Why You Should Study Fashion History

Fashion history is often overlooked.

Have you ever heard of fashion history? I didn’t, not until I went into fashion school. Suddenly a whole new world opened up for me, as someone obsessed with history and the idea of objects we pass down as a form of cultural inheritance. In my business classes, we learned that fashion was often a cycle of repeating the same trends, because nothing is truly original anymore, and it didn’t really make sense until I finally took a fashion history class my very last semester. I loved that class, but, unfortunately, it was too late for me to take more classes in this field.

By being able to date a garment and notice what fabrics, details, and silhouettes are being used in its construction, you are able to learn something deeper about the culture where that dress came from. You can understand if it was a wealthy time, full of trade and abundance, or if it was a socially conservative time, such as Regency in England. As a historian, if you’re lacking obvious clues, fashion is a subtle clue and another key to the puzzle.

Fashion also is a major influence in the culture itself; we often judge the people around us based on the clothes they were. And thus, the fashion of the time can completely change the course of history on a sociocultural context. This is what I learned from my fashion history class, which was specifically a costume history in film. When looking at how certain stars, such as Audrey Hepburn or Greta Garbo, existed in the clothes they wore, it completely changed the business. Something Kay Francis wore in a 1932 movie could completely change the inventory of what was being sold in the department stores at the time. Fashion, makeup, and accessories trends were dictated by the elite in the industry, thus influencing the way women dressed, acted, and interacted with each other.

Into clothes? Looking for a branch of history to study? Fashion history is a legitimate field, one seen by the legendary Valerie Steele, who is the chief curator at the FIT Museum. People tend to look down on fashion, but it is actually quite interesting—regardless of the sexist undertones of this distaste people have. Definitely look into Textiles programs, as well as the Master’s program at FIT for Fashion History, Theory, and Culture.