Kylie Bollwitt

History of Costume
Research Paper
11/20/13

Evolving, is the ability to change or develop slowly often into a better, more complex, or more
advanced state (Webster) Evolution happens inevitably when the times change. Outlooks on social
activities, lifestyle behaviors and emotional attitudes toward wardrobe were and are key players in the
process of evolution in dress. Not to mention the period of the times, whether it was in times of war or
wealth, suffrage or rebellion all of these aspects aided in the span of a garments lifetime and the
silhouette changes of the past. Since the beginning of time fashion has been used to cover the body, but
the meaning behind these such coverings has always changed from year to year, or decade to decade.
No matter the length of time, it is clear to see that dress has regressed and progressed countless times
throughout history. The one facet with unchanging presence in the adaptation and depletion of dress in
history is that of anatomy. Anatomy is a key component to the characteristics of wardrobe. Garments
cover the body, but it is the way in which the body is covered and why that should be noted. Modesty,
enhancements to portray that of the idealized figure, sexuality and naturalism are the different
categories in which anatomy in dress can enact such things. Although each are very different in
comparison, they are all concerned with the concept of human anatomy and the effect that it may have
over the exact period, people and form of dress.
The tradition of the dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the minds of the living. And,
just when they appear to be engaged in the revolutionary transformation of themselves... in the creation
of something that does not yet exist, precisely in such epochs of revolutionary crisis they timidly
conjure up the spirits of the past to help them; they borrow their names, slogans and costumes so as to
stage the new world historical scene in this venerable disguise and borrowed language. (Clark, 9-18)
The only fashion that could be classified as original would be that of the first and earliest findings of

clothing dated back almost 25,000 years to Russia. (Payne, Winakor, and Farrell-Beck, 1-2) According
to, Francois Boucher, hes states that a flat piece of skin, fur, or clothing without holes was draped or
wrapped around the body and/or shoulders, tubular garments that were closed at the sides and slipped
over the head and two legged or bifurcated garments... (Payne, Winakor, and Farrell-Beck, 1-2) were
amongst the first documented articles of clothing in history. Other forms of wardrobe interpretations
are delivered from preserved cave drawings in Mesopotamia, and also in that of founded tombs and
graves. Other avenues in which the preliminary accounts for clothing came from can be dated by:
pottery, tapestries, paintings, cast iron and bronze doors, and many other resources. In accordance to
the first dated garments there is a starvation for warmth and cover. Until this point, people either went
nude or wore tiny coverings for genitalia. This wardrobe practice did not leave much to the imagination
and surely did not embrace modesty, but it was because of the times in which they lived that they
dressed in the way they did. The start up of civilization was deprived of any such luxury and in turn
they made due with precisely what they had, anatomy completely exposed even though in the coming
times this would have been marked as dissatisfactory to the respect of their body by the lack of
necessary coverage.
Enhancement, abstraction or restriction of dress was found many times throughout history in
women's dress. In the Elizabethan age, ruffs took over the entirety of a womans neck as a stiffening
agent with its immense circumference. Phillip Stubbes, whose moral framework had no place for pride
and vanity, attacked the wearers of these great and monstrous ruffs that stand a full quarter of a yard or
more from their necks. He goes on to say, that the wearers of these larger than life styles were so
anatomized by the ruff that it isolated the head from the body in such a restrictive and dramatic matter.
(Vincent, 22) The ruffs made it essential for those wearing them to hold their heads high, chin out and
by doing so they created a monster. The haughty disdain for the pristine and superior posture gave all
with more misfortunes something negative to talk about. However, the ruff was not only symbolic to
those with money, power and prestige they were also a form of modesty and attentiveness to the

