4 Fashionable Ideas That Were Once Considered Madness, But Now All Women Wear

"Take it off immediately!" – this is exactly how fashionistas and fashion critics reacted to certain wardrobe items created in the last century. From this article, you will find out which clothes were initially perceived as designers' bad fantasies, but later became beloved and indispensable.

Pantsuits by Coco Chanel

Modern fashionistas should thank this fashion industry legend for introducing items into women's wardrobes that were previously considered exclusively for men.
Marlene Dietrich in a pantsuit
Marlene Dietrich in a pantsuit
Coco Chanel created a true revolution in fashion by daring to wear comfortable men's pants instead of movement-restricting skirts. She wore them in everyday life and at festive events. Women initially viewed these bold fashion experiments with caution and horror, while men complained that their style had been stolen. But over time, ladies fell in love with pants for their comfort, and men had to accept the new fashion rules.

Balenciaga's Sack Dress

The couturier took an antagonist stance in the fashion world – in contrast to Christian Dior's feminine New Look dresses, he created voluminous, baggy designs. It was introduced in 1957. However, back then, women dreamed of an hourglass figure with a cinched waist, so they considered the dress absurd and crazy.
Balenciaga's Sack Dress
Balenciaga's Sack Dress
But in the 1960s, the time for the sack dress finally came – it became a kind of feminist protest. Women wore it to prove that they dressed not for men, but for their own comfort and pleasure. Even movie characters wore the sack dress. For example, actress Molly Ringwald wore it in the film "Pretty in Pink," which was released in 1986. And nowadays, with the trend for oversized clothing – it's a given!

The Little Black Dress by Coco Chanel

It's impossible not to mention this Frenchwoman again, as she revolutionized fashion more than once. Chanel invented the little black dress, which featured a rectangular neckline, straight cut, long narrow sleeves, and a length just below the knee. Fashion experts criticized this creation, calling it a failure and saying it looked orphan-like. However, women who wore it disagreed with their opinion. Today, the little black dress has become a wardrobe classic. Designers offer many variations: with open and closed shoulders and sleeves, knee-length and extremely short, fitted or straight silhouettes.
The little black dress – now an undeniable classic
The little black dress – now an undeniable classic

Lingerie-Style Clothing by Jean-Paul Gaultier

This French fashion designer transformed people's attitudes towards lingerie-style clothing and defined the fashion aesthetics of the '80s and '90s. He encouraged women to wear form-fitting slip dresses, corsets, and crop tops that revealed shoulders and midriffs.
Jean-Paul Gaultier introduced the unusual trend of lingerie-style clothing
Jean-Paul Gaultier introduced the unusual trend of lingerie-style clothing
His iconic masterpiece is the corset, featuring the provocative cone bra. He specifically designed it for the Queen of Pop, Madonna. Initially, women viewed Gaultier's creations with suspicion, thinking they were too wild, revealing, and even vulgar. But the couturier managed to make lingerie-style clothing both seductive and elegant. Modern ladies choose it with pleasure, feeling confident and stunning.

All these examples prove that fashion isn't always open and welcoming to new trends. That's why unusual phenomena and designer ideas often face a lot of criticism before they truly "explode." Yet, half a century later, it's hard to imagine any wardrobe without these innovations.