Early women’s fashion began in prehistoric times when clothes were traditionally made out of animal skins & bones. In Ancient Egypt, clothing was typically made of light materials like linen. In Ancient Greece, clothing was characterized as simplistic and draped, (simplistic meaning the quality or condition of being plain or natural, draped meaning cloth, curtains, or clothing hanging in loose folds). In Ancient Rome, fashion became more structured with women typically wearing long modest dresses and men wearing togas. Fashion through the Renaissance era is where fashion started picking up, with it becoming more artistic and a statement of individualism. The Baroque era fashion became more extravagant and custom-made garments became popular with the elites. Fashion today is characterized by a reflection of culture, identity, and the spirit of the times.

My favorite fashion period would have to be the Renaissance era. Because women’s clothes were beautiful with the corset that would give the bodice an hourglass figure, the skirts that would give the illusion that the women had big hips, in how they created the illusion by adding lots of petticoats. The sleeves were long, but would pull the gown together with very intricate designs. It was also noted that most women would wear gloves. It’s important to note that the goal of women’s fashion in this period was to make women look skinny and delicate because in this period, women were still seen as lesser, and men thought that if a woman married them, then that woman was their property.

The Rococo era was another of my favorite fashion periods because this is where ball gowns and cocktail dresses became a statement of the era. The cocktail dresses were short, reaching a dollar bill width above the knee. Ball gowns were a big part of this period with hoop skirts and petticoats to give the skirts a voluminous appearance, which I happen to love that style of dress. We were still using corsets to give that hourglass silhouette. Gloves were still worn. All and all, these were a couple of my favorite time periods for fashion.