evasive coverage of the bust during these times. Due to the cost of the ruffs there were many uproars
that expressed thoughts for the explosion of the ruff in a time of financial distress. Another aspect of
women's dress that caused great turmoil amongst the peasants were that of the cost to produce the
skirting like that of a crinoline, farthingale and the petticoat hooped skirts from the sixteenth to
eighteenth century.
The crinoline, farthingale and petticoat hooped skirts made it almost impossible for women to
move. They took up undesired amounts of space and they dared not sit down with the whalebone
skirting holding them in a formal upright stance for most of their days. These skirts embodied a very
severe hip placed abstract shells that were incredibly restrictive not only in every day where but in their
symbolic meaning to the period as well. We might assume that far from enlarging her dominance,
these skirts actually reduced a womans sphere of influence. (Vincent, 81)Women were not allowed a
voice, they did not have equal presence in the community like that of a male figure. Big skirts created
an enlarged personal territory, the dimensions of which precluded physical contact.(Vincent, 83) In
addition to the oversized skirting methods, in the sixteenth and seventeenth century more enhancements
of womanly figures were largely widened through the addition of padded cushioning. This silhouette of
excess padding in the hips and the more likely buttock region gave way to mens imaginations to be set
free. The Cork Rump originated in this lascivious idea; and it gave apparent elasticity to those parts,
about which the imagination of most men are often busily employed. (Vincent, 65) Men no longer had
to dream up erotic thoughts of what was under a womans precious garments, instead these such
paddings made the anatomy of the woman exaggerated and fully viewed. If it wasnt pads, hoops,
bustles, rumps or ruffs a fashionable woman's wardrobe furnished her with layers of petticoats beneath,
or an overskirt pinned up or gather at the back. Not as sculptural or pronounced, but nevertheless
adding bulk. (Vincent, 65) It was very rare in history for a woman's body to not be abstracted,
elongated, exaggerated or manipulated through their dressing behaviors, however Enlargement was
not the sartorial exception, it was the anatomical rule.(Vincent, 65)

And on the subject of the enhanced body, there is no doubt that foundation garments smooths
and redistributed the flesh to produce a sleeker and less lumpy form. (Vincent, 59) Neat stays were a
physical embodiment of solid virtue, decent self-control and respectability. Stays were also said to
have been the territory divider in society, community and politics of public and private affairs. It kept
what needed to be concealed, concealed. The eyes were free to wonder and ponder anything that was in
fact shown and in plain sight, however what lay beneath the stays was secretive and only for intimate
and private affairs which leads way to the point of modesty through corsetry. Women may be sucked in
and tied up, but they were still behaving as a lady should. (Vincent, 46)That being said the waist of a
female was tampered and moved many times throughout the course of history, however adapting to the
changes in silhouette towards the waistline ended in pain in most instances for women. Steel and
whalebone corsetry formed women's waists into a tiny triangle-like mimic by making the body
flattened and compressed or even molded into a long, slender, tapering and elongated torso. Rather
than sculpting the curves, the body sculpted its wearer into an inverted triable, wider at the top and
narrowing to a point above the crotch. (Vincent, 38) Even though women wore corsets modestly there
were still exceptions that involved eroticism. The elongated waists, hourglass shape, and dramatically
thin waistline lended to the idealize silhouette that was so often viewed as perfection. Men viewing
women in this quintessential body shape gave way to eroticism and personal satisfaction. It made the
presence of a woman in a corset a pleasure to look at and take in like that of a deep breath; it was acting
like an erotic garment motif. Although today it may seem hard to believe that corsetry was the
wardrobe staple of choice, at the time it was incredibly popular and widely used for more than 300
years throughout history. A woman that dared to relieve herself from corsetry risked being scrutinized
and ostracized due to the fact that during portions of the sixteenth, seventeenth and even eighteenth
centuries; A woman with her upper body unconfined thus stepped beyond the whaleboned boundaries
or propriety. She was open to suspicion ans such various charges as immorality, slovenliness, sexual
laxity and plain eccentricity.(Vincent, 46) A few women rid the corset and adopted the soft, free-

flowing, aesthetically comfortable and light as well as artistic way of dressing. Their uncorseted,
flowing dresses made in softer colors were generally consider eccentric and uglu; they were given a
critical and unsympathetic reception. (Vincent, 47)
In comparison to how people dress themselves today the trend seems to lean upon that of which
there is of no concern to the public whether or not dress behaviors and/or attitudes directly influence
the beliefs and standards of another. Dress no longer really matters to us. Collectively, we are no
longer upset, challenged, angered, inspired or captivated by clothes and their appearance on the body.
When compared to any other time over the past 500 years, our emotional engagement with the matter
of dress is slight, and our attention is found to be elsewhere. (Vincent, 159) Naturalism in wardrobe
today can be found through the go green acts for clothing reforms, not to mention the amount of see
through garments there are for todays fashions and sexuality in dress is at an all time high. Naturalism
and sexuality could be interconnected in our world of fashion now, due to the fact that the diving
necklines, exposed backs and garments that form to the body showing all curves draw the eye of
onlookers. Anatomy is also being showcased through body part exposure to tantalize those of the
opposite sex. Not only that, but on the opposite end of the spectrum from naturalism stands body
modifications. Which are being conducted now more than ever. Body modifications including peircing
and tattooing are taken advantage of in order to fully express oneself. Stepping into the world of body
art represents a direct correlation to personality, freedom, and sense of rebellion. Those with something
to say and something to prove glady take the stand to make their proclamation heard. Nothing seems to
be off limits when it comes to changing the human anatomy for self-expression and declaration of
individuality. The anatomy of fashion today can not be determined on a day to day basis, evolution of
dress and human anatomy are rapidly changing daily. Even though such acts should be considered the
norm for todays wardrobe society, opinions are had about outlandish dress, yes. In this day and age it
seems as though there is no consequence for lack of modesty and in some circumstances the lack of a
moral code in regards to dressing behavior is more likely than not praised and publicized. Whether in

