Hey, historians! Grab your backpacks because today we are going on a field trip to Mia's
Museum of American Fashion! But wait, what does fashion have to do with history?
Take a moment to think about an outfit you might wear on our field trip. What
does it say about you? What does it say about the world around you?
Fashion is not just about self-expression. Fashion trends reflect our society, politics, economy,
and environment. And that's why fashion has changed so much throughout history.
As we explore the museum, the exhibits we'll see are not just about fabrics and patterns
but snapshots of historical eras woven into every thread of the grand tapestry
of America's story. Before we head into the museum, let's look at our guiding questions.
Our lesson's essential question is, how have fashion trends throughout American history
acted as both a reflection of and a catalyst for historical change? Our guiding questions are,
what is the relationship between fashion and the environment? How can fashion be used as
a lens to understand areas of political change? How have periods of economic growth and decline
mirrored changing fashion trends? How has fashion been used as a strategy to promote social change?
In our first exhibits, Mia will show us the relationship between the environment and fashion.
First, we see pairs of Levi Strauss jeans. Ah, an American staple. Today, many Americans own
a pair of jeans – or maybe four or five. But where does this key American style come from?
As the United States expanded in the 1800s, miners, cowboys, farmers, and railroad workers
needed tough clothing that could sustain the harsh working conditions of the West.
In 1853, Levi Strauss, a German Jewish immigrant,
created a pair of denim work pants made more durable with the addition of copper rivets.
Since then, the Levi's 501 model has become one of the most iconic pieces of American clothing.
Today, jeans are not just workwear meant for tough environments;
they represent individualism, freedom, and the Western spirit of opportunity and hard work.
We have in our next exhibit, a... bird? Mia, what does a bird have to do with fashion?
Well, in the late 1800s, designers began using bird feathers, particularly from the great egret,
to decorate women's hats. The great egret is a large bird with beautiful white feathers,
and the feathers were really expensive. Wearing these feathers was like wearing a
designer handbag today; it showed that you were wealthy. But overhunting nearly resulted in the
extinction of the great egret. This trend was bad news for the birds but led to conservation
efforts like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which made it illegal to hunt or sell the great egret.
Levi's jeans show us that fashion trends can arise in response to environmental conditions. However,
those fancy bird hats can show us that sometimes the environment can be harmed by fashion trends as
well. Pause the video here to complete the first section of the museum tour guide in your PDF to
reflect on our first guiding question: What is the relationship between fashion and the environment?
In our next exhibit, we see this gorgeous flapper dress from the 1920s. The Roaring
'20s was a period of political change, including the progression of women's rights.
Before the '20s, women wore long skirts, high necklines, and heavy dresses that made
it really hard to move around comfortably. These clothes were physical representations of women's
restrictive gender roles. However, when women won the right to vote in 1920, they began to assert
their independence through fashion. Dresses became looser, hemlines rose, and women started wearing
pants, which had been almost exclusively worn by men. Pause the video here and head
to the Museum tour guide to reflect on how these changing styles symbolized changing gender roles.
This move toward more comfortable clothing was part of a larger movement for women's rights as
women began challenging traditional gender norms. The most iconic 1920s fad was the flapper style.
Flappers were young women who listened to jazz, shortened their hairstyles, and wore flashy
accessories. They rejected the old-fashioned ideals of how women should behave and dress. The
flapper style represents how fashion can reflect political change and progress throughout history.
Pause the video here to complete the next section of the museum tour guide in your PDF to reflect on
our next guiding question: How can fashion be used as a lens to understand eras of political change?
In our next exhibits, Mia will show us how fashion trends change throughout periods of
economic growth and decline. Let's look closer at the 1920s. We've seen the political progress of
the era, but the '20s was also a period of intense economic growth. Department stores
started to allow people to purchase goods on credit, increasing consumer spending. With the
option to buy now, pay later, people could get all the cool, new, in-demand fashion trends.
And in the '20s, people demanded luxury. Silk, velvet, and furs became popular,
as did pearls and diamonds, reflecting the wealth of the era.
Well, this all changed when the Great Depression hit in the 1930s.
Pause the video here and head to the museum tour guide to compare styles from the '20s and '30s.
So, what did you notice? How do the styles of the '30s represent a decline from the
economic prosperity in the '20s? Well, in our next exhibit, we see a shirt from the '30s made out of,
um, Mia, is that a sack of flour? These styles can't be from the 1930s. What happened to those
fabulous, over-the-top styles of the '20s?! How can fashion change so much in just a decade?
Well, in the 1930s, the economy was in a severe downfall. People no longer had the
money to buy flashy outfits and accessories. The philosophy of the era was "make do and mend."
People were encouraged to reuse and repurpose their old clothes rather than buy new.
People even began making clothing out of flour sacks to save money.
Flour companies printed colorful patterns on their cotton sacks,
and women repurposed them into homemade dresses. Fashion became simpler and less extravagant,
reflecting economic hardship. Longer hemlines and modest styles mirrored a more conservative era.
So while the wealth of the 20s stimulated the fashion industry and inspired extravagant trends,
the Great Depression showed how quickly styles can change in response to an economic crisis.
Pause the video here to complete the next section
of the museum tour guide in your PDF to reflect on our third guiding question:
How have periods of economic growth and decline mirrored changing fashion trends?
In our final exhibit, we see a 1940s Zoot Suit, recognizable by high-waisted,
wide-legged trousers and long coats with padded shoulders. This was a popular style among Mexican
American communities in the 1940s and symbolized cultural identity and defiance against prejudice.
During this time, the Bracero Program allowed Mexican laborers
to temporarily work in the U.S to fill labor shortages caused by World War II.
Mexican immigrants came to places like California to find jobs but were met with prejudice.
While Mexican Americans used the Zoot Suit to express their culture, opponents of immigration
linked the style with negative perceptions of the Mexican American community. The suits were
made with wool, a fabric that had been rationed due to World War II supply shortages. People
accused Mexican Americans of taking fabric needed for military uniforms. The media was
also involved in these unfair accusations, linking the style to criminal behavior.
In 1943, the Los Angeles Times referred to the zoot suit as a badge of delinquency.
In June of 1943, American military servicemen attacked zoot suit wearers in the streets of
Los Angeles. The police response heavily favored the servicemen, and many Mexican
Americans were arrested. But Mexican Americans continued to wear their zoot suits with pride,
defying prejudice. zoot suits were more than a trend; they illustrate how clothing can symbolize
broader cultural tensions and be used as a strategy to speak out against societal norms.
Pause the video here to complete the last section of the museum tour guide in your PDF to reflect
on our fourth guiding question: How has fashion been used as a strategy to promote social change?
That was an awesome museum tour, Mia! We've learned that fashion trends are so much more than
what they seem. From rugged Levi's jeans to the controversial zoot suit, fashion trends are a lens
through which we can better understand historical changes. So, next time you pull on a pair of
jeans or your favorite shoes, think about what these clothes will tell future generations about
your story. We'll see you in the next lesson, historians! Until then, keep on making history!