Style Atlas

Industrial textiles, the sewing machine and the cage crinoline made vast skirts cheap and light. Worth invented the designer-as-author in 1858.

Silhouette

Tiny corseted waist, sloping dropped shoulders and an enormous dome-shaped skirt, evenly full all round; supported by layered petticoats and, from 1856, the cage crinoline.

Hemline

Floor length, brushing the ground.

Fabrics

Silk taffeta and moiré, wool, printed cottons; tiered flounces, fringe and ribbon trim.

Designers

Charles Frederick Worth (opens the first couture house, Paris 1858), court dressmakers

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Empress Eugénie, Queen Victoria

Worth's house dresses the Second Empire court; the American Civil War and Victoria's mourning make black fashionable.

Silhouette

The cage crinoline peaks in width early in the decade, then flattens in front and pushes its fullness backwards into an elliptical, trained shape; by 1868 the first bustles appear.

Hemline

Floor length, often trained by the late 1860s; short walking skirts appear for sport.

Fabrics

Silk taffeta, poplin, velvet; braid and military-inspired trim.

Designers

Charles Frederick Worth, Émile Pingat

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Empress Eugénie, Queen Victoria (mourning), Princess Alexandra

Paris fashion recovers after the Franco-Prussian war; department stores and fashion magazines spread the look.

Silhouette

Fullness gathered entirely at the back over a bustle, with a draped polonaise overskirt; from 1876 the long, moulded cuirass bodice and the seamless princess line make a slim, upholstered column that ends in a train.

Hemline

Floor length with trains for day and evening.

Fabrics

Silk faille, satin, velvet, lace; several contrasting fabrics in one dress.

Designers

Charles Frederick Worth, Jacques Doucet (1871), Émile Pingat

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Lillie Langtry, Empress Elisabeth of Austria

Redfern's tailored suits for women and the aesthetic-dress reformers plant the seeds of practical dress.

Silhouette

After a slim 'natural form' interlude, the bustle returns in 1883 as a hard, horizontal shelf jutting straight out behind a long, rigidly boned bodice; skirts are flat in front and heavily draped behind.

Hemline

Floor length; walking skirts clear the ground.

Fabrics

Velvet, plush, brocade, heavy silks, wool for tailor-mades; jet beading and passementerie.

Designers

Charles Frederick Worth, John Redfern (tailor-mades), Jacques Doucet, Liberty & Co.

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Princess Alexandra, Lillie Langtry, Madame X (Virginie Gautreau)

The 'New Woman' bicycles, works and plays tennis; ready-to-wear shirtwaists come off factory lines.

Silhouette

The bustle collapses; an hourglass of enormous gigot sleeves (peaking 1895), a wasp waist and a smooth gored bell skirt. The shirtwaist blouse with a plain skirt and the tailor-made suit become everyday wear.

Hemline

Floor length; slightly shorter for bicycling and sport.

Fabrics

Wool serge, silk taffeta, satin, lace, cotton shirtings.

Designers

House of Worth (Jean-Philippe Worth), John Redfern, Jeanne Paquin (1891), Callot Soeurs (1895), Jacques Doucet

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the Gibson Girl (Charles Dana Gibson), Camille Clifford, Lillian Russell

Lucile stages the first runway shows; Poiret starts dismantling the corset.

Silhouette

The straight-front corset throws the bust forward and hips back into an S-curve; a mono-bosom 'pigeon front' blouse blouses over a tiny waist above a trumpet skirt flaring to a train. From 1908 Poiret's high-waisted Directoire line begins to straighten everything.

Hemline

Floor length with trains; lifted to the ankle only for walking and sport.

Fabrics

Cotton lawn, broderie anglaise, lace, chiffon, silk; layers of frothy trim.

Designers

Jeanne Paquin, Callot Soeurs, Jacques Doucet, Lucile (Lady Duff Gordon), House of Worth, Paul Poiret (opens 1903; Directoire line 1908), Mariano Fortuny

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Camille Clifford, Queen Alexandra, the Gaiety Girls, Lily Elsie

Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (1909) floods fashion with colour; the war puts women in uniforms and practical suits.

Silhouette

Corsetless, high-waisted columns: Poiret's Directoire and kimono coats, the hobble skirt (1910), lampshade tunics over narrow skirts (1913). From 1915 wartime skirts get shorter and fuller with a lower, looser waist — the shape the 1920s inherits.

Hemline

Floor length early; ankle by 1915 and calf-length for the war years.

Fabrics

Silk charmeuse, chiffon, velvet, lamé; Fortuny's pleated silk Delphos gown; wool jersey (Chanel).

