Some people think fashion is stupid — it’s an inadvertent way to support the materialistic nature of society. But really it’s a form of expression, and can change ideals and create discussions on happenings of the decade. Here are four items that changed the fashion world, and the rest of the world, too (and that you should always have in your closet).

Miniskirts

 

In the 1950s, women were expected to dress just like their mothers: conservative and covered up, wearing full-skirted dresses that only showed their ankles and their hourglass shape. Then, the ‘60s came along with the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and birth control, shaking everything up. British designer Mary Quant took inspiration from the streets and decided to raise the hemline above the knee.
Quant wanted to create something practical, but liberating — such as the ability to freely move your legs in what you were wearing. The miniskirt later became a symbol of women’s right to freedom of expression. Many European countries, however, saw these skirts as an invitation for sexual assault and banned the skirt. But looking at their prevalence today, that was quickly forgotten and miniskirts can be found everywhere.

Leather jackets

 

You may usually associate your first recollection of a leather jacket to John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in “Grease” or Tom Cruise in “Top Gun,” but the iconic jacket was once part of something bigger than just looking cool. In the 1900s, aviator pilots and other military workers wore leather jackets as a form of protection and to look authoritative. It wasn’t until the latter half of the century that we saw them being worn in movies, which created the cool, slick persona that is now associated with the jacket. As time has gone on, leather jackets have become available in more colors and styles and decorated with arrays of buttons and zippers.

The little black dress

 

The first LBD appeared on the cover of Vogue in 1926, a drop-waist, long-sleeved dress accented with pearls made by Coco Chanel. Before the 1920s, black dresses were worn in times of mourning and weren’t to be worn elsewhere. Her new take on fashion made it vastly popular. Then in 1961, Hubert de Givenchy made the iconic sleeveless LBD worn by Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” It was this dress that was featured all over posters for the movie and quickly caught on in the world of fashion. Today, designers from all over include their takes on the LBD in their collections.

The high heel

 

Way back when (and I mean way, way back when) wealthy men wore high heels as a symbol of high social status. It wasn’t until Catherine de Medici in the 16th century wore high heels to make up for her height that women started to wear heels. The real revolution of heels can be contributed to Roger-Henri Vivier in the ‘50s with his creation of the stiletto. Now there are tons of styles, patterns, heights and fabrics to choose from.

All of these items can easily be considered classics, and for a good reason. Each of them were worn for specific purposes, whether it be to create social change, be innovative or to transform a style that used to be worn for something else. No matter the story, each of them has stuck around and probably will for decades to come.

Published on November 3, 2015 at 8:47 am