Have you recently seen people on the street wearing crop tops, flared jeans, and platform shoes? In other words, revamped fashion trends from the 90s. There is often a re-emergence of fashion trends every twenty years, to which fashion magazines will throw out titles like “Fashion Trends We all Forgot!” when talking about them. Despite this cliché thought when talking about forgotten fashion, there are major fashion trends of the past few centuries that have been completely disregarded or are unfamiliar to the majority of people. Here are just a few of the forgotten fashion trends that had taken the world by storm.
Let’s begin with the Hobble Skirt, a piece of women’s fashion that had the height of its popularity during the Edwardian period. The Hobble Skirt was a tight, ankle-length skirt that closed in around the hem of the skirt. It was so tight that it impeded the ability to walk for the wearer. This forced women to have to take very small and short steps while walking, as they were incapable of moving their legs. The inability to properly walk gave the wearer a kind of hobble as they moved in the skirt, hence giving the skirt the name the Hobble Skirt. The skirt was initially marketed toward wealthy women as they were the only ones who could be able to sacrifice their mobility. However, the skirt still became popular among all classes, with many alterations from zips to buttons to make the skirt more accessible. The skirt ultimately went out of style in the 1920s as women fought for rights and freedom in their lives which included their clothing.
Going back a few centuries to the 1500s, the next forgotten fashion trend is the tippet. It is an article of clothing worn by both men and women even today. The tippet is a long strip of cloth meant to be worn over the shoulders. There is no meaning or significance to the tippet, it is purely ornamental. However, for something solely ornamental it is a fashion piece that has lasted in popularity for 400 years. Original tippets were worn by men and women around their arms as a sort of armband that would fall all the way to the floor. Other variations of the tippet were those that were worn by women around their neck during the 1600s and 1700s, also known as a zibellino. In the 1800s, the tippet evolved to being a sort of cape also known as a capelet. Today tippets are usually only worn by priests, also known as a ‘preaching scarf’.
This next fashion trend is one that has currently been remerging among women’s fashion and you are probably already aware of – the corset. However, the corset is often viewed as a highly feminine piece of clothing, but for a time it was somewhat popular among men. Corsets became popular among men during the 1800s, a period of men’s fashion known as Dandyism. Those who took part in this fashion period placed importance upon physical appearance and tried to exaggerate their natural figure. One of the ways they did this was through the corset. Other reasons men in the 1800s wore the corset was for better posture when horseback riding, helping soldiers fit into their uniforms, and as a method of protection against bruising kidneys if a horse rider was thrown off their horse.
The last forgotten fashion trend has less to do with clothing, but more to do with behaviour. There were many fashion trends in the Victoria Era, but one of the most notable was the Alexandra Limp. Alexandra of Denmark, the then Princess of Wales was a prominent figure in British society. Much of what she wore and did was copied by British women, including her walk. Alexandra sadly suffered from severe rheumatism which caused her to need a cane when she walked and also gave her a limp. Alexandra’s limp was then copied by ‘dignified’ women in Britain. At first, women would wear old pairs of shoes to help them limp. However, seeing a profit to be made, shoemakers began to sell shoes with one high heel and one short. This new style of shoes truly gave for a tottering effect. This trend was very much just among the elite as many normal people found it strange.
Fashion trends are always coming and going. This is true even 500 years ago. The question is what fashion trends will make the next comeback? Will people start wearing tippets when they go out for lunch or hobble skirts to the next dinner party, or maybe even revamp the Alexandra limp to emulate the late consort queen? Only time will tell.
Works Cited:
Eldridge, Alison. "10 Articles of Clothing That Deserve a Comeback". Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date. https://www.britannica.com/list/10-articles-of-clothing-that-deserve-a-comeback.
Erogbogbo, Yejide. “10 Crazy Fashion Trends from History.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip. 5 June 2016. https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/paris/articles/10-crazy-fashion-trends-from-history/
Goenka, Kanupriya. “Why Did the Hobble Skirt Become Popular?” Medium. 9 December 2018. https://medium.com/@kanupriya.goenka/why-did-the-hobble-skirt-become-popular-e86dbdd06880.
Magazine Monitor. “Victorian Strangeness: The Bizarre Tale of the Ladies Who Limped.” BBC News, BBC. 18 July 2014. https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28357269.
McBrayer, Mary Kay. “Men Wore Corsets, History Says.” Messy Nessy Chic. 10 Mar. 2021, https://www.messynessychic.com/2021/03/09/men-wore-corsets-history-says/#:~:text=One%20of%20America's%20founding%20fathers,a%20weight%20lifter's%20belt%20today%E2%80%9D
Mental Itch.“The History of the Tippet.” Mental Itch. 9 July 2021, https://mentalitch.com/the-history-of-the-tippet/.
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