We don't need a guide to look at a photograph of a woman in a dress and determine around when that photo was taken. For as long as there has been fashion, there has been a fashion for a specific time and place. In fact, you could use a series of pictures to create a timeline that can easily be read by anybody with a moderate knowledge of history.
Society has always been molded by popular fashion. Trends over a period of time that help form the look and feel for the people living in that period. Designs are influenced by the past, present and future, thus creating a perpetuating fashion trend that both molds itself and destroys itself every so often. The 20th century has fast-forwarded the role of fashion, allowing it to change more often over the past hundred years than any length of time before it.
Back when the car was first introduced to the masses, women's fashions fell victim to the invention. Not necessarily in a bad way, but they were indirectly affected by something that they would seemingly have nothing to do with. Dustcoats were added to many dresses, preventing dirt kicked up by the vehicle from sullying the dress.
In the 1920's, the rise in popularity of music changed the way women dressed. Skirts became shorter and accessories such as pearls became a fashion must. The skirts can be explained due to the fact it made fast-paced dancing much easier, the pearls just looked good on anybody moving quickly.
The depression soon followed and it crept into the design world. Fabrics were not easy to come by and afford, so whatever it was that women could wear or make a dress with, they did. Motion pictures became increasingly popular in the following decades; making impersonating the style of popular movie stars a common occurrence.
As American went into World War II, women were left at home and had to be taken seriously. They dressed accordingly. Their look often involved padded shoulders, short skirts, and a tailored look.
Go read on about vintage fashion at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vintage_clothing.
Once the war was over, society returned to the way they thought things should be. Women once again started wearing long skirts and tried their best to imitate the styles of the movie stars of their time. In the 1960's, Jackie Kennedy was both beautiful and respected, making many women interested in modeling their look after the one of a kind First Lady.
The 1970's emphasized comfort while disco also played a key role in what women wore. Madonna came around in the 1980's and not only changed music, but fashion as well. Headbands, bracelets and leggings were adopted by America's youth.
The 1990's seemed to have a different look for every year of the decade itself. Haircuts, clothing, music, and even slang terminology evolved from 1990 through 1999. It was the most varied decade by far.
Our culture not only influences fashion, but fashion in turn influences the future of our culture. It's going to continue to do so as long as we're given a choice in what we wear and how we live our lives. Check out more on modern fashion at Forever 21 or Nasty Gal.