At one point in time, more precisely during the 15th century, it was trendy for women to shave their eyebrows off completely. But the plucking didn’t stop there. Aristocratic women from that era used to also pluck back their hair to obtain a more pronounced forehead.

Patches

Patches were initially used by Romans, who wanted to emulate the goddess Venus who was said to have a beauty mark. However, wearing patches as a fashion statement was something that came into being in the 16th century in England and lasted until the 19th.

Most people today are not familiar with what patches were and it definitely seems something strange to understand. Basically patches were small pieces of velvet, black silk or fine leather that were glued onto specific parts of the face to highlight certain features or to resemble a beauty mark. For example, one could wear a patch by the corner of the mouth, the corner of the eye or around the temples. At one point, the place where you would glue your patch was an indicator of a message: for example, a patch glued above the lip meant that you were flirty, a patched placed near the eye meant that you were provocative and a patch sticked on a wrinkle was an indicator of a cheerful personality.

Patches were also used to cover scars and pimples.

Of course, there were a lot of people who used to exaggerate and wear too many patches, which resulted in them looking like they were covered with flies. In fact, in France and England, patches were called “mouches”, which is the French word for flies, and in Russia they were called “mushka”.

This fashion trend (and addiction for some), was also used to denote political views. According to a 1711 issue of “The Spectator”, “Politically minded dames used their patches as party symbols: the Whigs patching on the right, and the Tories on the left side of their faces, while those who were neutral, decorated both cheeks.”

During the 19th century, both men and women used to wear patches, which could now be found in many shapes, such as square, heart, star, moon, and even as a coach and horses.

This trend lasted until the 1850s, when, after centuries of being in style it wore out and was put aside.

Seen through our eyes, these trends might sound weird and truly awkward. But once you look at the trends we follow today, you can actually conclude that the trends from the past were not very weird. Or were they?

Stay tuned for part II!

Fraquoh and Franchomme

P.S. What do you think of these trends? Would you want any of them making a come-back? Which of today’s trends do you find bizarre? Share your thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!