Plenty of gowns were designed with the new dances in mind so freedom of movement was always important to a party going girl. For the working class girl -the new fabric Rayon -an artificial silk, was the alternative when it came to designing an evening frock. Actually the normal hemline was below the knee and particularly favoured by women as they enjoyed the swishing freedom against their legs of the new softer and more feminine fabrics weighed down with elegant bead work -a particular feature in a 1920s evening dress. Modern ‘myth’ of the ‘flapper’ party dress is more a relic of the 1960’s revival. Her 1920’s Dress Design book ‘Modern Dressmaking’ was extremely popular amongst homedressmakers and rare copies are difficult to find. Ready to wear clothing was in the future, and most women of moderate means simply went out and bought the latest McCalls, Pictorial Review, or subscribed to the sewing patterns published by design gurus like Mary Brooks Picken from the Women’s Institute. Basically the astute hairdresser began more to ‘thin’ out the hair until the back adornment was a straightforward ‘chignon‘ that should be tucked under these new cloche hats. Until fashion photography took its place in 1930s film magazines like Hollywood’s Photoplay, the magazines of the period, displayed a simplicity that is striking.
By 1926, most spring and summer dresses were sleeveless or cap sleeved scoop neck lightweight dresses with a lowered waist or no waistline anyway. In a nutshell one’s party dress should make one look out and out confident rather insecure! By breaking I meant a total mess. Then again, take some designer flats and create a sensation! It’s as crucial as dress. Be cautious with earrings, necklaces, bangle bracelets and glittery makeup. Be picky with shoes as it has the power to make or break a party. This is the case. Cosmetics counters were fast becoming the norm in ladies departments stores and pharmacies.
Read our History of 1920s Makeup for the more detailed illustrated story of how the consumer boom in women’s ‘makeup’ really took off in the roaring twenties. Dressing comfortability is an important aspect that the majority of us tend to sideline. Whatever you select, consider the fabric, climate and time of the party. One can find lots of dresses, strapless, LBD’s, one shouldered, long dress or skater dresses to choose from. By time I mean a day event or night! Furthermore, published in Vogue on October 1st 1926 and immediately dubbed the ‘Ford Dress’ by Vogues editor -a suggestion that it would become as popular as the Ford car. Likewise, milliners responded to the call by designing closer fitting hats.
World War forced many women -who worked in dangerous situations like munitions factories -to tie up their hair or in any case, crop their locks altogether. By the way, the ‘short crop’ or ‘chignon’ hairstyle became so common in Holland, France and Germany by 1918 that soon famous stars like Irene Castle were playfully adopting them. Talia Felix wrote an interesting study for Glamourdaze, on the illusionary1920s make up stylesof Hollywood starlets, filmed inhigh contrast ‘ortho chromatic’ -to the actual makeup used. Then again, this again was influenced to a large degree by Hollywood, the 1920s did see a massive increase in cosmetics use. It’s an interesting fact that the names of the movie costumers as were as prominent as the Paris Couturiers. Did you know that the Dutch bob hair cut, first made popular in the USA as far back as 1921 when Mary Thurman adopted it was to become the most sought after bobbed hairstyle by 1926 and was worn by the likes of Colleen Moore and Louise Brooks.
So middy blouse, that American women had for some amount of time found practical, had arrived in Europe in 1917 with the American troops. While inspiring practical young designers like Coco Chanel to incorporate jersey and similar traditionally male fabrics, to create the first genuine casual clothing for European women, its impact was considerable. Leaving behind once and for all the ‘ S ‘ bend corset look of the Edwardian age, it was only natural that the modernist influenced lines of the 1920’s would go to a polar opposite of -no curves in general, straight figure, flat chests and boyish look. London of the 1920’s led the way in similar to The Kit Cat Club, where the bright young things will carouse in decadence as satirized in Evelyn Waughs Vile Bodies. You should find a young bohemian movement -flying the flag for freedom of self expression, and the major cities of Paris, Berlin, New York City and Washington were the social melting pots for the1920’s cultural explosion, as in the course of the Belle Epoch in the 1900’s and decades later in the 1960’s.
