1. French Influence in the Fashion Industry
Original version by: Abelle

2. Fashion & History Fashion has always played a part in history.
Since 1804 Napoléon Bonaparte was devoted to make France a leader of fashion.
Fashion also made its mark in the Victorian Period and in the Industrial Revolution as well as many other times throughout history.

3. Napoléon’s Influence
During the French Revolution, the textile industry had suffered, so Napoleon banned the import of English textiles and revived the making of fine fabrics in France.

4. Napoléon’s Influence
He also didn’t let women wear the same dress more than once to court and blocked fireplaces so when needed more clothing.
For men, military officials had to wear white satin breeches to formal occasions

5. Louis XIV’s Influence
He wanted Europe to know about Paris fashions, so he sent life-sized fashion dolls to each European Court.
They were dressed in the latest styles and noble women would have the clothes imitated.

6. France’s Influence on England
In wartime from the female waistline lengthened in England and when the women were able to visit Paris after the war, they saw the new French high waistline.

7. French Influence on the British
The French ridiculed them in cartoons, so the British started the high waistline too.

8. Charles Fredrick Worth
Although he was born in England , his second empire was in France.
Charles Fredrick Worth catered to the needs of both Americans and Europeans from his private salon in Paris.
He made many one of a kind dresses for actresses and singers.

9. Charles Fredrick Worth
His signature was to use lavish fabrics and trimmings and his incorporation of elements of historic dress and his attention to fit.
He was also very well known for his masquerade gowns.
He also had a big influence in the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, which was founded in 1868.

10. Louis-Francois Cartier
In 1847 he took over his employer’s shop.
He created custom pieces for aristocrats of Europe and for the coronation of Edward VII
The house of Cartier offered most superb watches, brooches, rings and necklaces etc..
He created convertible jewelry
In 1910 he created the wristwatch

11. Oleg Cassine aka Secretary of Style
Oleg migrated to the US during the Depression era
He played tennis to survive and was able to mingle with very famous people
He became the designer for Jacqueline Kennedy
In1963 he introduced color to mens’ shirts paired with 3 piece suits
In 1970 he designed tennis clothing and swimwear.

12. Azzedine Alaia
Aka “king Of Cling” because he was known for creating the sexiest clothing n the world, he was born in Tunisia.
He first worked as a dressmaker before starting his own line in
He designed exercise clothing for women to show off their hard work.
In 1980 in his ready-to-wear line he designed stretchy dresses, body suits, and bicycle shorts that defined the decade.

13. Claude Montana Known for his sharp edges and tough chick look.
In the 1980s he used bold padded shoulders, oversized collars, and oversized military jackets.

14. Pierre Cardin Came up with the concept of space age design.
Known for geometric shapes and motifs.
He ignored the female form and advanced into the unisex fashions.
He believed that women should wear women’s style clothing because it would be more convenient to their lifestyle.

15. Coco Chanel
Chanel was raised in an orphanage by nuns who taught her how to sew
Chanel started out by selling hats and later moved on to making clothes and perfume
She revolutionized women’s fashion in the 1950’s by creating a suit that had a collarless jacket and well-fitted skirt
She emphasized comfort over the constraints of the popular fashions of the times, such as corsets
Chanel invented the little black dress and showed that black could be a chic, elegant color that is not just for mourning

16. Christian Dior
His fashion career started by selling his fashion sketches to designers
He was eventually hired as an assistant and then was hired by a fashion designer where he learned how to design clothes
His fashion designs reintroduced femininity to women’s clothes after the restrictions of WWII due to shortages of materials
He designed clothing for many famous movie stars during the 1940’s and 1950’s
Dior was a smart businessman and his legacy lived on in his assistant Yves Saint-Laurent who became famous too

17. Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton started out as a box maker in Paris during the Industrial Revolution and soon started working with the elite of Paris
He made and packed beautiful boxes for the Empress of France
Vuitton opened his own business and designed a new style of box that was lighter and rectangular--other boxes were dome-shaped--which made it easy to transport by train or ship
Most consider this to be the birth of modern luggage
Louis Vuitton is still considered as luxury luggage and has been made famous by the LV logo
Box makers made boxes specifically designed for an object and packed and unpacked them
Awe-inspiring grandeur and abject poverty; rapid growth and devastating epidemics
Made of gray canvas instead of leather; was water and odor proof

18. Yves Saint-Laurent
He won a fashion design contest and was invited to become a designer
He worked for Dior and at age 21 helped the business stay out of financial ruin
He had a softer version of Dior’s work with his trapeze dress
He was fired by Dior, sent to the military and broke down from stress
In the 60s and 70s his own firm popularized the beatnik look, safari jackets, tight pants, tall thigh-high boots and the tuxedo suit for women
He was the first French designer to come out with a full ready-to-wear line