Throughout history, clothing has fluctuated from draped to tailored and back again depending on the social and/or economic conditions of that time. Draped garmets typically are looser fitting with layering, pleats and folds. Tailored garments are constructed to fit closely to the body. Following are a few examples of draped and tailored styles during the past century.
The Gibson Girl – Tailored
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the Gibson Girl epitomized the ideal of American beauty. The Gibson Girl was tall, slender with an ample bosom and a pronounced S-curve torso shape. This was the first time perhaps when “thin was in”. Slim, trim, and slender was desired during this time, perhaps to differentiate from the stocky immigrants pouring into America.
The Flapper – Draped
Several factors were in pl
ay in the 1920s for the emergence of what came to known as Flappers, teenagers and young women who flouted convention and spent their time pursuing fun instead of settling down to raise children in the prime of their lives. Many entered college or the workforce and felt entitled to make their own decisions about how to live their lives. Another factor was popular contempt for Prohibition. The Flapper look was loose, boyish, and shorter than previous styles.
Unknown
Circa 1920
Dior’s “New Look” – Tailored
In 1947, Christian Dior presented a fashion look with a fitted jacket with a nipped in waist and full calf length skirt. It was a dramatic change from wartime austerity styles and named as New Look. The signature shape was characterized by a below-mid-calf length, full-skirt, large bust (which fell from style in 1912), and small waist. In refutation to the post-war fabric restriction, Dior infamously used 20 yards of extravagant fabrics in his creations.
1947
Hippies – Draped
The hippie subculture was origin
ally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. Hippies inherited the countercultural values of the Beat Generation, created their own communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs. Hippie fashions and values had a major effect on culture, influencing popular music, television, film, literature, and the arts. Fashion styles were essentially a revival of the Flapper silhouette with a new interest in boxy, waistless dress and tunic gowns.
Hippie Girl Plays Flute
White Lake, NY 1969
Leisure Suit – Tailored
The leisure suit arose in popularity in the 1970s and consisted of a shirt-like jacket and matching trousers, usually made of stretchable double knit polyester. The leisure suit jacket design is thought to have been loosely based on that of the safari jacket. The style became popular when — with the creation and popularization of synthetic materials — unprecedented cheapness met with a culture that had come to hate formality. It was highly associated with the disco culture as well. The leisure suit gained popularity with its promise to bring a stylish suit that could be used in formal business, but was comfortable and trendy enough for everyday wear.
Circa 1975
Babydoll Dress – Draped
Short da
ywear dresses of a similar style are sometimes called babydoll dresses. Some styles are similar to what is worn by dolls in the form of infants, and by some infants; the gown is short enough that diapers are easily changed. Babydolls became popular during the early-to-mid 1990s due to the popularity of grunge performers like Courtney Love.
Gucci velvet baby doll dress
Fall/Winter 2001-02
