1920s Fashion and How it Still Influences Fashion Styles Today

     The 1920's was a prosperous and happy time. Women's fashion was beginning to be influenced heavily by the glamorous clothing used in movies and worn by famous actresses (such as: Greta Garbo and Claudette Colbert). In the early 1920's waistlines were at the waist but were loose and shapeless. Women sometimes wore suits with  long hemlines and somewhat full skirts, often with belts at the waist of the jackets. Both dress and suit bodices were worn loose, even baggy. By 1923, waistlines began to drop between the natural waist and hips. The waistline dropped to the hip in 1924, while styles continues to be baggy and loose. 

     In 1928 hemlines rose up to the knee and dresses were made to be more tightly fitting. These tightly fitting flapper-style dresses were fastened with a continuous lap, usually applied to the left side seam of the dress. Many fasteners such as: hooks and eyes, buttons, or snaps were all used to fasten the lap.
     During the day, neutral grays, browns, and blues were common, but pastels and more lively colors were sometimes worn. At night, women wore a rainbow of colors; prints were quite common, but usually in small checks or figures, or a floral pattern. Wool and cotton were the most commonly used fabrics of the  decade. Because of silk's luxuriousness it was in high demand. However, the limited supply caused it to be rather expensive. "Artificial silk" was soon patented in the U.S. and this new product, named rayon, was soon widely popular. Rayon stockings became popular in the 1920's as a substitute for silk stockings and undergarments.
       Shoes became a noteworthy addition to fashion. They were influenced by many popular dance crazes such as the Charleston, which required a shoe that was tightly fastened with a closed tow and low heel. The most common style of shoes was the single-bar pump that had a pointed toe, high heel, and one tiny covered button. Other popular elements were high tongued, cutaway decorated, crossover, and t-strap heels. 

       During the 1920's men's fashion was rather modest. While at work, men typically wore suits dyed in tones of peach, blue-gray, and cedar were commonly worn. Shaped silk ties with geometric patterns and a black bowler hat completed the look. Wide trousers were commonly worn; some even were as wide as 24 inches at the hem. Black patent-leather shoes were popular at this time and were most commonly worn with formal evening wear. While wearing casual clothing the average 1920's man would sport two-tone shoes in white and tan, or white and black. However, lace-up style shoes were mostly in demand. Knickers were very popular casual wear gentlemen. Golf coats and Norfolk coats were worn with the knickers. These coats had large pockets, a belt, and usually one button. Many of theses designs are still echoed through clothing that is worn even today. Thank you so much for reading this! I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing this!