One of the biggest fashion events of the year took place this week. Celebrities showcased their interpretations of “Tailored For You” at the. As always, there were some hits and some horrors on the red carpet. The aim of the dress code was to complement the Costume Institute’s spring 2025 exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” Each year, the Institute pays homage to a person, era or style that has shaped the face of fashion. And this year, we were transported back to the 18th century “Black Dandy” era.
In keeping with the fashion history trend, found it fitting to take a trip down the runways of time. We happened upon an online community dedicated to showcasing “historical garments, past patterns, illustrations, demonstrations, perukes, petticoats, hoops, codpieces, houppelandes, hennins, restorations and recreations from long ago.” r/FashionHistory has more than 120,000 members and a wall of iconic designs. We’ve put together a list of their best posts. Keep scrolling for some good-old-fashioned fashion, and don’t forget to upvote your favorites.
#1 Callot Soeurs Fall Winter 1928, This Dress Was Designed To Resemble A Long Silk Scarf Draped Around The Body. Expert Embroidery Enhances The Illusion Of A Draped Scarf
Just when we think we’ve seen it all, someone rocks up on the red carpet wearing a dress made from raw meat. Or, they bring their chopped off dreadlocks as their “date” for the evening. Let’s not forget the 2023 Met Gala where several celebrities arrived looking like Karl Lagerfeld’s white cat Choupette. And of course, there was Bianca Censori‘s birthday suit stunt at the 2025 Grammies. It’s safe to say that nowadays, anything goes…
Perhaps Censori was channeling our ancestors. Perhaps not. But once upon a time, people didn’t wear any clothing at all. When humans finally started making and donning outfits, it wasn’t to be fashionable or trendy. But rather, out of a need to survive and protect their bodies from the environmental elements.
#2 Sequined Silk Tulle Evening Dress, Ca. 1905-10. Worn By Queen Maud Of Norway And In The Collection Of National Museum Of Art, Architecture, And Design, Oslo
#3 Evening Dress By Sadie Nemser ‘Secret Garden’ 1920’s
At first, the clothing of choice was often made out of animal hides. Research suggests that around 800,000 years ago, Paleolithic hominins wore simple cloak-like garments. Their outfits started getting a little more complex after 400,000 years ago when they were forced to live in colder, glacial times. But back then, there was no such thing as a sewing machine. Even an eyed needle took a while to find its way into the hands and haystacks of humankind.
According the Smithsonian magazine, people used dedicated cutting tools called blades to shape animal hides. “They also pierced holes in the hides to sew the cut segments together,” reads the site. “The basic hide-piercing tool is called an awl, a slender pointed artifact often made from an elongated animal bone, such as a thin forearm bone or a rib.”
Archeological finds suggests that Paleolithic humans invented the “sophisticated” eyed needle around 30,000 years ago.
#4 Dior ‘Flamant Rose’ Gown, 1948
#5 Evening Dress, Capelet, Belt And Slip, Circa 1933, French
#6 Madame Gres Evening Dress, 1944
Fashion has moved fast over the years. Charles Frederick Worth is credited as the first “real” fashion designer. He launched his House of Worth fashion design label in Paris in the 19th century. Before then, seamsters or dressmakers would make outfits for their customers, and often, trends were dictated by what royalty were wearing.
It was Worth who set the ball in motion for designers to set the tone, rather than just follow instructions from clients. He paved the way for the likes of Prada, Gucci, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Louis Vuitton and crew.
#7 ‘la Primavera’ Dress By Rosa Genoni, 1906. The Dress Was Inspired By Flora’s Dress In Sandro Botticelli Famous Painting ‘Allegory Of Spring’
#8 Silk Evening Dress Designed By Charles James, 1938
#9 Queen Alexandra’s Purple Silk Chiffon Dress By Maison Doeuillet, 1910, With Lavish Embroidery In Silver Thread, Bugle Beads And Diamante. Fashion Museum Of Bath, Prais
Modern fashion design is divided into two basic categories: haute couture and ready-to-wear. “The haute couture collection is dedicated to certain customers and is custom-sized to fit these customers exactly,” explains the fibre2fashion site. “In order to qualify as a haute couture house, a designer has to be part of the Syndical Chamber for Haute Couture and show a new collection twice a year presenting a minimum of 35 different outfits each time.”
