Historical Design Development free essay sample

Analyse the impact of historical design developments in your selected focus area on contemporary textiles Contemporary textiles strongly reflect the influence of historical design developments. The change in society’s expectations towards modesty and acceptable clothing is clearly evident in all aspects of contemporary apparel choices. Instead of strict regulations, the attitude is more about individuality and anything goes (within reason). Modern beach wear styles show the wide variety of choices available to the consumer, with personal choice being the deciding factor. It is not unusual to see women topless sunbaking in brief bikini bottoms, as well certain beaches where no clothing is considered acceptable. The body shape or silhouette of swimwear has changed over times. After the introduction of the laws for swimsuits in the 1920’s, people had an appropriate rule to know what could be worn to the beach. The society’s expectations became more relaxing that allowed women to wear more exposed swimsuits. We will write a custom essay sample on Historical Design Development or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In 1946, the first bikini was designed exposing the midriff section of the body. It hugged the body and became more streamlined. That development in silhouette creates an impact on contemporary textiles. It is often to see women we one-piece swimsuits, bikini and wetsuits to the beach nowadays. The change in historical textiles allowed for greater movement, which in turn have influenced our design of today. Also design feature development of swimsuit contributed to today’s swimwear greatly. In the 1930’s Men’s swimsuits left the chest bare and became hip high. Feminine cotton printed swimsuits often with little over skirts to hide the thigh, which then ideally creates the modesty skirt. Australia became a leader in bikini design. Bikini designs were created from fabric, crocheted and experimented with shape. Surfing bathing and swimming become a national recreation of Australia. Another development was seen in the creation of the first synthetic dye in 1856 of William Perkin. Before this period, bright colours were only for the wealthy. This allowed access to brighter colours not only swimwear but also all clothing and textiles for anyone. Contemporary fashion has access to virtually any colour choice for any fabric type as a result of this development such as neon and pastel, a colour trend in 2012. In a similar fashion to swimwear, undergarment has experienced changes strongly to the silhouette. In early 19th century, there was a debate about the wasp waist that was created by the heavy constricted corset. While it was said to make women look very feminine and attractive, it limited women in performing their normal daily routines. However, it has an impact on contemporary textiles through the body shaping garment that is worn under normal clothing to give women their pre baby body in a shortly period of times. It is been modified avoiding extremely body shaping as in the 19th century. Another important impact is the creative and innovative change in surface decoration and embellishment. Celebrities like Lady Gaga have influenced the wearing of heavily embellished corset as outer garments during performances. Corset styled bodices are popular for evening apparel nowadays. It is a result of the development in the 1880’s, luxury undergarments was featured with batiste, embroidery, crochet work, pleating and coloured ribbons. Moreover, the introduction of Lycra, a stretch and recovery fibre, has satisfied the requirement of underwear which fitted to the body like a second skin. Since then, the corsets experienced a renaissance. It no longer constricted women and became more flexible as well as comfortable even though they were a skin-tight fit. This results in the creation of seamless undergarments that allow for no lines under snug garment in today’s life.