Fashion cycles often mean that looks which were cool, say, 20 years ago, come back into style. The overarching lesson is that good looks are eternal. But fashion still keeps evolving, since preferences change and technologies develop that allow us to create with newer and more interesting materials and patterns.
However, that doesn’t mean that newer is always better. We’ve gathered some of the coolest and most interesting garments and accessories from the past. Get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section down below.
#1 Grace Kelly At Her Wedding 18 April, 1956 Designer: Helen Rose. Perhaps The Most Beautiful Wedding Dress Of All Time
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#2 Audrey Hepburn Wearing Hubert De Givenchy For Film “Sabrina” In 1954
Image source: Melodic-Law-3863
#3 The Ringlet Victorian Hairstyle
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
The last two hundred years of fashion have been a wild ride through social upheavals and technological breakthroughs and artistic rebellions. If you could hop into a time machine and land in the eighteen twenties you would see a world moving away from the simple white columns of the Regency era where high waists and thin muslin were the gold standard.
This shift happened because the Romantic movement began to take hold and people craved more drama and imagination in their lives which resulted in sleeves puffing up to massive proportions and waistlines dropping back to their natural place. By the mid nineteenth century the world changed forever thanks to the Industrial Revolution which introduced the sewing machine and synthetic dyes.
#4 11-13 Of February Of 1903, “Winter Ball” Of The Russian Empire
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#5 Unknown Woman From The Mid Xix Century In This Beautiful Black Dress (Or Maybe Just Dark Colour)
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#6 My 88-Year-Old Grandpa In Ss2000 Issey Miyake Men By Takashi Murakami X Naoki Takizawa
Image source: joepennyninja
Suddenly fabrics became cheaper and colors like the first synthetic purple called mauveine became all the rage for everyone, not just the super wealthy. This era gave us the massive cage crinolines that turned women into walking bells because nothing screamed status quite like using thirty yards of fabric for a single dress. During this same time a man named Charles Frederick Worth became the father of haute couture by being the first to sign his creations like a true artist and creating the concept of seasonal fashion shows.
#7 1930s Wedding Dresses
1. Callot Soeurs, 1930. Dress made of silk, plastic, linen, and leather with a show-stopping cathedral-length train
2. Ivory satin spencer wedding jacket with long ruched train, 1931. Designed by Jeanne Lanvin
3. Elizabeth’s wedding dress in Frankenstein (1931). Costume design by Vera West
4. Wedding ensemble by Jacques, Chicago, 1933
Image source: [deleted]
#8 Lady Ashburton (1866-1904), Née Mabel Edith Hood. At The Devonshire Ball, 2 Of July Of 1897
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#9 Paco Rabanne – 1960s
Image source: medea24
As the nineteenth century drew to a close the silhouettes shifted from the round hoop to the bustle which focused all the volume at the back of the skirt often supported by heavy frames made of wire or horsehair. This led into the Edwardian era where the S-bend corset pushed the chest forward and the hips back to create a very specific and somewhat painful curve known as the pigeon breast. However things were about to get a lot more comfortable as the world modernized and women began to play sports like tennis and ride bicycles.
#10 Empress Elisabeth’s (Sisi, Austria) Court Dress Of Black Moire Silk With Lace Trim And Rich Jet Bead Embroidery, Circa 1885 Created By Fanni Scheiner
Image source: mish-tea
#11 Woman Mountanier Stops At The Top Of A Glacier To Look While Using Sunglasses To Proecte Her From Snow Blindness, 1890s. Probably The Alps
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#12 Vivienne Westwood Designs Made With Carpets From Brintons Carpets For The 1995 Vw X Bc Collaboration
Image source: ChicnahueCoatl1491
The arrival of the nineteen twenties brought the iconic flapper look which was a direct result of women gaining the right to vote and entering the workforce after the first world war. Gone were the restrictive corsets and long trains and in their place were short bobs and loose knee length dresses that allowed women to dance the Charleston and breathe freely. This was the first time in history that youth culture really started to drive the trends instead of just following the traditions of the older generation and it signaled a permanent shift toward a more relaxed and athletic lifestyle for everyone.
#13 Student Fashion At Smith College 1948
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#14 Us Actress Maude Adams On Her Outfits For The Theater Play “The Eaglelet” 1900. 3 Piece Black Suit
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#15 Princess Diana Arrives At The Premiere Of “A View To Kill” 24 Of May 1985 On A Silver Lame Dress
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
The party of the roaring twenties ended abruptly with the Great Depression and the following decade saw a return to more modest and feminine lines as people looked for comfort and stability. Hemlines dropped again and designers like Madeleine Vionnet popularized the bias cut which allowed fabric to drape beautifully over the natural curves of the body and was heavily influenced by the glamour of Hollywood film stars. When the second world war broke out fashion became a matter of national duty through utility clothing and rationing because materials like silk and nylon were needed for parachutes.
