Fashion, the way people express themselves through outfits and styles, is an important necessity that is incorporated into everybody’s regular daily basis. Whether you decide to wear sweatpants with a hoodie and messy hair, or even if you want to wear fancy clothes with cool accessories and dazzling shoes, you are always including fashion in your life.

Fashion has roots dating back to 3100 BC, when fashion was simply knit shawls and sheet dresses. Considering how long fashion has been a staple to the world, it makes us wonder how fashion has evolved over the years, and what people think about the past fashion styles.

Ancient Egyptian Era 3100 B.C. – 332 B.C.

The Ancient Egyptian Era had a very simple and minimalistic fashion style. Many people in this era wore white linen fabrics, often accessorized with bright and colorful jewelry. These accessories usually had bright-colored stones and precious, shiny metals. You may approach jewelers in huntington, ny to find a specific jewelry you desire.

These styles of clothing were usually unisex, meaning they were worn by both men and women. Clothes worn by people around this time were usually light, comfortable, and allowed people to do activities easily without having to get changed.

Avery Shluker, a sophomore at Roxbury High School, believes that this era of fashion looks, “cute but a bit basic.” Shluker continues, “the clothes look bright and comfortable. Plus, I like the brightly colored gems. However, it does look a bit expensive.” Even though this style of clothing seems basic to people of today, it was actually seen as normal fashion and sometimes even higher-class fashion.

Renaissance (14th-17th Century)

The Renaissance Era fashion styles usually consisted of ornamental flourishes like feathers, lace, and gems. People in this era wore fancy clothing most of the time; however, this type of clothing was considered “everyday clothing” or “normal clothing” to people during this time. 

As for women’s fashion, they usually wore dresses that were full and flowy. Sometimes they would wear layers upon layers of clothing. These layers were detachable, meaning that they could change types of sleeves, skirts, corsets, and any other part of their dress to save money and have endless styles.

Additionally, men during this time wore “tunics or shirts, with breeches of some kind,” Renfair.com states. They would also typically wear long coats that were known as goans, which were primarily made of velvet fur. Men in the higher class would also add puffy sleeves to their outfits to demonstrate their power and virtue.

Isabella Contreras, a sophomore at Roxbury High School, believes that this era of fashion is “very old and antique.” However, she continues to say that she “loves how elegant it looks.” Despite the elegance of this kind of fashion, Contreras does state that, “it looks like it could feel uncomfortable and heavy to wear.” She builds off of this and says how “the weight of the clothing can weigh them down considering how heavy it is.”

Victorian Era (1837-1901)

The Victorian Era has a very similar fashion style to the Renaissance Era. People during this time period wore voluminous skirts with hoop underwiring, and short front tailcoats with white, linen shirts. Sleeves on clothing were usually found to be tighter at the top and wider around the wrists, which is the opposite compared to Renaissance sleeves – since they were puffy around the top and thin around the bottom.

Looking at this Era from today’s perspective, Gabriel Farkas, a sophomore at Roxbury High School, states that, “the clothing is very elegant and cool.” Farkas continues off of this and says that he, “would love to dress up like that every day and for this style to be considered ‘normal’ for everyone to wear.” Farkas’s favorite part about this style is the “puffiness” of the clothing.

Swinging 60’s

The Swinging 60s was a fashion era full of bright colors and big, bulky accessories. Unlike the other fashion eras, this time period didn’t have only one specific type of clothing for men and women. For example, women were usually seen wearing mini skirts, iconic bell-bottom jeans, funky pattern dresses, and even big and fuzzy sweaters. For men, they usually wore polo shirts, bulk turtle necks, spear point collars, and tab collars. Some button-down shirts worn by men during this time were covered with fabric, which was popular with the modernists in the 60’s.

In addition to this, Maggie Mason, a freshman at Roxbury High School, states how this style of clothing is “very cute and bright!” However, despite its pretty colors and beauty, Mason continues that it “looks boxy plus has too many patterns.” Avery Shluker agrees with Mason and states that “the patterns are very bold, plus are on like almost every piece of clothing.”

1970-1980s

During the 1970s and 1980s, there were a variety of different styles.

For example, people used to wear skinny jeans which were often ripped and held together with safety pins, and often paired this with a basic shirt and leather accessories; this kind of clothing is known as Punk style clothing. 

Even though many people of this time did wear “punk-like” clothes, not everyone wore this kind of clothing. Some people during this time stuck with the bright colors and vibrant patterns. People would wear flare/mom jeans with saturated colors and button-downs. Many people during this time stuck to the fashion trends of the previous eras, however others completely reversed their styles.

To discuss the bright color and outgoing clothing, Sammy Landis states how “these people look like Barbie Dolls straight from the Barbie movie.” Landis continues off of this and states that “they have lots of colors, but it does look quite comfortable.” 

Looking at the Punk part of this time, Becca Corrado, sophomore at Roxbury High School, states how this style is, “a bit concerning since they look a bit sad and depressed.” Corrado believes that this style was “very dark and emo.” 

Contemporary Fashion (2000’s+)

Finally, we have made it to the present day! It is pretty clear that the fashion trends of the past eras are completely different from the fashion trends of today. For example, today’s fashion usually consists of more basic clothing such as leggings, sweatpants, hoodies, and more. People don’t take fashion as seriously as people did in the past. 

Even though the majority of clothing styles are very plain, oftentimes people wear fancier clothes, such as dresses, jeans, dress shirts, tuxedos, etc. Not only do people wear fancy and plain clothing, but also wear athletic clothing. Maddy Anderson, sophomore at Roxbury High School, states how “many people are very into athletic clothing.” Anderson continues to state her opinion about this era, and mentions how she “enjoys the comfort of today’s clothing.” 

Conclusion

The fashion trends and styles have had a massive transformation over the years. From people wearing sheer dresses and shawls, to sweatpants and jeans, fashion has experienced an extreme evolution. It is very interesting to see how fashion styles have evolved over the years, and it is even more exciting to see what the future holds for fashion.