Costume in Europe between 1100-1500 CE evolved gradually. In the 12th century, men wore tunics and women wore long gowns. By the 13th century, clothing was similar across Europe with wool being the most common material. In the 14th century, tailoring allowed for a closer fit and experimentation with different styles emerged. Sleeves and hemlines progressively shortened. Between 1400-1500, fashion became more extravagant with houppelandes and elaborate headdresses. National styles developed more over this period.

1. 1100-1200 in Fashion
Costume during the twelfth century in Europe was simple and differed only in details from the
clothing of the preceding centuries. Men wore knee-length tunics for most activities, and men of
the upper classes wore long tunics, with hose and mantles or cloaks. Women's clothing consisted
of an undertunic called a chemise , chainse or smock, usually of linen, over which was worn one
or more ankle-to-floor length tunic. Women wore long tunics or gowns. A close fit to the body,
full skirts, and long flaring sleeves were characteristic of upper class fashion for both men and
women.
Fabric used: Wool linen and silk only for wealthy people.
1200-1300 in fashion
Costume during the thirteenth century in Europe was very simple for both men and women,
and quite uniform across the continent. Male and female clothing were relatively similar, and
changed very slowly, if at all. Most clothing, especially outside the wealthier classes, remained
little changed from three or four centuries earlier. The century saw great progress in the dyeing
and working of wool, which was by far the most important material for outer wear. For the rich,
colour was very important. Blue was introduced and became very fashionable, being adopted by
the Kings of France as their heraldic colour
Men wore a tunic, cote or cotte with a surcoat over a linen shirt. One of these surcoats was the
cyclas, which began as a rectangular piece of cloth with a hole in it for the head. Over time the
sides were sewn together to make a long, sleeveless tunic. When sleeves and sometimes a hood
were added, the cyclas became a ganache.
Dress for women was restrained. A floor length, loosely-fitted gown, with long, tight sleeves and
a narrow belt was uniform. Over this was worn the cyclas or sleeveless surcoat (also worn by
men). Richer women wore more embroidery, and the mantle, held in place by a cord across the
chest, might be lined with fur. Women also wore hose and leather shoes.
1300-1400 in fashion
Fashion in fourteenth century Europe was marked by the beginning of a period of
experimentation with different forms of clothing. Costume historian James Laver suggests that
the mid-14th century marks the emergence of recognizable “Fashion” " in clothing, in
which Fernand Braudel concurs. The draped garments and straight seams of previous centuries
were replaced by curved seams and the beginnings of tailoring, which allowed clothing to more
closely fit the human form. Also, the use of lacing and buttons allowed a snugger fit to clothing.
In the course of the century the length of female hem-lines progressively reduced, and by the end
of the century it was fashionable for men to omit the long loose over-garment of previous
centuries (whether called tunic, kirtle, or other names) altogether, putting the emphasis on a
tailored top that fell a little below the waist—a silhouette that is still reflected in men's costume
today.Wool was the most important material for clothing, due to its numerous favorable
qualities, such as the ability to take dye and its being a good insulator.
Mens
The innermost layer of clothing were the braies or breeches, a loose undergarment, usually made
of linen, which was held up by a belt. Next came the shirt, which was generally also made of
linen, and which was considered an undergarment, like the breeches. Hose or Chausses made out
of wool were used to cover the legs, and were generally brightly colored, and often had leather
soles, so that they did not have to be worn with shoes. The shorter clothes of the second half of
the century required these to be a single garment like modern tights, whereas otherwise they
were two separate pieces covering the full length of each leg. Hose were generally tied to the
breech belt, or to the breeches themselves, or to a doublet (Buttoned Jacket). An overgown
, tunic, or kirtle was usually worn over the shirt or doublet. As with other outer garments.

2. Women
Over the chemise, women wore a loose or fitted gown called a cotte or Kirtle, usually ankle or
floor-length, and with trains for formal occasions. Fitted kirtles had full skirts made by adding
triangular gores to widen the hem without adding bulk at the waist. Kirtles also had long, fitted
sleeves that sometimes reached down to over the knuckles.
