Take a look back at how women’s fashion has evolved over the last 70 years.

1950’s

People in the 50’s were recovering from the war and celebrating their big win. Women started prioritizing elegance in their lives and that was reflected in their clothing. Women often wore dresses that included nipped-in waists taking inspiration from the designs of Christian Dior that had come out in the years closely prior. The women solely wore dresses all day every day. Chanel introduced a silhouette style different from Dior’s, which is a straight silhouette. In this design, the waistlines were not defined and they went down in a straight line. 

1960’s

A huge trend in the 1960s was the mini-skirt. These skirts continued the Chanel look of shapeless dresses in bright colors, reflecting the rise of Pop Art at the time. A key trend of the ’60s was the go-go boots. These were commonly worn with mini skirts, trying to create a futuristic look. 

1970’s

According to Vogue, the first Women’s equality march happened in 1970, leading to a bold new look. Pants became an acceptable piece of day-to-day attire for women. Most of the clothes were form-fitting at the top and loose and flowy at the bottom. A good example of this is the bell bottoms. Disco was all of the rage of the 70s, including articles of clothing like flared pants and jumpsuits. 

1980’s

The 80s brought a variety of fashion trends. One of the biggest was the rise of shoulder pads used to show femininity. A lot of these trends were supposed to show that a woman has power, hence the rise of the Power Suit. It was used to show that women meant business and when paired with shoulder pads, it meant that a woman wanted to be taken seriously in the business industry. Futuristic patterns were frequently worn reflecting the music of the time. Women also loved wearing workout clothes regularly. Women began to wear leg warmers, leotards, and bright headbands in and out of the gym. 

1990’s

Supermodels such as Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell heavily influenced women’s fashion throughout the 90s. A new look appeared called grunge. Vintage jeans and baggy tees were the main attire demonstrating this look and were worn by many of the popular bands at the time. Another look inspired by the music industry was the hip-hop look. It included parachute pants and bright neon colors.  Bands like TLC and Destiny’s Child were often photographed in this style. 

2000’s

According to fashiongonerogue.com, Y2K overtook the fashion scene in the 2000s. Articles of Y2K fashion included low-rise jeans, baby tees, and butterfly clips. One of the it-girls of this time was Britney Spears. She was often seen wearing knee-high boots and shiny materials. 

2010’s

Heavily influencing the fashion scene was the royal family. According to Vogue.com, business casual was all the rage in women’s fashion. Bright cardigans were worn and stripes were mixed with camouflage. Mismatched patterns were the most popular of the trends at that time.