The 1920's was the decade in which women ditched the old restrictions that used to be placed on them and turned them in for a new, more comfortable style
The Flappers' image consisted of drastic changes in women's clothing and hair. Nearly every article of clothing was trimmed down and lightened in order to make movement easier and women began bobbing their hair. Fabric was also made closer to the skin.
Coco Chanel was the most influential woman in fashion during the roaring twenties. She was among the first women to cut her hair and stop wearing a corset--instead, she switched over to a more "garconne" (translation: "little boy") look. She wore stockings, which were made of rayon, starting in 1923, which was adopted into the "flapper" appearance.
For women, face, figure, posture and grooming had become important factors in fashion. In particular, cosmetics became a huge industry. Makeup styles also changed in the 1920's--women started wearing bolder lipstick in shades such as red and more dramatic eye makeup as well as blush.
As seen in this sketch of an outfit worn by Jay Gatsby from "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, men wore suits (today's suits for men are still based, in part, on those worn in the late twenties) and even began to wear athletic attire for the first time in public. They wore shorter jackets and pinstriped suits.
Hats were a popular item that depended on social class.
Hats were a popular item that depended on social class.
- Upper-class: top hats and homburg hats
- Middle-class: fedora, bowler hat, trilby hat
- Working-class: newsboy or flat cap
During the 1920s, the notion of keeping up with fashion trends and expressing oneself through material goods seized middle-class Americans. Glamour was now an important fashion trend, due to the influence of the motion picture industry and the famous female movie stars. Style was heavily influenced and created by movie stars. For the first time in history, fashion influences and trends were coming from more than one source. Similar to today, women and men of the 1920's looked to movie stars as their fashion icons.