On the other hand, ready-to-wear collections are standard-sized, not custom-made, so they are more suitable for large production runs. Think the clothes we find in shops or online. “They are also split into two categories: designer/createur and confection collections,” notes fibre2fashion. Designer collections are high quality, unique pieces, which are often created to make a statement.
#10 Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna Was The First Wife Of Tsar Alexander II And Wore This Silver Silk And Brocade Dress For Her Husband’s Coronation In 1856, Russia
#11 Christian Dior Spring Summer 1950 “Debussy” Sequined Evening Gown Worn By Margot Fonteyn, One Of The Most Famous Ballerina Ever
#12 Silk Evening Dress & Coat By Pierre Balmain 1952
While our ancestors started wearing clothing to protect themselves from the varying climate conditions, current fashion trends are contributing to climate change. Vogue reports that between 80 and 150 billion clothes are produced every single year.
Because there isn’t an exact figure, the fashion magazine believes its safe to settle on around 70 billion items of clothing. Others, like the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, use an average figure of 100 million garments. Either way, it’s a large number. And environmentalists say our penchant for fashion is wreaking havoc on the earth.
According to the UN Environment Programme, the industry is the second-biggest consumer of water. You might be surprised to know that it takes about 700 gallons to produce one cotton shirt and 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans. The industry is also responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions. That’s more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
#13 Evening Dress By House House Of Worth Circa 1898–1900
#14 Silk And Lace Dress, Circa 1886-7
#15 Evening Dress, 1926, Callot Soeurs. (Drexel University)
Besides water consumption and carbon emissions, there’s also the issue of waste. The Copenhagen Fashion Summit revealed that out of the 100 billion garments produced annually, 92 million tonnes end up discarded in landfills. And every second, the equivalent of a rubbish truckload of clothes is either incinerated or buried in landfills. Globally, 57% of clothing waste is sent to landfill. While 25% goes up in flames.
According to the State of Matter Apparel, “an estimated 11.3 million tons of textile waste end up in U.S. landfills yearly, accounting for approximately 85% of all textiles. This equates to an alarming 81.5 pounds (37 kilograms) of textile waste per person per year.” Or 2,150 textile pieces discarded per second across the country.
#16 “Beetlewing Dress” Worn By Ellen Terry As Lady Macbeth In The Lyceum Theatre Production Of “Macbeth”, 1888 & “Ellen Terry As Lady Macbeth”, Painting By John Singer Sargent, 1889 ✨
#17 1960’s Beaded Flower Power Cocktail Dress
#18 Grace Kelly’s Gold Dress In The Film ” To Catch A Thief ”, 1954
The biggest culprit is fast fashion. Earth.org defines fast fashion as “cheaply produced and priced garments that copy the latest catwalk styles and get pumped quickly through stores in order to maximise on current trends.” Basically, our need to keep up with trends by constantly buying cheap versions of the latest in-fashion pieces.
One of the often overlooked problems that comes with fast fashion is the issue of returned items or garments. “In the United States alone, shoppers returned $816 billion in goods last year,” notes the State of Matter Apparel site. “Unfortunately, many of these items are sent to landfills as companies often find it more cost-effective to dispose of them than reintroduce them into the market.”
As many as 9.5 billion pounds of returns ended up in landfills in 2022. To put that into context, it’s like fully loading 10,500 Boeing 747s with the clothes people took back to the shop.
