An analysis of the shoulder pad in female fashion

Abstract

Abstract This study examines the adoption of the shoulder pad in female, western fashion. Shoulder pads are essentially a form of wadding inserted into a garment that alters the natural shape of the shoulder line. They can give the illusion of a much broader shoulder, a square shoulder or a rounded, softer shoulder. In bespoke or made-to-measure fashion such as tailoring and haute couture, the use of shoulder padding can also align the shoulders if one slopes more than the other. The fashion industry has utilized shoulder pads to enhance the silhouette of many types of clothes and this research aims to trace the history of shoulder padding in contemporary fashion, from the early 1930s. It also discusses how technology has developed the use of shoulder padding in female fashion. Their inclusion in fashionable clothing depends on the fashion taste of the day; however, the research also investigates how shoulder pads have sometimes been appropriated by women to galvanize an impression of power and emancipation.