Abstract

Clothing and fashion has been a part of human history for tens of thousands of years and has undergone changes for numerous reasons due to events occurring worldwide. Among these reasons through the developments in fashion, it is possible to monitor the social effects of the two great wars that took place in the 20th century. Especially the social, economic, cultural, technological and political results of the Second World War has caused a new life order. The reflections and permanent effects of this new order on fashion are seen especially on the change in women’s clothing. In order to fully understand the changes occurring in fashion, it is necessary to understand not only cultural changes, but also those that developed before. When the pre and post war periods are analyzed in terms of fashion history, it is seen that wars have left indelible marks on the designers and some restrictions introduced due to wars have lead to important innovations in fashion.

Throughout history, women’s clothings have been encouraged to be adopted with unnatural forms and postures. However, with the effect of the two great wars, the aspect of women and accordingly women’s clothing has changed quite a lot. In this study changes in the global world depending on the First and Second World Wars; the way fashion is affected by the events and the consequences of wars; how these effects are reflected in the prominent female silhouette, cloths and materials used in the fashion of that period and as a result of these reflections, the permanent effects experienced which are still influential on the today’s fashion were investigated.

Keywords: First World War, Second World War, Fashion, Woman, Clothing