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20th Century Fashion and The Changing Role
of Women
excerpt
Fashion
holds up a mirror to our times, reflecting social and economic
change. As America has evolved throughout each decade, so has
its fashions.
At the beginning of the century women were literally bound
up in fashion in the form of restrictive corsets that echoed
the restrictions on their freedom in society. When men in uniform
left the country to fight the war, Rosie the Riveter was born
with a pair of jeans and a bandana. And, when women started climbing
the corporate ladder, their uniform was the blue business suit...
Throughout each decade of the 20th century there are outstanding
women who made scientific discoveries, led social movements,
held political office, influenced popular culture, and moved
fashion forward. At the
end of the century, the struggle for women's equity in society
is not over, but it has moved progressed and continues to march
on.
Everything I do is a matter of heart, body and soul.
For me, designing is a personal expression of who I am - wife,
mother, friend, and business person - the many roles women everywhere
are trying to balance. But before I can be anything else, I'm
a woman, with all the complications, feelings, and emotions."
Donna Karan
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