The history of fashion design refers to the development of the fashion industry which designs clothing and accessories. The modern industry, based around firms or fashion houses run by individual designers, started in the 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth who was the first designer to have his label sewn into the garments that he created.
Dress designed by Charles Frederick Worth for Elisabeth of Austria painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Contents [hide]
1 Couture beginnings
2 Early twentieth century
2.1 1900s
2.2 1910s
3 Golden age of French fashion
3.1 1920s
3.2 1930s
4 Mid-twentieth century
4.1 1940s
4.2 1950s
4.3 1960s
4.4 1970s
5 Late twentieth century
5.1 1980s
5.2 1990s
6 Twenty First Century
7 See also
8 References
9 Further reading
Couture beginnings[edit]
Rose Bertin (July 2, 1747-September 22, 1813) was the dressmaker to Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, and a figure who may be said to have begun the transition from relatively little-known dressmakers to designers with a high public profile. Sometimes called sarcastically the "Minister of Fashion", she opened a shop in Paris and had a considerable influence on Parisian style, until this was drastically changed by the French Revolution, from which she fled into exile in London for some years.
Charles Frederick Worth (1825 - 1895), also of Paris, is usually seen as the first designer in something like the modern sense, with a large business employing many largely anonymous tailors and seamstresses. A former draper, Worth's success was such that he was able to dictate to his customers what they should wear.