Few things make fashion history click the way a good visual timeline does. A few years back, Mode Studios released a series of short videos with a simple, irresistible premise: show one hundred years of style — 1915 to the present — in about three minutes, using authentic looks from each era. The flagship 100 Years of Fashion clip became one of the most-watched fashion videos ever made, and the series kept going from there.
Why the series works
Each video follows the same formula: one model, one decade at a time, with the hair, silhouettes, and details changing as the years roll forward. Watching the 1920s drop waist give way to the 1950s full skirt, then to the 1970s flare and the 1990s minimalism, teaches more about how style evolves than a chapter of text. It is fashion history you can absorb in the time it takes to make coffee.
The episodes
The series covered the full wardrobe: women's fashion, men's fashion, wedding gowns, handbags, hats, Halloween costumes, swimwear, and more. Each installment sticks to the same decade-by-decade structure, so you can compare how different categories moved through the same eras — notice how the 1960s, for example, show up everywhere at once.
Worth your three minutes
If you have ever wondered how we got from the structured silhouettes of 1915 to the relaxed lines of today, this is the fastest possible answer. Search for the "100 Years of Fashion" series on YouTube and start with the original — then follow whichever category interests you most.
For the deeper story behind the styles, browse fashion history here on Apparel Search, and our fashion guide for everything else.
Have you watched the series? Tell us your favorite decade in the comments below.
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