The text below looks at fashion trends in Britain the previous century. Read and translate it, using the notes to help you, and then try to answer the questions at the end

A photograph, taken at random in a busy city street on a Saturday, would tell an observer very little about the place, the season, the social class or the work done by the people, so diversified have the clothes worn by the British become. One can make the generalization that people over 50 tend to dress more traditionally and formally, at least when on a visit ‘town’, whereas the population under the age of 45 to 50 presents a variety of costume that, at its extreme, turns the street into fancy-dress parade. There is no uniformity of skirt length, trouser width, or of style in general beyond some vague similarities of detail that allow one to characterize some as ‘punks’, others as ‘Sloane Rangers’ or as executive types.

This century has seen rapid changes in fashion, as in every other aspect of life. The most radical change came in women’s clothing at the turn of the century – loose, less constricting dresses falling to just above the ankle marked the more active way of life that women were beginning to pursue. In contrast, men’s clothes at this time settled into the style of drab colours and conservative cut that was to remain as the only acceptable way of dressing until the 1960s.

With the outbreak of war in 1914 fashion came to a halt for four years. Men and women, both in the army and in civilian life, were involved in the war effort and, consequently, wore either uniform or the severely practical clothes that restrictions of time and of availability of fabrics imposed upon them. The fashion known as the ‘hobble skirt’ was short-lived. Introduced just before the outbreak of war, it consisted of a very narrow, floor-length skirt that was draped around the body in such a way that it opened at the front a little below the knee. The skirt was not to exceed a width of 70 centimetres at the ankles, and forced the wearer to walk as if hobbled. It was an anachronism.

Since 1914there have been at least two attempts to persuade women to wear ankle-length skirts again: the first came in the Thirties when long, flowing skirts and square-shouldered dresses in silk and other fine materials replaced the waistless, knee-length garments of 1926 and 1927. Men’s clothes also underwent a change, albeit slight one. The extremely wide Oxford bags of the Twenties became narrower and the more daring young men began leaving off their waistcoats.

Clothes rationing during the Second World War induced many women to take up home dress-making, and man-made fibres such as rayon provided a cheap alternative to cotton and silk. Fashion at this time emphasized the shoulders with padding and skirts were worn shorter than previously. Also the trousers, which had first been worn by women in the previous decade now came into their own. Men’s fashions changed very little during this period, and the rationing of clothing imposed restrictions on the degree of choice available to both sexes.

The period from the late 1940s to the present day has seen a large number of styles. The more extravagant ones, like the New Look of 1947, when as much as 70 metres of material could be used in a dress, were doomed to a short life in an increasingly work orientated society. (Odd that, in contrast, the reaction to the First World War had been a skirt, in 1924, that required just one metre of fabric!) A year after the Second World War ended, and for purely practical reasons, the most enduring fashion of the 20^th century first appeared in Britain: denim jeans arrived from the USA.

1966 saw the start of unisex fashions and men’s liberation from drab-coloured uniformity in dress. Clothes were clearly beginning to be designed with the young and very slim in mind and the large, imposing silhouette so sought after at the start of the century was now something to be ashamed of and dieted away. Fashions began to change so rapidly that they can now recur in one person’s life-time. For example, the mini-skirt resurfaced in 1983, some 18 years after its first period of popularity. At present the most diverse styles in men’s and women’s clothes coexist and dressing is seemingly more an art form than at any time since the beginning of the 20^th century.

Notes:

‘town’ – This word is frequently used to describe the main shopping centre of a community or district. In outlying villages visits ‘to town’ are an infrequent occurrence often necessitate dressing up in one’s best clothes.

fancy-dress parade – A parade of people dressed in costume, perhaps representing animals, characters in history or fiction, or a well-known personality. Fancy-dress parades and parties usually take place as part of a major festival such as Christmas, Bonfire Night (November 5^th), or Halloween (October 31^st).

‘punks’ – The ‘punk’ style arose out of the anti-establishment punk-rock movement in the 70s. It is characterized in its extreme form by outlandish hairstyles – heads are often partially shaven or the hair is dyed in bright colours and made to stick up in spikes.

‘Sloane Rangers’ – This is a comparatively new expression in the English language. It describes the fashionable set of young people who live in the south-west London district of Chelsea, the centre of which is Sloane Square.

executive types – Smartly-dressed men and women who adopt the expensively tailored style of dressing usually associated with high-powered businessmen.

conservative – Used in this sense the adjective simply means moderate, traditional.

hobbled – Having one’s legs tied together with a short length of rope. The expression is usually applied to horses.

Oxford bags – Very widely cut trousers first worn by young men at Oxford University in 1925. ‘Bags’ is a rather old-fashioned slang word for trousers.

New Look – This fashion was characterized by dresses with a fitted bodice and three-quarter length sleeves with the skirt of the dress reaching to mid-calf level. The skirt was full and this was emphasized by swathes of material draped on the hips.

unisex – Designed to be worn by either sex.