Katlyn KniceleyAPPD. 1151

Intro To Fashion MerchandisingFinal Project

“The Full Skirt”

What is a “Full Skirt”?

1. Noun – a long skirt gathered at the waist.

A garment hanging from the waist; mainly worn by girls and women.

Charles Frederick Worth - FATHER OF COUTURE -

“Charles Frederick Worth, the designer who dominated Parisian fashion in the latter half of the nineteenth century, was born in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England, on October 13,

1825”

“Prize-winning designs displayed in the Great Exhibition in London (1851) and the Exposition Universelle in Paris (1855). Worth opened his own firm with a business partner

in 1858.”

“Worth built his design house into a huge business during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. His sons, Gaston-Lucien and Jean-Philippe, took over their father's business following his death in 1895 The house flourished during the sons' tenure and into the 1920s. The great fashion dynasty finally came to an end in 1952 when Charles Frederick Worth's great-grandson, Jean-Charles, retired from the family business.”

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/wrth/hd_wrth.htm

Charles Frederick Worth Work

“Worth's designs are notable for his use of lavish fabrics and trimmings, his incorporation of elements of historic dress, and his attention to fit. While the designer still created one-of-a-kind pieces for his most important clients, he is especially known for preparing a variety of designs that were shown on live models at the House of Worth. Clients made their selections and had garments tailor-made in Worth's workshop.”

Christian Dior

• Christian Dior’s new collection went down in fashion history as the "New Look" after the editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazzare Carmel Snow exclaimed, "It's such a New Look!“ The silhouette was characterized by a small, nipped-in waist and a full skirt falling below mid-calf length, which emphasized the bust and hips, as epitomized by the 'Bar' suit from the first collection. At a time of post-war fabric restrictions, Dior used up to twenty yards of extravagant fabrics for his creations, favoring the luxury textiles of Robert Perrier. The New Look became extremely popular, its full-skirted silhouette influencing other fashion designers well into the 1950s, and Dior gained a number of prominent clients from Hollywood, the United States, and the European aristocracy. As a result, Paris, which had fallen from its position as the capital of the fashion world after WWII, regained its preeminence. The New Look was welcomed in western Europe as a refreshing antidote to the austerity of wartime and de-feminizing uniforms, and was embraced by stylish women such as Princess Margaret in the UK.”

• ”While the House of Dior is still a thriving business today, Dior's untimely death in 1957 left the fashion world without a great dictator of style. Christian Dior designed under his own name for only a decade, but his influence will be felt for many years to come.”

“Christian Dior was a French couturier, best known for his eponymous fashion house which is often referred to as just Dior.”

Christian Dior Work

(From left to right) 1.) Christian Dior and Grace Kelly, 2.)Sophia Loren wearing Christian Dior dress, 3.) Grace Kelly’s Paris dress in the movie “Rear Window”, 4.) Christian Dior 2012 Runway show in Paris.

• “The New Look shape of 1947 carried over into the skirts worn in the ‘50s. They were tight at the natural waist and were either very full or very fitted. They are very figure flattering and really fun to wear which is why 1950s skirts are a must have items in any vintage fashion lover’s wardrobe. ”• “The full skirt was popular because it was flattering. The fullness hid big hips and

made waists look smaller. The fuller the skirt the more magic it had on slimming waistlines. Adding a wide cinch belt over the skirt band created an even more “wasp waist” look. ”• “Skirts came in long or mid shin lengths. Floor length skirts were the most popular

for lounging at home or in formal wear settings. The mid shin length was the most common length for anything from housework to dancing.”

(Source) http://vintagedancer.com/1950s/1950s-fashion-history-skirts/

Full Skirt: Introduction to Society

• Bell: The shape of this dress resembles the shape of a bell. It is mostly seen in the skirt with its gently rounded slopes.

• This was the starting silhouette of the full skirt in the 19th century – Charles Frederick Worth.

• The Bell Silhouette is still commonly used today especially in wedding gowns and dresses designed for special events or dances.

(Source) http://aristasia-central.com/heartbook/adelaide/2012/04/silhouettes-for-dresses-and-skirts/

Silhouette

Downward Flow Fashion Theory:

• I would consider the Fashion flow of a full skirt to be apart of the Downward Flow (trickle down effect) Theory. Like the graph shows, the full skirt design starts out in Haute Couture, then trickles down through Luxury Fashion, Bridge Bands, Diffusion Lines, High Street, then Economy brands.

A-Line Silhouette

(From left to right) 1.) Jessica Alba – short full skirt2.) Zendaya Coleman – long full skirt3.) Garcelle Beauvais – midi full skirt.  (Source) http://hellobeautiful.com/2014/08/13/where-to-buy-long-full-skirts/

“A-Line: A dress with a less then defined waist that flares out as the legs of the letter “A” do.”(Source)http://aristasia-central.com/heartbook/adelaide/2012/04/silhouettes-for-dresses-and-skirts/

Circle Silhouette• “The circle skirt was the least bulky of the full skirts. The pattern was

cut form one very large square piece in the shape of a doughnut. The inside circle was the waist measurement and the outside circle created the fullness. The skirts hang beautifully in drapes that swing with movement. You can understand why they were so popular with the teen dancing set. They are also easy to make”

Crinoline Silhouette• Crinoline: Full skirts with an underskirt made of

tulles or other stiff materials.

