Fashion Through The Ages – Part 1

This denim skirt above is by Karl Lagerfield by Chanel. It was dress of the year 1991.

I took a trip to the Fashion Museum in Bath, England to view the special denim garments that are not on display. I had to make an appointment to do so and wear gloves because the items are so delicate. It was so interesting to see all of the denim items from years and years ago, it really gives you an insight as to what people would have worn. I actually really love the denim dress below, it’s so cute! I would wear that right now without the under garment though. Keep on reading to find out more information on the items. I will also be putting a second post up with other items that were on display but they are not denim, they are from hundreds of years ago.

This was dress of the year 1988, the Junior Gaultier ensemble, which is a denim pinafore dress. It’s gorgeous! It’s made of really thick denim which is quite stiff and it’s almost black in colour rather than blue. It has a belt detail on the bottom of the dress. The belt around the middle is also a great asset because it would accentuate the waist. It comes with a black netted under dress which doesn’t look too comfortable in all honesty, I would prefer the dress without the under garment. The dress is size UK 8 and is 33 inches long. It measures 13.5 inches across the middle as well. It’s really cool to see a dress that was made the same year as I was born.

This denim suit above is Jean Paul Gaultier from around 1990. It’s a thinner, soft denim with faces all over the suit. The faces are woven in backwards, so on the inside of the jacket an jeans the faces are blue. I thought this was so cool! It’s really clever how you can do such a thing. It’s 100% cotton and a man’s size 32. The inseam is only a 29 inch though and the trousers have a 14.5″ measurement aligned at the waist with an 11 inch rise. I think this is smaller than the average size 32 now. I don’t know who would wear this kind of suit in 1990 but it’s very well made and so much time must have been taken to create this jacket and jeans.

Above is a Levi’s jacket from the 1980′s period. It has a white tab instead of a red tab on the pocket. It’s 100% cotton and a size 36 which is equivalent to a size UK 10 I think. It measured 18 inches across the middle and 29.5 inches long. I think this jacket is a pretty good design, I can imagine it being really popular years ago, it seems like the type of denim jacket a lot of people would want to own.

Lastly is this cotton/denim suit which is unfortunately unclaimed. I included a blwon up photo of the button so hopefully one of you could ID them. I originally thought it was an Armani button but it’s a bit different to their button. I don’t know the date but I would assume it was from the 1970′s based on the trousers. It’s a men’s suit and has a 32 inch inseam, 11 inch leg opening which is right for flares and an 11 inch rise. The waist measures 17.5 inches and the label states size 42. I think it runs really small compared to our sizes today. It’s strange how over the years the sizes just keep getting bigger and bigger! It has pockets on the front and the back as well. Could anyone help out with the brand? It’s also possible that was just a random button sewn on as a replacement. The suit does look like a sample garment though.

Images all taken from the beautiful Fashion Museum, Bath & North East Somerset Council.