Reference And Education
The History of the Hanger
We do not often think about how we came to use the tools that organize our everyday life. An excellent example of this is the clothes hanger. Hangers have such simple design and function, but who envisioned the idea and created the first clothes hanger?
There are of course several types of hangers that the population has come to use for several different purposes.
The most popular and possibly the prototype for every hanger design to come, is the wire hanger, but before the wire hanger, was the coat hook. In 1903, at the Timberlake Wire and Novelty Company in Jackson, Mississippi, the need for more coat hooks inspired a new invention. Albert J. Parkhouse, an employee, decided to solve the problem of too many coats and too few hooks. He took a piece of wire, shaping it into two ovals, and bent the ends to make the shape of a hook. The first standard hanger was brought into the world. An improved clothes hanger design was patented in 1932. This design by Schuyler Hulett used cardboard tubes mounted on the upper and lower parts of the wire to prevent wrinkles, and in 1935 the lower cardboard tube was added for hanging pants. This is still in use today as a cheap hanging device for clothes, often used for disposable purposes such as dry cleaners or shipping.
Of course the development of clothes hangers has continued to thrive over the last seventy years. Plastic coat hangers are now the most popular for household use. These hangers keep their form and provide a thicker bar for clothes to rest on. High end clothes hangers made from fine woods inhabit expensive retail stores displaying and selling suits, coats and the like. These still have the same basic design but with a top-notch appeal. Some historians speculate that Thomas Jefferson invented the wood clothes hanger for his residence at Monticello (home to many of his handy inventions). Formed hangers that take the shape of shoulders are also used for suits and coats. These are now made from plastic and many other materials.
The retail store explosion in the last 50 years has produced a grand stage for the coat hanger. Clothing display has become a rather large part of the retail industry, and thus, companies pay careful attention to the manufacturing of clothes hangers. Clothes hangers with clips have been developed to simply pinch the clothing at he hem rather than crease the clothes over any kind of bar. Loops and notches are formed or cut to provide clothing straps or loops a place to rest on today’s hangers. So many crafty designs have been developed to suspend any article of clothing that is in need of vertical storage.
Clothes hangers are such a simple device but are so vital to everyday living. Our society has become accustomed to our clothes poised position for a wrinkle free wardrobe.
By: Ron Maier Jr.
The History Of Fabrics
From the early years on, men and women have dressed with dignity. Women wore long “tunics” that covered pretty much everything and covered their heads with veils starting in the time of Noah all the way through King David. This basic style did not change all that much for centuries. In the late 1500′s, fashion became much more ornate though the basic clothing remained the same: long gown with long sleeves and a head covering of some sort. There was also lots of embroidery and decoration. It was also around this time that the corset was introduced. It wasn’t long before it became the classic element of women’s clothing. Around the time of the French Revolution, the trend of high-waisted dresses with straight, boyish silhouettes and flattened bust lines took hold. This is the style you see in Pride and Prejudge and Jane Austin. However, this fashion revolution didn’t last all that long and fashion returned back to its traditional style. Here in the United States, waistlines were at the natural spot and the styles were fancy. Men wore ruffled shirts, tight knee-breeches, and powdered wigs. In the mid-1800′s, skirts started becoming very full with hoops and crinoline petticoats. You often see this style in photographs taken during the Civil War. The bustling at the back of the dress started around this time also.
Modern fashion started taking shape around the 1900′s. The hemlines moved above the ankle and fashion became simpler. It is interesting to note that the women’s clothing trends of the day follow the same pattern as the trends in society. The Industrial Revolution (around 1800) enabled women to work outside the home which changed the way the dressed. In 1920, women were given the right to vote and this is where we first saw the departure from the classic style of dress! In the roaring 1920′s, you saw women with short hair with skirts raised to the knees and sleeveless bodices. Coco Chanel (Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel) was the driving force behind these drastic changes. Around the same time, designers Yves Saint-Laurent and Courreges introduced dressy pantsuits for women. During World War II, women were often working in factories. They wore trousers and coveralls to work but kept their feminine style of dress for home. After the war, the men came home to white-collar suits of the middle class or blue-collar uniforms of the working class. Women were expected to wear makeup and pretty dresses. In the 1960s, young people started to question society and its prim and proper dress. You would often see women with long hair, no makeup, and barefoot. Men also grew their hair long, grew beards, and wore blue jeans. Music also inspired new styles. In the 1970s, you often saw men’s pantsuits and women’s metallic dresses and glitter.
Below is a timeline of some interesting points in the history of fabric:
6000 BC – During a geological dig, fine-spun and plied-thread, plain weave tabby cloths and garments were found dating back to this time period.
3300 BC – In the Similaun Glacier, the Ice Man was found wearing the gear of a Neolithic traveler. The Iceman’s basic piece of clothing was an unlined fur robe stitched together from pieces of ibex, chamois, and deer skin. A woven grass cape and a furry cap provided additional protection from the cold, and he wore shoes made of leather and stuffed with grass.
490 BC – Quilting was known to the ancient Persians and, at the time of the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), quilted garments were worn as armor.
1130 – Skilled weavers who came to Palermo from Greece and Turkey produced elaborate fabrics of silk interlaced with gold.
1519 – Cotton is discovered in Central and South America by Pizarro and Cortez.
1631-1633 (roughly) – Calico is imported from Calicut, India by the East India Company
1708-1716 – A series of laws prohibiting the importation of printed silk textiles thus making calico’s and silk textiles more popular than ever is signed into law by William III.
