1910s
Here we are in the 1910s! This is the time of the Great War and also of the suffragettes, brave woman who fight for equal rights. (So sad woman still have to do this hundred years later!). Because the world became increasingly modern, fashion begin to catch up with clothing that can actually function in this modern 20th Century world! The Palette starts shifting from feminine pastels to more exotic hues and by the end of the decade we finally abandoned the previous century.
Woman were liberated from corsets, hats became smaller, they wore a hight waistline (but lower than empire waists), loose skirts with gathered folds and generally narrow, ankle-length hemlines.
Trendier woman started to embrace the exoticism. They cut their hair in a Bob and wore a headscarf or a ribbon and very dark eyeshadow. But most woman were scared to cut their long hair, so they only cut the front, wore a ribbon and tied it up in the back.
So we have freedom of the corset, but a new fashion constriction still keeps woman in their place, because of the 'Hobble Skirt'! It's a skirt with a very narrow hemline. Some woman even got injured by falling because of this narrow bottom! They couldn't walk properly.
note: Hobble comes from a leather belt, they put around the ankles of a horse to stop it from running away.
The designer of the decade was Paul Poiret. He revolutionized fashion with his landscape dress and liberated woman from their corset. He was inspired by very exotic designs and colors.
Madeleine Vionnet and Mariano Fortuny were other great designers of that era.
Isadora Duncan was a very important style icon of that time (and sadly broke here neck because of a scarf).
Go check out Margo's beautiful drawings! And know more about their beauty rituals!
Sources:
Book : fashion design 1800-1940 (The Pepin Press)
Book : Fashion - Volume I + II (Taschen)