• Full skirts can come in a range of many color choices. Better quality fabrics and threads most be used in order to help create the “full” effect of the skirt.

• Techniques such as pleating, rouching, and gathering are also used to give definition and fullness to these pieces.• Couture designers use many embellishments, embroidery, beads, sequins, and other fine details in order to create more special effects

to the pieces they design.

Details. Color. Texture

There are many celebrities who love to sport the classy trend of wearing a full skirt. Taylor swift has always been known for her “red lip” classy style and does really well at wearing short, full skirts. Audrey Hepburn is a historical icon for having a classy, lady-like fashion which normally incorporated full skirts. Adelle is one of the most notorious voices of our century. She portrays a classy look in every piece of her musical artwork and personal style. The fuller skirts really flatter her curvy figure as well. Last but not least, Anne Hathaway. This is a celebrity I have always admired for her classic beauty and true feminine fashion choices. She has been seen out wearing full skirts multiple times.

Celebrities

Special Events and Dances

The full skirt design will most definitely be seen at special events or dances like prom, the Oscar’s, The Grammy’s, Met Gala Ball, and presidential inaugurations.(From left to right) 1.) Model for a Prom 2015 collection, 2.) Rihanna at the Grammy’s, 3.) Jennifer Lopez at the Ocar’s.

The full skirt has definitely taken a large role in the wedding gown industry. Here, designer Vera Wang has correlated the affect into her wedding gowns. Wang is notorious for her beautiful, detailed wedding gowns and has many celebrity clients including Kim Kardashian and Kate Hudson.

Wedding Gowns

Both women are wearing wedding downs designed by the infamous Vera Wang1.) Kim Kardashian- https://thediaryqueen.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/vera-wang-bridal-gown-creation-for-kim-kardashian/2.) Kate  Hudson- http://rachaelmcpherson.com/2014/01/our-visit-to-vera-wang-bridal-to-try-on-wedding-dresses/

Many other modern day, major fashion designers have adopted the full skirt into their regular seasonal lines. (From left to right) 1.) Alexander McQueen, 2.) Betsey Johnson 3.) Michael Kors.

Other Major Designers

Bridge & Better Markets

Many Bridge and Better markets have incorporated the full skirt affect into their own design lines as well. Here, we see the fuller silhouettes trickling down into modern day society trends. I chose to feature the plus size department to prove that even in that market (a smaller one than regular women’s wear) you will see this classic piece is here to stay. (From left to right) 1.) Current day Macy’s full skirt selection, 2.) Christina Mendez modeling for Ashley Stewart’s line, 3.) Current day Lane Bryant’s full skirt selection.

I thoroughly enjoyed researching and creating a presentation on the classic piece of the full skirt. Considering this piece has been apart of fashion industry since the beginning of haute

couture, I feel confident in saying that the full skirt is here to stay. I also enjoyed learning facts and how the birth of some of the famous design houses came about – House of Worth and

Dior. It was also interesting to learn how history incorporated heavily into the effect of what fashions were embraced or because of resources - could even be offered. I also noticed how implanted the full skirt is in fashion design all around – and we go everyday seeing it without even fully recognizing it. It is almost like it is expected or “natural” for society to predict that

will be in design lines.Overall, I have a new admiration for the full skirt and I have even been browsing through

shopping sites to see what silhouettes go best with my body type and what kind of styles I like the most.

The full skirt is here to stay!

Here to stay…

• Slide 1- http://www.justthedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Full-Skirts12.jpg

• Slide 2 - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Portrait_of_Charles_Frederick_Worth_aged_30.jpg

• Slide 3 - http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/h2/h2_C.I.49.3.25a,b.jpg

• Slide 5-  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Dior_SE, http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/biographies/christian-dior, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dior/hd_dior.htm ,

• Slide 6- http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/03/16/article-1258314-08219D7A000005DC-211_634x654.jpg, https://www.google.com/search?q=circle+skirt&espv=2&biw=1067&bih=533&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjR1LS5xdnJAhWEwiYKHTtHBLkQ_AUIBygC#tbm=isch&q=christian+dior+full+skirt+1950+&imgrc=wJc1GMhm_8_DJM%3A , https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4d/91/f4/4d91f41abffc446052c70f98d468cc7b.jpg,

• Slide 9-  http://www.buyquinceaneradress.com/products/big/63/201211210030482.jpg

• Slide 11-  http://www.merricksart.com/2014/05/easy-circle-skirt-tutorial.html, http://aristasia-central.com/heartbook/adelaide/2012/04/silhouettes-for-dresses-and-skirts/, http://vintagedancer.com/1950s/1950s-fashion-history-skirts/, http://www.sewweekly.com/2012/04/the-bowled-over-circle-skirt/

• Slide 12 - http://www.ebay.com/bhp/black-petticoat, http://aristasia-central.com/heartbook/adelaide/2012/04/silhouettes-for-dresses-and-skirts/,

Works Cited