6 Functions of Dress

Environmental Protection: Protective body suits accompanied by helmets, breathing masks, tools, gloves, boots, etc... are essential to firefighters when fighting fires. With out these protective layers, their lives are at risk.


Albany, NY early 1900s


Firefighters in gear, 2006.



Decoration: Artistic body painting has become popular in recent years. Artist's, using the human body as a canvas, decorate the model with creative scenes. The images below are from the World Body Painting Festival 2008. This cult sensation happens every year in different countries across Europe. Other examples of body painting can be found in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues.


Artist's unknown


Gender Differentiation: In the late 1960's, men began wearing the same bright colors seen in women's clothing. Menswear designers started experimenting with color, a result of the free/love mentality of the youth generation.


Image taken in 1968. From left to right: pants by Catalina Martin, pants by Corbin, and pants by Moyer.


Group Membership: Wearing a Letterman sweater tells onlookers that you play on a varsity sports team for the school initialed on your garment. The group this garment symbolizes is "the jocks."


Albion College, Michigan (year unknown).


Ceremonialism: Below is a picture of Anne of Denmark in mourning attire. The color black signifies the sadness of a loved one passing away. It is customary at funerals for everyone to wear black garments.


Anne of Denmark mourning her son's death in 1612



Sexual Enhancement: In London during the early 1960's, Fashion Designer Mary Quant made popular the mini skirt. The mini skirt was a liberating garment for women that sparked controversy with the adults of the time. To wear the mini skirt one had to be youthful and physically fit.


Mary Quant and her models: London, 1960s.

A Fashion Source Book

A fashion source book is made up of images, articles, and point of views. The purpose of a source book is to compile a range of material into one place, a place that will spark interest and inspire future projects.

In general, this fashion source book will cover topics of 20Th century fashion arts. Each post will be dedicated to a specific topic in fashion history and will include images and other resources to illustrate points. This source book is like my own little reference book, I hope you enjoy what I put together!

I want to start this blog off by showing an example of how fashion recycles itself. Below are two Christian Dior garments. You will most likely recognize the top image as Dior's 1947 "New Look." The image on the bottom shows a garment in Dior's fall 2008 Couture show. By bringing in the waist and exaggerating the hips, head designer John Galliano is clearly making a tribute to the famous Dior look. This happens often in fashion history, past looks continue to influence the present.