the mechanisms of production, the politics of consumption, the construction of sexuality or gender, or
the formation and reformation of manners and morals, fashion is there. (Vincent, 159)
Abstract shells are a dime a dozen in the performing arts industries; showing enhancement and
manipulation of the bodies silhouette is thoroughly embraced. Not only are celebrities taking on the
abstracted shell approach to their fashion choices, but some even take it as far as exhibiting the
characteristics of surrealism in their dress. The concept of enhancement, manipulation and abstraction
in the anatomy of the human body through dress leads to the development of surrealism. It can also be
noted as the futurists outlook on the fashion industry. Surrealism is a movement in art and literature
that flourished in the early 20 century. The attempt was to change perceptions of the world by
expressing imaginative dreams and visions free from conscious rational control. ("Lingerissimi")
Designers that capitalize on these times of dramatic change in dressing behaviors include: Elsa
Schiaparelli, Azzedine Alaia, Hussein Chalayan, Comes des Garcons, Jean Paul Gaultier, Helmut Lang,
Alexander McQueen, Maison Martin Margiela, Issey Miyake, and Vivenne Westwood.
Fashion and its garments have evolved so much that, in a sense, our culture has taken all
previous centuries and influences, placed them in a garment blender and depending on ones mood for
the day, whatever pops out of that blender of self-expression is presented to the world in the form
individuality of dress. Susan Vincent sums up dress in todays culture by stating, Nowadays,
fashionable clothing is apparently no longer perceived as a threat to morality, gender identity or class
systems. (Vincent, 159)
In countless different ways, each fashion is implicated in the larger picture of its chronological
moment. Whether in the mechanisms or production, the politics of consumption, the construction of
sexuality or gender, or the formation and reformation of manners and morals, fashion is
there.(Vincent, 159) Anatomy in wardrobe was experimented with by all participants in history. The
findings can be interpreted and rationalized through changing of times. Garments revolved around the
ideals, culture and belief of the people in which were clothed by. That being said, garments attentive to

modesty, abstraction of the idealized silhouette, sexuality and those that focused more on the simplicity
of nature are all crucial in being able to correctly date garments throughout history. Not to mention the
fact that each of these concepts that are directly related to the evolution of fashion through time and
history and correspond to the way in which dressing behaviors are determined today. Although it may
seem like there is no rhyme or reason to fashion expressed today. It could be said that it is original and
is unlike any century prior but the argument is this, Original which in creative terms means both that
with no precedent, the first, and that which is new. Yet to describe such translation for the privileged
vantage point of fashion is to highlight the need for both change and our reinvention as more daring
and successful, beautiful, desirable and fashionable and for consensus, or legitimization, and to accept
its inherent paradox. The fashion system relies on these definitions for its perpetuation and its biannual
consumption. (Clark, 9) Therefore even though it may be an new and interesting interpretation of
fashion the silhouettes and inspiration of fashion trending today, still borrows from that of dated
fashion in history. Alexander McQueen says it best in that, It's a new era in fashion - there are no
rules. It's all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels, and upand-coming designers all together.

Works Cited
BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Clark, Judith. Radical Fashion. New York, NY: V&A Publications, 2001. 1-149. Print
"Evolve." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Payne, Blanche, Geitel Winakor, and Jane Farrell-Beck. The History of Costume. Second. New
York, NY: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 1992. 1-659. Print.
Vincent, Susan J. The Anatomy of Fashion. English. New York, NY: Berg, 2009. 1-231. Print.
"What is the impact of surrealism to the world of fashion?." Lingerissimi. Wordpress, 20 Oct
2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.