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In terms of fashion, the 20th century has seen it all. Hemlines have swept the floor and
risen to dangerous heights, shoes have gone from stiletto to platform and back, corsets
have forever lost their grip on women and swimwear has shrunk to nothing. This is only
a small selection of hundreds of hours of fashion footage in WPA's archive.
Click on any image to view the clip.
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Hats, gloves, corsets, long sleeves and layers of skirts still were a must for ladies at the dawn of the 20th century. But behind the strict fashion rules and stuffy etiquette, a storm was brewing…
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After World War One, more and more women shed their corseted dresses and strict rules of Victorian times. Society had a lot to come to terms with, as this whimsical, moralizing and titillating newsreel shows.
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Once the beach was discovered as a leisure paradise in the early twentieth century, women began to trade in old-fashioned and prudish bathing costumes for, well, see for yourself…
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The 1950s saw the corset came back as a "waspie", which was even worked into swimwear. A fashion setback? Probably not, judging by the voluptuous model in this clip…
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Christian Dior's "New Look" single-handedly reshaped the haute couture of the 1950s. This decade's irresistible hourglass silhouette exudes timeless elegance and demure grace. |
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The designers of the youth-oriented 1960s tore apart previous fashion standards. Literally… with inventive creations like the paper dress! |
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The Swinging Sixties saw new colors, new patterns, new cuts, and new materials. Fashion designer Paco Rabanne took it to the extreme and made his mod dresses from metal. |
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Fashion trends almost inevitably spark discussion on aesthetics, moral issues, and even health risks. When platform shoes were all the rage in the 1970s, orthopedic surgeons pointed out the danger of ankle sprains and fractures...
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