#16 Actress Janet Leigh With Her Daughter Jamie Lee Curtis, 29 Of September 1979
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#17 Drew Barrymore’s Costume As Danielle In The Film ‘Ever After: A Cinderella Story’, 1998 Designed By Jenny Beavan
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#18 House Of Worth Wedding Dress, Circa 1869
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
Fabric was scarce so skirts became shorter and slimmer and shoulder pads became popular because they gave women a strong and capable look as they took over jobs in factories. Once the war ended everyone was hungry for luxury again and Christian Dior delivered exactly that with his New Look in nineteen forty seven. It featured tiny waists and enormous skirts that used incredible amounts of fabric which was a joyful protest against the years of deprivation and a return to traditional ideas of beauty.
#19 The Wedding Dress Of King George Iv’s Daughter, Princess Charlotte Of Wales. 1816
Image source: Dhorlin
#20 Unknown Young Woman From The Mid Xix Century
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#21 Legendary Olympic Track Athlete Florence Griffith Joyner Was Considered As Much An Athlete As A Fashion Icon
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
The nineteen sixties and seventies were a time of pure rebellion and the mini skirt became the ultimate symbol of liberation as it climbed higher and higher up the thigh. Young people in London led the way with bold colors and geometric prints while the hippie movement later embraced natural fabrics and bell bottoms as a way to reject consumerism and celebrate individuality.
#22 Evening Dress, 1919, Gustave Beer, House Of Beer, Kyoto Costume Institute
Image source: [deleted]
#23 Pepa Flores’s Wedding Dress (I Love That Hooded Veil, Is Inspired By The Mallorcan Mantilla)
Image source: Traditional_Cloud234
#24 Mantle, Spanish CA 1804
Image source: Practice_NO_with_me
This spirit of excess continued into the nineteen eighties which was the era of power dressing where giant shoulder pads and neon colors signaled corporate ambition and the booming wealth of the decade. By the time the nineteen nineties arrived the world was tired of the glitter and turned toward the raw aesthetic of grunge and the clean lines of minimalism which paved the way for the casual styles we see today.
#25 White Striped Reception Gown, American Or European, Late 1860s
Image source: [deleted]
#26 “Lily” Evening Gown (1896) By The House Of Worth, Worn By Elisabeth De Caraman-Chimay, Comtesse Greffulhe, Original Photograph By Nadar
Image source: mish-tea
#27 A Jeanne Lanvin By Antonio Castillo Couture Evening Dress, Autumn-Winter 1956-57
Image source: [deleted]
Now that we have reached the middle of the twenty twenties we find ourselves in a digital age where fast fashion and social media have sped up the trend cycle to an almost dizzying pace. We see a mix of everything from Y2K nostalgia to the rise of quiet luxury where the focus is on high quality and understated elegance rather than loud logos.
#28 Dark Red Silk Brocade Day Dress, Circa 1881
Image source: [deleted]
#29 Dance Dress From The Duchy Of Alba (1896)
Image source: Traditional_Cloud234
#30 Cape For A Child, Burnous, Twill-Weave Woollen Cloth In Peacock Blue Embroidered In Cream Silk Thread And Tassel, Anglo-Indian, Circa 1860-70
Image source: mish-tea
Fashion remains the most visible way we tell the story of who we are and what we value in a changing world because it is a mirror of our history and our hopes for the future. It continues to evolve every single day as we find new ways to balance our desire for self expression with a growing need for sustainability and ethical production.
#31 Cristóbal Balenciaga Fall Winter 1950 Haute Couture, Pink Silk Tulle And Satin Evening Dress With Silver Metal Embroidery. This Dress Was Worn By Dovima In Harper’s Bazaar 1950 Photographed By Richard Avedon
Image source: mish-tea
#32 J’adore Dior For Valentine’s Day
Image source: [deleted]
#33 Dance Dress, Probably Lucile Ltd., New York, Silk, Fur, Metallic Thread, 1939
Image source: [deleted]
#34 Ensemble Consisting Of A Casaquin, A Stomacher, And A Skirt, With Large Motifs, Including The Tree Of Life Inspired By Indian Chintz
Image source: KatyaRomici00
#35 Women Of The 1950s And Their Neckline Styles
Image source: [deleted]
#36 A Serpentine Evening Dress Of Crêpe Backed Silk Satin (1932)
Image source: _sara_rose
#37 Evening Dress By Unidentified Artist, Created Between 1908 And 1913
Image source: [deleted]
#38 Silver Metallic Crochet Evening Gown By Kostio De War (CA. 1938)
Image source: _sara_rose
#39 A Black Family In The Early 1900s, Dressed To The Nines!