Various sorts of overgowns were worn over the kirtle, and are called by different names by
costume historians. When fitted, this garment is often called a cotehardie (although this usage of
the word has been heavily criticized) and might have hanging sleeves and sometimes worn with
a jeweled or metalworked belt. Over time the hanging part of the sleeve became longer and
narrower until it was the merest streamer, called a tippet, then gaining the floral or leaflike
daggings in the end of the century.
Sleeveless overgowns or tabards derive from the cyclas, an unfitted rectangle of cloth with an
opening for the head that was worn in the 13th century. By the early 14th century, the sides
began to be sewn together, creating a sleeveless overgown or surcoat.
Outdoors, women wore cloaks or mantles, often lined in fur. TheHouupelande was also adopted
by women late in the century. Women invariably wore their Houppelandes floor-length, the
waistline raising up to right underneath the bust, sleeves very wide and hanging, like angel
sleeves.
1400-500 in Fashion
Fashion in 15th century Europe was characterized by a series of extremes and extravagances,
from the voluminous gowns called houppelandes with their sweeping floor-length sleeves to the
revealing doublets and hose of Renaissance. Hats, hoods, and other headdresses assumed
increasing importance, and were swagged, draped, jewelled, and feathered.
As Europe continued to grow more prosperous, the urban middle classes, skilled workers, began
to wear more complex clothes that followed, at a distance, the fashions set by the elites. National
variations in clothing seem on the whole to have increased over the 15th century.
Wool was the most popular fabric for all classes by far, followed by linen and hemp.
Contemporary chroniclers identify the source of the fashion for slashing garments (to reveal a
lining or full undergarment beneath) to the actions of swiss soldiers in the aftermath of the Battle
of Grandson in 1476.Supposedly the Swiss plundered the rich fabrics of the Burgundian nobles
and used the scraps to patch their tattered clothes. In reality, images appear of sleeves with a
single slashed opening as early as mid-15th century, although the German fashion for "many
small all-over slits" may have begun here. Whatever its origin, the fad for multiple slashings
spread to German Landsknechts and thence to France, Italy, and England, where it was to remain
a potent current in fashionable attire into the mid- 17th
century.
Women's fashions of the 15th century consisted of a long gown, usually with sleeves, worn over
a kirtle or undergown, with a linen chemise or smock worn next to the skin. The long-waisted
silhouette of the previous periodwas replaced by a high-waisted style with fullness over the
belly, often confined by a belt. The wide, shallow scooped neckline was replaced by a V-neck,
often cut low enough to reveal the decorated front of the kirtle beneath. The cotehardie fitted
smoothly from the shoulders to the hips and then flared by means of inserted triangular gores. It
featured sleeves tight to the elbow with hanging streamers ortippets. The tight fit was achieved
with lacing or buttons.
The basic costume of men in this period consisted of a shirt, doublet, and hose, with some sort of
overgown (robe worn over clothing).
Linen shirts were worn next to the skin. Toward the end of the period, shirts (French chemise,
Italian camicia, Spanish camisa) began to be full through the body and sleeves with wide, low
necklines; the sleeves were pulled through the slashings or piecing of the doublet sleeves to
make puffs, especially at the elbow and the back of the arm. As the cut of doublets revealed more
fabric, wealthy men's shirts were often decorated with embroidery or applied braid.
Fashion in the period 1500–1550
Fashion in the period 1500–1550 in Western Europe is marked by voluminous clothing worn in
an abundance of layers (one reaction to the cooling temperatures of the Little Ice Age, especially
in Northern Europe and the British Isles). Contrasting fabrics, slashes, embroidery, applied trims,
and other forms of surface ornamentation became prominent. The tall, narrow lines of the late
Medival period were replaced with a wide silhouette, conical for women with breadth at the hips
and broadly square for men with width at the shoulders. Sleeves were a center of attention, and
were puffed, slashed, cuffed, and turned back to reveal contrasting linings
Fashion in the period 1550–1600
Fashion in the period 1550–1600 in Western European clothing was characterized by increased
opulence. Contrasting fabrics, slashes, embroidery, applied trims, and other forms of surface
ornamentation remained prominent. The wide silhouette, conical for women with breadth at the
hips and broadly square for men with width at the shoulders had reach its peak in the 1530s, and
by mid-century a tall, narrow line with a V-shaped waist was back in fashion. Sleeves and
women's skirts then began to widen again, with emphasiis at the shoulder that would continue
into the next century. The characteristic garment of the period was the ruff, which began as a
modest ruffle attached to the neckband of a shirt or smock and grew into a separate garment of
fine linen, trimmed with lace, cutwork or embroidery, and shaped into crisp, precise folds with
starch and heated irons.

