Preview

Fashion in the 1920s

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
749 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Fashion in the 1920s
"Fashion is one of the greatest forces in present-day life. It pervades every field and reaches every class.… It has always been a factor in human life but never more forceful, never more influential and never wider in scope than in the last decade, and it gives every indication of growing still more important." So with everything in mind, we can really agree with him when he said that it was more than an expression of individual taste; it was instead a statement of group membership, of involvement in the currents of one's time. "To be out of fashion," he wrote, "is, indeed, to be out of the world."
During the decade technology vastly improved which helped spread the word about what people were wearing and driving and how they were decorating their homes or designing their public buildings. Improved communication meant that a large proportion of the general population was exposed to the latest fashion trends and responded, positively or negatively, to them.
During the 1920s the most distinctive clothing styles originated in Europe: in France for women's attire and in England for men's. Coco Chanel was one of the first women designers to adopt the new era of clothing, which meant that she adopted a more boyish look. She replaced the corset with lighter clothing that wasn’t so restrictive.
Throughout the years dresses kept getting shorter and the backs lower. "By 1925 dresses were the shortest in history - an act of the devil, some thought." Many people were so outraged that they passed laws in the states of Ohio and Utah that the hem length of ladies gowns had to be seven inches from the floor but these responses from mature adults simply increased young women's fondness for their short skirts and cosmetics. After all, what fun is it to rebel if nobody notices or cares?
But what are some major reasons for this changes in women fashion? The first one is that after the war women continued to work outside their home, so the clothes had to be altered to allow for an

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The 1800’s was full of different fashion trends, from big skirts, to natural frames, to curves all over. Two seemingly very different decades have many differences and many similarities in their fashion. These decades are the 1840’s and the 1880’s. The 40’s were known for large skirts. The 80’s was known for its large bustles in the back, a famous example is in the painting A Sunday on La Grande Jatte which is found in the Chicago Art Institute. There were both similarities and differences in the clothes, undergarments, and hair of the 1840’s and the 1880’s.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This was the “New Look” and everyone was abiding by it, as they set the tone for the time period. However, after the war, they started wearing bright colors again and flowy skirts. As stated earlier, women set the tone after the war was over: people were joyful, once again. In their house, they would wear smocks, but out and about they would dress up and would leave in gloves, hat, and purse. Some women did not like the “New Look” because it had been so long since they last dressed this way, and they thought it was impractical. On the other hand, others rejoiced to being able to dress this way again after some time. One of the examples of the “New Look” were the “Hourglass figure dresses”, which were fanatically popular at this time, and would show off their body. Some felt uncomfortable with this, while others loved it. It depended on the type of person that judged…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It would have been impossible for such actions to come from a woman before 1920s. Women were yet to be emancipated from the corset – a large boned structure worn underneath a dress to create a voluminous silhouette. Society was poles apart in the space of a decade. Life for a British woman was ‘mainly tied to a life of domesticity’ (Bourke 2011) their rights were still very restricted as they were considered differently to men. Since they were severely constricted it was not until the war this began to change. Suddenly as more men were needed at the frontline, workforce was needed aside from the war such as the continuing jobs of ‘factory work and harvesting crops’ (Bourke 2011). The stereotype jobs were handled by women and eventually were being called the ‘Land Army Girls’. Contrasting to the domestic jobs, actual physical force was needed and as the men left so were the uniforms. As it was adapted to their needs it explains how women initially wore trousers. The purpose of the change was not about their image but for comfort and practicality. Between 1914 and 1918 ‘more than a million women took the chance to join’ and contributed towards the war. It was due to the women that ‘back at home’, the economy was still…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Women of the 1920s are remembered by the cloche hat and the flapper dress. The hair was often cut short. Women also started to wear a lot of makeup. The silver smokey eyes with plum lips was the most popular look. A typical flapper dress was straight cut and was approximately knee-length.The waist line dropped low to hip to give more of a “boyish” look. Women also began to wear pants. Famous shoe styles included the ankle strap, the t-strap shoe, and shoes embellished with sequins or other materials. This is also the era in which men began to wear cuffed trousers. Two-toned white and tan or white and black winged-tip shoes and flannel for casual wear became popular.Men abandoned full suits with long suit jackets for special events and began…

    • 151 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The majority of the historical events that took place in the 1920’s, greatly influenced the way women dressed, as the automobile industry grew, so did female’s interest in cars. As they became drivers, women’s clothes were adjusted accordingly to their more liberated lifestyle, with sporty clothes becoming one of the leading fashion trends.…

