History Of Fashion In The Twenties How the women and fashion changed? In sass fashion history, the initial break with the traditional styles stemmed from the inspiration drawn from the Aesthetic and Rational Dress Reform Movements of the late 19th century. Exciting theatrical costume designs which broke the rules also paved the way for more relaxed dressing. This was all fast forwarded during the war years and led to the major changes in construction of clothes and undergarments for the remainder of the century. Prohibition, the proliferation of Jazz, and the development of mass media were the hallmarks of the sass.
Youth was at a premium because so many young people were killed during the war. As a result, teenagers had a new freedom that they used to usher in the Afro-influenced Jazz age. Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, Rudolf Valentine, and Josephine Baker were popular stars of the time, personifying many of the modern ideals. For women, face, figure, coiffure, posture and grooming became important fashion factors in addition to clothing. In particular, cosmetics became a major industry. Glamour was now an important fashion trend, due to the influence of the motion picture industry and the famous female movie stars.
The sass saw the emergence of three major women’s fashion magazines: Vogue, The Queen, and Harpers Bazaar. Vogue was first published in 1892, but its up-to-date fashion information did not have a marked impact on women’s desires for fashionable garments until the ass’s. These magazines provided mass exposure for popular styles and fashions. During the early sass, waistlines were at the waist, but were loose and not fitted. Women wore suits with long hemlines and somewhat full skirts, often with belts at the waist of the Jackets.
Dress and suit bodices alike were worn loose, even baggy. By 923, waistlines began to drop to a point between the natural waist and hips, while styles continued to be loose and baggy. In 1924 the waistline dropped to the hip. In 1925, “shift” type dresses with no waistline emerged. At the end of the decade, dresses were being worn with straight bodices and collars. Tucks at the bottom of the bodices were popular, as well as knife-pleated skirts with a hem approximately one inch below the knee. In 1928, styles changed again! Hemlines rose to the knee and dresses became more fitted.
These changes laid the foundation for the elegantly styled fashions of the sass. Many garments of the sass fastened with buttons. The closer-fitting flapper- style dresses fastened with a continuous lap, usually applied to the left side seam of the garment. Hooks and eyes, buttons, or snaps were all utilized to fasten the lap. The zipper, first patented in 1893, was not utilized in garments until the latter part of the decade. It was originally known as a “locker”, and did not receive its current name until 1926. It was not widely used until the late sass.
Cotton and wool were the abundant fabrics of the decade. Silk was highly desired for its luxurious qualities, but the limited supply made it expensive. In 1891, “artificial silk” was first made from a solution of cellulose in France. After being patented in the United States, the first American plant began production of this new fabric in 1910. In 1924 this fiber became known as rayon. Rayon stockings became popular in the sass as a substitute for silk stockings. Rayon was also used in undergarments. Women, celebrating such liberties as the right to vote in , were now more daring than ever before.
It was considered fun to smoke, visit speakeasies, wear makeup, swear, and otherwise shock conventional thinkers. In 1927 when short skirts were all the age; young women strove to show off their knees with increasing abandon. Many girls even rolled down their stockings and painted rouge on their knees in an effort to emulate a “naughty schoolgirl” look. The foot also became a focal point of fashion. Shoe styles were influenced by crazes like the Charleston, a dance that demented a securely fastened shoe with a low heel and closed toe.
A single-bar pump with a pointed toe, high-wasted heel, and one tiny covered button was the most common style. High tongued, cutaway decorated, crossover, and t-straps were other popular elements. The curiosity for exotic arts and culture was fueled by the discovery of Egyptian King Tutankhamen tomb in 1922. Egyptian themes appeared in everything from furniture to clothing. Shoes also reflected this theme. Bright fabrics and brilliantly dyed leather – including metallic – were used to create some of the most exciting shoes ever seen.
The heels were often works of art themselves. The late sass saw the adoption of two-toned spectators for men, perfect with the popular knickers. In the ass, men were still in a conservative mood. The wide trousers were still worn, sometimes as wide as 24 inches at the bottom! The knickers and ‘plus fours’ were popular with sporty types, and were buckled 4″ below the knee (hence the name ‘plus fours’). Light colors were favored in summer, but darker and animal fur was favored when the weather got cold.
By now all the college boys were wearing the popular raccoon coat, and some of the women were too. The following are the events that affected fashion in sass and even today: Channel’s pioneering Jersey sweater and pleated skirt. Ensembles are now accepted as easy wear. Debutante Daisy Fellows challenges convention wearing black when presented to the Queen at Bucking Palace instead of the traditional white. Ђ Dress Essentials magazine features scarves among accessories; color coordination becomes a conscious feature of the average woman’s wardrobe. Ђ The Prince of Wales now orders all his trousers to be made with cuffs, and (unlike his father) wears suits in town. East European folk embroideries inspire the peasant look in women’s Soviet Atelier of Fashion is formed. Wear. Bobbed hair becomes the rage. Tunisia takes off with “Tutankhamen” overzealous, Egyptian colors, scarab and lotus Jewelry, etc. The Textile Color Card Association of the United States is formed, n attempt to establish a standard system of colors identified by numbers. First feature on the “little black dress”. Ђ “Oxford bags” are worn by young graduates. The hemline is the shortest in history. US production of rayon viscose reaches 53 million pounds for the year. Vogue’s More masculine elements enter female dress. The severely short “Eaton crop” haircut ousts bobbed hair. Jeanne Lanolin opens first boutique for men. Patent leather shoes are new. Nancy Canard, wearing African bangles to the elbows, is photographed by Man Ray. The press declares “fever chart” hemlines. Hat brims return to fashion. The first of Schizophrenia’s tromped Leila sweaters are a resounding success. Ђ Men’s Dress Reform Party is founded in Britain. A new femininity: hemlines are now longer for drawer, as well as evening. In Conclusion, Fashion was made available to a broader sector of the public as a result of modern retail policies and the idea that consumerism meant emancipation. Lighter garments of simpler cut and the electrification of the factories also made mass production possible. In many ways, the twenties established the themes and marketing policies that would be developed in the post-World War II period and that are so familiar to us today.
