1910-1914
From 1910 to 1920 fashion became a huge issue. French designers were starting to put a new image in people's minds. These ideas got women to throw away their corsets and create a new style. The corset controlled how the woman walked, moved, stood and held herself. If the corset got too tight it could get in her way of eating and breathing. In 1910, women usually ore their hair up hiding it in their hats of having it cut short, close to their heads. Their skirts were becoming narrower and were getting short due to the fact they were starting to work in gardens and drive automobiles.
Men wore regular suits and didn't do anything special to their hair, just dressed appropriately. Two types of dresses categorized in this period were the Gibson Girl and La Bell Epoque. The Gibson Girl made women look at high collars, upswept hair, tiny waists and an S-shaped silhouette. Between 1910 and 1912 hats hit their ultimate stage. They were huge and heavy with stuffed birds, flowers, veils, feathers, fruits, and ribbons. At this time women wanted their hair to have a soft look. They would leave curls in their hair to add elegance. On a special occasion they would add beads, feathers, ribbons or headbands.
Men wore regular suits and didn't do anything special to their hair, just dressed appropriately. Two types of dresses categorized in this period were the Gibson Girl and La Bell Epoque. The Gibson Girl made women look at high collars, upswept hair, tiny waists and an S-shaped silhouette. Between 1910 and 1912 hats hit their ultimate stage. They were huge and heavy with stuffed birds, flowers, veils, feathers, fruits, and ribbons. At this time women wanted their hair to have a soft look. They would leave curls in their hair to add elegance. On a special occasion they would add beads, feathers, ribbons or headbands.
1912-1913
In 1912 the women wore huge hats, their dresses would have high waistlines and a loose fit bodice. They wore their skirts tight and straight in other words called a "hobble skirt". With their dresses they wore long black jackets over their blouses. The imitation of male suits is becoming normal. The women in 1913 wore dresses that had a longer hem, and included unique "u" shaped folds at the bottom. Their jackets were starting to get longer and hats smaller.
Mid and Late 1910s
In 1914 World War 1 broke out causing chaos in the fashion world. This was when fashion changed the most. Since men went off to war the women were left at home to work in the factories. Over time their hemlines began to get higher, because of the shortages in fabric. Hats were left off to enjoy the shorter hair style, and the jackets were getting shorter. Women started to do things differently with their hair. Some wore it loose in a low chignon, others ringlets with broad bows, and finally some bobbed their hair, a style that was brought to the US from Paris. After the men left and went out to war, women started to wear clothing more comfortable and suited for factory working. For instance shorter hemlines, natural waists, and the narrow skirts that were originally there had changed to full skirts. In the late 1910s they the natural shape of their bodies came out they stopped wearing all the unnatural stuff.
1915
In the 1915s and on to the 1919s fashion experienced a major fixation. Various sizes, shapes, and styles of hats, dresses, shoes, and skirts came and went. Slowly people started to see what the future fashion would be. They still wore corsets, long dresses, big puffy hats and such, but in its own way fashion in the 1910s became modernized into what it is today. Some of the changes were the skirts got wider in 1915 and double skirts were popular. In 1916 woman experienced dresses with very high waists, shorter and wider skirts, boots looked like black pumps over white socks under them. In 1917 the high waist drops, hats are becoming bizarre, large collar shapes, skirts narrower and shorter. And finally in 1919 skirts are shorter, and waist almost drops, boots are gone and pumps are taking their place.