    • 254 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women were sick and tired of wearing corsets and floor- length skirts and decided a change need to be made. Men agreed with them and also added a whole new wardrobe post World War I. Many women did follow after the flappers by wearing shorter skirts and more patterned and printed clothing. A well -known women of our time, Coco Chanel, started to really change the face of clothing (Pendergrast 717). Her fashion design is carried into our modern day wardrobes with her perfumes, hats, and clothing. Not only did Chanel affect clothing, many others did too. Bathing suits were changed to two pieces, men wore sportier outfits, and women’s clothing was brighter and more elaborate (Craats 33). Details were added such as fur, beads, ruffles etc. added a more sheek and elegant vibe (Scott). Many people turned to making their own clothes and accessories because retail stores prices were insanely high. Purses and hats became a vital accessory to the everyday woman (Scott). Every person, no matter in the city or country accepted and entered into the new fashion revolution and took part in making our fashion for our world…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The 1940s and 1950s were times of war. In the 1940s, fabric and other materials were incredibly scarce due to wartime. Fabric had a number of uses in war and as for the public, there were ration cards for a set amount of material one is allowed to purchase. That amount dropped drastically as the war continued. This created shorter skirts than ever and short, blocky jackets (History of 20th Century Women’s Clothing). However, with the war over and the mid-50s approaching, designers had grown tired of the minimalistic clothing during the war and form-fitting clothing came back in with elegantly-made outfits that demanded accessories.…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the most noticeable fashion trends in the thirties was a Little Black Dress. Despite of being created in 1920’s, it gained popularity in the next decade. The LBD , “a slim-fitting dress of varying length worn for dinners, cocktail parties and evenings out – was one of the most popular fashions of the twentieth century” . Because of the simplicity of the dress, it became one of the all time favorites of women living in the Great Depression era. As the dress was simple, it did not need much of accessories. Due to the universality of the dress, women of the middle-class were able to be on a par with those from high-society.…

    • 177 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On 1920s Fashion

    • 887 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Women’s fashion in the 1020’s had to deal with many changes following the first world war, and the period referred as the “roaring 20’s”, the era of the “flapper.”The 1920’s dresses were lighter since the dresses had less material and new synthetic fabrics and brighter and shorter than before. Fashion designers experimented with fabric colors, textures, and plenty of patterns to create variety of new styles of dresses. Coats and jackets were most often trimmed with fur in the 1020’s. Fur coats were not as popular anymore while fur trimmed coats followed an upward trend for women.The popular trend toward silk and rayon reflected a taste for luxury in the 1920's and as a result cotton became less fashionable. Women's underwear which had been primarily cotton before 1920 was predominantly fashioned from silk and rayon by the end of the decade. Young women in particular discarded cotton underwear for the new materials while older women were slower to change. Likewise city people made the change to the new materials and styles far sooner than country…

    • 887 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “...libraries converted their buildings into fallout shelters and disseminated survival information to millions of Americans.” (Spencer, Brett). While the men worked for hours on end to earn their families paychecks, women stayed home to clean the house, watch the children, and to keep their dresses without a single wrinkle on them. “The second half of the 1950s still emphasized women dressing for ‘their men’.” (1950 to 1960.). Women during this decade wanted to appeal others by looking uniquely beautiful , but still dress like every other woman in America, they had to look attractive and acceptable for any outgoing errands. “... practical but attractive housedress, not only for household chores but suitable for quick errands or the school run.” (1950 to 1960.). The Cold War brought women into where they had to play the role as the uprising wife who would always take care of all the cleaning. “Women’s focus was on rearing children and keeping house as they had largely left the war years’ workplace.” (1950 to…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1900s Beauty Standards

    • 1604 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In the 1900s to the 1910s there was a very unique sense of fashion. The decade’s body image consisted of being fit. Women were expected to be tall and to have wide hips. A type of style that helped women achieve this look was a “S” shaped dress. They also stayed up to date on the fashion trends.…

    • 1604 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1920s Women's Lifestyle

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages

    During the 1920’s, women’s lives have changed in many different ways. After World War 1, American women’s were looking for fun. Women’s became more independent, achieving greater freedoms. For example, right to vote, more job opportunities , freedom of speech, and many more. The number of women teachers, doctors, secretaries and nurses rose. Women earned less than men which they discriminated against. President Wilson declared himself in favor of women suffrage so the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in August 1920. This gave women’s right to vote which made them pursue both family life and careers of their own. Many women’s styles changed as well. Fashion was one of the main changes that occurred. The popular hair styles for women's were…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1930s Women

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The government had the power to ration materials and dictate what companies could make. This narrowed the variety of fashion significantly. People also lacked money due to the Great Depression in the 1930s, so it was difficult to buy fancy clothes. Even though women limited their spending on clothing, fashion was still a prominent aspect of being a woman in the 1940s. During this time, “utility” dresses, plain dresses with natural waistline and an A line skirt, became very popular. Women wore these dresses anywhere: for errands, going to the movies, and other daily activities. The “utility” dress acknowledged that women had more responsibilities and greater importance in society. In fact, women started to have more choices in fashion as seen by the acceptance of slacks on women. Up until the 1940s women were discouraged from wearing pants because it was seen as unfeminine. Because of the rationed materials in the country, corsets for women were discouraged. Not only did women gain freedom in society by wearing pants and no corsets, but they also gained physical freedom. Women were no longer constrained by tight undergarments or by having to be modest and careful with their skirts. However, when the men returned after the war and during the 1950s, women’s fashion changed to a dramatic, feminine…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Therefore, whilst this consumer culture provided women with the opportunity to access the public sphere, men maintained dominance. It was not until the 1920s and the First World War that fashion trends for women altered and hemlines began to rise, illustrating the…

    • 1936 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Design in Context

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Visual communications are a reflection of their time and often depict the fashion, taste and trends of a period. The impact of social change can be clearly seen in many areas of design including fashion, architecture, graphic design and product design. What was confronting imagery thirty years ago may be quite acceptable today. Fashion and design trends often reflect historical references and past artistic traditions.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays