Early 1900 Fashion

In early 1900, fashion enjoyed its last true age of elegance. There is no doubt that the pinnacle of fashion belonged to the wealthy dames of early 1900 aristocracies. It was an era of grace , dedicated to time-honored values and traditions.

Woman at the time were above all slender in their fashion. The silhouette of the early 1900 dame was curved, flowing and extremely feminine. Maturity, sophistication and superiority were well known traits for these extremely well-bred ladies.

The long elegant lines from 1890s fashion had continued on into early 1900. The spectacle of an Edwardian lady stepping out of her horse and carriage was something to witness indeed. There is no doubt that the early 1900 lady had grace poise and self assurance.

However, in early 1900, it was believed to be improper fashion for a woman to show her ankle. If she smoked in public, it was concluded that she must be an actress. If she wore red lipstick she was the next best thing to a prostitute. And if a woman wore trousers, she was going against her moral obligations to society. Early 1900 fashion condemned trousers as audacious, offensive and hideous.

If you wanted to be considered even remotely good looking in early 1900, it was important for you, as a woman, to follow the fashion expected at the time. And the fashion expected in early 1900 meant tiny waists, emphasized hips, and protruding posteriors.

Corsets were an absolute must throughout early 1900 and earlier. Assorted corsets offered various series of folds, curves, and contortions for new and upcoming silhouettes. The timeless elegance of the corset, was true to fashion as it reduced the waist with beautiful tight lacing.

At the dawn of the Edwardian era, the shape of the woman's fashion transitioned from the popular "hourglass" figure to dresses designed with an "S" curve. Early 1900 fashion was designed to show off the woman’s figure and highlight delicate curves. When the S-bend corset came into fashion, woman were able to define the spine nicely and even out the rest of the body.

Early 1900 Edwardian woman were certainly flamboyant in their everyday dressing. Feet were squashed in tiny shoes, and hats were balanced on a creation of pads, wigs and human hair. Dazzling enamels and gold filigree dressed as peacocks and dragonflies, became early 1900 standard trimming for ladies' combs and brooches.

The high collar, S-bend corset, trained skirt, and generous hat, all had an effect on the posture of an Edwardian lady. From the shoulders, falling within a few inches of the belt, soft folds of satin formed the corsage below a modesties of white tulle shirred to round yoke of embroidery. The skirt and lower corsage were usually joined together by a three inch belt of English embroidery on fine batiste.

Fashion in early 1900, meant wearing an incredible number of under garments. Women dressed in countless petticoats, fringed with lace, which created a captivating foam around the ankles. Alas, early fashion in 1900, meant that no respectable lady would ever get away without wearing up to six petticoats.

Stylish woman in early 1900, went to dressmakers for the perfect cut.Fashion was made to fit and was led by high society fashion designers connected to the aristocracy and the royal court. Every early 1900 fashion outfit was made with microscopic detail from colour to cut.

Early 1900 fashion was owned by five notable designers; Callot Soeurs, Madeleine Chéruit, Jacques Doucet, Jeanne Lanvin and Charles Worth. Fashion movements in early 1900 did not spring from fashion shows and cat walks, but instead at prestigious French racehorses, which was a magnet for the classy, fashionable and exclusive society.

During the early 1900 fashion era, woman’s garments progressively became more comfortable, practical. This period was ,indeed, the la Belle Epoque “The beautiful epoch”

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