• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.69-86
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• 2011

The objective of this research is to unveil the dynamic changes of the trends in wedding dresses during the 20th Century. The studies were carried out in two forms; firstly by observing the actual wedding dresses worn by people at that time, and secondly by conducting formative comparisons between those dresses with the ones appeared in movies corresponding to that period. Movies provide an invaluable insight into the era's wedding dresses fashion trends since they function as intimate bridges in connection with the time's audience, and the visible imageries accurately reflect the characteristics embedded within that time frame. As there are no precedent studies regarding this topic, this thesis can serve as vital research data for the wedding dress industry. Research data regarding the actual wedding dresses were collected from books and museum web sites. The object of movies were films produced before World War II that contained both the background settings of the 20th Century and wedding dresses, of which photographic imageries were captured. Research analysis was then conducted by merging these data with findings from relevant books and internet materials. The results of the thesis are as the following: The 1900s was an extension of the 19th Century's popular fashion trend which can be characterized as the S curve silhouettes of the Edwardian period when long trains and long veils symbolized wealth and social power. In the 1910s, high waist silhouettes with soft wrinkles were prevalent as attire suitable for active mobility with practical functionality were highly regarded. During the 1920s, the flapper style became the dominant trend. Hem lines of the skirts were curled in the form of the scallop and laces were the most widely used raw materials. By the 1930s, wedding dresses that reinterpreted the glamorous sheath lines, practical two piece styles, and retro-styles became predominant. The 1940s saw the advent of ready-made wedding dresses made of synthesized materials; practical military style suits and casuals sometimes substituted the wedding dresses. And although the wedding dresses in the movies were primarily costumes to express the personalities of the characters, they were also reinterpreted as manifestations of the formative characteristics of each relative period that pursued very distinct and diverse features.