Analysis of Twentieth Century Apparel Production Compared to Twenty-First Century Apparel ...

179 Pages·2015·23.74 MB·English

by  Baker, Kelly

Analysis Of Twentieth Century Apparel Production Compared To Twenty-First Century
Apparel Production

by
Kelly Baker

A THESIS

submitted to

Oregon State University

University Honors College

in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the
degree of

Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Apparel Design and Chemistry
(Honors Scholar)

Presented November 19, 2015
Commencement June 2016

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF

Kelly Baker for the degree of Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Apparel Design and
Chemistry presented on November 19, 2015. Title: Analysis Of Twentieth Century
Apparel Production Compared To Twenty-First Century Apparel Production

Abstract approved:
_____________________________________________________________________
Elaine L. Pedersen

Apparel fashion is a daily component of society that transcends generations and cultures.
The purpose of my research was to analyze the garment structure and construction of two
separate but comparable garments in style, function, and content - one from the 1910s
and one from 2015. Using the New Brunswick Artifact Analysis Method, I compared and
contrasted a c.1915 armistice blouse to a 2015 dress shirt, focusing on the apparel
production processes needed to manufacture each blouse. I determined that the 1910s
garment was hand stitched, predominantly made out of a cotton plain weave fabric, and
was created during the transition to ready-to-wear apparel in the U.S. In contrast, the
2015 shirt was machine-sewn, made out of a blend of 70% cotton/30% lyocell plain
weave fabric, and manufactured in China with more advanced technology and machinery
than was available in the 1910s. Comparing the two blouses overall, the transition to
twenty-first century production retained much of the basic mechanism machinery used in
1910s apparel production, though it was improved upon; however, many elements that
originated with the RTW industry are still retained in 2015, such as the structure, the
motivation behind it, and the labor intensiveness.

Key Words: Twentieth Century Apparel Production, Twenty-First Century Apparel
Production, New Brunswick Artifact Analysis, Material Culture, Armistice Blouse

Corresponding e-mail address: [email protected]
©Copyright by Kelly Baker
November 19, 2015
All Rights Reserved
Analysis Of Twentieth Century Apparel Production Compared To Twenty-First Century
Apparel Production

by
Kelly Baker

A THESIS

submitted to

Oregon State University

University Honors College

in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the
degree of

Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Apparel Design and Chemistry
(Honors Scholar)

Presented November 19, 2015
Commencement June 2016
Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Apparel Design and Chemistry project of Kelly
Baker presented on November 19, 2015.

APPROVED:

Elaine L. Pedersen, Mentor, representing College of Business

Kathy Mullet, Committee Member, representing College of Business

Leslie Davis Burns, Committee Member, representing College of Business

Toni Doolen, Dean, University Honors College

I understand that my project will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon
State University, University Honors College. My signature below authorizes release of
my project to any reader upon request.

Kelly Baker, Author
Table of Contents

List of Tables ....................................................................................................................... i
List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... ii

CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................... 2
Assumptions ................................................................................................................... 2
Definitions ...................................................................................................................... 2

CHAPTER II – REVIEW OF LITERATURE .............................................................. 8
Twentieth Century Apparel ......................................................................................... 8
1910s Women’s Fashions ....................................................................................... 8
1910s Garment Characteristics ................................................................... 9
1910s Garment Textiles, Colors, and Embellishments ............................. 10
Factors Affecting 1910s Fashion .............................................................. 12
Overview of Women’s Fashions Post 1910s ........................................................ 13
Twentieth Century Apparel Production: 1910s ....................................................... 21
RTW vs. Handmade .............................................................................................. 21
Dressmaking ............................................................................................. 21
Transition to RTW .................................................................................... 24
Adoption of RTW ..................................................................................... 28
Manufacturing ........................................................................................... 30
Labor and Organization of Production ..................................................... 31
Influence of RTW ..................................................................................... 34
Twenty-First Century Apparel .................................................................................. 35
2015 Women’s Fashions ....................................................................................... 36
Rising Trends ............................................................................................ 37
Declining Trends ....................................................................................... 37
Textiles and Colors ............................................................................................... 38
Twenty-First Century Apparel Production: 2015 ................................................... 39
RTW Production ................................................................................................... 39
Roles Within the RTW Industry ............................................................... 45
Globalization/Sourcing ......................................................................................... 46
Globalization ............................................................................................. 48
Globally Manufactured T-Shirt Example ................................................. 51
Summary ...................................................................................................................... 54
CHAPTER III – PROCEDURE .................................................................................... 56
Population and Sample ............................................................................................... 56
Selection of Time Period ...................................................................................... 56
Selection of 1910s Garment .................................................................................. 57
Selection of 2015 Garment ................................................................................... 58
Artifact Analysis Method ........................................................................................... 60
1910s Garment ...................................................................................................... 65
2015 Garment ........................................................................................................ 67
CHAPTER IV – FINDINGS .......................................................................................... 71
New Brunswick Artifact Analysis: c. 1915 Armistice Blouse ................................. 72
Observable and Supplementary Data .................................................................... 72
Material ..................................................................................................... 72
Construction .............................................................................................. 75
Function .................................................................................................... 80
Provenance ................................................................................................ 81
Value ......................................................................................................... 82
Everlane’s Cotton Lawn Shirt ................................................................................... 83
Observable and Supplementary Data .................................................................... 83
Material ..................................................................................................... 83
Construction .............................................................................................. 86
Function .................................................................................................... 89
Provenance ................................................................................................ 90
Value ......................................................................................................... 90
Assessment of the c. 1915 Armistice Blouse vs. Everlane’s Cotton Lawn Shirt ... 91
Comparative Data ................................................................................................. 91
Material ..................................................................................................... 91
Construction .............................................................................................. 92
Function .................................................................................................... 92
Provenance ................................................................................................ 92
Value ......................................................................................................... 93
Commonalities and Disparities ............................................................................. 94
Commonalities .......................................................................................... 94
Disparities ................................................................................................. 97
Summary ...................................................................................................................... 99
CHAPTER V – CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................ 102
Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 103
Implications ............................................................................................................... 106
Limitations ................................................................................................................. 111
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 114
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 121
APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................ 122
Photos of c. 1915 Armistice Blouse .......................................................................... 122
c. 1915 Armistice Blouse POM ................................................................................ 126
Detail POM ................................................................................................................ 128
APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................ 130
Photos of 2015 Everlane Cotton Lawn .................................................................... 130
2015 Everlane Cotton Lawn POM .......................................................................... 133
Detail POM ................................................................................................................ 135
APPENDIX C ................................................................................................................ 137
Comprehensive Responses to the New Brunswick Artifact Analysis Checklist of
Questions .................................................................................................................... 137
APPENDIX D ................................................................................................................ 153
FLEUR de LIS Hand-Made Blouse Ads ................................................................. 153
APPENDIX E ................................................................................................................ 157
Similar Extant “Armistice” Blouses ........................................................................ 157
1900-1915 Extant Blouses ......................................................................................... 159