Oversized fashion, distinct from plus-sized fashion, consists of clothing and other accessories that are larger than normal and reflect some sort of attitude, message, or trend of the period at hand. While oversized fashion trends from the 1920s to the turn of the century vary from decade to decade, there are many overarching themes that have been expressed during the past one hundred or so years. Masculinity, for example, has played a large role in many of the underlying communications of the fashions, although virility is manifested differently in the clothing depending on the era. Oversized fashion production, furthermore, runs largely parallel with the states of the American and global economies. Modernly, oversized fashion has taken on a new form - primarily in the realm of oversized accessories.
The 1920s
The 1920s were marked by a post-war aesthetic. After World War I, the fashion world experienced a great switch: from tight corsets and hobble skirts—to shapeless, oversized, and sparsely decorated garments.Peacock, J. (1997). The 1920s. London, UK: Thames and Hudson. Women began to wear more comfortable fashions, including blousy skirts and trousers. Further, this era gave birth to sportswear fashion. Sportswear, previously recognized as America's main contribution to fashion, consisted of a casual more relaxed style.Peacock, J. (1993). 20th-Century Fashion: The complete sourcebook. London, UK: Thames and Hudson. Coco Chanel, known as the first modern dressmaker, made one of the greatest contributions to style in the 1920s: the two-piece dress. She created two-piece dresses out of jersey (fabric), a comfortable stretchy fabric.Gold, A., & Gold, A. (1991). 90 Years of Fashion. New York, NY: Fairchild Fashion Group. The American public was receptive, embracing this relaxed style, which was perfect for the active woman on the go. The combination of these new ideas yielded this loosely fitted, modernized style.
The "boyish figure", moreover, became a prevalent trends of the era, with shapeless silhouettes and dropped waistlines giving a more masculine look to the female figure. The emphasis on a flattened chest revolutionized the construction of undergarments. Along with this new silhouette, 1920s fashions were further modernized by the coming of a new generation of sewing-machines, each with an individual electric motor, enabling designers to create more oversized fashions, while saving time and resources.
In contrast to the "boyish figure" were the types of hats and accessories women wore in the Roaring Twenties.Milbank, C. R. (1989), 90 Years of Fashion. New York, NY: Fairchild Fashion Group. Flapper dresses were juxtaposed with oversized hats, often trimmed with large bows, feathers, ribbons, or sequins. Furthermore, bold headbands were often worn to complement women's customarily shorter hair lengths. Since a lot of women's fashion from this decade were quite masculine in style, many women adorned them with accessories that were rather feminine.
Music also had an influence in the ways in which fashions evolved. The Jazz Age saw the popularization of flaps in dresses; and stars such as the entertainer Josephine Baker became known for their semi-translucent flapper frocks.
The 1930s The 1930s started in depression and ended with the onset of World War II. With rising unemployment and despair, no industry was left unaffected. In the fashion industry, designers cut their prices and produced new lines of ready-to-wear clothes, along with clothing made of more economical and washable fabrics, such as rayon and nylon.Costantino, M., & Price, R. (1992), Fashions of a Decade: The 1930s. New York, NY: Facts on File. For example, Coco Chanel showed a collection of evening dresses made of cotton and sold dresses reduced by 50%. The fashions of the 1930s were stylish and elegant, with flowing lines and Paris-based coutures.
Since many women could not afford to update their wardrobes, women changed their look by resorting to alterations to exemplify the oversized fashion of the 1930s.Peacock, J., & Peacock, J. (2007), Fashion Since 1900: The complete sourcebook. London, UK: Thames & Hudson. They used lengthening bands of contrasting fabric and added fur to their hems. This inventive way to put together new articles of clothing gave birth to the "Feedsack Dress"; constructed from the material of a sack of animal feed, these frocks were typically cut similarly to shift dresses. This A-line cuts were boxy and contrasted the slinky and sensual bias-cut dresses that became famous during the same era for their ability to cover the woman's body while clinging to each curve. Furthermore, material was added to collars and sleeves. Another trend rising from the 1930s was the "Banjo Sleeve", created by sewing two rectangular pieces of fabric with the top seam only sewn halfway to allow the arm to flow out. The boxy shape was oversized and blousy. As the era progressed, skirts that flared out fell to the bottom of the calf and sleeves were loosely tied as they fell from the elbow to wrist.
From the harsh economic conditions of the time came about the glamorous 1930s in film, and the glamorous clothing worn seen on the screen grew in popularity. Dresses constructed from Chiffon fabric were rather loose-fitting as they flew away from the body,Peacock, J. (1997). The 1930s. London, UK: Thames & Hudson. and embodied the elegance that was maintained throughout the 1930s despite the economic struggles.
The 1940s During the first half of the 1940s, many clothing-related commodities were in short supply due to World War II; the United States Government relinquished numerous products for utilization in warfare. Leather, for example, was much used in the uniforms of American servicemen—so the material, to a large extent, went out of use in mainstream fashion.Lansdell, A. (1999). Everyday Fashions of the 20th Century. Pembrokeshire, UK: Shire Publications, Ltd. As a consequence, oversized fashion utilizing excessive amounts of material was not in style.
