PART 1- Fashion of the 1920s+1930s
Flapper Dresses from the 20s...1950s Poodle skirts... Op Art minis circa 1960s ....From the 20s to the 80s fashion has gone through radical changes. Each decade had it's own signature look. Looks which at first might have been thought of as silly or even shocking but soon became mainstream vogue. Over our next few articles we will explore those changing styles beginning with the 1920s up to the 1980s.
The Roaring 20s
The 1920s were a time of monumental change. The preceding decade had been turbulent and difficult. The Great War had devastated much of Europe and the 1918 flu pandemic claimed an estimated 20 to 40 MILLION lives in one short year. The womens Suffrage Movement had been fighting the world over for the rights of women to vote...from New Zealand, thru out Europe and over to North America. Kudos to New Zealand who was the first to grant women the vote in 1893. By 1920 women in the US were able to vote along side their men as equals.
Young women in particular were eager to shed the seriousness of the suffrage movement and enjoy this new sense of freedom. The hard work was over it was time to celebrate.
Eyebrows were raised in the beginning of the 1920s when hemlines migrated above the ankle but no one could predict the style revolution that was to come! It was the beginning of a new era and the Flapper was born. The word flapper was first coined to describe a young lady who dared to socialize without a proper escort. In time her reputation included recklessly smoking in public and defying the laws of prohibition with her little silver flask. She shimmied and danced till all hours in skimpy fringed dresses to the sound of the new jazz music. An elderly family relative told me as a young teen in the 1920s she remembers the girls would roll their stockings down and rouge their knees. THEN the really bold girls would cross their legs and casually slide their skirt over the knee for all to see! The Flappers attire continued to startle the public as the decade progressed.
Dresses got shorter and flimsier. Our Flapper lopped off her tresses, once considered a womans "crowning glory" in favor of the short boyish bob. She rouged her cheeks and smudged her eyelids with shadow. What began as a shocking fad of youth quickly began to filter into the mainstream.
Soon even "salt and pepper" haired ladies were waiting in line for their new bobs and displaying calves that had never before seen the light of day.
Imagine, just 15 or so years earlier these same women had been wearing cumbersome floor dragging layers, wasp waist corsets and huge elaborate hats over huge elaborate hairdos!
Women embraced active sports and out door games. Golf... swimming...even piloting planes! In 1926 a 19 year old woman by the name of Gertrude Ederle swam the English Channel in 14 hours 31 minutes breaking the world record by almost 2 hours! Amelia Earhart is a household name but did you know in 1921 a young black woman named Bessie Coleman scrimped and saved and with a little help traveled to France so she could earn her pilots license. A full two years before Amelia! This new passion for physical activities fueled an interest in all kinds of casual attire and sportswear. Tennis and golfing dresses, swimsuits (think Jantzen!) and knitwear.
The 20s were a prosperous time and consumerism soared. Women purchased ready made dresses like never before. The garment industry blossomed. The public was crazy for the cinema and movie stars had a great impact on fashion. Women emulated their favorite actresses in mannerism and dress. Louise Brooks, Claudette Colbert, Gloria Swanson to name a few.
The look of the twenties changed quickly and fashions earlier in the decade are quite different than those at the end. However there are some generalizations we think in regards to 20s fashion.
Tubular silhouette. Dropped waist, one piece dresses. Elaborate embellishment. beading, fringe, embroidery, decorative buttons, fine imported laces, maribou etc.
Unique contrasting color combinations and fabrics, sheer or lighter weight fabrics were common and LOTS of silk. Pleats and godets used extensively.
The close fitting cloche hat over bobbed hair. Pointy toed shoes with low Louis style heel (easier for dancing!). T-straps a favorite.
Beads around the neck were popular particularly long thin strands. Bracelets of all kinds were worn cuffs, bangles, links...
Bandeau sash headbands. The cocoon coat. Little mesh, beaded or fabric bags.
