1920s in fashion
The 1920s was the decade in which fashion entered the modern era. It was the decade in which women first liberated themselves from constricting fashions and began to wear more comfortable clothes (such as short skirts or pants). Men likewise abandoned overly formal clothes and began to wear sport clothes for the first time. The suits which men still wear today are still based, for the most part, on those which were worn by men in the late 1920s.
The 1920s were characterized by two distinct periods of fashion. The early 1920s were relatively conservative in nature and changed progressed slowly as many were reluctant to adopt the new styles. From 1925, the styles that have been associated with the Roaring Twenties were passionately embraced by the public and would continue characterize fashion until late in 1930.
Womenswear
During the First World War, a radical change came about in fashion. Bouffant coiffures gave way to short bobs, dresses with long trains gave way to above-the-knee pinafores. Corsets were abandoned and women borrowed more comfortable fashions with a decidedly oriental influence. Fashions in the early 1920s, however, remained relatively conservative when compared to the changes which occurred in the latter part of the decade. The waistline, however, remained at the natural waist and women wore their clothes loose at this time. It was fashionable for women to wear belts on their coats in the early 1920s. In 1923, the waistline finally began to drop and by the following year in had reached the hip. In the early 1920s, women wore simple hats with brims. A forerunner of the cloche hat (with a rim) appeared in 1924. In the early 1920s, some daring women adapted clothes from the male wardrobe and chose to dress like boys. During the first part of the decade, however, women were reluctant to adopt this new androgynous style. It was only embraced wholeheartedly after 1925.
The fashion that emerged in the late 1920s is the one which is typically associated with flappers and the Jazz Age. The flappers often danced and were looked down upon by some of the more shyly dressed women. These women were always noticed by the men. In 1925, the waistline completely disappeared and cloche hats (without rims) became all the rage. For women, the rest of the 1920s would be characterized by a bustless, waistless silhouette. In the latter part of the decade, dresses were cut to fit closely to the body in order to promote a youthful elegant look. Aggressive dressing-down was mitigated by feather boas, embroidery, and showy accesories. The flapper style (known to the French as the 'garçonne' look) became very popular among young women during this period. The cloche hat was widely-worn and sportswear became popular with both men and women during the decade. Women's coats were mostly long until around 1926. They often wrapped to just one side fastening which was a feature of the garment as either a huge button or some complex tab and buckle. Fair Isle patterns became very popular for both sexes. Heels, at the time, were often over two inches high and Coco Chanel helped popularize the two-tone shoe, one of her trademarks. Hemlines continuously rose until 1928 when they reached slightly above the knee.
Style gallery
 1 - 1920 |
 2 - 1924 |
 3 - 1926 |
 4 - 1926 |
 5 - 1929 |
 6 - 1929 |
1920 summer sport suit.Teenage girls in Minnesota wear breeches and riding boots with men's neckties, 1924.Actress Aileen Pringle wears a cloche hat and boldly patterned coat, 1926.Actress Alice Joyce in a straight evening gown with a sheer beaded overdress, 1926.Knee-length , pleated skirts and dropped waists were still popular as everyday clothes in 1929, though Paris designers were already showing longer skirts and higher waistlines.Bridesmaids gowns of 1929 have knee-length underskirts and longer, sheer overskirts, foreshading the trend toward longer skirts. Minnesota, 1929
Menswear
In menswear there were two distinct periods in the 1920s. Throughout the decade, men wore short suit jackets, the old long jackets (on morning suits and tail-coats) being used merely for formal occasions. In the early twenties, men's fashion was characterized by extremely high waisted jackets, often worn with belts. Lapels on suit jackets were not very wide as they tended to be buttoned up high. (This style of jacket seems to have been greatly influenced by the uniforms worn by the military during the First World War.) Trousers were relatively narrow and straight (never tapered) and they were worn rather short so that a men's socks often showed. Trousers also began to be worn cuffed at the bottom at this time.
By 1925, wider trousers commonly known as "Oxford Bags" came into fashion, while suit jackets returned to a normal waist and lapels became wider and were often worn peaked. Loose fitting sleeves (without a taper) also began to be worn during this period. During the late 1920s, double breasted vests, often worn with a single breasted jacket, also became quite fashionable. During the 1920s, men had a variety of sport clothes available to them, including sweaters and short trousers, commonly known as knickers. For formal occasions in the daytime, a morning suit was usually worn. For evening wear men preferred the short tuxedo to the tail-coat, which was now seen as rather old-fashioned and snobbish.
See also
References and further reading
- Arnold, Janet: Patterns of Fashion 2: Englishwomen's Dresses and Their Construction C.1860-1940, Wace 1966, Macmillan 1972. Revised metric edition, Drama Books 1977. ISBN 0-89676-027-8
- Black, J. Anderson, and Madge Garland, A History of Fashion, New York, Morrow, 1975
- Boucher, François: 20,000 Years of Fashion, Harry Abrams, 1966.
- Laver, James: The Concise History of Costume and Fashion, Abrams, 1979.
- Nunn, Joan: Fashion in Costume, 1200-2000, 2nd edition, A & C Black (Publishers) Ltd; Chicago: New Amsterdam Books, 2000. (Excerpts online at The Victorian Web)
- Steele, Valerie: Paris Fashion: A Cultural History, Oxford University Press, 1988, ISBN 0-1950-4465-7
- Steele, Valerie: The Corset, Yale University Press, 2001
- The Spirella Magazine; MAY 1928
| History of fashion | ||
|---|---|---|
| Medieval | Byzantine · Early Medieval · Anglo-Saxon · 12th century · 13th century · 14th century |  |
| Renaissance and Reformation | 15th century · 1500-1550 · 1550-1600 · 1600-1650 · 1650-1700 | |
| Enlightenment | 1700-1750 · 1750-1795 · 1795-1820 | |
| Victorian | 1820s · 1830s · 1840s · 1850s · 1860s · 1870s · 1880s · 1890s | |
| Edwardian | 1900s · 1910s | |
| Modern | 1920s · 1930-1945 | |
| Postwar and Cold War | 1945-1960 · 1960s · 1970s · 1980s | |
| Contemporary | 1990s · 2000s | |
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