Contexts in Fashion

These headings are convenient but they are not the end of the story.  The boundaries between these areas are fluid and changes in one area are often tied to changes in another.  For example a political event such as World War I had repercussions in almost every part of life: fewer resources (economic); women working in factories (social and economic); new weapons etc. developed (technological changes - which sometimes had an impact on fashion production); new attitudes (social) etc.

• Political events
• major events such as wars
• legislation which had an impact on social conditions (e.g. Women's suffrage)
• Economic conditions
• major events, e.g. The Depression
• the amount of disposable income available to spend on fashion items
• trade restrictions
• conditions of workers
• Technological changes and advances
• the development of fabrics
• improvements in apparel production techniques
• new inventions, e.g. the zipper
• Social conditions and changes
• attitudes to morality
• development of youth culture/'generation gap'
• growth of any subcultures.
• the status of women
• attitudes to the body (concealment vs exposure)
• Art/Design/Music developments
• any contemporary cultural trends that influenced fashion design, both main stream and counter culture.

Information from boxhill.edu.au