The Roaring Twenties
A Time Between the World Wars
Prepared by: Kim Cox
This is considered the romantic era of fashion. When you watch movies or see posters and pictures of the 1920’s woman, you’ll most likely see the fringed flapper dresses, raised way above the knee worn with feathered bandeaux and long strands of beads. But women did shock the world by raising their hemlines and bobbing their hair. However the hemline, although higher than it had ever been seen before, rested just below the knee in the 1920s and there were many other styles of dresses.
In the beginning of the 1920s, hemlines hovered at the lower calf and didn’t change until 1925 when they rose to the bottom of the knee. But when the stock market plummeted in 1929, so did the hemlines back down to the lower calf.
The shorter hair was considered the “garconne”, meaning ‘boyish’ in French. They lopped off the poufy Gibson Girl hairdo of the earlier 1900s to a shorter style, wearing it in bobbed, waved or shingled styles. However there were a few who chose not to cut their hair, and they usually wore it pulled back at the nape of the neck, knotting it in a chignon.
To complete the garconne look, women turned away from the hourglass shape of the late 1800s and early 1900s which resulted in a long, slim line with their waistlines falling to the hips. They flattened their busts and hips and unbind their waist that in earlier years had been corseted, measuring less than twenty inches. What a change! Can’t you just imagine the freedom they felt.
Most clothing at this time was either made at home, by a dress maker or tailor. Though some clothes were purchased through department stores and mail order catalogues.
Rayon was sometimes used for dresses but most were made of cotton, silk, linen or wool. Many other countries influenced our styles. The kimono-styling from the Chinese gave us the color red and the embroidered silks. Whereas the Egyptian fashion influenced our accessory styles with the snake bracelets that encircled the upper arm which became popular with the discovery of King Tut’s tomb.
Evening clothes for women consisted mostly of silks and velvets made into chiffons and taffetas. Elaborate beadwork embellished sleeveless silk chiffon dresses in the mid 1920s. The dresses were designed to move while dancing with some having long trailing sashes, trains or asymmetric hemlines. Fancy combs, scarves and bandeaux were worn, replacing hats for evening wear.
In 1923, helmet-like, brimless hats took the place of the early 1920s medium to large brims. However, these hats were considered unattractive on anyone other than the very slim, very pretty or very young. Larger women or matrons stuck with the brimmed hats that were considerably more flattering to their features.
Makeup was a must. Simple pale powder and creme rouge circles were applied to the cheeks. Lips were painted very red, creating a rosebud pout by emphasizing the width of the upper lip and de-emphasizing the width of the bottom lip. Brows were plucked and thin arches were penciled in.
Stockings made of silk with black seams were held up by garters attached to corsets, or they were rolled to just above the knee with pretty elastic garters holding them there. Sports or casual stockings were usually made of cotton lisle.
Both men and women: Their bathing suits were usually made of body-hugging wool that consisted of sleeveless tank suits with under shorts.
Since the 1920s, men’s fashion hasn’t changed very much with the exception of knickers. These are pants ending just below the knee. However in the twenties, knickers were popular for day wear. Linen knickers, trim-fitting V-neck sweater vests, bow-tie and two toned shoes completed a fashionable outfit. Other than the bow-tie, Windsor-knot ties, some squared at the bottom and made of knit cotton were equally popular.
Men’s suits were double-breasted with two or three buttons worn and vests. Usually the suits came with two pairs of pants, frequently cuffed and worn at a natural waistline. The fabrics used consisted of sharkskin, tweed, in serge, silk and wool. Tuxedos virtually resembled those of today.
The yachting look consisted of white slacks, a yachting cap and a navy blazer with gold buttons. This was considered sporty styles for the warmer climates. On the college scene, pants that were too long with very wide bottoms and deep cuffs—almost a bell-bottom style was popular.
The male hairstyle was parted in or near the middle, slicked back with an oily, perfumed hairdressing that added luster and kept it in place. Then topped it with either a broad brimmed straw hat, flat top or stiff brims called Boaters. These were popular in the summer. Casual wear for fall and winter included the English driving caps, and for everyday wear with sports coats and suits were the felt fedoras.
On a personal note, I’ve decided that many of the clothes were made from wool fabric. I’m itching just from reading and writing about it. And it reminds me of a plaid suit my mother bought and made me wear for school pictures in 1965. I was one scratching young girl. I hated that wool suit and it makes me wonder if the 1920’s wool was as bad as it was in the 1960s. Oh well, we can all only guess to whether it was or not.
