During WWI many women took on jobs that were meant for men. |
1914-1918 are obviously the dates of WWI when the world of fashion began to change for everyone. For a start many of the men went off to fight for their country leaving the women to fend for themselves.
As many of the British gents went to the trenches women found themselves in factories taking on jobs that their other halves had left.
Military-esque fashion began to emerge based on the uniforms that soldiers had to wear. This new idea meant that hemlines rose to above the ankle for practicality.
In about 1915 Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel transformed wartime dress by developing practical sporty fashion.
Also during this time Chanel developed jersey fabric into women's wear which provided a new insight into fashion as the fabric had previously been used for mens sportwear.
In 1918 when the war ended the wedding industry boomed due to couples being happy having found each other alive. This meant that silk and lace which were hard to come by anyway were used methodically.