A while ago, I saw this meme. While I’m obviously very excited for all the 20s inspirations
in fashion that we’re about to witness, I’m pretty sure we’re also in for a massively
stereotypical rendition of the roaring 20s. Yes, I mean gold and black, feathered bandanas,
fringes and beads, high heels and of course, tight mini skirts.
And 20s fashion was actually so much more! In this series of videos, we’re going to
have a look at the most memorable trends, silhouettes and designers that made the 20s
– the 20s. And no, I don’t just mean Chanel. So with 20s ahead, let’s have a look at
the most significant fashion trends of the 20s.
We’re starting off with a somewhat broad term when it comes to fashion – day dress.
When the year 1920 came, the world of fashion was still dictated by centuries old rules,
one of them being that each activity you perform and each part of the day you go through requires
different clothes. Of course not every one followed those rules, but it was more than
common to change during the day, especially for evening activities. Today we’re discussing
daywear, so we’ll be referring to whatever ladies wore during the day. Now, if we wanted
to be very specific, we could narrow it down to clothes you wore in the morning, or clothes
for particular sports, or picnic dresses, or whether it’s in the French Riviera or
London. But we’re not going to do that, because this video would be five hours
long. 1920s fashion did not come from nowhere. With
the expansion of the cities, faster transportation, the suffrage movement and the changes in the
clothing industry, women’s fashion was undergoing huge changes even before the first world
war. There were attempts to ditch corsets for some built-in structures in dresses,
there was an introduction of women’s pants around 1911, shorter skirts made ankles fashionable
again. When the world war came, it didn’t revolutionize fashion in a day – all of
this was already put in motion by the experimental designers and fashion-forward women of the
pre-war world. It’s also important to remember that 1920s
were literally a decade. And as you know, a lot of stuff can happen in a decade, especially
when it comes to fashion. We’re going to sum up the most popular trends, but there
was much, much more going on. Also, the beginning of the decade looked completely different
than the end. Keeping that in mind, here’s what was hot in the 20s.
Contrary to the earlier 20th century, ideal women’s silhouette was quite boxy. Without
the support of more structured bodices and corsetry, women’s busts were usually unsupported,
as long as they were small/medium size. Instead of being pushed up, as it happened before
with the corsets, they were actually flattened downwards with the use of fitted chemises
and sometimes early versions of soft bras. The bigger the bust size, the more structure
had to be used. Corselettes with rubber inserts were recommended for plus size women, both
to flatten the chests and shape the tummy. We’ll talk about those more in a separate
lingerie video. When it comes to the waist, it went from being gathered slightly below
the natural waist level in the early 1920s to almost hitting the hips in the second half
of the 20s, only to start being accentuated again at the very end of the decade, which
was a sort of a prelude to the 1930s fashion. Dresses also transformed with time. They went
from being quite loose and long – almost hitting ankles – at the beginning of the
decade, to more fitted designs barely covering ladies’ knees in the latter half of the
20s. Now here’s something super important: bare knees were a no-no. Despite what you
see in modern period dramas or 1950s musicals set in the 20s, you wouldn’t usually expose
your knees more than literally the lower edge of your kneecap. Especially that we’re talking
day fashion. It wasn’t really acceptable in the evening-wear either, unless we’re
talking dancers or performers. There were of course some exceptions – continuing the
Victorian tradition, young girls and teenagers were allowed to show a little bit of knee.
Knees were also visible in some sportswear and beachwear.
Design-wise, women’s day
dresses would be quite simple compared to those worn by their Edwardian or Victorian
ancestors. Most of the decoration would be made of fabric, either the same that was used
to make a dress or – especially in the later 20s – a contrasting fabric. Decoration could
include ruffles, collars, bows, inserts, embroidery. The first half of the 20s was known
for oriental-style decoration, such as golden appliques on black fabric, while the second
is often remembered for more geometrical takes on decoration. Colors went from more muted
and rich in the early 20s to more vibrant in the later years, but that was also often
dictated by the time of the year. Traditionally, ladies would wear darker and muted colours
during winter, and white or pastels in summer. Dresses weren’t of course the only thing
women wore. A very popular and practical choice was a blouse and a skirt combo, often topped
up by a matching jacket. This was recommended for active and working women and often allowed
some menswear inspiration, particularly visible in the styles worn from 1927 onwards.
Vests and waistcoats were also massively popular at the time. It was also about that time that
women started cutting their hair short more often, which obviously sparked a huge debate.
We’ll discuss that more in a hair and make up video.
During colder months, women would
wear loose coats. In the earlier years coats would resemble those worn by men and usually
featured a belt below the waist. Later, a simpler, almost oval-shaped wrap style was
introduced. Fur coats and fur elements, such as tall fur collars or fur cuffs were a very
popular decoration. While pants were mostly acceptable at the time as a practical sportswear
and workwear, there wasn’t really a place for them in the daywear. After several attempts
to make pants fashionable, the designers just gave up and decided to put this controversial
trend aside. The closest women got to wearing pants during the day was when they went on
their holiday by the seaside. A common 1920s beachwear and seaside resort outfit consisted
of so called beach pyjamas, which was basically a pair of wide-legged pants. While already
a trend in the 20s, it wasn’t until 1930s that beach pyjamas completely
took over summer fashion.
So which designers and which names influenced the 20s daywear fashion?
Paul Poiret, who was already a big name before the war, was mostly known for
his creative approach to evening-wear, but he also had a huge part in making the Orient
great again, if you know what I mean. Female designers were also highly valued for their
modern approach to fashion. Jean Patou was promoting an active lifestyle that required
“sporty” clothes – and it’s worth noting that at the time, sportswear didn’t
refer to clothes worn while doing sports, but clothes worn during an active day, running
around the city, doing errands, etc. Madeleine Vionnet was well known for her inventive,
light designs. Jeanne Lanvin added a touch of fairytale and mystery to women’s clothes.
And, finally, yes, you’re all waiting for it, Coco Chanel. Your brain is probably screaming
“LITTLE BLACK DRESS” right now, but the truth is, simple black day dresses have been
worn way before 1920s and way before Chanel’s famous 1926 design. What
she did come up with herself though, was a unique approach to fashion as a modern woman’s
outlet for expressing her confidence and personality. So she wasn’t the first one to design a
little black dress, but she was the first one to sell it.
A 1920s outfit would not be
complete without a series of accessories. When it comes to daywear, those would be usually
limited to a hat, a small bag, a pair of gloves, and maybe some subtle jewelry.
Hats from the beginning of the decade were often
quite wide, with the brim faced downwards. Mid-20s hats continued this trend with the
brims turned towards the face almost like bonnets. It wasn’t until later in the decade
where the most iconic 20s hat, the cloche hat, would gain enormous popularity. By the end
of the decade literally every lady owned a cloche hat, and this trend continued until
the early 30s.
Shoes did indeed have heels, but most of them weren’t extremely high.
The heels were always a bit curved and the bottom wasn’t the thinnest part of the heel.
Also, no stilettos!
These are the biggest daywear trends that can be found in 1920s fashion.
Again, remember that each year new trends appeared and another trends faded, and if
you’re going for an authentic 20s daywear silhouette, it’s best to narrow down your look
to either early 20s or late 20s. Also remember the following: don’t accentuate
the waist, keep the chest flat (you can just go for a braless look), keep your knees covered
and don’t wear high heels. For the best effect, google original images from the time
you’re looking for, and look for trends and looks that repeat through the images.
Good luck and see you in the next episode!