Fashion History: Overalls in Fashion

Yes, they have even been on the runway!

Today, I wanted to have another lesson in fashion history. Last time, I focused on the changing style of the summer dress (x). I thought that today I would go into another fashion item; overalls. People have varying different opinions on the use of overalls in fashion. Some people love it (like Rachel Green) and others... do not. However you feel about overalls being worn, I wanted to go into the background of overalls and the different ways they have been worn overtime!

History of Overalls

 When overalls were first around, their purpose was to be worn by working men. Men with jobs such as construction, farming, and railroad work were the most likely people you would see sporting such attire. Young children could also be seen wearing them, typically in the Southern and Midwestern states. That's to say, overalls certainly did not start out as being a "fashion staple" in someone's closet, unless they were a man who worked a lot outside! 

60s and 70s

During the late 60s and through the 70s, overalls started to become a fashion trend for both men and women. For women, typically these overalls would be short rather than the long ones. Overalls also started coming out in a variety of different bright colors. 

80s

During the 80s, overalls weren't quite as trendy as they had been in the past decade, but they were still worn and fairly popular, especially when worn with lots of fun, crazy accessories! The bolder was the better during the 80s. ♥

90s

Overalls started gaining some more momentum again in the 90s. You would see overalls worn on different TV shows and celebrities all over the place. Both long and short overalls were coming back into style. Often, they would also have patches, look distressed, or would be worn in a style where only one strap would be on. No neat and tidy looking overalls for the 90s generation. 

Overalls went from being a work staple to a fashion staple. Fashion trends are always an interesting part of history to look back at, especially sense when it comes to fashion history tends to repeat itself. Overalls are still an article of clothing that is either hated or beloved depending on who you talk to, but it certainly has been coming back in style. Plain denim overalls along with colored and patterned overalls. 

Would you like to see more fashion history on this blog? What fashion item would you like to see further explored? Let me know in the comments below!

 Photo Sources:
Runway
60s

70s

80s
90s 1
90s 2
90s 3

Fashion History: The Summer Dress Through the Decades

The summer dress is a classic item for the summer time. I wanted to take a look at how this fashion staple has changed over the decades!

1920s

Photo Source: https://fascinationstreetvintage.wordpress.com/category/house-dresses/

Can I just say how much I absolutely adore 20s fashion? The hats and the dresses are to die for. But right now I need to focus on the dresses seen here! These dresses look to be fairly lightweight and short in length, which of course makes since considering it's summer time and hot as heck! Unfortunately, I can't be sure what colors these dresses are since the picture is in black and white. But, two of these women are wearing dresses with some fun patterns for sure!

1930s

Photo Source: http://vintagedancer.com/1930s/examples-1930s-dresses-catalog-pattern-pictures/

Here we can see the shape of the dresses are different. They look to be a bit longer and more form fitting where in the 1920s the designs were looser and a little bit shorter. Still, they still look to be fairly loose since it's summer time and they didn't want super tight clothing! One thing is for sure, they are all very brightly colored dresses with fun patterns!

1940s

Photo Source: http://www.chronicallyvintage.com/2012/06/15-photos-of-terrific-real-world-1940s.html

Now, in the 1940s we can see the dresses have changed a bit, not too drastically, but there are some differences that I noticed. The dresses have definitely gotten a bit shorter as they are around knee length, the 30s dresses looked to be more around mid calf. I can't unfortunately see the colors they are sporting here but it looks as though they are all fairly light colors. Again, we can see lots of fun patterns and interesting cuts!

1950s

Photo Source: http://jezebel.com/lets-shop-for-summer-dresses-in-the-1950s-478624626

One thing I noticed right away is that these dresses don't feel as casual as the 40s dresses. It reminds me of how the 30s dresses were a bit more form fitting and structured. But these dresses are still short in length but much more poofy. Of course, it should be mentioned that these are designs in a fashion magazine, so not every woman in America in the 1950s would be wearing these exact styles. But, it shows that these were the new popular designs for dresses at the time! Also, like always, lots of pattern and color!

1960s

Photo Source: http://vintagedancer.com/1960s/1960s-fashion-womens/

Holy moly, look at all that 60s fashion! 1960s fashion tended to go for the shift dress which would show off your body without being super tight. It was similar in shape to the popular dresses of the 1920s. Of course, this is the 1960s which means tons of crazy patterns and color combos. Dresses have gotten much shorter than years before!

1970s

 

Photo Source: http://fashion.onblog.at/en/fashion-summer-1975-beam-me-back-scotty

At this point, shorts were the most popular fashion option during the summer. BUT dresses were still worn, as shown in this picture. The shape isn't as flowy and loose and looks more structured. But it's still light weight. I also know that maxi dresses were a popular option of the time as well. The colors and patterns on these particular dresses aren't too crazy, but we all know the 70s always had some interesting pattern and color combo options. Click on the photo source and you can see some other interesting summer options of the 1970s!

1980s

Photo Source: https://clairetownsend.wordpress.com/tag/theatre/

Yes, one of these outfits is a 2 piece set, but hey this is one of the best pics I could find! Here we can see, once again, very bold color as well as interesting patterns. The one girl is wearing a maxi dress. Long, loose fitting, dresses and skirts were still popular during this time, although mini skirts were probably the most popular. Summertime in the 80s saw shorts and rompers more so than summer dresses, but they were still around!

In conclusion, the summer dress changed a bit in style and shape, but summer dresses commonly have a bright, vibrant color and some fun pattern!

Which summer dress style was your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! (I personally loved the 50s and 60s styles the best!)

Stay tuned for next week when I will study the fashion of Sophia Loren in the film "The Millionaires"