In the USA, the prohibition of alcohol produced the inevitable response of thousands of speak easy run by gangsters springing up across the nation. These were not to be confused with the 1920’s bohemian set, who ploughed their own path. Real kudos for the ‘sudden’ popularity of the little blackish dress goes to Hollywood designer Travis Banton and Clara Bow. For day wear -during the colder months a girl should wear a wrapover coat or jacket/cardigan -worn with blouse and a pleated skirt -not forgetting the obligatory cloche hat for sure. On top of that, with a decolletage often as low as an evening dress, on summer afternoons the typical choice was a basic shift dress -now often sleeveless. That is interesting right? The arrival of the Jazz Age from the city of New Orleans and the music of Louis Armstrong became the anthem for the flapper, blackish or whitish and especially in the USA where alcohol was prohibited throughout the 1920’s and the term the ‘Roaring Twenties’ can be said to been aptly applied. Needless to say, as early as 1908 -when Paul Poiret produced his Les Robes De Paul Poiret -illustrated by Paul Iribe -a total break away occurred from the conventional presentation of new lines in clothing. Making an entrance as an outerwear item in 1916 from designers similar to Jeanne Lanvin, Callot Seours and Coco Chanel -by 1920, the chemise or shift dress, was to become the dominant line for day and evening wear.
And therefore the inspirational Paris based travelling ballet company Ballet Russes also came to an end after a 20 year run which had helped revolutionize fashion. While styling and plenty of current news about Indian traditional fashion, team Sareez takes you deeper into the world of Indian ethnic wears by sharing interesting and useful information about the dresses. Shoulders of coats were cut broad with voluminous armholes, that intensified the look of ‘shapelessness’. Over these bare arms -in daytime -a wrap coat, worn with scarves and if she could afford it -fur accessories. Now please pay attention. Though nowadays referred to as Art Deco, the look that was to dominate up until the late 1930’s, was a combination of feminine and ‘modern’ industrial inspired designs. Certainly, it was the ‘Age of Chic’ -a word that found itself into the vocabulary of almost every fashion article or advert written. Needless to say, when the ‘Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes‘ opened in Paris with exhibits from twenty eight nations, by April 1925 Decorative arts and design or Arts Decoratifs was merging with a completely new ‘modernist’ appeal that that was antidecorative and almost industrial. Not only did the waist drop -but most significantly, the hemlines rose -dangerously!
Therefore this sudden exposure of women’s legs in the 1920s, brought about a huge interest in women’s hosiery, and stocking sales went through the roof. So singular evening makeup look of the 1920s was the cupids bow lips, heavily rouged cheeks and kohl shadowed eyes. By the way, the famous Diving Girl logo heralded a brand new age of freedom and first appeared in beauty pageants in the early 1920’s and very quickly a swimsuit mania swept across the world. At the time, when a woman was referred to as a ‘bit of a flapper’ it was generally not kindly meant. There was indeed a flapper look and it has endured to this day as the defining look of the decade. In the 1920’s -women’s swimsuit design rapidly evolved from the hideous petticoat affairs to the sleek, body hugging apparel of the Jantzen Swimsuit, an elasticated and revealing skin tight one piece which possibly did more for the emancipation of the female body than any other item of outerwear clothing.
Evening gowns in the first season of 1921 unusual were magnificence, luxurious works of decorative art. Gowns draped on women of impossibly refined silhouettes now declared a totally new ideal of beauty -slenderness. Huge influence of Paris designers like Poiret, Patou, Molyneux, Chanel, Lanvin, Lelong, Callot Soeurs and Vionnet can not be underestimated, just like Norman Hartnell -who went from catering exclusively to the wealthy upper class in the 1920’s to designing British women’s utility dresses in the early 1940′ there were more factors at work except the whims of clothing designers, as for changes in fashion. With that said, coco Chanel had published a collection of evening gowns in 1916 in Harpers Bazaar which showed a clear move towards a drop waist style,achieved with loose fitted belts. I know it’s difficult to say with any accuracy who first created the drop waist look. There’re designs by Jeanne Lanvin as far back as 1914 which show these styles -albeit worn by younger girls. Whenever beginning in many ways with the spread of women’s suffrage in the immediate post war years, the 1920’s era is unparalleled by the sheer magnitude of cultural change.
By the way, the 19th amendment of the US Constitution in 1920 finally brought the vote to American women and with it a brand new feeling of freedom and rights of feminine self expression. In the early 1920’s -the popular style was to wear grey rolled stockings with your swimsuit, thanks to the Max Sennett’s Bathing Beauties, though this idea -however charming to look at, disappeared within a few years. One just can’t afford to wear anything and everything to attend a ballroom party. Besides, it is majorly found that most women in Indian subcontinent dress up to hide something but in actuality it has to be the other way round. Just think for a moment. Wearer has to look stylish and fancy! Eventually, ballroom parties and events have a particular dress code, unlike other practice parties.
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