Comment les Femmes se sont Réapproprié leur Corps : Les Couturières des Années Folles en France

Abstract

This thesis explores the evolution of fashion in France from the 19th Century up to the present time. Specifically, the study explores the impact of a fashion industry dominated by men and how women fashion designers along with others were able to develop "La Garconne" or "the New Women" during the Roaring Twenties. Overall, the thesis is divided into four parts: a brief history of French fashion constructed by men, the effects of World War I and the notion of the “new women,” a decade of women fashion designers, and the return of a field of fashion dominated by men after World War II.