Women's clothing of that period was the very antithesis of the former "hourglass" shape; it was relaxed, floating and shortened to knee-length. The style was youthful, playful and fashionable, as women became active; they danced and engaged in sports. It was then that the coat also adopted its present unisex form, which is suitable for women and men alike. "During WW1, coats gained epaulets, belts and large pockets; ‘Russian’, ‘hussar’ or female ‘Red Cross’ uniform styles were in fashion", explains Karin Košak Arzenšek, Assist. Professor of Fashion History.
Among the materials, waterproof gabardine became popular. This densely woven wool fabric dates back to the 16th century. In the Middle Ages, the gabardine took the form of a long and very wide robe with wide sleeves and a hood. In 1914, the first "trench coat", a military coat ordered by the British army, was made from gabardine by the English company Burberrys. Only in WW1 did the fabric obtain its characteristic green shade, which has been retained thereafter.
In 1915, the so-called "war crinoline", a mid-calf-length full skirt, came into fashion; it was promoted in America although the country at that time had not yet become involved in the war. The Americans were ardent followers of Paris fashion, and thus they demonstrated their support for France in the war by also adopting their wartime fashion. Coco Chanel introduced jersey knitwear, wide pants, Basque Berets and cheap fashion, which were suitable for the wartime period, and achieved remarkable success.
Fashionable Slovenia
According to Assist. Prof. Karin Košak Arzenšek, women in factories and at work tied a scarf with a knot at the top of the head and wore long protective gowns. Their shoes had to be watertight, boots or ankle boots, and were adorned with small buttons at the top of the instep. Women volunteered for work in factories and in the field, so the "British warm greatcoat" became fashionable for both genders.
In Slovenia, in the period before the First World War, artisan confection that was made from quality materials and by its origins older than the ready-made clothes, was still made and sold by tailoring shops. In the period after the WW1, the first ready-made clothes produced in factories appeared in Slovenian shops, which were highly competitive due to their favourable prices as compared to artisan-made products.
In Slovenia, the price range of ready-made clothes differed with respect to the wealth level of buyers. Even stronger was the competitiveness of ready-made shoes in comparison to artisan-made products. In that period, only rich customers had shoes made to order, therefore shoemakers' main activity switched to repairs.
While the working class wore prevailingly affordable clothing, the urban middle class wore ready-made garments only in the form of clothing accessories, such as shirts, ties, hats, stockings, handkerchiefs and underwear. Elegant men's and women's clothing was always made by renowned tailors. Custom-made clothes still maintained the highest value.
Anja Polajnar, SINFO
