A Brief History Of Fashion Week In Photos

Fashion illustrations, of course, were the precursor to live models. The women drawn here are modeling the fashionable hats and gowns of the time.

English fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth created the gold standard of haute couture — meaning "high sewing" or "high fashion". By the age of 30, he was already an incredibly established designer and his "high dressmaking" skills led to the birth of his label House of Worth, which still produces fine clothing and perfumes today.

By the turn of the 20th century, House of Worth was designing the latest women's clothing in Paris. British journalist George Walden said of Worth, "Charles Frederick Worth dictated fashion in France a century and a half before Galliano."

Worth is also credited with making modeling a career. He was the first to tailor on real people. He worked directly on the customers they were intended for, creating a more customized look. Here, a model wearing leather gloves with a patterned in-lay, shows off an ankle-length dress by Worth, decorated with an intricately beaded yoke and cuffs.

His well-respected style was adopted by other designers and quickly shaped how consumers perceived high-design.

As the modeling industry expanded from Paris to New York City, it found a place on television (especially in the United States). Models would get in front of the camera and show off clothing women could buy. Saturday Revue, a variety show broadcast on WCBW, CBS Television, featured fashion, as well as dancing and theatre.

Starting in the 1940s, "Press Week" — the first unofficial fashion week — was established. Fashion editors were packed into small showrooms on Seventh Avenue during fashion press previews. Here, a model squeezes by in a lilac taffeta dress by Samuel Winston.

Industry professionals would also gather in department store basements to see the latest in women's fashion. This model dons Orbach department store's copy of a famous French pea coat in 1962.

As the years went on, the shows moved out of basements and became the highly-produced shows we are familiar with today. This model walks the runway in a patterned dress during a fashion shows at Ohrbach's department store.

As the shows became more popular, they became a combination of commercialization and art.