Synopsis:
During this era of prohibition and increasing women’s rights, women’s fashion changed drastically in contrast with rebellion and the target for equality. The 1920’s started the less conservative and more skin showing types of outfits. Dresses, skirts, and shirts were less constricting and consisted of a more boyish silhouette. Women wore pleated, slitted, or gathered short skirts, also allowing women to move freely. The corset and tight dresses were no longer in fashion, as loose and slimming outfits were more trendy, the boyish look came to style. This era also introduced both lower and higher waistlines due to the large allowances of freedom of expression taken advantage of by the designers. One of the freedoms that was taken advantage of for the first time was the allowance of pantsuits and not being restricted to only wearing skirts and dresses. With these pantsuits came hats, canes, and the haircut known as the bubikopf ("the bob"). Though, especially popularized during the 1920’s was the drop waist dresses; some say they “define the decade.” Along with these dresses came silk stockings of all colors and patterns. In this decade, women often wore skirts with a higher waistline and fuller form with baggy shirts and sweaters to give off the drop waist effect. Ornamentation and straps came to fashion for women’s shoes during this time. The T-strap heel was favored, as the added strap to allowed women’s shoes to stay on while dancing. Like men, women began to wear oxfords. They also began to wear fur trimmed dresses, jackets, and coats. Lastly, headbands featuring feathers and jewels were a necessity during the flapper era. Flashy and glitzy jewelry was also worn. Women often layered strings of pearls around their necks as a fashion statement. Many of these styles and accessories are a part of the trendy group of young women called “flappers.” Flappers wore shorter dresses with a straight, loose, and boyish outline. These women were sometimes condemned by society and were seen as “outlandish” and their behavior redefined the roles that women had.
Examples:
During this era of prohibition and increasing women’s rights, women’s fashion changed drastically in contrast with rebellion and the target for equality. The 1920’s started the less conservative and more skin showing types of outfits. Dresses, skirts, and shirts were less constricting and consisted of a more boyish silhouette. Women wore pleated, slitted, or gathered short skirts, also allowing women to move freely. The corset and tight dresses were no longer in fashion, as loose and slimming outfits were more trendy, the boyish look came to style. This era also introduced both lower and higher waistlines due to the large allowances of freedom of expression taken advantage of by the designers. One of the freedoms that was taken advantage of for the first time was the allowance of pantsuits and not being restricted to only wearing skirts and dresses. With these pantsuits came hats, canes, and the haircut known as the bubikopf ("the bob"). Though, especially popularized during the 1920’s was the drop waist dresses; some say they “define the decade.” Along with these dresses came silk stockings of all colors and patterns. In this decade, women often wore skirts with a higher waistline and fuller form with baggy shirts and sweaters to give off the drop waist effect. Ornamentation and straps came to fashion for women’s shoes during this time. The T-strap heel was favored, as the added strap to allowed women’s shoes to stay on while dancing. Like men, women began to wear oxfords. They also began to wear fur trimmed dresses, jackets, and coats. Lastly, headbands featuring feathers and jewels were a necessity during the flapper era. Flashy and glitzy jewelry was also worn. Women often layered strings of pearls around their necks as a fashion statement. Many of these styles and accessories are a part of the trendy group of young women called “flappers.” Flappers wore shorter dresses with a straight, loose, and boyish outline. These women were sometimes condemned by society and were seen as “outlandish” and their behavior redefined the roles that women had.
Examples:
1920's T-Strap Heel: The added strap allowed the heels to stay on during dancing.
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1920's Headbands and Jewelry: Accompanying flappers most commonly was the feather headbands with jewels. Many women also wore flashy and glitzy jewelry such large pearl necklaces during this era.
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1920's Drop Waistline Flapper Dress: The typical Flapper outfit consisted of a loose fitting dress characterized by a drop waistline. Another recognizable characteristic was the minimal amount of coverage (as compared to previous decades).
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1920's Women's Oxfords: Similarly to men, women began taking advantage of their freedoms and wearing Oxfords.
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1920's Silk Stockings: With the style of showing more legs came silk stockings. Silk stockings came in all the colors of the rainbow and were often patterned. Women liked to coordinate the patterns and colors of their stockings with their outfits.
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1920's Fur Trimmed Coats: As another fashion statement, women often wore evening dresses, coats, and jackets that were trimmed with fur.
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1920's Pantsuit: In pursuit of a sleek, frill-less look, some women ventured to the style wearing pantsuits with hats and canes.
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1920's Bubikopf: Along with the Pantsuits came the featured look of having short hair. Many women (particularly in Europe) chopped their hair off into a style called the bubikopf ("the bob").
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Primary Source:
"La Garconne," written by Victor Margueritte, was published in 1922. The title translates to "The Tomboy," but the English version of the book was titled "The Bachelor Girl." This book influenced the sleek and frill-less style of pantsuits, hats, and canes. This allowed women to avoid the fickleness of fashion while still wearing popular clothing. In Europe, this look featured women with short hair (bubikopf/crop).
Final Analysis/Impact:
1920's fashion created a style of originality and statement through women's fashion.This is one of the main reasons today we associate the 1920's with cultural changes. This decade not only shortened dresses and made the outline of clothing more boyish, but it also, as some say, redefined womanhood. Styles like oxfords and pant suits, are still today in fashion. The expanded variety of women’s fashion became evident during this decade and continues to evolve during the 1930's as well.
"La Garconne," written by Victor Margueritte, was published in 1922. The title translates to "The Tomboy," but the English version of the book was titled "The Bachelor Girl." This book influenced the sleek and frill-less style of pantsuits, hats, and canes. This allowed women to avoid the fickleness of fashion while still wearing popular clothing. In Europe, this look featured women with short hair (bubikopf/crop).
Final Analysis/Impact:
1920's fashion created a style of originality and statement through women's fashion.This is one of the main reasons today we associate the 1920's with cultural changes. This decade not only shortened dresses and made the outline of clothing more boyish, but it also, as some say, redefined womanhood. Styles like oxfords and pant suits, are still today in fashion. The expanded variety of women’s fashion became evident during this decade and continues to evolve during the 1930's as well.