By the turn of the century capes were no longer a part of the fashionable woman's wardrobe, and by the teens and the 20s fashion had taken a quantum leap forward. The corset had all but disappeared and the exaggerated female form along with it. Dresses became narrower and looser and could more readily fit under an outer garment that had sleeves and a buttoned front. During the period of World War I when women had to adopt traditional male occupations, they tended to adopt the dress styles as well, and so coats with shoulders, lapels and buttoned fronts became an established part of women's fashion.
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Coat with Black/Silver Squares |
Cream Tussor Coat | Black Silk Kimono |
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Paul Poiret was a highly influential figure from the early part of the 20th Century, his loose-fitting designs earned him a name as ‘the man who abolished the corset'. Poiret was very interested in Eastern and classical garments because of the simplicity of their construction, and so his designs were influenced by garments like the Chinese coat, the kimono and the classical tunic.