1858 – Englishman Charles Worth establishes first haute couture fashion house in Paris
1873 – Levi Strauss & Company receives their patent for blue jeans
1885-1889 – Rayon is invention in France and shown at the Paris Exposition of 1889.
1913 – Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel opens a boutique in Deauville, France. She revolutionizes and democratizes women’s fashion with tailored suits, chain-belted jerseys, and quilted handbags. She’s the most copied fashion designer in history.
1936 – Nylon is created by DuPont
1941 – The first polyester fiber called Terylene is produced.
1942 – Polyurethane (Spandex) is invented.
1947 – Christian Dior reestablishes Paris as a fashion center. He revives haute couture with tight waist, stiff petticoats, and billowing skirts.
1948 – Textiles become the second largest industry in the US. The consume consumption per capita of fibers 27 pounds of cotton, 6.3 pounds rayon, 4.9 pounds of wool.
1950 – The first commercial application for “Orlon” an acrylic wool substitute.
1955 – Velcro is created
1958 – Eastman Kodak introduces Kodel polyester.
1960 – London boutique owner Mary Quant champions the youth movement and introduces mini-skirt, hot pants. She also launched Twiggy as supermodel and becomes 1960s most influential 1960s designer.
1966 – Kevlar, which is 5 times stronger than steel, is invented.
1968 – Calvin Klein begins producing elegant, simple clothes, favoring neural earth tones and luxurious fabrics. Ralph Lauren creates men’s wear line and expands into women’s wear. He favors natural fabrics, and his designs feature western or country motifs.
1970s – A growing market for organically grown food was firmly established and the production of naturally grown fabrics soon followed suit..
1974 – Giorgio Armani creates a men’s wear line and popularizes Italian tailoring
1984 – Donna Karan launches line of versatile, casual knits and favors the color black.
2004 – Bamboo fabric starts being manufactured in Asia, bamboo bedding and bamboo clothing start to make their way to the United States. Since then its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds.
Clothing has always played a role in our lives throughout history. The history of fashion is intertwined with every major development in American life since we got here in the early 17th century. However, now we are seeing fashion recycle and reinvent itself. Eco-friendly fabrics are part of this new century with hemp, organic cotton and bamboo being the front runners. The fashion industry is looking for ways to not only improve the design/style, but to be environmentally friendly. By going back to an earlier time and trying to be more natural, the fashion industry has quit trying to reinvent the wheel and instead giving the consumers what they want. It’ll be interesting to see what the next ninety years will hold!
By: Douglas Michaels Jr.
Clothing in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages was an extremely difficult period in history and it was full of wars and bloodshed. The clothing that people wore was very little and minimal and not much importance was given to fashion and trend. Mostly warriors wore clothing that was suitable for war and offered them protection from weaponry.
The laws during the Middle Ages established different classes of people in society. Each class had its own ranking. So, clothing also represented the power and the social ranking of the person. The clothes were meant to explain to what class the person belonged in the society. It was a very feudalistic society. Usually the highest ranks like the ruling class wore a lot of finery and jewelry.
Common women during those times wore linen based clothing which looked like a slip. Poorer women wore clothing made of wool as linen was very expensive at that time. Women also wore stockings and knee garters to hold their slip in place. During the 11th century, the concept of clothing expanded and there were gowns, cuffs, collars and formal wear.
Common men in the Middle Ages wore a heavily decorated outfits. The working class men wore something called the Houppelande. It was very heavy and would be tight around the wrist.
The rich people in the Middle Ages wore expensive clothing. Women wore elaborate gowns and they were decorated from head to toe on a daily basis. A rich man would wear a jacket and a hose. They also wore coats on top of it which had tails.
By: Kum Martin
Buttons – History and Facts
When did buttons begin to be used? What was used to secure clothing before them? Some history and facts about the button:
Button-like objects have been found in the Indus Valley of ancient Pakistan and date back to around 2000 B.C.E. These were not used for fasteners, but for ornaments. Before they were used for fastening, pins, leather lacing and belts were used to secure clothing. Before buttons could be used as fasteners, the button hole had to be devised. Evidence dates the first button and button hole closure systems to the 13th century in Germany. This may have been a solution to the problem of how to secure clothing that was becoming more and more form-fitting, without having to resort to sharp pins. As with most anything that is new, they became a fad. Buttons and button holes covered the clothing of the well to do. The number of them and what they were made out of became a status symbol. It has been rumored that King Louis XIV of France spent over $5 million on them in his lifetime. Ever wonder why men’s suit coats have non-functioning buttons sewn on the sleeves? Some say they are just for decoration, but there is also the story that King Frederick The Great of Prussia started the practice in the 18th century. The rumor goes that after an inspection of his troops, he ordered that buttons be sewn on the sleeves of their coats to discourage them from wiping their noses on them! The Scovill Manufacturing Company in America made a set of gold buttons with the profile of George Washington on them that were presented to Marquis de Lafayette during his U.S. visit in 1824. With the increased cost of ivory in the 19th century, button manufacturers began to make them out of a nut from a specific kind of palm tree in South America. This is called vegetable ivory, or corozo. When the nut is dried, it is a very reasonable facsimile for genuine ivory, and is still used today. The first buttons made from celluloid, one of the first types of plastics, were made in the 1860′s. Before World War One, most button manufacturing was done in Europe, specifically England. After the war, the United States became the center of button making until modern times.
By: Alan Beggerow