Published on The Holloway Express https://hollowayexpress.org.uk/history-in-your-wardrobe/ and Visage
Fashion experts at the London Metropolitan University’s debate called for designers to carry out far more research into the provenance of styles and patterns before they use them in their collections.
Check out your wardrobe. Do you know where your items began their life?
Scarves, for example, go a long way back. They originated in Ancient Rome where they were called the sudarium – translated as “sweat cloth”. One of the first was said to have been used by Queen Nefertiti.
They became popular in the 19th century as a fashion accessory. Before then they were seen as practical items. Things changed when fashion designers started to capitalize on the
pieces of fabric and designs from countries such as India.
The first graphic silk scarf was designed in 1837 by Hermes. It was with Queen Victoria that scarves turned into fashionable wear for the upper class and they soon became an essential piece of clothing.
Icons such as Jackie Kennedy, Blondie, Twiggy, Madonna, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton helped the miniskirts to become a huge trend. It took off during the Swinging 60s in Britain. But the origins take us back to Ancient Egypt where frescos represented female acrobats wearing miniskirts.
The word is credited to British designer Mary Quant who named her models after her favourite car, the Mini. She pioneered the miniskirt, opening her boutique Bazaar in London’s Chelsea and changed the design, raising the hemline to several inches above the knee.
Ties were first seen on Croatian mercenaries hired by King Luis XIII to fight in the Thirty Years’ War in France. The warriors used to wear a cloth around their necks as part of their uniform. King Louis was impressed by their looks and decided to make it a mandatory accessory for royal meetings. It was King Louis himself who gave it the name “La Cravate” as a way to honour the Croatian warriors.
The style of the cravat changed drastically throughout the centuries. The shape of the tie that we know today started to emerge in the 1920s with the New York designer Jesse Langsdorf. So next time you open your wardrobe doors, think about all the stories you could find there.
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