CULTURAL FASHION IN 20th CENTURY IN LONDON

London's role as the nation's capital of fashion was already centuries-old when the 20th century began. Fashionable dress, music and à la mode behaviour traditionally took their cue from London's royal court and its aristocratic salons. During the 20th century London's position as the place where fashions were set remained the same but the pacemakers changed. Fashions were now led by the young. From the bright young things of the 1920s dancing the Charleston to hot jazz; through to the punks of the 1970s pogo-ing to The Damned, the young assumed a new cultural importance in 20th century London. The young began to assume a new confidence and cultural authority, so fashion in dress reflected the change. The 20th century saw London fashion become more closely entangled with the young than ever before, a change embodied by three of London's most creative fashion designers of the 20th century.