#19 A 4500 Year Old Egyptian Dress
It was painstakingly reassembled from approximately 7000 beads which were found in an undisturbed tomb (G7442, Shaft Z), at Giza and not put together for more than 60 years after it was discovered in 1927
#20 Evening Dress, 1909, By Callot Soeurs, Paris, Silk Mesh Embellished With Celluloid Sequins And Paste Gems
#21 A Beautifully Embroidered Ball Dress By Pierre Balmain (Ca. 1953-1954)
Some of the ways you can help are by donating or selling the clothes you no longer wear. And by shopping second-hand or at thrift stores. Maintaining a minimalist wardrobe also means you won’t constantly be buying new clothes and contributing to the crisis. There are loads of ideas online about how to create a capsule wardrobe…
#22 Three Piece Ball Gown With Straw Embroidery, Circa 1865, Silk, Cotton, Straw, Hand Sewn, Hand Embroidered
#23 Gorgeous Gown And Cape Worn By Michelle Pfeiffer As Titania In The 1999 Film Adaptation Of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”,designed By Gabriella Pescucci
#24 Evening Gown Circa 1930s, Made Of Purple Velvet Trimmed With Small Silver Studs And Crystal Beads
#25 Costume Designed By William Travilla For Marilyn Monroe For The Movie “There’s Is No Business Like Show Business” 1956 (Swipe Left To See The Dress In Movement)
#26 Evening Dress, Circa 1810, England, Silk Net, Embroidered With Red Chenille Thread, With Silk Ribbon, Hand-Sewn
#27 Evening Dress, French And American, Designer Mainbocher, Circa 1938
#28 Ballgown, 1890. House Of Worth
#29 Evening Ensemble 1954
#30 Tea Gown, Worth, Circa 1895. Indoor Dress Owned By The Countess Greffulhe
#31 Costume Designed By Walter Plunkett, Worn By Vivien Leigh As Scarlett O’hara In Gone With The Wind 1939. The Gown Was Made Of Silk Velvet, Glass Beads And Ostrich Feathers
#32 Transformation Dress With Bee Motif By Jacques Doucet, Paris, Circa 1900-1905
#33 Evening Gown Designed By Norman Hartnell, 1957
Norman Hartnell was renowned for his exemplary couture creations for The Queen in the 1950s and 1960s. Worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth for a lavish dinner at the British Embassy
#34 “Antonia” Evening Dress By Pierre Balmain , Spring Summer 1954 Collection
#35 House Of Worth Haute Couture Beaded Butterfly Motif Silk Gown & Headpiece, 1912
#36 American Evening Dress:bodice, Skirt And Underbodice, Silk Brocade, Cotton, Linen, Lace, Circa 1850
#37 Mountaineering Ensemble, Circa 1890
#38 Evening Silk Dress, Circa 1865-68 With Brussels Lace Overskirt. Musee Du Costume Et De La Dentelle
#39 Russian Court Dress By Worth Ca. 1888, Indianapolis Museum Of Art
#40 Wedding Dress, By Norman Hartnell, Circa 1933. Worn By British Socialite Margaret Whigham, Later Duchess Of Argyll, For Her Marriage To Charles Sweeny
#41 “Mexique” Evening Dress By Christian Dior Autumn Winter Haute Couture 1951, The Longue Collection
#42 Evening Dress
Made of pattern-woven light blue silk damask with motifs of lilies of the valley and leaves, decorated with wavy pleated silk borders, pearl borders and pearl embroidered flowers with large pearl pendants, 1860s. Gothenburg City Museum
#43 Madam Hayward “Going-Away” Dress Worn By Elizabeth Holms-Kerr After Her Wedding. Made Of Sapphire Blue Wool And Velvet, With Soutache Embroidery
#44 Dramatic Red And Black, Crinoline, Tassel Embellished Day Dress, Circa 1865-1868
#45 Velvet Ensemble With Gilded Silver Thread Embroidery And Coral Beads, Circa Mid 17th Century
#46 Fancy Dress Costume Consisting Of Embroidered Silver Satin Dress And Lace Ruff Worn By ‘Duchess Of Savoia’, England, Early 1897
#47 Evening Dress By Sadie Nemser ‘Midnight Garden’ 1920’s
#48 Evening Dress And Shawl With Jewel Beetle-Wing Embroidery, While Mull, Silk, Circa 1850, India (?)