Designers such as Cristóbal Balenciaga, Digby Morton, and Norman Hartnell, however, utilized oversized fashion practices in their early 1940s collections to manifest the consequential happenings of the war. While men were abroad taking up arms, many women took on their positions in factories and offices. Accordingly, women's fashion became more masculine. Wide-legged slacks and pronounced shoulder pads became all the rage, and most American women embraced the virile style.
Not until the second half of the decade, though, with the introduction of Dior's “New Look,” was oversized fashion widely put to use. Dior's “New Look,” which first grew in popularity in Europe, featured full skirts that reached the mid-calves. When Dior initially set in motion this new style, the fashion house received a lot of criticism. Sir Stafford Cripps, then President of the Britain's Board of Trade, was quoted as saying that the “New Look” was “utterly stupid” and an enormous waste of labor and materials.Kennett, F. (1983), The Collector's Book of Fashion. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, Inc. He was not the only one opposed to the excessive usage of material. In the U.S, legislation was passed that restricted yardage in fabric for clothing, under a policy entitled L-85.
Many American citizens resisted the new legislation, with groups being formed such as the “A Little Below the Knee Club” in Texas. However, in the U.S, Dior's "New Look" was also shaping the trends of the time. Designer Claire McCardell, influenced by Parisian design, created the monastic dress, in jersey, featuring a criss-cross string belt at midriff and a draped full skirt. A few years later, however, once World War II ended, the “New Look” and its oversized flair was relished both within the fashion world and the consumer market.
The 1950s The post-war era of the 1950s brought a change to the family dynamic as well as to the fashion world. In 1947, Christian Dior launched as the first collection from his fashion house his "Corelle line",Peacock, J. (1997). The 1950s. London, UK: Thames & Hudson. which featured oversized designs. The "Corelle line" became the look of the decade, ushering femininity, luxury and grace into the era, and making a great impact on the female silhouette. This change implemented by Christian Dior dominated the decade.
Clothes transformed from boxy styles, with square shoulders, to feminine and luxurious, with soft shoulder lines, corseted waists, round padded hips, and long skirts, leading to the knee-length "sack" dress. The knee-length skirts and dresses were the most oversized items of this 1950s. The introduction of new fabrics, including Terylene, Orlon, Banlon, Acrilan and Poplin, allowed for new fashion styles to be both created and introduced. Among these were the "wash-and-wear" sweater, the permanently pleated skirt, and the "drip-dry" skirt. Skirts of this era known as circle skirts were supported by layers of petticoats, creating a circular look that accentuated the waist line. Essentially, the petticoat reinforced the femininity of this period.Milbank, C. R. (1989). New York Fashion: The evolution of American style. New York, NY: Abrams.
The 1950s woman also tended to be influenced by the fashions worn by movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn in her roles in various movies such as Roman Holiday famously wore an oversized skirt that accentuated her waist, together with a tighter shirt.
The 1960s
The look of the 1960s was in marked contrast to the “New Look” developed in the end of the 1940s that heavily influenced trends of the 1950s with femininity and sensuality. The look of the 1960s reflected the main issue of that time: Civil Rights. The 1960s woman “demanded equal rights and equal pay, wanted to be free, to look young and to have fun”.Peacock, J. (1998). The 1960s. London, UK: Thames & Hudson. Oversized fashions were utilized in more subtle ways in this decade, giving rise to trends that revolutionized the working woman and gave a voice to more conservative feminines.
To achieve this youthful and flirty look, skirts were shortened, creating a look reminiscent of the 1920s. During this era, in 1965, the miniskirt was developed. An alternative to this exposed look was in high demand, thus leading to the creation of the midi skirt. This new "midi" mainly featured a pleated A-line bodice, which allowed it to flow away from the body. This oversized fashion began to make its way to the workplace as it provided both femininity and formality. Evening wear was also affected, and both long and short dresses could be seen at engagements. Designs embraced the oversized look through more elegant silhouettes, specially in evening wear, which boasted loose forms and fluid fabrics. The change in fashion during this period was also due to international influences such as from London and France, where designers were young. A notable point about this period is that women also began to wear pants-suits and jeans.Connikie, Y. (1990). Fashions of a Decade: The 1960s. New York, NY: Facts on File.
The materials used for both clothing and accessories changed during this era. Increasingly used were easy-care synthetic fabrics such as Crimplene, Dacron and Terylene. The benefits of such synthetic fabrics were that they were crease-resistant, easy to wash, and required little to no ironing. Designers such as Cristóbal Balenciaga embraced these new types of materials, using them in oversized dolman-sleeve jackets. The pattern for this piece was cut in a rectangular shape forming a boxy blousy look.Rasche, A., & Ringena, H. (2010). Sixties Fashion: Modefotografie & -illustration = fashion photography & illustration. Cologne, GR: Walther Konig.