Image source: Conjuring1900
#40 Balmain Haute Couture. Black Velvet Cocktail Dress, Circa 1953
Image source: [deleted]
#41 Evening Ensemble By Unknown Creator. Hand-Painted Silk Crepe, Chiffon Crepe, Silk Faille, Silver Bouillion, Mercury-Lined Glass Beads & Glass Disks, 1899/1901
Image source: [deleted]
#42 Women’s Boots With Red Lacing, CA. 1900
Image source: Hooverpaul
#43 Evening Gown, By Charles James, CA. 1948-1949
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#44 Marilyn Monroe’s Crème And Blue Ombre Satin And Tulle Gown By Travilla From There’s No Business Like Show Business. (1954)
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#45 Ballet Costume Worn By Anna Pavlova For “The Swan”, C. 1910s-1920s
Image source: anakuzma
#46 Court Dress, British, 1750
Image source: Practice_NO_with_me
#47 Evening Dress By Edward Molyneux, 1924
Image source: [deleted]
#48 A Very Mackie Christmas
Image source: [deleted]
#49 In Honor Of Olivia Hussey’s Death, One Of The Gowns She Wore In The 1968 Romeo & Juliet
Image source: isabelladangelo
#50 “Little Horses” Flapper Dress, Made Of Soft Green Silk Crepe Fabric Cut On Bias, Decorated With White Glass Beads In A Grecian Style, Designed By Madeleine Vionnet In C. 1924
Image source: KatyaRomici00
#51 American Ball Gown Circa 1820
Image source: mish-tea
#52 French Evening Dress Designed By House House Of Patou, Circa1947-49
Image source: mish-tea
#53 French Evening Dress, Cotton And Metalic Thread, Circa 1805-10
Image source: mish-tea
#54 Gala Dress Of Queen Maud, Circa 1937
Image source: mish-tea
#55 Nena Von Schlebrügge (Uma Thurman’s Mother) In A Two-Piece Velvet Dress By Larry Aldrich 💎 Vogue, 1961
Image source: Sedna_ARampage
#56 Hand Embroidered & Sequinned Pink Silk Cheongsam Dress, 1920s
Image source: [deleted]
#57 American Women Workdress For Outside Labour, Hand Sewn Cotton Denim Jacket, Circa 1850
Image source: mish-tea
#58 Woman’s Gown, Circa 1780-85, Scottish (Sewing), Cream Silk Lustring Painted With Sprays Of Flowers, Butterflies, British (Painting); Silk, Linen, Hand-Woven, Hand-Painted, Hand-Sewn
Image source: mish-tea
#59 The Bar Suit – Dior – 1947
Image source: DELAIZ
#60 Charles James, Tree Evening Dress, 1957
Image source: [deleted]
#61 Model Ivy Nicholson Wearing Two Intricately Sculpted Evening Gowns By The French Couturier Jacques Griffe (1952-1953)
Image source: _sara_rose
#62 France Silk Velvet Evening Dress By Madame Grès, Fall Winter 1956-57
Image source: mish-tea
#63 Woman’s Dress, England, Circa 1830
Image source: [deleted]
#64 Evening Dress, Jean Dessès Fall Winter 1953-54, French, Silk
Image source: mish-tea
#65 Regency Burgundy Silk Velvet Jeweled Cutout Back Bias Gown With Train, 1930s
Image source: [deleted]
#66 Hot Pink Corset Of Satin With Hand-Made Bobbin Lace, Possibly Made In England, 1890-1895
Image source: [deleted]
#67 Dress Designed By Madame Grès To Be Worn By Actress Danièle Delorme For Her Appearances In Jean Anouih’s Play “Antigone”, Made Of Silk Jersey, 1944. Kyoto Costume Institute
Image source: KatyaRomici00
#68 Coat Made Of Silk, With A Gorgeous Peacock Design On The Back, Made In Japan, C. 1900. The Met
Image source: KatyaRomici00
#69 Gown Worn By Queen Victoria Of Sweden, Made Of Silk Satin, Decorated With Silver Thread Embroidery, And Pleated Tulle, 1906. Statens Historiska Museer
Image source: KatyaRomici00
#70 Ensemble, American Or European, Circa 1855, Silk
Image source: mish-tea
#71 Woman’s Dress Ensemble, Portugal, C. 1845
Image source: [deleted]
#72 Silk Moiré Evening Dress Ballgown By Ww Ullberg And Company, Circa 1865, Worn By Countess Anna Fridica Wilhelmina Von Hallwyl
Image source: mish-tea