#49 Court Dress Of Empress Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea Of Württemberg), 1820s. State Hermitage Museum
#50 French Ball Gown, Silk, Designed By Emile Pingat, Maison Pingat Circa 1864
#51 Gleaming 1950’s Rose Gold Satin Cocktail Dress By Rembrandt
#52 Evening Dress By Girolamo Giuseffi, Curca 1912, Newfields; Silk Satin, Silk Velvet, Silk Chiffon, Silk Netting, Pearls, Rhinestones, Sequins
#53 Blue Silk Ball Gown, Circa 1910 Charmeuse Satin Trained Gown With Heavily Embroidered Bodice & Panels
#54 Ivory Dress, American, Designed By Ann Lowe,1966-1967. Silk, Tulle, Linen, Metal, And Elastic
#55 ‘the Swan Gown’ By Charles James, Circa 1954
#56 Evening Dress, Jean Dessès Fall Winter 1953-54, French, Silk
#57 Marital Outfits Worn By King Oscar I And Queen Josefina Of Sweden On The Occasion Of Their Royal Wedding In 1823
#58 The Wedding Gown Of Grace Kelly Worn On Occasion Of Her Royal Wedding To Prince Rainier III Of Monaco In 1956
The dress designed by Helen Rose was made of silk faille and Brussels lace embellished with pearls
#59 Bodice, European, 18th Century
#60 Ivory ‘Crinkle’ Weave Evening Gown With Red Velvet Feature In The Back, 1930s
#61 Evening Dress By Bruyère Ca. 1953
#62 Red, Green And Blue Check Silk Satin Day Dress With Tartan Design, Circa 1860s
#63 Evening Gown Of Cream Silk Satin And Orange Silk Taffeta, Hollander, L.p., 1916-1917
#64 Dress Designed By Marcel Rochas, Made Of Black Silk Velvet With Black, Green, Tan And Grey Silk Taffeta, 1949. Philadelphia Museum Of Art
#65 A Red Velvet Gown Worn By Edith Kingdon, 1905
#66 Queen Maud’s Evening Dresses Circa 1910’s
#67 The Pink Gown Princess Grace Wore At The Centennial Ball In Monte-Carlo,june 1966
#68 White Cotton Muslin Dress With Green Floral Print Design, 1860s
#69 Celestial Blue And Cream Ball Gown Of Silk Satin And Cascading Tulle, 1867
Worn by Mary Augusta Green DeCamp Corning and made by sisters Marie and Josephine Virfolet, French dressmakers working in New York City. The tulle was replaced circa 1980
#70 Angelo D’oro Dress By Roberto Capucci Circa 1987
#71 Madeleine Vionnet Culotte Dress, 1937. (Kyoto Costume Institute)
#72 Hanae Mori, Japan’s Pioneering Fashion Designer Who Founded The First Asian Haute Couture Brand, Memorial Exhibition For Hanae Mori Founder Hanae Mori Held At Iwami Art Museum
#73 Sweater, 1895, The Metropolitan Museum Of Art
#74 Queen Sophia Magdalena’s Wedding Dress, C. 1766, Now On Display At The Museum Of Swedish Royal History In Stockholm
#75 1860s Ballgown Worn By Countess Wilhelmina Von Hallwyl
#76 Cristóbal Balenciaga Fall Winter 1950 Haute Couture, Pink Silk Tulle And Satin Evening Dress With Silver Metal Embroidery
#77 Sapphire Blue Velvet Visiting Dress, C. 1883
#78 Liquid Silk Satin Daisy Print Bias Cut Evening Gown Circa 1930s
#79 Evening Gown “Butterfly Dress” By Charles James 1955
#80 Silk Satin And Silk Taffeta Wedding Bodice Embroidered With White Silk Floss, Rhinestones And Pearl Beads By Weeks, Chicago (1896)
#81 1865-67 House Of Worth Orange Silk Evening Dress With White Embroidery. (Kent State Museum)
#82 “Petal” Ball Gown By Charles James, American, 1951
#83 Schiaparelli And Salvador Dalí, ‘The Skeleton Dress’, 1938. Silk, Cotton. London: Victoria And Albert Museum
#84 Bright Pink Tulle And Taffeta Ball Dress, American Or French, Circa 1858
#85 Woman’s Jacket Made In The USA In C. 1850, Of Cotton Denim
This still presents the fashionable patterns of the era while being functional as this would have been worn outside during outside labours. The Museum at FIT
