Fashion Silhouettes That Shook The World

Recollecting bold sartorial moves that transcended time and made us who we are today.

Jul 07, 2025, 02:12 PM
Photo Credit : ( Instagram / @jeanpaulgaultier )

The New Look

After World War II, Dior's New Look was an attempt to bring back luxury, optimism, femininity in fashion, and revive Paris as the fashion hub. Layers and layers of taffeta were stitched - eliminating rationing culture.

Photo Credit : ( Instagram / @dior )

The Little Black Dress

Coco Chanel's saw power in simplicity and it first took form through her LBD. No more reserved for mourning; Black as a colour became chic and the dress, a blank canvas that could be accessorized and elevated.

Photo Credit : ( Instagram / @janhvikapoor )

The Empire Waist Dress

Women couldn’t remain caged inside corsets heavily boned garments anymore. The 1800s gave rise to the empire waist dress. Raised waistlines, lower necklines, short puffed sleeves, and a pro-feminist, liberating moment for fashion and society, was the Empire Waist Dress.

Photo Credit : ( Instagram / @bridgertonnetflix )

Mary Quant's Mini Skirt

Womens' clothes with hemlines cut short were a big NO back in the 60s and this restricted an active lifestyle. Thanks to Quant who defined it as symbol of female liberation and challenged social norms.

Photo Credit : ( Instagram / @ananyapanday )

The Bullet Bra

Breasts, just organs yet so political that the Bullet Bras that had an exaggerated, conical bust type which enhanced the hourglass figure, were a scandalizing silhouette at the time (we’re talking post-World War 2) when shapewear was dominating.

Photo Credit : ( Instagram / @kyliejenner )

Le Smoking

If you lived in 1966 and wore a pair of trousers in high society, you’d be ‘cancelled.’ YSL’s Le Smoking, a sharply tailored tuxedo for women was a gamechanger as it was the first one to exist in high fashion, brought menswear into women’s closets, and paved way for androgynous fashion.

Photo Credit : ( Instagram / @ysl )

The Punk Look

A counterculture movement that dominated not just fashion, but music and literature too – Punk leveraged unkempt, rebellious silhouettes. Safety pins were not just for fixing the fit of the garments rather an accessory entirely, and ripped jeans, a deliberate style choice.

Photo Credit : ( Instagram / @viviennewestwood )