3. Fashion in the period 1600–1650 in Western European clothing is characterized by the
disappearance of the ruff in favour of broad lace or linen collars. Waistlines rose through the
period for both men and women. Other notable fashions included full, slashed sleeves and tall or
broad hats with brims. For men, hose disappeared in favour of breeches.
Fashion in the period 1650–1700
Fashion in the period 1650–1700 in Western European clothing is characterized by rapid
change. Following the end of the Thirty Years War and the Restoration of England’s Charles II,
military influences in men's clothing were replaced by a brief period of decorative exuberance
which then sobered into the coat, waistcoat and breeches costume that would reign for the next
century and a half. In the normal cycle of fashion, the broad, high-waisted silhouette of
the previous period was replaced by a long, lean line with a low waist for both men and women.
This period also marked the rise of the periwig as an essential item of men's fashion. The wide,
high-waisted look of the previous period was gradually superseded by a long vertical line, with
horizontal emphasis at the shoulder. Full, loose sleeves ended just below the elbow at mid
century and became longer and tighter in keeping with the new trend. The body was
tightly corseted, with a low, broad neckline and dropped shoulder. In later decades,
the overskirt was drawn back and pinned up to display the petticoat, which was heavily
decorated.
Fashion in the period 1700–1750
Fashion in the period 1700–1750 in European and European-influenced countries is
characterized by a widening silhouette for both men and women following the tall, narrow look
of the 1680s and 90s. Wigs remained essential for men of substance, and were often white;
natural hair was powdered to achieve the fashionable look.
Sleeves were bell- or trumpet-shaped, and caught up at the elbow to show the frilled or lace-
trimmed sleeves of the shift(chemise)) beneath. Sleeves became narrower as the period
progressed, with a frill at the elbow, and elaborate separate ruffles
called engageantes were tacked to the shift sleeves, in a fashion that would persist into the 1770s.
Strings of pearls, ribbons, or lace frills were tied high on the neck.
Fashion in the years 1750–1775
Fashion in the years 1750–1775 in European countries and North America was characterized by
greater abundance, elaboration and intricacy in clothing designs, loved by the Rococo artistic
trends of the period. The French and English styles of fashion were very different from one
another. French style was defined by elaborate court dress, colourful and rich in decoration, worn
by such iconic fashion figures as Marie Antoinette. After reaching their maximum size in the
1750s, hoop began to reduce in size, but remained being worn with the most formal dresses, and
were sometimes replaced with side-hoops, or panniers. Hairstyles were equally elaborate, with
tall headdresses the distinctive fashion of the 1770s. For men, waistcoats and breeches of
previous decades continued to be fashionable. English style was defined by simple practical
garments, made of inexpensive and durable fabrics, catering towards a leisurely outdoor lifestyle.
These lifestyles were also portrayed through the differences in portraiture. The French preferred
indoor scenes where they could demonstrate their affinity for luxury in dress and lifestyle. The
English, on the other hand, were more "egalitarian" in tastes, thus their portraits tended to depict
the sitter in outdoor scenes and pastoral attire.
