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Womenswear In the aftermath of World War I, America entered a prosperous era and, as a result of her role in the war, came
out onto the world stage. Social customs and morals were relaxed in the giddy optimism brought on by the end of the war and
the booming of the Stock Market. New music and new dances came on the scene. Women got the vote in 1920 and were entering
the workforce in record numbers. The nationwide prohibition on alcohol was ignored by many when it suited them. There was
a revolution in almost every sphere of human activity, and fashion was no exception.
In menswear there was a growing mood of informality, among the Americans especially, which was mirrored in fashions that emphasized
youthfulness and relaxation. In the past, there was a special outfit for every event in the well-dressed gentleman's day,
but young men in the Twenties, no longer afraid to show their youthfulness, began to wear the same soft wool suit all day
long. Short suit jackets replaced the old long jackets of the past which were now only worn for formal occasions. Men had
a variety of sport clothes available to them, including sweaters and short pants, commonly known as knickers. For evening
wear a short tuxedo was more fashionable than the tail-coat, which was now seen as somewhat old-fashioned. The London cut,
with its slim lines, loose-fitting sleeves, and padded shoulders, perfected by the English tailor Scholte, was very popular.
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.
Soon after 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 their clothes from the male
wardrobe and chose to dress like boys. Although, at first, many couturiers were reluctant to adopt the new androgynous style,
they embraced them wholeheartedly from around 1925. A bustless, waistless silhouette emerged and aggressive dressing-down
was mitigated by feather boas, embroidery, and showy accessories The [flapper] style (known to the French as the 'garçonne'
look) became very popular among young women. The [cloche] hat was widely-worn and sportswear became popular with both men
and women during the decade, with designers like Jean Patou and Coco Chanel popularizing the sporty and athletic look.
The great couturière Coco Chanel was a major figure in fashion at the time, as much for her magnetic personality as for her
chic and progressive designs. Chanel helped popularize the bob hairstyle, the little black dress, and the use of jersey knit
for women's clothing and also elevated the status of both costume jewelry and knitwear.
Two other prominent French designers of the 1920s were [Jeanne Lanvin] and [Jean Patou]. Jeanne Lanvin, who began her career
in fashion as a milliner, made such beautiful outfits for her young daughter Marguerite that people started to ask for copies,
and Lanvin was soon making dresses for their mothers. Lanvin's name appears in the fashion yearbook from about 1901 onwards.
However, it was in the 1920s that she reached the peak of her popularity and success. The Lanvin style embraced the look of
the time, with its skillful use of complex trimmings, dazzling embroideries, and beaded decorations in light, clear, floral
colors that eventually became a Lanvin trademark. By 1925 Lanvin produced many different products, including sportswear, furs,
lingerie, men's fashion, and interior designs. Her global approach to fashion foreshadowed the schemes that all the large
contemporary fashion houses would later adopt in their efforts to diversify.
In the aftermath of World War I, America entered a prosperous era and, as a result of her role in the war, came out onto the
world stage. Social customs and morals were relaxed in the giddy optimism brought on by the end of the war and the booming
of the Stock Market. New music and new dances came on the scene. Women got the vote in 1920 and were entering the workforce
in record numbers. The nationwide prohibition on alcohol was ignored by many when it suited them. There was a revolution in
almost every sphere of human activity, and fashion was no exception.
Clothing changed with womens changing roles in modern society, particularly with the idea of freedom for women. Although
society matrons of a certain age continued to wear conservative dresses, forward-looking and younger women now made sportswear
into the greatest change in post-war fashion. The tubular dresses of the Teens had evolved into a similar silhouette that
now sported shorter skirts with pleats, gathers, or slits to allow motion to rule womens fashion for the first time in history.
The straight-line chemise topped by the close-fitting cloche hat became the uniform of the day. Women "bobbed,"
or cut, their hair short to fit under the popular hats, a radical move in the beginning, but standard by the end of the decade.
Low-waisted dresses with fullness at the hemline allowed women to kick up their heels literally in new dances like the Charleston.
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.
