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.