Fashion in the period 1795–1820 in European and European-influenced countries saw the final
triumph of undress or informal styles over the brocades, lace, periwig, and powder of the
earlier 18th century. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, no one wanted to appear to be a
member of the French Aristocracy (class), and people began using clothing more as a form of
individual expression of the true-self than as a pure indication of social status. As a result, the
shifts that occurred in fashion at the turn of the 18th to 19th century granted people the
opportunity to present new public exterior identities that provided insights into their individual
private selves. Katherine Aaslestad indicates how "...fashion, embodying new social values,
emerged as a key site of confrontation between tradition and change." For women's dress, the
day to day outfit of the skirt and jacket style were practical and tactful, recalling the working
class woman. Women's fashions followed classical ideals, and tightly laced corsets were
temporarily abandoned in favor of a high-waisted, natural figure.This natural figure was
emphasized by being able to see the body beneath the clothing. Visible breasts were part of this
classical look, and some characterized the breasts in fashion as solely aesthetic and sexual.
In Britain, Beau Brummell introduced trousers, perfect tailoring, and unadorned, immaculate
Linen as the ideals of men's fashion. In Germany, republican city-states relinquished their
traditional, modest, and practical garments and started to embrace the French and English
fashion trends of short-sleeved chemise dresses and Spencer jackets.American fashion trends
emulated French dress, but in a toned down manner with shawls and tunics to cope with the
sheerness of the chemise. However, in Spain, members of the Aristocracy, as well as citizens of
the lower class, united and rebelled against French enlightenment ideals and fashion by dressing
as majas and majos to contain their Spanish pride.

4. By the end of the eighteenth century, a major shift in fashion was taking place that extended
beyond changes in mere style to changes in philosophical and social ideals. Prior to this time, the
style and traditions of the “ancien-regime” prevented the conceptualization of “the self”. Instead,
one’s identity was considered malleable; subject to change depending on what clothes one was
wearing. However, by the 1780s, the new, “natural” style allowed one’s inner self to transcend
their clothes. During the 1790s, there was a new concept of the internal and external self. Before
this time, there had only been one self, which was expressed through clothing. When going to a
masquerade ball, people wore specific clothing, so they could not show their individuality
though their clothing. Since, for everyday dress, most people wore similar clothing, people used
accessories to show their individuality. These accessories and the detail on the clothing were
more important than the shape of the dress. Incorporated in this new “natural” style was the
importance of ease and comfort of ones dress. Not only was there a new emphasis on hygiene,
but also clothing became much lighter and more able to be changed and washed frequently. Even
upper class women began wearing cropped dresses as opposed to dresses with long trains or
hoops that restricted them from leaving their homes. In a sense, women were influenced by male
fashion, such as tailored waistcoats and jackets to emphasize women’s mobility. This new
movement toward practicality of dress showed that dress no longer was a way to categorize
between classes or genders; dress was meant to suit ones personal daily routine.
During the 1820s in European and European-influenced countries, fashionable women's clothing
styles transitioned away from the classically-influenced "Empire"/"Regency" styles of ca. 1795-
1820 (with their relatively unconfining empire silhouette) and re-adopted elements that had been
characteristic of most of the 18th century (and were to be characteristic of the remainder of the
19th century), such as full skirts and clearly visible corseting of the natural waist.
The silhouette of men's fashion changed in similar ways: by the mid-1820s coats featured broad
shoulders with puffed sleeves, a narrow waist, and full skirts. Trousers were worn for smart day
wear, while breeches continued in use at court and in the country.
1830s fashion in European and European-influenced clothing is characterized by an emphasis
on breadth, initially at the shoulder and later in the hips, in contrast to the narrower silhouettes
that had predominated between 1800 and the 1820s.
Women's costume featured larger sleeves than were worn in any period before or since, which
were accompanied by elaborate hairstyles and large hats.
The final months of the 1830s saw the proliferation of a revolutionary new technology-
photography. Hence, the infant industry of photographic portraiture preserved for history a few
rare, but invaluable, first images of human beings—and therefore also preserved our earliest, live
peek into "fashion in action"—and its impact on everyday life and society as a whole.
The prevalent trend of Romanticism from the 1820s through the mid-1840s, with its emphasis on
strong emotion as a source of aesthetic experience and its recognition of the picturesque, was
reflected in fashion as in other arts. Items of historical dress including
neck ruffs, ferronieres (jeweled headbands worn across the forehead), and sleeves based on
styles of earlier periods were popular.
