

A Brief History of English Fashion

Celts ...

Celts through Roman eyes

Anglo-Saxons ...

... and Normans

The Normans at war

Fashion in literature - Geoffrey Chaucer

The Tudors

Fashion in paintings - Henry VIII

Fashion in paintings - Elizabeth I

The Puritans

about American Settlers

1700

Early 1700

Mid 1700

Late 1700

Scottish Clan's clothing

American Indians

American uniforms

Fashion in literature - Jane Austen

Lord Brummel

Queen Victoria's era

Early Victorians

Mid Victorians

Late Victorians

Fashion in literature - Jane Eyre

New fabrics

Fashion in literature - Aestheticism

Oscar Wilde - Slaves of Fashion

1900

First World War

New styles

Coco Chanel

The Macintosh

1930s

​Amelia Mary Earhart

Second World War and after

Mid 20th century

1960s

Mary Quant

Influences from abroad

1970s

late 1970s - early 1980s

the many faces of the 1980s

...and of the 1990s

the 2000

Credits

A Brief History of English Fashion

from the very beginning to 2000

image 1

Celts ...

In Celtic times, men wore trousers or brags (bracae for the Romans) in many forms. They could be tight fitting and extending just over the knee and were adopted by the Roman legions which called them 'femoralia'. Others wore looser fitting (=larghi) with feet in them (=con piedi incorporati) or secured at the ankles (=chiusi alle caviglie) with the strips (=lacci) from their shoes. The trousers either had a tie (=corda) at the waist (=vita) or had belt loops (=cinture). Shirts were either the basic t-tunic type or sleeveless (=senza maniche). Cloaks were rectangular or ovoid; the oval ones were made on the loom (=telaio). Some Roman depictions show Celtic men wearing caps (=berretti) and hats. Shoes for the most part were one piece leather or made of straw. Women usually wore narrow tunic or chiton. In some tribes they used to wear white tunics with purple embroidery. Another form of clothing was the short tunic inserted into a long skirt. Celtic people were skilful (=abili) weavers (=tessitori) and they made their own clothes. Usually they also dyed (=tingevano) them with lively and bright colours. Continental Celtic clothing was made of wool (=lana) or linen (=lino) with occasional references to silk (=seta) . As they became more Romanized, luxury fabrics (=tessuti di lusso) increased (=aumentarono). Celtic people loved ornaments. They had great quantities of gold and used it for decorations. They wore golden bracelets, necklaces and rings. The torque was one of their most important ornaments and was made of bronze or gold.

Celts through Roman eyes

Many Roman historians give a full description of the Celts at war. At first (=dapprima) the Romans were frightened (=spaventati) by Celtic people: they were very tall, pale (=pallidi) and blond. They looked very different from Mediterranean people. Most of them had no beard (=barba), the nobles had big moustache (=baffi). They combed (=si pettinavano) their hair in an unusual way, like an horse mawarriorne (=criniera) because they washed it with water and lime (=calce)...like rastas nowadays. In some tribes they had knots ( chignon) on their heads to look taller. They tried to keep them fit (=mantenersi in forma) in battle, in time of peace they ate and drank a lot.In battles most of the tribes fought naked (=nudi), only with their arms. Others wore trousers and light cloaks (=mantelli) because they did not want to be obstacles by clothes during the battle. Their bodies and faces were painted with tattoos, usually blue tattoos because they made them with berries (=bacche). Their favourite figures were owls (=gufi) and horses. The bravest warriors wore a particular necklace (=collana) - a torque - around their neck.

Anglo-Saxons ...

Anglo-Saxon people usually wore clothes made from wool or animal skins. Women spun (=lavoravano) the wool from sheep and goats (= capre) and used a loom (= telaio) to weave (= tessere) the thread (= fili) into cloth (= tessuto).

Men wore tunics, usually with long sleeves (= maniche lunghe), with tight (= attillati) trousers or leggings, wrapped (= legati) around with strips (= stringhe) of cloth (= tessuto) or leather (= pelle). The wearing of trousers had long distinguished the 'barbarians' from the Greeks and Romans.

Women wore long dresses. We do not know how Anglo-Saxon women kept their legs warm, they may have simply added extra lasaxonsyers (= strati) of gowns (= gonne).

Shoes would generally be of leather, round-toed, flat soled (con la punta arrotonadata, la suola piatta); they were stitched or laced (= tenute insieme) together with leather thongs (= strisce), high till the ankle or just below = fino alla caviglia o appena sotto). Probably sandals of the Iron Age and late Roman type were still being used. As far as we know these shoe types could be worn by either sex.

As to the hairstyles, it varied from tribe to tribe. In some tribes warriors allowed their hair and beard to grow until they killed an enemy. Others tied their hair up in a knot ( = annodati) at the side of the head. The Roman historian Tacitus tells us that the style was the mark of the freeman. Women's hair was long sometimes loose (= sciolti), but some representations show the hair drawn back from the face (= tirati indietro), presumably into a plait (= treccia) or pony-tail (= coda di cavallo). We do not know how they tied them up. Some continental sculptures show quite elegant coiffures, and a pair of pony-tails fastened (= legate) behind each ear are also often represented.

... and Normans

Fashion changed slowly in Medieval times. The Normans imported into Britain a new hairstyle: short hair and beard for men, long hair in plaits (= trecce), covered by a cloth (= tessuto) and hidden under a hood (= cappuccio) for women.

Men, while travelling, wore