Category Archives: Fashion in World War I

Fashion in World War I: May 1916

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Clare

The second issue of Les Elégances Parisiennes opened with a revealing discussion of the difficulties facing the French fashion industry in wartime. The Lyon trade fair for fashion trades the previous month had been a huge success, with large orders … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Fashion in World War I | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fashion in World War I: April 1916

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Clare

In April 1916, the first issue of Les Elegances Parisiennes appeared, incorporating some of the journalists and features from Le Style Parisien, but with stronger links to French couture and luxury textile trades. The contents were an uneasy mixture of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Fashion in World War I, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fashion in World War I: March 1916

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Clare

For March 1916, we return to American Vogue, where the war was seen as having a broadly positive effect on the fashion industry. An article with the long-winded title  ‘The Warp and Woof of Spring: France is producing some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Fashion in World War I, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fashion in World War I: February 1916

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Clare

In February 1916, Le Style Parisien issued its final number. In a statement to its subscribers, it clarified that this was for moral reasons as much as for economic ones. It had aimed to create a publication that would speak … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Fashion in World War I | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fashion in World War I: January 2016

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Clare

The January 1916 edition of ‘Le Style Parisien’ promoted some new trends for the coming season, including some innovative fashion fabrics produced by the leading French manufacturers. There were silks sold with lines of toning braid or fringing stitched on, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Fashion in World War I | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fashion in World War I: December 1915

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Clare

The ‘Fete Parisienne’ of couture fashion in New York generated welcome publicity for Paris couturiers – and funds for French orphanages. But it also highlighted some of the tensions between French couture houses which originated designs and American wholesalers and … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Fashion in World War I, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fashion in World War I: November 1915

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Clare

The big fashion story of November 1915 was the ‘Fete Parisienne’ organised in New York by the ‘Syndicat de Defense de la Couture Parisienne’. Its centrepiece was a short play by Roger Boutet de Monvel with a scenario that explicitly … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Fashion in World War I | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fashion in World War I: October 1915

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Clare

In the October issue of ‘Le Style Parisien’, a columnist philosophized on the political resonances of the new season’s fashions. She made a contrast with the styles of 1815, which drew freely from the uniforms of opposing armies – Hussars, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Fashion in World War I | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fashion in World War I: August 1915

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Clare

In August 1915, war had been raging for a year, and had created deep-seated economic and social changes even for non-combatants. In both Britain and France, the social season which had provided a rationale for fashion consumption by the elite … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Fashion in World War I | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fashion in World War I: July 1915

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Clare

In July 1915, notwithstanding the fine weather, the mood of Paris society was dark – both figuratively and literally. At the theatre, and at benefits for wounded troops, humorous sketches fell flat with audiences ‘saddened because of the great disasters’(100,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Fashion, Fashion in World War I | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment