I suppose that anyone could locate and read a fashion history book, and I also understand how boring that would be. I want you to enjoy it, thus I have brought you a list of fun facts about fashion history.

1. You can’t go out these days without seeing a shopping center, thanks to the ancient Romans who built the very first one.

2. In the year 200, the Romans created different shoes for the left and right feet.

3. Makeup has been used by women since before Cleopatra’s time. They would use berries and other fruits to give their faces some color.

4. The word “gymnos” means “naked” in Greek, which gives us our word “gym” or “gymnasium,” due to the fact that Ancient Greeks used to exercise naked.

5. An unlikely person to be associated with the fashion world, Napoleon invented the buttons for sleeves after his soldiers kept wiping their noses on their button-free clothes. Ew!

6. Metal needles are relatively new, but 30,000 years ago, they were being made from animal bones.

7. In the Middle Ages, poorer people would wear mittens, while the richer would wore gloves to show off their wealth.

8. Up until the 17th century, men didn’t wear underwear at all.

9. Men wore high heels to ride horses up until 1740. It was thought that the heels helped them to ride better.

10. The Ancient Romans wore yellow clothing on their wedding days.

11. The European women in medieval times used to wear green, which was thought to aid and/or symbolize fertility.

12. In the 1600’s, pregnancy was considered fashionable. Women would often put cushions underneath their clothes to try and create a realistic bump.

13. In the original Cinderella story, the glass slippers did not exist. Instead, her shoes were made out of fur, but the story was changed in the 1600’s and included the new and now-famous glass slippers.

14. The long, fluffy wigs which are commonly seen worn by judges today derived from the days of King Louis XIII. The French monarch suffered quite badly with bald patches, and wore a massive wig to appear macho and powerful.

15. Historically, purple clothes were only worn by magistrates, emperors and other aristocracy in Rome, Italy.

16. Thousands of fashion magazines are sold every year, but the first ever fashion magazine was sold in Germany in 1586.

17. Queen Juana, from Portugal, wore the first hoop skirt in a bid to hide the fact she was pregnant.

18. Queen Victoria was the first person to wear a white wedding dress.

Prior to this, white had been used as a color of mourning.

19. Children wore the same styles as adults up until the 1500’s, when new trends appeared specifically for children.

20. High heels are nothing new to the world. In the 18th century, they were fashionable even for children.

And now a little bit about famous fashion designers.

1. Harry Winston was the designer of the most expensive shoes in the world. The red ruby slippers he designed sold for $3 million.

Harry Winston, Inc. is an American luxury jeweler and producer of Swiss timepieces.The company was founded in 1932 as Harry H. Winston Jewels, Inc. and changed its name to Harry Winston Inc. in January 1936.The company is named after its founder, Harry Winston, who was called by many as the "King of Diamonds".

2. Many companies try to be an ethical and environmentally friendly as possible, but Stella McCartney bags went a step further and are made out of corn.

Stella Nina McCartney (born 13 September 1971) is an English fashion designer. She is a daughter of English singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and the late American photographer and animals rights activist Linda McCartney. Like her parents, McCartney is a firm supporter of animal rights, environmentalism, and is particularly known for her use of vegetarian and animal-free alternatives in her work.

3. Michael Kors’ first project was his own mother’s wedding dress. He was a mere 5 years old at the time.

Michael David Kors (born Karl Anderson Jr. August 9, 1959) is an American fashion designer. He is the honorary chairman and chief creative officer of his brand, Michael Kors, which sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, footwear, and fragrance. Kors was the first women's ready-to-wear designer for the French house Celine, from 1997 to 2003. On January 2, 2019, Michael Kors Holdings Limited officially changed its name to Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE: CPRI). Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, and Versace are the three founder-led brands under Capri Holdings Limited.

4. Ralph Lauren’s real name was Ralph Lifshitz.

Ralph Lauren, (Lifshitz; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his collection of rare automobiles, some of which have been displayed in museum exhibits. Lauren stepped down as CEO of the company in September 2015 but remains executive chairman and chief creative officer. As of April 2022, his net worth was estimated at US $6.9 billion.

5. Levi’s jeans are one of the most popular brands of jeans. Although you might pay a hefty price for a pair now, the first pair sold for $6 worth of gold dust back in 1853.

Levi Strauss & Co. is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in May 1853 when German immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California, to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business. Although the corporation is registered in Delaware, the company's corporate headquarters is located in Levi's Plaza in San Francisco.

Jean René Lacoste (French pronunciation: 2 July 1904 – 12 October 1996) was a French tennis player and businessman. He was nicknamed "the Crocodile" because of how he dealt with his opponents; he is also known worldwide as the creator of the Lacoste tennis shirt, which he introduced in 1929, and eventually founded the brand and its logo in 1933.

7. Marc Jacobs, famous for his many perfumes, has a SpongeBob SquarePants tattoo, among 27 others.

Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was discontinued after the 2015 fall/winter collection. At its peak, there were over 200 retail stores in 80 countries. He was the creative director of the French design house Louis Vuitton from 1997 to 2014. Jacobs was on Time magazine's "2010 Time 100" list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and was #14 on Out magazine's 2012 list of "50 Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America". He was married on April 6, 2019, to his long time partner, Charly Defrancesco.

8. Gucci manufactured a pair of jeans named the Gucci Genius Jeans.

They sold for a staggering $3,134.

Guccio Giovanbattista Giacinto Dario Maria Gucci (26 March 1881 – 2 January 1953) was an Italian businessman and fashion designer. He is known for being the founder of the fashion house Gucci.

9. Doc Martens come in all different colors and sizes now, but the first pair was created using old tires.

Dr. Martens, also commonly known as Doc Martens, Docs or DMs, [2] is a British footwear and clothing brand, headquartered in Wollaston in the Wellingborough district of Northamptonshire, England. Although famous for its footwear, Dr. Martens also makes a range of accessories – such as shoe care products, clothing, and bags. The footwear is distinguished by its air-cushioned sole (dubbed Bouncing Soles), upper shape, welted construction and yellow stitching.

10. Christian Louboutin manufactured a limited edition for brides. They had baby blue soles to give the bride “something blue,” but the company ceased production after copyright issues.

Christian Louboutin (born 7 January 1963) is a French fashion designer whose high-end stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. Initially a freelance designer for fashion houses, he started his own shoe salon in Paris, with his shoes finding favor with celebrity clientele. He has partnered with other organizations for creative projects including limited edition pieces, gallery exhibits, and a custom bar. His company has since branched out into men's footwear, handbags, fragrances and makeup.

11. Valentino Garavani, a famous Italian fashion designer, takes his five precious pugs everywhere with him. Valentino Red was given this name after he became well-known for the bright red dresses he designed.

Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (born 11 May 1932), known mononymously as Valentino, is an Italian fashion designer, the founder of the Valentino brand and company. His main lines include Valentino, Valentino Garavani, Valentino Roma, and R.E.D. Valentino.

12. Chanel was an orphan at the age of 12, but that didn’t stop her becoming one of the greatest fashion designers the world has ever seen. As well as the little black dress, she also created costume jewelry. Chanel No. 5 marked the beginning of modern perfume in 1921.

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with popularizing a sporty, casual chic as the feminine standard of style. This replaced the "corseted silhouette" that was dominant beforehand with a style that was simpler, far less time consuming to put on and remove, more comfortable, and less expensive, all without sacrificing elegance. She is the only fashion designer listed on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. A prolific fashion creator, Chanel extended her influence beyond couture clothing, realizing her aesthetic design in jewelry, handbags, and fragrance. Her signature scent, Chanel No. 5, has become an iconic product, and Chanel herself designed her famed interlocked-CC monogram, which has been in use since the 1920s.

Her couture house closed in 1939, with the outbreak of World War II. Chanel stayed in France and was criticized during the war for collaborating with the Nazi-German occupiers and the Vichy puppet regime to boost her professional career. One of Chanel's liaisons was with a German diplomat, Baron (Freiherr) Hans Günther von Dincklage. After the war, Chanel was interrogated about her relationship with Dincklage, but she was not charged as a collaborator due to intervention by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. When the war ended, Chanel moved to Switzerland, returning to Paris in 1954 to revive her fashion house. In 2011, Hal Vaughan published a book about Chanel based on newly declassified documents, revealing that she had collaborated directly with the Nazi intelligence service, the Sicherheitsdienst. One plan in late 1943 was for her to carry an SS peace overture to Churchill to end the war.

 

As you can see, fashion has been a huge part of people’s lives since ancient times.

Which of these fashion facts grabbed your attention?