Montauk Pioneer - August 8, 2008

We learned in school about the caveman using animal skin to cover his body to keep warm and it also became his only source of clothing. This got me wondering how did fashion and clothing evolve from this?

Let's start with the Stone Age, which is a prehistoric time period that is named so because humans made tools from stone. In the Stone Age, people made clothes from the skin of the animals. The best skin to use is that of the cow because their skin is so thick. Another method they used was fur or woven grasses.

By the time the Bronze Age came to be, spinning and weaving were born. The Bronze Age is named so because that's when humans started to use metals for different techniques and metalworking projects. Spinning got started because people started to realize that there are only so many animals you can kill for their skin or fur. The spindle was invented around this time. You can make a simple spindle by using a straight stick and some clay that you push over the end of the stick. The stick part is called the spindle and the clay part that you let dry is called the whorl. People were using fibers such as hemp, wool, cotton, silk and flax. Weaving is when two sets of thread are interlaced together.

The Middle Ages brought about the introduction of the spinning wheel. The Middle Ages to around the time of the fall of the Roman Empire, to about the 16th century. The spinning wheel is basically a device that is used to spin thread or yarn. This invention made spinning about four times faster than the spindle. Although this was a faster process, many people still only had one or two articles of clothing to wear.

Around the first half of the 16th century, you could see the evolvement of clothing. People started to wear the color black for formal occasions. This seems to be one tradition that has held true for today as you see men in tuxedos and custom made suits and women in elegant, long black dresses or short cocktail dress.

Now skipping ahead to the early days of fashion, the early 1900s gave way to what is known as the S-Bend corset. It was laced up tightly around the waist which forced the hips back and the chest forward. Hats and parasols were also beautiful accessories that women wore to enhance their dresses.

When the 1920s came along Coco Chanel was a major designer who was influential in making the little black dress and costume jewelry a popular choice for women. The 1950s brought about movie stars like Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall and Grace Kelly who adorned the big screens with outfits that every woman just had to have. The designers learned quickly that their designs got more attention if an actress wore them in a movie than by a simple illustration in a magazine. I'm guessing this is why to this day you still see reporters asking stars on the red carpet "Who are you wearing?"

The 1960's brought us the mini- skirt and go-go boots, bell bottoms, tie-dye and paisley prints. Popular models of this time that helped to influence fashion were Twiggy, Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick.

In the 1970s, jeans became popular with both men and women. Punk was popular in London and at the same time Laura Ashley made a splash in Britain with her floral prints and high-necked blouses. Halston was popular among the celebrities, especially in New York. His kaftans and tunics were some of the more popular items as were his wide legged pants you could see floating about the dance floors of Studio 54.

As you can see, fashion has come a long way. It's always evolving and if you get the chance to attend this Saturday's event featuring Don Fashions, Edgewood Goodies and Create Build Destroy, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.