Designers

Paul Poiret, Lucile, Callot Soeurs, Jeanne Lanvin, Madeleine Vionnet (opens 1912), Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel (jersey, Deauville 1913), Mariano Fortuny, Jeanne Paquin

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Irene Castle, Denise Poiret, Ida Rubinstein, Lady Duff Gordon

Women vote, drive, dance and smoke; ready-to-wear and Hollywood spread the look worldwide.

Silhouette

Straight, tubular and boyish: a dropped waist at the hip, flattened bust, no defined curves. Lanvin's full-skirted robe de style is the romantic alternative; Vionnet introduces the bias cut.

Hemline

Rises through the decade to the knee (1925–27), then drops again with uneven, handkerchief and dipped hems by 1929.

Fabrics

Silk chiffon, crepe de chine, georgette, lamé, velvet, wool jersey; heavy beading, sequins and fringe on evening dresses.

Designers

Coco Chanel, Jean Patou, Jeanne Lanvin, Madeleine Vionnet, Edward Molyneux, Louiseboulanger, Elsa Schiaparelli (from 1927), Callot Soeurs

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Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Josephine Baker, Zelda Fitzgerald, Suzanne Lenglen

The Depression makes Hollywood the dream factory; Paris couture and the studios trade influence.

Silhouette

Long, lean and body-skimming: Vionnet's bias cut makes evening gowns pour over the figure with a natural waist, bare back and slight flare at the hem. Shoulders widen from mid-decade (Schiaparelli, Adrian) until they are square by 1939.

Hemline

Floor length for evening; day hems mid-calf to just above the ankle.

Fabrics

Satin, silk crepe, chiffon, velvet, lamé; printed rayon and crepe for day.

Designers

Madeleine Vionnet, Elsa Schiaparelli, Coco Chanel, Mainbocher, Madame Grès (Alix), Gilbert Adrian (Hollywood), Edward Molyneux, Lucien Lelong, Augustabernard

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Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Wallis Simpson, Carole Lombard, Ginger Rogers

Rationing breeds ingenuity and American sportswear; Dior's 1947 collection restarts Paris as the centre of fashion.

Silhouette

Squared, padded shoulders, a nipped waist and a slim knee-length skirt, rationed by Britain's Utility scheme and America's L-85. In 1947 Dior's New Look overturns it: rounded shoulders, wasp waist and a full calf-length skirt using yards of fabric.

Hemline

Just below the knee through the war; mid-calf after 1947.

Fabrics

Rayon crepe, wool, cotton; gabardine; nylon replaces silk; taffeta and tulle return with the New Look.

Designers

Christian Dior (New Look, 1947), Cristóbal Balenciaga, Jacques Fath, Pierre Balmain (1945), Claire McCardell (American sportswear), Norman Hartnell, Hattie Carnegie, Bonnie Cashin, Adrian

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Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Veronica Lake, Betty Grable

Post-war prosperity, the suburban wife and the teenager; couture sets the line and ready-to-wear copies it within weeks.

Silhouette

Two hourglasses: the full circle skirt over stiff petticoats, and the slim pencil 'wiggle' sheath. Both with a cinched waist and a fitted, often boned bodice. Balenciaga counters with the semi-fitted suit, the tunic (1955), the sack (1957) and the baby-doll (1958); Chanel returns in 1954 with the braided tweed suit.

Hemline

Mid-calf and tea length dominate; ballerina length for cocktail.

Fabrics

Taffeta, tulle, satin, lace, chintz, gingham, cotton piqué, wool crepe, jersey.

Designers

Christian Dior (H, A and Y lines), Cristóbal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, Coco Chanel (1954 comeback), Jacques Fath, Pierre Balmain, Charles James, Norman Norell, Claire McCardell, Anne Fogarty, Emilio Pucci

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Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot, Dovima, Suzy Parker, Doris Day

Youth, London boutiques and pop art overthrow couture's authority; the mini is the decade's flag.

Silhouette

Early: Jackie Kennedy's boxy suits and clean sheaths. From 1964 the A-line shift, the trapeze and the mini skirt (Quant, Courrèges) make a straight, childlike body; late decade splinters into space-age geometry, YSL's tuxedo and safari, and hippie caftans and maxis.

Hemline

Knee early; mini by 1965–66 (up to mid-thigh); micro-minis and the first maxis by 1969.

Fabrics

Wool crepe, cotton, PVC and vinyl, paper dresses, metal and plastic (Rabanne), jersey, crochet.

