Fashion: industrial age fashion icons

icons from the industrial age and onwards drastically changed and shaped fashion in many way, heavily influencing the trends. perhaps the most notable icon being fashion designer Coco Chanel. certain societal changes brought more freedom and exploration to women’s fashion up into the early 1920s, not just icons and designers. 

most of the  inspiration for style and fashion of this era was taken from the illustrator CHARLES GIBSON, with the famous "Gibson girl" image. the S curve shape, or pigeon shape waist and bust was enforced by this, designer would base their creations on the body shape for the era, eg. swan build corset. (though exceeding impractical) The icon of the time, the "Gibson girl" was actress Camille Clifford, as her shape matched Gibson's drawings. 

A prominent designer of the era was JACQUES DOUCET and of course CHARLES WORTH. who helped eliminate the petticoat hoop skirt and instead developed the fullness of the bustle and created a more feminine shape and form. 
the upper body was still restricted however, in regards to the corset. a very stiff panel was needed for the corset, this was called a busk, this time the fastening at the front rather than the back. 

designers who have been inspired by this era and the gibson girl such as mCQueen, Ellie Saab, JP Gautier, most designers either choose to four of the bustle shape or the corset. 

LA BELLE EPOQUE

the beautiful era

the style and body shape continued onto the next century the early 1900s, into an era the French named "la belle époque" the beautiful era.  with the industrial need for work and life practicalities, a more functional, easier to wear version of the 2 piece design by Worth was created, tailor made suits styled with high neck blouses, using much more practical materials were also used, rather than the heavy silks and taffetas of previous styles., though these styles were still not 100% practical, designed with the huge puffed sleeves, constricting corsets and heavy skirts, though an improvement all the same especially with the many frills no loner needed. The suit helped women show more confidence and liberty which suited the mood of the era following the ideals of the suffragette movement of Women's right and the vote for women. 

designers who have taken inspiration from this include:
MIU MIU, Serafini, gucci.

the 2 piece suit then developed into a different form, however it still included the restricting corset, and the era's "s" shape silhouette which pushed the bust forward and the shoulders back. the tiny victorian waist had returned but with more of a flat front creating a mono bust. the puffed shoulders moved down to mid arm around the elbow.
 thankfully due to the constricting, impractical, uncomfortable form created with this corset, this shape did not last long and began to relax into a more comfortable shape. 

designers who had styled from this include 
Zac Posen, Marc Jacobs, 
who used style, shape or colour palette in their collections