Celebrating Fashion Pioneers Through the Ages
Creativity and fashion have always been an immense changemaker throughout history. Fashion has the ability to reflect the times, shape cultural perspectives and challenge the status quo. Throughout history, women have often faced obstacles disabling them from freely making a difference. Using their voices through their fashion choices became a way to silently speak up. From the Renaissance to today, bold and brave choices made by women have revolutionised fashion and its ability to tell a story. Here are five women who have changed the face of fashion and left a lasting legacy.
Isabella d’Este: the trendsetter of the Renaissance
In a time when art and culture flourished, Isabella d’Este emerged as a trendsetter across Europe. She was born into a noble family and was known as the ‘First Lady of the Renaissance’, she used fashion as a way to express her luxurious taste, but also her societal opinions. In the Renaissance’s male-dominated world, she used her choice of garment as a way to silently rebel and prove she could assert her intellect. Isabella had a beautiful wardrobe with the most exquisite silks and embellishments. One of her most famous fashion choices is her use of the Balzo as headwear, which can be seen in numerous portraits. Her clothes were a symbol of her wealth, education and high status. She challenged the traditional attributions women had at the time and her influence extended beyond simple trends by giving women a new way to display their identity. She was a change-maker and paved the way for fashion to be as we know it today, a means of empowerment.
18th Century Fashion Revolutionary: Marie Antoinette
French icon, Marie Antoinette is the most remembered Queen of France and rightfully so. She was and still is a symbol of extravagance and her impact on women’s fashion is undeniable. Although the film was not entirely accurate, Sofia Coppola’s representation of Marie Antoinette’s dressing routine was. Her and her dressmaker, Rose Bertin, shifted fashion from being a practical habit to a creative outlet. Queen of the Rococo era, her vibrant pastel colours and towering hairstyles created a new standard that defied the rigid norms of court dress at the time. Women from upper classes began to witness fashion as a way to express themselves. Her legacy remains as France is still known as one of the best places for fashion.
Coco Chanel: The original girl’s girl designer
“Fashion changes, style remains.”, one of the emblematic sayings of Coco Chanel and she definitely gave style a new meaning. The little black dress pioneer revolutionised women’s fashion by rejecting classic restrictive pieces like corsets and heavy skirts. She introduced classic and elegant designs that prioritised comfort without sacrificing style. She challenged gender norms by incorporating jersey fabrics into women’s wear, which was traditionally reserved for men’s underwear. Coco Chanel wanted to give women a bigger spectrum of opportunity by being comfortable as they could be more active and not as domestic. She allowed women to work, travel and participate in society more freely by advancing the idea that women could be equal to men with her tailored suits, a symbol today of modern femininity. Her work has paved the way for androgynous pieces we can see today such as YSL suits for women.
Diana Vreeland: The visionary journalist
Just as important as designers, journalists can change the way we see and interpret fashion. Diana Vreeland was a columnist for Harper’s Bazaar and editor-in-chief of Vogue in the mid 20th century. Her editorial work empowered women by showing them that they didn’t need to fit into a single mold to be beautiful or fashionable. She was one of the first to include political meanings into clothing by advising Jackie Kennedy in her style choices. Magazines saw a pivotal change during her editorial years, she encouraged people to find themselves and their sense of style instead of copying what magazines were feeding them. Diana changed the face of fashion editorial by discovering new faces such as Twiggy or provoking creative fashion choices with her column “Why Don’t You?”. She later became a consultant to the Costume Institute of the Met in New York, otherwise known as where the Met Gala outfits are stored.
Elsa Schiaparelli: Redefining fashion with surrealism
Schiaparelli is commonly known as a daring brand that embraces surrealism and creativity in their designs. Elsa Schiaparelli redefined fashion by creating the house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927. She created unconventional designs that often featured themes like the human body or trompe l’oeil. She saw fashion as an art and frequently collaborated with artists such as Dalí or Jean Cocteau. She produced her signature lobster dress in 1937 with the help of Dalí. The dress was a simple silk gown featuring a large painting of a lobster onto the skirt. Her designs were ground-breaking, and she gave fashion a new creative mindset.
Words by Charlotte Hardie-Watts