The History of Dress and Fashion Between 1650 and 1900 Essay Example

As society changes so does the way people dress. Everyday Dress 1650-1900 by Elizabeth Ewing provides details to support this thought. The author wrote books that focus on the history of dress and fashion. Her books are targeted towards young adults, and she sadly passed away in 1986. Ewing lived a very private life, making it difficult to find details about her. Everyday Dress by Elizabeth Ewing talks about fashion versus dress, materials, the changes of style, and major events in the clothing industry between 1650 and 1900.

Fashion and dress are similar, but not the same thing. Dress is considered what the common person wears for any purpose such as work or being at home. It can be comfortable, and is worn to be casual. Opposite to this is fashion. Fashionable dress is used to gain attention from others. Items worn for this would be considered trendy. Unlike dress, fashion is constantly changing, and depending on the time period, it is normally worn by people with more money. To create clothing for dress and fashion, there are four natural materials needed; wool, cotton, flax, and silk. Wool and cotton are the cheapest and easiest materials to spin and weave. On the more expensive side are flax and silk. Out of the four, flax is most difficult to work with as well as to grow. Silk is considered a luxury because it is also difficult to obtain and makes high-quality products. Clothing consists of different materials and can be worn for different purposes.

Great Britain’s main material to make textiles was wool. This was a very important export for them and helped Britain boost their economy. Cotton did not grow in England, and it would not be used until it had been imported. Along with this, Wool was in high demand in Italy for dress by all classes. Wool was and still is an important material in the clothing industry.

Many people needed wool because most made their clothing at home. Store-bought clothing was very expensive, and until the 18th-century shops were very hard to come by. In the 17th century, many people depended on pedlars and traveling salesmen to buy clothes. They came around an area anywhere from weekly, to seasonally. The first clothing stores started from traveling salesman that found a loyal area and settled in it. In Great Britain, near London Bridge, shops began to open up. For a while, most of Britain relied on this area to buy clothing because there were not many throughout the country. This contributed to the high cost of clothing. It was very expensive for all classes. People in higher classes had an easier time getting clothing because they had more money. Although wealthy people were able to afford clothes, they were still difficult to access because of how long it took for each piece to be made. Common people worried more about clothing that was made to last rather than look nice. 

An important part of the clothing industry was tailors. A tailor is someone who shapes a garment to fit a different way. They could also make certain repairs. Even though tailors were highly demanded by everyone, they received little pay. Part of this was because the items needed to anew the clothing were normally provided by the customer. In these times a decent amount of people could sew, devaluing tailors. Even though people could sew, tailors were very important.

The 18th century made an influence on the modernization of clothing that lead to the way people dress today. Men’s clothing made one simple change that heavily impacted society. Suits became less bulky, and the common materials went from silk or velvet to wool and cotton. These options were more affordable and lead to suits being worn by all classes. Other than this, the length of a jacket on a suit got shorter.  In the 18th century, men wore wigs or "periwigs". The most famous person known for starting the trend was Louis XIII of France. They were worn in various forms by all classes for more than a century, but this trend faded away. 

Along with men’s clothing, women’s slowly became simpler and less conservative. In the 1700s, women wore formal and informal things depending on the occasion. Informal wear was known as undress. At home, the mantua was common. This was an informal gown that was mainly worn to sleep. Richer people had mantuas made of silk, as the common people’s were made of cotton or wool. When going out, women wore farthingales that would make their skirts and dresses appear larger and more structured, with corsets to make their waist slim. Clothing was meant to cover all skin. This style continued up to the late 1800s when women were now gaining more rights. It was becoming more popular for them to work, leading to a more casual style. The style changed back to thinner, less poofy clothing that would be suitable for work.

Along with style, machinery began to modernize. Devices changed from classic spinning and weaving by hand, to things that allowed the clothing-making process to be quicker and less labor-inducing. The spindle machine, known as the spinning Jenny was invented in 1756. It made spinning wool or cotton much easier, but its threads were not strong enough for warping. The spindle machine played a big part in the lead to mechanization. In 1769, Richard Arkwright invented the water frame. Rather than being powered by a person, it was powered by a water wheel. Just like the spindle machine it had cons. The water frame was so heavy that it could not be controlled manually. The first practical sewing machine to capture the market was Isaac Merritt Singers. It was patented in 1851 in the U.S. This machine made sewing much faster and easier than anything invented before, which lead to mass production.

Everyday Dress by Elizabeth Ewing talks about the differences in fashion and dress, materials, the changes in style, and major events in the clothing industry between 1650 and 1900. The author used many books and journals to provide information in this book. Along with this, she provided the readers with many pictures to help better the understanding of what machines and different pieces of clothing looked like. The book was very informative and should be read by anyone with an interest in clothing. Clothing and the industry have gone through many changes and advancements from 1650 to 1900.