The fashionable flapper "had short sleek hair, a shorter than average shapeless shift dress, a chest as flat as a board, wore makeup and applied it in public, smoked with a long cigarette holder, exposed her limbs and epitomized the spirit of a reckless rebel who danced the nights in the Jazz Age"(Thomas).
In 1922 the Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner published a picture and description about the qualities of a flapper and "how to spot them in the wild".
(this article was found in the Huffington post- but is from the August 2nd, 1922 edition of the Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner)
The 13 Qualities being:
1. Hat of soft silk or felt
2. Bobbed hair
3. Flapper curl on forehead
4. Flapper collar
5.Flapper earrings
6. Slip over sweater
7.Flapper beads
8. Metallic Belt
9. Bracelet of strung jet
10.Knee-Length fringed skirt
11. Exposed Bare Knees
12. Rolled hose with fancy garter
13. flat-healed, little girl sandals.
The flapper was Independent. She was vocal, voted, drank, smoked and partied; she was the next generation of women and she was embracing her freedom. However despite the fashions popularity especially in the younger crowds, this style of dress was considered to be very risqué and in its birth received heavy back lash and disapproval for being to revealing and sexual. From this criticism, bore the idea of stigmatizing women who were considered to be provocative and thus the 20s are often considered the origins of slut shaming.
With the heavily increased exposure of skin, hosiery and lingerie became extremely popular as well as silk became the most coveted of fabrics. Far from the corsets of the earlier centuries, the women of the 20's embraced the bandeau top to emphasize their flat chests, giving a more boyish look. The 20's also opted for a braless look as the bare back was very much in style and nudity was increasing in popularity.
Most Iconic and arguable the most influential women in 1920's fashion was none other than Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel.
Chanel was a visionary who "set the stage" for modern women fashion with signature style and strong brand development and awareness. She created the greatest fashion inventions even today such as espadrilles, the little black dress, AND SUNTAN! By re-designing the modern women, Chanel was considered the creator of the dropped waitlist, streamlined/shapeless silhouette and brought loose women's pants into fashion. Her idea of creating the modern elegant yet practical women defined fashion for years to come, and in 1926 Vogue praised her "little black dress", hinting towards its later universal use and timeless popularity. Coco's biggest contributions to fashion being...
1.) The little black dress
2.) Trousers for women
3.) the introduction of jewelry
4.) The 2.55 Handbag
5.) The braid-trimmed boucle collarless jacket
7.)designer perfume
8.)costume jewelry and fake pearls
9.)sailor tops
10.) the Chanel suit
(Casely-Hayford- list from article)
This Parisian native is to this day considered one of the most revered names in high fashion, as her legacy lives on in her brand.
Bibliography
Alchin, Linda. “1920's Fashion for Women.” 1920's Fashion for Women Facts: History, Designers and Pictures of Dresses ***, www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/1920s-fashion.htm.
Antony, Ariana. “Dating in the 1920s: Lipstick, Booze and the Origins of Slut-Shaming.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 9 May 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/howaboutwe/dating-in-the-1920s_b_3239978.html.
Casely- Hayford, Alice. “Ten Ways Coco Chanel Changed Fashion.” HUNGER TV, 13 Oct. 2015, www.hungertv.com/feature/ten-ways-coco-chanel-changed-fashion/.
Dunne, Eleanor. “SEVEN WONDERS: HOW COCO CHANEL CHANGED THE COURSE OF WOMEN'S FASHION – Wonderland.” Wonderland, 22 Sept. 2016, www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/09/04/seven-wonders-how-coco-chanel-changed-the-course-of-womens-fashion/.
Hawkins, Amanda, and Jamie Wiebe. “The Evolution of the Bra.” Good Housekeeping, 10 June 2015, www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/fashion/g1291/bra-history/?slide=7.
Krick, Author: Jessa. “Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel (1883–1971) and the House of Chanel | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art.” The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/chnl/hd_chnl.htm.
Leaper, Caroline. “1920s Fashion And The Iconic Women Who Defined It.” Marie Claire, 29 Mar. 2017, www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/1920s-fashion-icons-who-defined-twenties-style-92566.
McGlinchey, Stevie. “1920 To 1929.” Glamourdaze, glamourdaze.com/history-of-womens-fashion/1920-to-1929.
This post is an informative piece, branching off from the popular age of the 1920's. Fashion in the twenties drastically changed as women gained new found freedoms. Shorter hemlines and shorter hair was the new criteria to being a modern woman, also known as, flapper girls. The idea of having shorter hair and flat chests appeals to a more boyish look, which could metaphorically be assigned to the idea of having new freedoms and rights, but at the same time the short skirts and lots of makeup connects back to the idea of a feminine and sexually appealing woman. Even their typically assigned behaviors include smoking, dancing in clubs, and drinking, all are mostly new and "wild" behaviors which have come anew with the "roaring twenties".
ReplyDeleteGreat job on this post! I find it really interesting that fashion trends give us a greater insight on the changing social expectations of the time period. The way people used to dress really says a lot about the 1920s, as well as every other era in history. Here we see that women had suddenly become much more modern. New styles accompanied new ideas on feminism and women's rights. It seems that the 19th amendment somewhat contributed to women's fashion in the 1920s. Since women suddenly had the right to vote, they felt empowered enough to wear makeup and more revealing clothing.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool post! Coco Chanel was a fascinating woman, and it's interesting how she began designing clothes that were practical and comfortable, while still being beautiful and stylish. Through the fashion of this era, you can see women gaining more independence and autonomy from new, more revealing and dramatic outfits. Also,it's interesting to examine how women entering the workforce affected fashion. More menswear inspired fashions such as trousers and suit inspired outfits appeared, due to the breaking of barriers in women's roles.
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