Designers

Mary Quant, André Courrèges, Yves Saint Laurent (Mondrian 1965, Le Smoking 1966), Pierre Cardin, Paco Rabanne, Oleg Cassini, Hubert de Givenchy, Emilio Pucci, Rudi Gernreich, Barbara Hulanicki (Biba), Valentino (white collection, 1968), Marimekko

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Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn (Breakfast at Tiffany's, 1961), Edie Sedgwick, Brigitte Bardot, Françoise Hardy, Peggy Moffitt

Ready-to-wear designers eclipse couture; New York nightlife, feminism and punk each dress differently.

Silhouette

Three tribes. Bohemian: floating maxis, peasant blouses, prairie dresses, caftans (Ossie Clark, Zandra Rhodes, Laura Ashley, YSL's 1976 Russian collection). Disco: liquid jersey halters, one-shoulder columns, the wrap dress (DVF, 1974), jumpsuits and wide flares. Punk (1976): tartan, bondage straps, safety pins, ripped tees.

Hemline

Everything at once — mini, midi (1970's 'midi war') and maxi; flares and palazzo pants.

Fabrics

Matte jersey, polyester, Qiana, crochet, suede and fringe, cheesecloth, Indian cotton, denim, lamé.

Designers

Halston, Diane von Furstenberg, Yves Saint Laurent, Ossie Clark & Celia Birtwell, Zandra Rhodes, Bill Gibb, Thea Porter, Laura Ashley, Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLaren, Stephen Burrows, Sonia Rykiel, Missoni, Kenzo, Jean Muir, Norma Kamali, Bob Mackie

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Bianca Jagger, Jerry Hall, Farrah Fawcett, Diane Keaton (Annie Hall, 1977), Jane Birkin, Lauren Hutton, Stevie Nicks, Cher, Debbie Blondie Harry, Ali MacGraw

Wall Street money, MTV and aerobics; the supermodel is born and Paris couture goes theatrical.

Silhouette

Big shoulders, small hips: padded power suits (Armani, Montana, Mugler) and pencil skirts by day; Alaïa's Lycra body-con and Donna Karan's bodysuit; evening means volume — pouf and bubble skirts (Lacroix, 1987), puffed sleeves, drop waists and giant bows. Japanese designers (Kawakubo, Yamamoto) offer black, asymmetric, oversized anti-fashion.

Hemline

Knee-length pencils and minis; puffball cocktail dresses above the knee; full-length taffeta for gala.

Fabrics

Taffeta, Lycra and spandex, lamé, sequins, velvet, lace (Madonna), acid-wash denim, leather.

Designers

Azzedine Alaïa, Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana, Giorgio Armani, Christian Lacroix (1987), Gianni Versace, Donna Karan (1985), Norma Kamali, Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood (mini-crini, 1985), Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons), Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Emanuel Ungaro, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Betsey Johnson, David and Elizabeth Emanuel (Diana's wedding gown, 1981)

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Madonna, Princess Diana, Joan Collins, Grace Jones, Brooke Shields, Molly Ringwald, Cindy Crawford, Iman, Joan Jett, Melanie Griffith (Working Girl, 1988)

Recession minimalism against 80s excess; Seattle grunge and hip-hop enter fashion; the slip dress is the decade's dress.

Silhouette

Pared back and body-close: the bias-cut slip dress (Calvin Klein, Galliano), spaghetti straps, sheath and column, matte jersey, tank dresses. Grunge (Marc Jacobs for Perry Ellis, 1993) layers babydoll dresses over tights with flannel and boots. Late decade Tom Ford's Gucci and Versace bring sex and satin back.

Hemline

Mini kilts and slip minis; long bias slips and columns for evening; midi in matte jersey; low-rise starts at the very end.

Fabrics

Satin, silk charmeuse, matte jersey, nylon (Prada), stretch, sheer chiffon, velvet, plaid flannel, denim.

Designers

Calvin Klein, Helmut Lang, Jil Sander, Miuccia Prada, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Tom Ford (Gucci, 1995), Gianni Versace, John Galliano (Givenchy 1995, Dior 1996), Alexander McQueen, Narciso Rodriguez, Isaac Mizrahi, Dolce & Gabbana, Hussein Chalayan, Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester

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Kate Moss, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Winona Ryder, Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Princess Diana (revenge dress, 1994), Aaliyah, Drew Barrymore, Alicia Silverstone (Clueless, 1995), Jennifer Aniston

Fast fashion, celebrity paparazzi culture and the first fashion blogs; trends cycle in months.

Silhouette

Low-rise everything with a bare midriff; denim minis, halter and tube tops, cargo and capri pants. Boho chic (2004–06): floaty tunics, gypsy maxi skirts, empire babydolls, fringe and coin belts. From 2005 the body returns — Roland Mouret's Galaxy sheath, Hervé Léger's bandage dress (2007), Christopher Kane's neon minis; skinny jeans everywhere.

