While the 1950's introduced teenagers to fashion and society in general, the youth were the leaders of the 1960's, which was a colorful decade in many ways. Young British people were called the Mods and Rockers, and they were at odds. The Rockers tended to wear clothes like black leather jackets, and the Mods were more stylish and bohemian. By 1966, the mini skirt became very popular and appealed to bold young women. America's answer was the hippie movement. The young crowd started trends like bell-bottom jeans and tie-dyed shirts. The youth still based their fashion off of media and celebrities at this time. Fashion icons included supermodels, the most famous one being Twiggy, and most men wanted to dress like the Beatles.

Once World War II ended, fashion rebelled against the uniform of the time and produced a design of a fitted jacket with a cinched waist and a calf-length skirt using ten to eighty yards of fabric. This style, was the "New Look," it proved to be a turning point in the postwar. The designs became extremely popular, as women were longing to dress femininely again. Other designers countered the voluminous look with boxy suits and slim skirts. Synthetic fabrics (nylon, polyester, and acrylic) became more widely used because they were affordable and easy to maintain. Finally for the first time, teenagers became a force in the fashion market because of influences such as music and film.

The new image of the 1920s, the flapper, did not fully emerge until 1926. This style was modern and portrayed reckless rebellion. Flappers wore short hair and short shift dresses that exposed their limbs, they also applied makeup, smoked with long cigarette holders, and drank in public. During The Great Depression, from which the general public escaped through Hollywood. Movies became the new glamorous look for fashion.

As another war seemed closer clothing became more military-inspired with square shoulders. Once World War II was underway, clothes became even more restrained. Cloth was severely rationed. Uniforms were commonly seen in public.

 

The early 1900's marked the rise of Haute Couture movement in Paris. Women of the upper classes coveted their designs, which set the tone for the rest of the Western fashion world. These designs debuted at horse races, and Vogue took on the role of informing the public about what was going on, who was going where, and what was being worn. Corsets and long, full skirts enhanced unnatural curves, and hats grew out of control. As World War I began, attention was drawn away from fashion. British Vogue launched in 1916, but the economic consequences of war were making androgynous dressing more popular. By the time World War I ended, women were used to their freedom and independence, and their clothing maintained its wartime masculinity with loose, shapeless fits and flattened busts. Corsets became a thing of the past.