How much do you know about fashion history?

By: Torrance Grey
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How much do you know about fashion history?
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About This Quiz

Though we think of fashion as being about the here and now, it's got a long history -- an interesting one, too! Want to show off your fashion savvy? Strap on your high heels and get to work!
What dangerous substance was used in face powder by Victorian women?
radium
arsenic
They used it to make their skin paler.
cyanide
strychnine

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In what century was the modern bra created?
17th
18th
19th
Not surprisingly, two women share the credit.
20th

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For what group of workers was the blue jean created?
vineyard workers
dockworkers
miners
Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss patented them in 1873.
milkmen

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What skirt, which added exaggerated fullness to the rear end, was popular in the late 19th century?
The bustle
A variation on the 'hoop' skirt, it held fabric out away from the wearer's bottom.
The O'Hara
The maxi
The Polonaise

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What is the name for the very full upper sleeve popular in the Victorian era?
sailor
leg o'mutton
Don't laugh: we loved shoulder pads as recently as the 80s.
dolman
duchess

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What was Coco Chanel's real first name?
Marie-Claire
Gabrielle
Chanel virtually had no rival in the mid-20th-century.
Claudine
It was actually Coco

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Which hairstyle represented independence for women in the 1920s?
The shag
The bob
The image of the flapper is inseparable from her bobbed hair.
The French pleat
The mullet

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Which designer is credited with popularizing the "little black dress"?
Elsa Schiaparelli
Christian Dior
Mary Quant
Coco Chanel
Chanel's version of the dress was called the "Ford" design.

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Which designer collaborated with artists like Salvador Dali?
Elsa Schiaparelli
Dali famously painted the lobster on the front of her "lobster dress."
Madeleine Vionnet
Norma Kamali
Mary Quant

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Which Basque-born designer was known for the 'bubble dress'?
Christian Dior
Cristobal Balenciaga
"Balenciaga" was the enigmatic last word of an "American Horror Story" character.
Andres Courreges
Madeleine Vionnet

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With which designer was Audrey Hepburn closely associated?
Coco Chanel
Cristobal Balenciaga
Hubert de Givenchy
Having to dress Audrey Hepburn must have been quite a chore.
Mary Quant

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For which style is Mary Quant best known?
tube top
cowl-neck sweater
pencil skirt
miniskirt
Andres Courreges was also well-known for his miniskirts and minidresses.

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Which designer worked with Jackie Kennedy for her first trip abroad as First Lady?
Christian Dior
Paul Poiret
Oleg Cassini
He was reputedly related to the Cassini who discovered four of Saturn's satellites.
Bill Blass

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Which of these is NOT commonly associated with mod fashion?
bright colors
vinyl
go-go boots
leather & suede headbands
Mod fashion was later sent up by the "Austin Power" films.

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Which figure skater has a hairstyle named after her?
Peggy Fleming
Kristi Yamaguchi
Dorothy Hamill
Hamill appeared on a recent season of "Dancing With the Stars," still with short hair.
Nancy Kerrigan

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Which of these is NOT usually associated with Jackie Kennedy?
off-shoulder tops
A-line dresses
oversized sunglasses
boots
Boots would have been a bit androgynous for the very feminine First Lady.

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Who, for decades, did the "10 Worst-Dressed Women" list?
Truman Capote
RIchard Blackwell
Celebrities feared his list, but readers devoured it.
Joan Rivers
Clare Boothe Luce

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Which of these is NOT usually associated with the 1970s?
Eyeliner
The punk and Goth looks of the 80s were a reaction to the more natural, organic styles of the 70s.
bell bottoms
platform heels
long straight hair

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Which perfume was red-hot in the 1980s?
Curious
Joy
Giorgio
Things got so bad that reportedly, fine restaurants posted signs reading, "Please, no wearers of Giorgio."
Obsession

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Which of these styles is NOT commonly associated with the 80s?
short hair
stiletto heels
Let's not even get into those big "Frankie Say Relax" T-shirts.
shoulder pads
moussed hair

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Which designer drew criticism for basing a collection on the clothing of homeless people?
Issey Miyake
Donna Karan
John Galliano
The collection used, among other things, silk printed to look like old newspapers.
Miuccia Prada

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Which designer drew inspiration from London's punk-rock scene?
Dries Van Noten
Miuccia Prada
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Vivienne Westwood
Westwood outfitted the iconic punk group, the Sex Pistols.

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For which item is Prada not popularly known?
shoes
watches
handbags
ballgowns
Prada has branched out, though, even making a cell phone.

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Which of these is NOT commonly associated with the 90s?
pencil skirts
Pencil skirts are evergreen, though, among women with office jobs.
cargo pants
flannel shirts
black velvet chokers

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Which organization made a dent in celebs wearing fur in the 1990s?
the WWF
the ASPCA
PETA
The organization's full name is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Greenpeace

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Which designer was killed at his home by Andrew Cunanan?
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Gianni Versace
Many saw the killing as Cunanan's bid for lasting infamy.
Christian Dior
John Galliano

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Which of these US shows premiered first?
How Do I Look?
Say Yes to the Dress
What Not to Wear
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
Queer Eye premiered in 2003 and was a runaway hit.

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Who played an Anna-Wintour-like editor in "The Devil Wears Prada"?
Rene Russo
Glenn Close
Meryl Streep
Hey, a multi-Oscar winner can afford to play an unlikable character.
Kate Hudson

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What is designer Vera Wang best known for?
shoes
jeans
wedding dresses
Wang dressed both 2016 candidates' daughters, Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton, for their nuptials.
handbags

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Which of the following is NOT commonly associated with the 2000s?
spray tanning
oversized sunglasses
flatironed hair
Dansko clogs
Don't worry: Dansko shoes are always popular among women who work on their feet.

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Which Beatle fathered a successful fashion designer?
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Stella McCartney is a vegetarian who doesn't use fur or leather in her designs.
George Harrison
Ringo Starr

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What reality-TV fashionista wrote "The Little Black Book of Style"?
Carson Kressley
Nina Garcia
Garcia is a judge on Project Runway.
Heidi Klum
Kim Kardashian

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What very non-haute-couture item did Sharon Stone wear to the Oscars?
a denim jacket
a Gap turtleneck
Stone also wore a white Gap men's shirt on the red carpet a few years later.
Converse sneakers
a homemade friendship bracelet

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What fictional heroine recently made braids popular again?
Bella Swan
Katniss Everdeen
Elsa from 'Frozen'
#2 and #3
Unlike many hair styles, there is a version of braids appropriate for virtually every age.

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What was Lady Gaga's dress at the 2010 MTV awards made from?
raw silk
papier-mache
seashells
meat
The dress was later preserved by a taxidermist.

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You Got:
/35
n/a