Hemline

Micro-minis and denim minis; tiered maxi skirts; knee-length sheaths late decade.

Fabrics

Stretch jersey and bandage knits, velour, chiffon, satin, denim, sequins, cotton voile, crochet.

Designers

Nicolas Ghesquière (Balenciaga), Marc Jacobs (Louis Vuitton), Phoebe Philo (Chloé, 2001–06), Stella McCartney, Roland Mouret (Galaxy dress, 2005), Hervé Léger by Max Azria (2007), Christopher Kane, Zac Posen, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, Alexander Wang, Matthew Williamson, Alexander McQueen, Juicy Couture, Patricia Field (Sex and the City)

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Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Beyoncé, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Richie, Mischa Barton, Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Rihanna

Instagram sets the pace; the wrap midi and the sneaker become the decade's uniform; streetwear and luxury merge.

Silhouette

Early: bodycon, peplums (2012) and skater dresses next to Phoebe Philo's Céline minimalism and normcore. Mid: athleisure as daywear, Alessandro Michele's Gucci (2015) layered geek-chic maximalism, Vetements and Off-White streetwear. Late: romantic midi wrap and tea dresses, puff sleeves, smocking and milkmaid necklines (Batsheva, Ganni, Rixo, Réalisation Par), tiered prairie.

Hemline

Bodycon minis early; the midi dominates from 2014; maxi for festival and resort; wrap and tea lengths late.

Fabrics

Technical stretch and neoprene, viscose crepe, cotton poplin, ditsy-print viscose, tulle (Molly Goddard), sequins, satin slips.

Designers

Phoebe Philo (Céline, 2008–18), Alessandro Michele (Gucci, 2015–22), Demna (Vetements 2014, Balenciaga 2015), Virgil Abloh (Off-White; Louis Vuitton 2018), Raf Simons (Dior 2012–15), Maria Grazia Chiuri (Dior 2016), Simon Porte Jacquemus, Simone Rocha, Molly Goddard, Batsheva Hay, Isabel Marant, Zimmermann, Ganni, Reformation, Réalisation Par, Rixo, Ulla Johnson, Roksanda, Erdem, Hervé Léger, Rodarte

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Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Alexa Chung, Olivia Palermo, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, Zendaya, Harry Styles

TikTok names an aesthetic a week; the 2025 creative-director reshuffle (Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Versace, Loewe, Celine, Bottega) resets the big houses at once.

Silhouette

Micro-trends arrive monthly, each with a name. Pandemic loungewear and the smocked nap dress; Regency corsets and puff sleeves (Bridgerton); Miu Miu's micro-mini and low-rise Y2K revival (2022); Barbiecore pink (Valentino, 2022); sheer and 'naked' dresses, cut-outs (Mugler, Nensi Dojaka, Dion Lee); then 'quiet luxury' — The Row, Toteme, Khaite, Loro Piana, camel and cream (2023). 2024–26: boho revival (Chemena Kamali's Chloé), drop-waist and bubble-hem dresses, capes and draped robe-like silhouettes, fringe, and a return to a defined waist with pencil and A-line skirts for fall 2026.

Hemline

Micro-mini and maxi both; the midi as the safe default; sheer maxi skirts over shorts; bubble and drop-waist hems (2024–25); 1920s drop-waist shift returns for 2026.

Fabrics

Silk charmeuse, sheer mesh and organza, crochet, satin, cashmere and wool for quiet luxury, denim maxi skirts, sequins and fringe, technical knits.

Designers

Matthieu Blazy (Bottega Veneta 2021–24; Chanel 2025), Jonathan Anderson (Loewe 2013–25; Dior 2025), Demna (Balenciaga 2015–25; Gucci 2025), Pierpaolo Piccioli (Valentino 2008–24; Balenciaga 2025), Daniel Roseberry (Schiaparelli), Miuccia Prada & Raf Simons (Prada), Pieter Mulier (Alaïa), Casey Cadwallader (Mugler), Chemena Kamali (Chloé, 2024), Sarah Burton (Givenchy, 2025), Alessandro Michele (Valentino, 2024), Louise Trotter (Bottega Veneta), Michael Rider (Celine), Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez (Loewe), Dario Vitale (Versace, 2025–26), Glenn Martens (Diesel; Maison Margiela), Simon Porte Jacquemus, Nensi Dojaka, Dion Lee, Christopher Esber, Sandy Liang, Khaite (Catherine Holstein), The Row (Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen), Toteme, Hill House Home (nap dress), Zimmermann

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Zendaya (styled by Law Roach), Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid, Sofia Richie Grainge, Kendall Jenner, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Taylor Swift, Jenna Ortega, Rihanna, Gwyneth Paltrow (courtroom quiet luxury, 2023)