One year prior to her retirement, Madame Paquin (1869 - 1936) was asked by the U.S Army to help with a particular element of uniform design.
The military influence on feminine fashion predates the conflict of 1914-1918 by a long shot and the evidence of this is undeniable. These 1918 fashion illustrations show the influence that the war was having on American designers during the final year of W.W. I.
Click here to read about the fashion legacy of W.W. I...
To read about one of the fashion legacies of W.W. II, click here...
Click here to read about the origins of the T-shirt.
By the Spring of 1915, the women of Paris, having seen that the Great War was not going away anytime soon, decided that it was time to add some gaiety into their wardrobe. Steadily - since the August of the previous year, there had been such bad news and although the rationing of fabric continued, there was still much available for the asking.
Click to read about the U.S. fabric rationing during W.W. II.
Ignoring the general unpleasantness taking place outside of town, the taste-makers of Paris soldiered-on as best they could, creating garments for the summer of 1916 that were both original and feminine and bore the mark of Paris' characteristic opulence.
Click here to read about the New York fashions of 1916.
Six fashionable illustrations from Harper's Bazaar of the Fall hats for 1918:
"Paris is exceedingly critical in regard to hats even in wartime, and the new ones are most interesting. Black velvet of course is rampant, and Marie Louise especially is using much much black panne velvet..."
This wartime fashion review makes one passing reference to the millinery efforts of Coco Channel.
Printed in 1919, the editors of ALMANACH HACHETTE published this single page overview of the feminine fashions that appeared on the streets of Paris during the war years.
1916 was a poor year if you happened to be a German sailor off the coast of Denmark; it was a simply awful year if you were in the infantry on the Somme or near Verdun; but if you were an American fellow enjoying his nation's neutrality and you happened at some point to have been shopping for the the perfect riding suit on Madison Avenue, then OldMagazineArticles.com is quite certain that 1916 was a great year for you! Attached, you will find a wonderful article about the 1916 offerings for the horseback riding man.
If you would like to read another article about men's equestrian attire, please click here.
Six very fine fashion drawings illustrate what was generally perceived to be the chic silhouette during the August of 1918.
"There may be some women who can get along without satin frocks, but it is exceedingly doubtful.."
The Paris Victory Parade celebrating the end of the 1914 - 1918 war was a long awaited and much anticipated fashion event and Mme. Parisienne was not going to miss it for all the crepe de Chin in China. This VOGUE correspondent contrasted the Paris that existed a short time earlier, the gray, deserted Paris with the Paris of the 1919 Victory Parade and notes how eager the natives were to recreate that mirthful, light-hearted Paris of 1913 that they all remembered so well. There is a great sense of joie de vivre throughout the article, but it very rapidly becomes a laundry list concerning who-wore-what-where.
Assorted dry observations regarding what the women of Gotham were sporting that last American Spring of peace (Congress would declare war on Germany during the April of 1917).
The Paris fashion world that thrived during the August of 1914 was rightfully intrigued by the chic creations conjured up by the House of Worth, Drécoll, and Mme Paquin.