#73 1920’s French Royal-Blue Beaded Silk & Metallic Gold Lamé Lace Flapper Dress
Image source: [deleted]
#74 Evening Coat, House Of Worth, Designer: Jean-Philippe Worth, 1901
Image source: [deleted]
#75 Evening Dress By Bruyère CA. 1953
Image source: [deleted]
#76 Lauren Bacall’s Evening Set By Norman Norell; Gold Sequined Camel Silk Jersey “Mermaid” Sheath Dress And Cashmere Straightline “Subway Coat” With Sequined Lining
Image source: [deleted]
#77 British Silk Pliad Dress Circa 1830
Image source: mish-tea
#78 Ball Gown, Circa 1865, Dress In Cream Silk Faille
Image source: mish-tea
#79 Today A Novelity, But When First Came Into Public, Photos In Fabric Kind Of Exploded, 8 Of December 1947
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#80 Court Dress With Bodice, Skirt And Train Of Embroidered Silk And Silk Tulle, Made In Great Britain, Circa 1860-1865
Image source: mish-tea
#81 Light, Flowy, Tinny Waist 1900’s Gown
Image source: DELAIZ
#82 French Evening Dress, Created For Queen Alexandra Of United Kingdom For Her Use During A Period Of Half-Mourning For The Passage Of Queen Victoria
Image source: mish-tea
#83 Silk Tulle Dress By London Couturier Hardy Amies, 1960
Image source: [deleted]
#84 Ball Gown By Jacques Doucet, Silk Velvet, Silk Satin, Circa 1890s
Image source: mish-tea
#85 White Ball Gown, Cotton With Blue Silk Sash And Bow, French, CA. 1860, Worn By Alexandra, Princess Of Wales
Image source: mish-tea
#86 Evening Dress Designed By Pat Rogers From Maison La Petite Melbourne In 1956. The Dress Was Worn By Model Anne Chapman And Photographed By Athol Shmith
Image source: mish-tea
#87 Kodachrome Slides Of Kimonos In The 1950s. The Colours And The Silk Just Pop
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#88 Evening Dress, French, Circa 1913, Designed By Jeanne Victorine Margaine Lacroix, Silk, Metal, Gelatin
Image source: mish-tea
#89 Dress, Petticoat, Wool-Blend Cloth With Appliqué Embroidery In Art Nouveau-Style Flowers, 1898, Paris, Created By Coguenhem & Co
Image source: mish-tea
#90 A Rare Pierre Balmain Couture Ballgown, ‘Soir À Chambord’ Model, Summer 1961
Image source: blooturtletoo
#91 Teal And Gold Chiffon Evening Ensemble By Peggy Hoyt, American, Circa 1921
Image source: mish-tea
#92 Pink Brocade Ballgown By London Couturier John Cavanagh, C. 1958
Image source: [deleted]
#93 Womens Evening Dress By House Of Worth
Image source: twopiecesarebroken
#94 Ball Gown Designed By Christian Dior And Worn By Swedish Baroness Suzanne Palmstierna, Made Of Silk Crêpe De Chine Overlaid With Ivory Guipure Lace, 1950 ✨
Image source: KatyaRomici00
#95 Evening Gown, House Of Worth, 1910-12
Image source: [deleted]
#96 Austrian Actress Marie Schleinzer (1874-1949) In Her Excentric “Bat-Woman” Dress, Made With Real Taxidermy Bats. Circa 1900s
Image source: Electrical-Aspect-13
#97 Green Silk Dress, American Circa 1868
Image source: missmobtown
#98 Pair Of Silk Knitted Stockings Embroidered With Sequins And Beads, France, 1900 [4320 X 4320]
Image source: [deleted]
#99 Button Front Black Silk Faille Ball Gown With Contrasting Bright Pink Silk Lining Designed By Pierre Balmain, Circa 1950
Image source: mish-tea
#100 A Rich Deep Blue Silk Velvet Afternoon Dress By Nanna Bagge (1890)
Image source: _sara_rose
#101 Grace Kelly’s Blue Silk Chiffon Dress In To Catch A Thief (1955)
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#102 American Woman Wearing Black Taffeta Dress And Lace Shawl, 1847-1853
Image source: [deleted]
#103 A Peacock Feather Necklace, Made Of Blackened Gold, Sapphires, Diamonds And Emeralds. Made By Boucheron In 1889 Ce [2560×4044]
Image source: Rinoremover1
Follow Us
