The sudden outbreak of war in August 1914 meant that the extravagance of the early 1900's vanished. Style had no choice but to offer practicality,comfort and simplicity; hemlines crept up to below the calf allowing women to stride as opposed to hobble.Women now had to fend for themselves and thus this style of dress was the only option. It held a purpose.

1988 to the present day- style has again reverted back to the bare basics.Not of course to the style of wartime Britain, but rather to the generic jeans and a sweatshirt look.Contrary to the profligacy of the Belle Époque or the glamour of the 1930's, our present decade seldom holds a sense of identity. It was a necessity for those about to embark in the First World War to adopt this simplicity over style approach,yet I do wonder whether we, living within the twenty first century have an excuse.

The excuse many manage to conjure is that our lifestyles are now far busier and more hectic than every past decade and thus it is harder to whittle together an outfit of any elegance or class. Yet, the most elegant of looks always come from those seldom trying to look beautiful at all.

Instead, the incentive I believe, is the fact that our yearning to look elegant has drastically changed. Dressing, solely for the benefit of ourselves is no longer a consideration. Instead, we dress only for the benefit of others. One would think therefore that we would dress fantastically, constantly dressing to impress. Instead however, we try too hard,seeking to reach this ‘idealistic’ fashionable state. A good many women who buy new clothes are afflicted by the delusion that they will thereby change their state of mind,the attitude of their companions and their lives-unfortunately,this is not the case.

The sole meaning of fashion has totally changed. Fashion once was about feeling beautiful for ones self.Fashion,now,is about striving to wear the same outfit as the girl next door ,desperately trying to be accepted.And therefore this ‘idealistic’ fashionable state is not fashionable at all, but instead,is quite frankly, boring. If we do have a real reason to dress down, then of course, that is fine, but if we do not, we should not make such excuses.