Part I: 1858–1920

1850s

In her magazine, the Lily, American feminist Amelia Bloomer promotes the comfort of "bloomers," a simple flaring skirt over Turkish-style trousers.

1858

Englishman Charles Worth establishes first haute couture fashion house in Paris

1906

Paul Poiret establishes fashion house; creates harem pants; first couturier to launch perfume, “Rosina”

1913

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel opens boutique in Deauville, France; revolutionizes and democratizes women's fashion with tailored suits, chain-belted jerseys, quilted handbags; the most copied fashion designer in history

1914-1918

World War I prompts women to work in factories, offices; women wear pants; military cut influences clothes

Circa 1920

Women participate in sports, prompting new styles, including the “flapper”

Early 20s

Madeleine Vionnet creates flowing, feminine clothes, including the chiffon handkerchief dress; creates cowl neck, halter top; sets trends in 1930s

Mid 20s

Popularity of rayon causes decline in use of cotton

1926

Knee-length hemlines mark new high

Late 20s

Elsa Schiaparelli opens Paris boutique; pioneers use of zippers, shoulder pads, unusual buttons; favors bright colors, including “shocking pink”

Part II: 1930–1968

1930

Hemlines drop; then gradually rise

Alix “Madame” Grès becomes famous for elegant draped dresses

1940-1945

World War II forces many Paris couture houses to close

1947

Christian Dior reestablishes Paris as fashion center; revives haute couture; replaces wartime austerity with the glamour of the “New Look” with tight waist, stiff petticoats, billowing skirts

1950

Shoes have pointed toes, stiletto heels

1954

Cristóbal Balenciaga introduces “semi-fit” dresses with soft, round shoulders; is the classic designer of the 1950s

Early 1960s

Pierre Cardin becomes first designer to license his name for various products; is first to create ready-to-wear lines

London boutique owner Mary Quant champions the youth movement; introduces mini-skirt, hot pants; launches Twiggy as supermodel; becomes 1960s most influential 1960s designer

1962

Yves St. Laurent opens fashion house; often uses ethnic inspirations; remains most classic modern designer, heir to Chanel, Balenciaga

Mid 1960s

Influenced by rock music, “Mod” scene makes London major fashion center with fun, revolutionary clothes: bell bottoms, psychedelic prints, wild colors, dresses made of vinyl, paper, cellophane, metal, covered in mirrors; go-go boots; ruffled shirts for men; Nehru jackets; fur vests

Rudi Gernreich creates “radical” fashion—topless swimsuit, see-through blouse, “no bra” look

Calvin Klein begins producing elegant, simple clothes, favoring neural earth tones and luxurious fabrics

1968

Ralph Lauren creates men's wear line; expands into women's wear; favors natural fabrics; designs feature western or country motifs

Part III: 1970–1990

1970

Known as Halston, Roy Halston Frowick dominates 1970s with pantsuits, sweater sets, form-fitting dresses, knit wear

1974

Giorgio Armani creates men's wear line; popularizes Italian tailoring

1979

Claude Montana founds couture house; specializes in leather

Early 1980s

Japanese “school” of designers, including Issey Miyake, Kenzo, Rei Kawakubo, Hanae Mori, enjoy major couture success

1981

The Malden Mills company invents Polarfleece. The soft, quick-drying fabric, made partly from recycled plastic, makes bundling up cozier than ever.

1984

Donna Karan launches line of versatile, casual knits; favors black

Through music videos, Cyndi Lauper shows the world her wacky, colorful look-part vintage, part punk-and helps make thrift shopping the new frontier of chic.

1990s

“Anything goes” emerges as fashion credo

1993

The Council of Fashion Designers of America begins Fashion Week in New York City. Fashion Week is a biannual event for designers to show off their latest fashion collections.

Late 1990s

Alexander McQueen emerges as daring new designer; features cozy, romantic designs, dresses looking like quilt blankets, rabbit-skin dresses; favors highly theatrical fashion shows, models parade in rings of fire, get doused with paint or water, skate on real ice

Stella McCartney, at Cloé fashion house gains following with daring new designs

2004

Project Runway, the Peabody award winning and Emmy-nominated show premiers on Bravo. Fashion model Heidi Klum hosts this fashion-competition reality series.