Baroque 1600 - 1750

the fashion during the Baroque era was defined by natural, curving silhouettes, flowing lines, gold filigree, rich colors, and overall voluptuousness.  Clothing had a huge amount of lace, pearls, ribbons, and gold embroidery, but still wasn't as excessive decoration of the Renaissance. 

There are a lot of period movies made around this era, so there will be a few references to those popular movies coming up :) 

http://www.historicalmenswear.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1660s_doublet-and-repro-breeches_VA_T324.jpg

Unlike earlier periods, where bodices, sleeves, skirts, jackets, and breeches were made to mix and match, clothing during this period was made as separate and entire matching outfits, often made of the same fabric.

This was referred to as en suite, and was the predecessor for our modern-day “suit.”  

During the early half of the Baroque period was when the cavalier style for men emerged.

It was much less restrained than Renaissance fashions and copied women’s styles of the earlier period with its high waists, wide lace collars, and lace cuffs.

Similar to the three musketeers suite

 This style also featured knee-high boots, often turned down with lace, wide-brimmed hats with feathers, long, loose hair, pointed beards and moustaches, and capes thrown over one shoulder.  Pantaloon breeches fell to or below the knee and were loose.  These were the kind of fashions you would associate with the “Three Musketeers.” 

Those feathers :0

Long coats with braid-trimmed buttonholes (brandenburgs) and large, folded-over sleeves were worn (think Captain Hook here).  Scarf-like steinkirks replaced the jabot.  This suite was refered to collectively as the Persian style and still serves as the base of a man’s suit–the coat, waistcoat, and breeches.

Tom Ford Three piece

So you can easily see how the classic three piece suit that we have come to know has been influenced by the baroque era. The matching colour co-ordination of the three pieces was what saw this become a staple look that would change fashion for the next few centuries.

Renaissance 1450-1600

The renaissance era saw the revival of the arts. All aspects of life became enriched with finer detail and refinement. This time and its people were all about the opulent lifestyle. Some famous and influential people of this time included artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci (Mona Lisa), and Michelangelo (Sistine Chapel), it was also the era of literary figures like Shakespeare (Hamlet) and Dante Alighieri (Inferno). This was very much a time of development and as the arts developed so did the fashion!

The fashion trends of this era were crazy and creative clearly reflected the style of the time. Lace was introduced for the first time, and was used in a garment called a 'ruff'. This ruff originated from the collar of a shirt or chemise and was worn by both men and women. It later became a separate pieced item.  

Other features like slashing became popular as well. This was when slashes were made on outer garments and then the inner garments were pulled through. These undergarments would most likely have been the Chemise or shirt. The chemise or the under garment would have been a different colour to what ever piece was worn over top.

Slashing

The footwear also had a dramatic transformation from the Gothic style poulaine. The footwear prior to this era was long and narrow at the toe. The trend in the renaissance era was to have a wider toe, or a high sole that could reach up to a ridiculous thirty inches in height. This historic platform is known as a Chopine.  

The shoes got pretty ridiculous.

The translation of the word renaissance is literally re-birth. This was used to define the time because it was the re-birth of the ancient Greek philosophies and teachings. The people of the renaissance adapted the Greek lifestyle and I can see that Sofia Aroha has adapted this style as well. The slashing and and skirts falling from the waist and hips. This is similar to how the doublet would be fitting to the body but be relax at the hips and feature a skirt like hem. 

Sofia Aroha who recently presented a collection at New Zealand Fashion Week showcased a few dresses that took the craziness of the renaissance and created beautifully inspired pieces. These dresses all present us with a 2014 version style of slashing. These dresses especially the blue, have elements of the layering of the renaissance. They're also in two different fabrics and colors much like how the chemise was worn it would be a different colour to the the outer garment. The slashing is also clear when you look at how the silk from the first layer has been pulled through to create the skirt.   

Greek 800BC-600AD

For a long time the ancient Greeks had a very simple way of dressing. During the reign of Alexander the Great, the fashion started to change. 

Linen was the main fabric of choice at the time, and it makes sense...  it was light and could be worn in a variety of ways (usually draped and fastened over the body).

Sculpture of a woman wearing a traditional peplos

Slowly items like belts and fibula (brooches) were introduced, and changed how the chiton, clamys and peplos were arranged. 

Peplos fastenings

 For a while these garments were thought to have been white, which was how they were depicted in film and television. 

After further research, we now know this wasn’t the case.

Coloured statue of a Greek woman wearing a Peplos

The dyes that were used were usually plant based with exception of some colours that were reserved for royalty.

These changes had a huge impact on modern fashion. At times it's obvious, and sometimes its things you don't necessary think of...

At first glance, this dress doesn't scream Grecian goddess. However, subtle design features are directly influenced from the ancient Greeks. This cocktail dress’ peplum detailing is the first obvious indication of Greek influence.  

Kim Kardashian in a white Grecian dress

The word peplum evolved over time from the word Peplos, which was a dress that was fastened at the shoulders and belted. The middle of the Peplos was pulled up and left to hang over the belt, giving it the illusion of two separate pieces.  This detail can be seen in the dress in the image above.  The dress also has the draping and simplicity of what the Greeks wore. You can see how the bodice of the dress looks like it has been wrapped around the body giving it a modern spin on Greek drapery. The stereotypical Greek costume is usually white, so when you look at this dress, especially the draped peplum details, the reflection of Greek costume is evident.