Over the course of time, drastic changes inevitably take place in every facet of society, and the art of fashion illustrates the steps of a cultures evolution. The dressing styles of both men and women have also taken great leaps forward in the past 100 years. As 2015 closed out, Mode fashion magazine chose to offer a visual example of just how much things have changed over the course of 10 decades. They produced an online video that shows just how drastic that evolution has been.
The video begins with one man and woman standing next to each other (via split screen), wearing only their respective underwear. They are then clothed in the fashion of 1915, with the woman wearing a long green dress that reaches her ankles, augmented by a lace blouse underneath. She’s wearing a hat and holding (in a pair of white gloves) a pair of feather dusters. Meanwhile, the man is wearing a plaid coat with a bow tie and light pants. He is wearing a cap and has on glasses and a mustache.
Fast forward a decade and the woman’s hemline has risen to her shinbone while wearing a new hat, with the white gloves remaining. For the man, he now has on a light blue sportcoat with a new bow tie, but he’s now wearing a straw hat and white shoes. For 1935, the woman is wearing a pink blouse with a pink and blue skirt, and her hemline has inched up only slightly. Her white gloves remain, but she now has on a much smaller black hat. Meanwhile, the man is in a double-breasted navy blue suit with wingtip shoes and his hat of choice is now a fedora.
The arrival of 1945 bring a woman in a light peach dress in a skirt that’s now reached her knees. She’s wearing white high heels and continues to wear her white gloves while holding a small green case. In contrast, the man is wearing pleated slacks, a shirt and tie with a sweater vest, and his fedora has increased slightly in size. In 1955, the woman is now wearing a print dress underneath a shiny gold coat and matching hat, with the white gloves still in evidence. However, the man’s fashion has become much more casual, with hi-top Converse sneakers, blue jeans and white undershirt and black leather jacket.
By 1965, the woman’s dress is pink with white gloves, while her shoes, hat and purse are all black. For the man, a more monochromatic appearance involves a yellow sweatshirt and yellow pants, though the look is slightly more formal than the decade before—with a nerdy touch through the addition of glasses. The 1975 look shows the woman becoming much more casual with a jean-dominated outfit, while the man has adopted the largely-reviled polyester suit.
Just 10 years later, the woman is glamorous in a blue silk dress and large hair, while the man has a look that evokes memories of Miami Vice. In 1995, the woman’s dress is thigh high with long black stockings, while the man has on blue sunglasses, a polo shirt and dress jeans. Ten years ago, both sexes wore jeans, with the woman wearing a pink silk top, and the man an untucked casual dress shirt.
The final comparison from 2015 has both wearing jeans, though the woman’s pair is deliberately ripped. She’s wearing a black leather jacket, while the man’s clothing is casual but stylish. In less than than two weeks, the fast-paced video has garnered over 692,000 online views. Check it out ad see for yourself!