Innovations in roller printing on textiles introduced new dress fabrics. Rich colors such as
the Turkey red of the 1820s were still found,but delicate floral prints on light backgrounds were
increasingly popular. More precise printing eliminated the need for dark outlines on printed
designs, and new green dyes appeared in patterns of grasses, ferns, and unusual florals.
Combinations of florals and stripes were fashionable.
Overall, both men's and women's fashion showed width at the shoulder above a tiny waist. Men's
coats were padded in the shoulders and across the chest, while women's shoulders sloped to huge
sleeves.
1840s fashion in European and European-influenced clothing is characterized by a narrow,
natural shoulder line following the exaggerated puffed sleeves of the later and 1830s. The
narrower shoulder was accompanied by a lower waistline for both men and women.
1850s fashion in Western and Western-influenced clothing is characterized by an increase in the
width of women's skirts supported by crinolines or hoops, and the beginnings of dress reform
1860s fashion in European and European-influenced clothing is characterized by extremely full-
skirted women's fashions relying on crinoline and hoops and the emergence of "alternative
fashions" under the influence of the Artistic Dress movement.
In men's fashion, the three-piece ditti suit of sack coat, waistcoat, and trousers in the same fabric
emerged as a novelty.
1870s fashion in European and European-influenced clothing is characterized by a gradual
return to a narrow silhouette after the full-skirted fashions of the 1850 and 1860s.
Fashion in the 1880s in European and European-influenced countries is characterized by the
return of the bustle. The long, lean line of the 1870s was replaced by a full, curvy silhouette with
gradually widening shoulders. Fashionable waists were low and tiny below a full, low bust
supported by a corset. The Rational Dress Society was founded in 1881 in reaction to the
extremes of fashionable corsetry.

5. Fashion in the 1890s in European and European-influenced countries is characterized by long
elegant lines, tall collars, and the rise of sportswear.
Fashion in the period 1900–1909 in European and European-influenced countries continued the
long elegant lines of the 1890s. Tall, stiff collars characterize the period, as do women's broad
hats and full "Gibson Girl" hairstyles. A new, columnar silhouette introduced by
the couturiers of Paris late in the decade signaled the approaching abandonment of the corset as
an indispensable garment of fashionable women.
Fashion in the years 1910–1919 is characterized by a rich and exotic opulence in the first half
of the decade in contrast with the somber practicality of garments worn during the Great War.
Men's trousers were worn cuffed to ankle-length and creased. Skirts rose from floor length to
well above the ankle, women began to bob their hair, and the stage was set for the radical new
fashions associated with the Jazz Age of the 1920s.
The 1920s is the decade in which fashion entered the modern era. It was the decade in which
women first abandoned the more restricting fashions of past years and began to wear more
comfortable clothes (such as short skirts or trousers). Men also abandoned highly formal daily
attire and even began to wear athletic clothing for the first time. The suits men wear today are
still based, for the most part, on those worn in the late 1920s. The 1920s are characterized by two
distinct periods of fashion. In the early part of the decade, change was slow, as many were
reluctant to adopt new styles. From 1925, the public passionately embraced the styles associated
with the Roaring Twenties. These styles continue to characterize fashion until early in 1932.
The most characteristic North American fashion trend from the 1930s to the end of World
War IIwas attention at the shoulder, with butterfly sleeves and banjo sleeves, and exaggerated
shoulder pads for both men and women by the 1940s. The period also saw the first widespread
use of man-made fibres, especially rayon for dresses and viscose for linings and lingerie, and
synthetic nylon stockings. The zipper became widely used. These essentially U.S. developments
were echoed, in varying degrees, in Britain and Europe. Suntans (called at the time "sunburns")
became fashionable in the early 1930s, along with travel to the resorts along the Mediterranean,
in the Bahamas, and on the east coast of Florida where one could acquire a tan, leading to new
categories of clothes: white dinner jackets for men and beach pajamas, halter tops, and bare
midriffs for women.
