What is fashion? Fashion is a general term used to describe a style of clothing or practice used by people around the world. Fashion refers to anything that is a trend. Self-presentation is the most direct obvious indicator of fashion. Throughout history we have seen many changes in clothing, from the color, to the material used to make it. We've also seen the style in which clothing is made change dramatically. Fashion communicates meanings that have individual and social value. Society, cultures, gender and even political authority have influenced fashion over the years. Clothing styles feature certain designs that represent the culture wearing the clothing. Designers continue to try to direct their ideas towards a changing society that will progressively make their designs worth a lot of money (Roach 54-55). Fashion in the 1900s was heavily influenced by the First and Second World Wars. The greatest change has been observed in women on the American home front. As men left for war, women's responsibilities on the home front changed. Women went from wearing dresses to wearing pants and doing the work once done by men. With the First World War resulting in over six million casualties, it became the only option for many women to make it without male support. Women liked the freedom they found on the home front. It was during this time that fashion production was stopped due to material limitations, so women's dresses became shorter and pants became tighter (Nunn 169-206). Fashion in the 1940s began to slow down; little change was observed unlike the Jazz Age (1919-1929). This was due to the lack of material caused by World War II. Women could not change their clothes, so they dressed in simple clothes. During this period military clothing... middle of paper... from ancient times to the present day. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1991. 204-12. Print.Roach, Mary E. “Fashion.” The World Book Encyclopedia F: Volume 7. By World Book.Encyclopedia. Powered. vol. 7. Chicago, ILL: World Book, 2003. 54-55. Press. The WorldBook Encyclopedia. Steele, Valerie. Fifty years of fashion: new look today. New Haven: Yale UP, 1997. Print.Thomas, Pauline W. "The Age of Fashion contains 870 illustrated, content-rich pages of fashion history, history of costume, clothing, fashion, and social history. Sitemap." Costume trends and eras, fashion-history trends, Victorian trends. Pauline and Guy Thomas, 2001.Web. March 13, 2012. “Vintage Fashion Guild: International Vintage Clothing Organization.” Vintage Fashion GuildInternational vintage clothing organization. 2002. Network. March 13. 2012..