Okay kids.
I know some might think fashion is just about clothes and runways. And it is, most of the time..
But listen to how neat this is.
(well, I think it's neat, anyway)
Let's go back to the Seventeenth Century (1600-1700)
Ladies were wearig petticoats, pantaloons, large gowns with stomacher and skirts with modestes and secrets (the over skirt and under skirt... how funny they're called modeste and secret. pronounced mow-dest' and sek-ray') Sleeves were puffed out, and long.
Then in the 18th Century (1700-1790) style evolved [like it always does]. Women were still wearing large intricate gowns.. These are the types of dresses you would see in Pride and Prejudice, with chemises, stays, jumps and hoops.
Gentlemen were always dressed to impress and so were the ladies.
And the women were always modest.
In the 1800's a few peculiar things happened.
One being Joseph Smith's first vision and the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
(which is what my focus is on in this post..)
This is when a few major things in fashion also happened.
Dress became much more casual. (more casual than it had been...Not the sweat pant sort of casual Stacey and Clinton talk about)
Dresses became more form fitting
Hemlines became shorter.
Now I'm about to get churchy on you.
How interesting that as soon as the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth is when satan decided to start influencing the world in so many different ways. One of them being in fashion.
By the late 1800's necklines had plunged, hemlines were shorter, dresses were form-fitting and women even started wearing pants. {gasp!}
styles kept evolving and by the Twentieth Century
modesty became a thing of history for most of the world.
Immodesty was acceptable, and even portrayed as innocent in magazines.
Call me old fashioned but I love being modest in what I wear.
it feels good to be modest.
Tell your friends.
Modest is Hottest.
Right?
More fashion history lessons coming soon. I think it's fascinating and fun.
11 comments:
Wow Erin, that is way interesting! I've never thought of it that way! Thanks for posting!
that is VERY interesting! wow. coincidence? not. satan is smart.
Are you suggesting that women began wearing pants because they were tempted by satan to do so???
I like to view the movement towards less modest clothing as a positive step indicating that women have more choices available to them than ever before. Women in the 1700's weren't modest because they were so darn righteous... they were modest because patriarchal society didn't allow them to be anything different. As a Mormon, you should be very familiar with the idea that growth doesn't occur without agency. Dressing modestly because it's the only option available to you does not foster growth. Our modern world is such an improvement for women in many ways compared with the 1700's, including the fact that women are now free to choose their own clothing styles (although there are still plenty of men in the world, LDS leadership included, who are still interested in telling women what they should or shouldn't wear).
I never said I wasn't thankful for the advances in fashion! I just thought it was interesting the drastic changes happened when they did. And everyone foes have their agency to choose modesty or not. Isn't if wonderful?
Right. I'm thankful as well. I'm just pointing out that while you attribute the changes we are both thankful for to the influence of Satan, I view the changes as a sign of enlightenment. I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just sayin...
Clothing became more casual when mass production became an option - new clothing options were a byproduct of technology.
A couple of quibbles: the dress in the pic that you allude to as being contemporary with Pride & Prejudice is about 50 years off. The empire waisted dresses of Austen's era were much more casual, form fitting, and did not include hooped skirts or corsets.
Were they modest? Cleavage was very prominently displayed in these gowns, and men's tight-fitting breeches were supposed to display a well-toned calf. In all eras, fashions emerge to make people appear attractive to the opposite sex because that is what people want from their clothes. That means making men look muscular (good providers, healthy genes) and women look fertile (slim waists, round hips and busts).
You would have a hard time wearing garments under many of the gowns that you consider modest. In fact, Elizabeth I's underwear is on display at Westminster Abbey, and it is slightly less modest than contemporary garments (lower bodice and smaller sleeves).
The problem is that there are many examples of "unmodest" fashions in the 1600's, and on. For example, here's a painting of the first Duchess of Marlborough, who was born in 1600: http://tinyurl.com/2vfytsh . This isn't an isolated example. If you walk through any grand home in England, you'll see that most of the ladies' portrait have quite revealing necklines, and there are many paintings of women with bare breasts.
Yesterday, Satan tempted me to wear flip flops.. even though I know I shouldn't show my feet like that.. plus, it was freezing.
It's true!! A lot of advances in society in general happened in the 1800's and then things really took off in the 1900. Thank you mass production for casual clothing. I don't think I would get ready every day if I had to put on so many layers!! Thanks for your added comments and for clearing up things I failed to mention. There has always been agency and opposition in all things.
Oh and the pictures I used were first found in mr history of fashion book....
(You'd be surprised how much cleavage you can show while wearing garments... just saying.)
This is really interesting, Erin! Thanks!
I've never understood the phrase, "modest is hottest." What is the point of modesty, if not to cover up our "hotness"?... does it mean that modest girls are hot to a certain type of man? I'm not sure, but I always giggle when I hear it....
I wonder too, if this line of thinking doesn't just open up a big can of worms. Style changes, and so does our idea of modesty, but I'm not giving the credit to Satan. Even garments have been shortened and modified over the years. Women couldn't wear pants at BYU when my mother went, and now it's perfectly modest to do so. There are many reasons why change happens, but I think we can leave Satan out of this one.
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