Fashion trendsetters in the period included The Prince of Wales (Edward VIII from January 1936
until his abdication that December) and his companion Wallis Simpson (the Duke and Duchess
of Windsor from their marriage in June 1937) and such Hollywood movie stars as Fred
Astaire, Carole Lombard and Joan Crawford.
Fashion in the years following World War II is characterized by the resurgence of haute
couture after the austerity of the war years. Square shoulders and short skirts were replaced by
the soft femininity of Christian Dior's "New Look" silhouette, with its sweeping longer skirts,
fitted waist, and rounded shoulders, which in turn gave way to an unfitted, structural look in the
later 1950s.
Innovations in textile technology following the war resulted in new synthetic fabrics and easy-
care fabric finishes that fitted the suburban lifestyle of the 1950s with its emphasis on
casual sportswear for both men and women. For the first time, teenagers became a force in
fashion.
The 1960s featured a number of diverse trends. It was a decade that broke many fashion
traditions, mirroring social movements during the period. In the middle of the decade, culottes,
box-shaped PVC dresses and go-go boots were popular. The widely popular bikini came into
fashion in 1963 after being featured in the musical Beach Party.
Mary Quant invented the mini-skirt, and Jackie Kennedy introduced the pillbox hat, both
becoming extremely popular. False eyelashes were worn by women throughout the 1960s, and
their hairstyles were a variety of lengths and styles. While focusing on colors and tones,
accessories were less of an importance during the sixties. People were dressing in psychedelic
prints, highlighter colours, and mismatched patterns. The hippie movement late in the decade
also exerted a strong influence on ladies' clothing styles, including bell-bottom jeans, tie-dye,
and batik fabrics, as well as paisley prints.
In the early-to-mid-1960s, the London Modernists known as the Mods were shaping and defining
popular fashion for young British men while the trends for both changed more frequently than
ever before in the history of fashion and would continue to do so throughout the decade.
Designers were producing clothing more suitable for young adults which lead to an increase in
interests and sales.
1970s fashion, which began with a continuation of the mini skirts, bell-bottoms and
the androgynous hippie look from the late 1960s, was soon sharply characterized by several
distinct fashion trends that have left an indelible image of the decade commemorated in popular
culture. These include platform shoes which appeared on the fashion scene in 1971 and often had
soles two to four inches thick. Both men and women wore them. Wide-legged, flared jeans and
trousers were another fashion mainstay for both sexes throughout most of the decade, and this
style has been immortalized in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, which starred John Travolta.
The "disco look", complete with three-piece suits for men and rayon or jersey wrap dresses for
women, which the film further popularized, lasted until it was gradually replaced by punk
fashion and straight, cigarette-legged jeans. Platform shoes gave way to mules and ankle-
strapped shoes, both reminiscent of the 1940s, at the very end of the decade.
1980’s
The short, tight spandex mini skirt was a popular fashion item for young women in the second
half of the 1980s.

6. The 1990s was the genesis of two sweeping shifts in Western fashion: the beginning of
the rejection of fashion which continued into the 2000s among a large section of the population,
and the beginning of the adoption of tattoos body piercings aside from ear piercing and to a
lesser extent, other forms of body modification such as branding. This started the indifferent,
anti-conformist approach to fashion which was popular throughout the 1990s, leading to the
popularization of the casual chic look, including T-shirts, jeans, hoodies, and trainers.
2000-2009
The 2000s are often described as a "mash-up" decade, where trends saw the fusion of previous
styles, global and ethnic clothing, as well as the fashions of numerous music-based subcultures,
especially indie pop. Many in the industry have noted the lack of divide between the 1990s and
early-2000s due to the continued popularity of minimalist fashion among young people of both
sexes. For the most part, the mid-late 2000s did not have one particular style but recycled vintage
clothing styles from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1980s.
The early 2010s (2010–present) have thus far been defined by a revival of interwar, Austerity
era, 1980s, and (from late 2012 onwards) early 1990s fashions. In the early 2010s, many mid and
late 2000s fashions remain popular, especially the indie pop look which largely drew
upon 1960s Mod clothing combined with elements of 1970s garage rock and
contemporary alternative fashion.