The 1930s from Boom to Bust
No one ever thought the glory of the 1920s would end. Jobs were plentiful for most and there was a growing middle class. Then came the 1929 stock market crash followed by the Great Depression. The gross national product in the US was nearly cut in half. By 1932 25%-30% of the US workforce was unemployed. This economic disaster was devastating to much of Europe as well. Some of the affluent members of society were able to preserve their wealth but for the next ten years most families struggled to provide as best they could. There was not much left over for frivolities. Womens fashion took on a more "feminine" look. Hem lines immediately dropped. The waistline began to be softly defined and hairstyles grew longer and less severe. During the 1930s Paris lost it's stronghold on American design. The garment industry could no longer afford to order opulent and expensive Paris originals to
copy. Many women now had to sew for themselves and those who could still buy ready made clothing looked for practical well made garments. Quality took precedence over trendy design.
The decade was a heyday for domestic designers and ironically some of our most famous names in vintage fashion owe their success to the Depression. Names like Claire McCardell, Nettie Rosenstein, Lilly Dache, Hattie Carnegie..... It is interesting that many of these designers were women. Women have always designed with a more practical eye, after all we wear the clothing and we know what works for us. Although the Depression brought out the practical side of the consumer, glamour was not completely abandoned. One industry that flourished during the Depression was the film industry. Weary and in need of escape people flocked to the theaters. For a nickel they could briefly put aside their troubles and be whisked away into the fairy tale world of Hollywood. Although the population could ill afford the extravagant, high fashions they saw on their favorite movie stars, given a special
occasion they eagerly copied these styles as best they could. Depression women were amazingly innovative. They restyled old garments and even made charming dresses out of the cotton material from printed fabric flour sacks This became so popular the flour and seed companies began to add variations of prints to entice sales!
Daywear was now the domain of domestic designers. Fabrics used were cost effective and garments made to last. Cottons, wools and the new rayon crepes. The silhouette was long, simple and figure conscious. Suits consisted of a long fitted jacket over coordinated slim skirt. Dresses tended to be a version of the shirtwaist also with a fairly straight skirt. The hemline consistently stayed a few inches above the ankle. Hair was worn a bit longer with full soft curls and waves so the tight fitting cloche was abandoned. In the beginning of the 30s berets and small perky hats tilted to the side were favorites. For special occasions portrait hats with softly curved brims and close fitting crowns were worn. As the decade progressed wider brimmed hats or hats with high novel crowns became popular. Gloves were again a must for proper dress. Shoes had almond shaped toes and short heels similar to
those in the 1920s.
To counteract the simplicity of the silhouette wonderful dressmaking details were common. Fabulous cuffs and collars. Ruffled necklines and armscyes. Incredibly creative fitting lines and intricate pockets. Insets, godets decorative yokes....Speaking as a former seamstress the clothing from the 1930s is simply wonderful!
The difference between 30s day and evening wear was ... well...night and day!. Gowns and other "important" dresses were still influenced by Paris. Lines remained simple but were NOT demure like daywear. Evening wear was quite sensuous. Madeline Vionette had been perfecting the bias cut for years and bias became the style of choice. Long liquid bias cut gowns clung to the womans torso like a second skin. Plunging necklines and backs were common. Skirts were full at the hem and swirled around the legs. Silk was rare and costly so designers turned to rayon which mimicked the drape of silk at a fraction of the cost. Cotton organdies and voiles took the place of silk chiffon and organza.
In the 1930s women owned fewer garments and wore them for years. The entire 30s decade saw little change to popular fashion. To stretch their wardrobes and liven things up they turned to accessories. Decorative collars and cuffs could be removed and switched off. The second half of the decade saw some truly whimsical hats and gloves. Large fun pieces of jewelry made from inexpensive materials were popular and again women used their own innovative skills to create unique accessories Cork, wood, old beads, even seeds were fashioned into jewelry. Scraps of fabrics became flowers. At the last vintage show we attended, one of my neighboring dealers had a 1930s handbag made from old cigarette packages meticulously folded and woven together. It was beautiful!
To summarize, the look of the 30s was long and lean with skirts hovering above the ankle for day. Eveningwear was sensuous dominated by the bias cut. Designs were simple and accessories important.
Coming Soon! In PART 2 of this series we will talk about the 1940s and 50s.
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