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Clothing changed with womens changing roles in modern society, particularly with the idea of freedom for women. Although society
matrons of a certain age continued to wear conservative dresses, forward-looking and younger women now made sportswear into
the greatest change in post-war fashion. The tubular dresses of the Teens had evolved into a similar silhouette that now sported
shorter skirts with pleats, gathers, or slits to allow motion to rule womens fashion for the first time in history.
Shoes had high, slightly curved heels. Shorter skirts put an emphasis on stockings, and gaiters were worn with streetwear
in winter. "Tango shoes" inspired by the dance craze had criss-crossing straps at the ankles that peeked out from
draped and wrapped evening skirts.
During the war years, working women wore sensible laced shoes with round toes and lower wedge heels
Two of the most influential fashion designers of the time were Jacques Doucet and Mariano Fortuny. The French designer Jacques
Doucet excelled in superimposing pastel colors and his elaborate gossamery dresses suggested the Impressionist shimmers of
reflected light. His distinguished customers never lost a taste for his fluid lines and flimsy, diaphanous materials. While
obeying imperatives that left little to the imagination of the couturier, Doucet was nonetheless a designer of immense taste
and discrimination, a role many have tried since, but rarely with Doucet's level of success.
Changes in dress during World War I were dictated more by necessity than fashion. As more and more women were forced to work,
they demanded clothes that were better suited to their new activities. Social events had to be postponed in favor of more
pressing engagements and the need to mourn the increasing numbers of dead, visits to the wounded, and the general gravity
of the time meant that darker colors became the norm. A new monochrome look emerged that was unfamiliar to young women in
comfortable circumstances. By 1915 fashionable skirts had risen above the ankle and then later to mid-calf.
[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. [Salvatore Ferragamo] and André Perugia were two of the most influential
and respected designers in footwear. Many stars of the [silent film]s had a significant impact on fashion during the 1920s,
perhaps most notably [Louise Brooks], Gloria Swanson, and [Colleen Moore]. The lighthearted, forward-looking fashions of the
1920s gradually came to halt after the [Wall Street Crash of 1929], and succumbed to a more conservative style.
The heavily made-up look of the 1920s was a reaction to the demure, feminine Gibson girl of the pre-war period. In the 1920s,
an international beauty culture was forged, and society increasingly focused on novelty and change. Fashion trends influenced
theater, films, literature, and art.
Women also found a new need to wear more make-up. A skewed postwar sex ratio created a new emphasis on sexual beauty.
Additionally, as women began to enter the professional world, publications such as the French Beauty Industry encouraged women
to wear makeup so as to look their best while competing with men for employment.
Lipstick became widely popular after Maurice Levy's 1915 invention of the metal lipstick container. It was available in salve,
liquid, and stick forms, and long-lasting, indelible stains were the most popular. "Natural" lipgloss was also invented,
which used bromo acid to create a red effect as it reacted with the wearer's skin. Finally, flavored lipstick was also popular,
with the most popular variety being cherry.
In the 1920s, different products were also developed that showed the decade's preoccupation with shaping the mouth. Metal
lip tracers, made in various sizes to satisfy the wishes of the wearer, were developed to ensure flawless lipstick application.
Helena Rubinstein created a product called "Cupid's Bow," that billed itself as a "self-shaping lipstick that
forms a perfect cupid's bow as you apply it." The development of the mirrored lipstick container in the 1920s also points
to the importance of shaping the lips through the application of lipstick
In menswear there was a growing mood of informality, among the Americans especially, which was mirrored in fashions that emphasized
youthfulness and relaxation. In the past, there was a special outfit for every event in the well-dressed gentleman's day,
but young men in the Twenties, no longer afraid to show their youthfulness, began to wear the same soft wool suit all day
long. Short suit jackets replaced the old long jackets of the past which were now only worn for formal occasions. Men had
a variety of sport clothes available to them, including sweaters and short pants, commonly known as knickers. For evening
wear a short tuxedo was more fashionable than the tail-coat, which was now seen as somewhat old-fashioned. The London cut,
with its slim lines, loose-fitting sleeves, and padded shoulders, perfected by the English tailor Scholte, was very popular.
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