The Roaring Twenties are one of the most fascinating years in fashion, characterized by radical change in silhouettes, demonstrative excess, and the rejection of all previous beauty standards. The iconic Flapper girl, with her short hair, straight short dress, and a cigarette became a cultural archetype that was often referenced and recycled by popular culture. Some trends, like dramatic makeup or headwear still occasionally make a comeback. Others, however, remain a dated yet recognizable marker of the epoch and mostly appear in films or costume parties.
1. Drop Waist: The Signature and Controversial Roaring Twenties Trend
The drop waist dress, perhaps the most recognizable trend of this decade, was short-lived and faded into obscurity by the early thirties. Contrary to the accentuated waists of previous decades, the most fashionable 1920s dress would have a waist so low it almost disappeared, creating a boyish and slim figure. From the waist, hips, or breasts of a wearer, the sensual emphasis moved to her legs, with hems as short as ever, reaching just the kneecap.
The radical change of the silhouette was not entirely invented by fashion designers. The most important event in fashion history that changed the perception of body shape was the rejection of corsetry in favor of more comfortable and versatile lingerie. The changing lifestyles of women led to the simplification of dress styles, making clothes easier to wear and adjust. Moreover, during World War I, the production of corsets declined significantly since steel, used for corset bones, was needed for the war effort. The transformed lingerie styles offered less support and allowed for a more relaxed-fitting dress silhouette.
2. Sportswear as the New Trend
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterPart of the reason why women sought an alternative to corsets was their growing interest in sports, which required more mobility and flexibility. For that reason, the 1920s were the time when the segment of sportswear started to emerge. But forget about yoga pants and sports bras—a century ago, garments for active women looked completely different.
Tennis and golf were popular sports accessible to women. Many also enjoyed swimming and cycling, and these actions needed specific sets of garments. The 1920s sportswear designers offered their clients dresses and skirts long enough to protect their modesty yet wide enough not to obstruct their movements. Women wore underpants to ride bicycles, while short and top combos were worn to beach parties. By today’s standards, these garments seem almost formal but initially, these pieces had a function of balancing between comfort and respectability.
3. Bobbed Haircut
The short haircut was a war necessity that quickly turned into a trend. Initially, women bobbed their hair to hide it under the nurses’ or workers’ caps. As World War I ended, the style became a symbol of emancipation and newly found independence. It was also actively promoted by actresses and celebrities. The short haircut was expensive to maintain, so some women pinned their hair so it would appear to be shorter. The curly bob became the signature haircut of the famous flapper girl Zelda Fitzgerald, the American writer and socialite.
The short hair trend caused an outrage within conservative circles. Within newspapers, rumors circulated that some fathers locked up or even killed their daughters for cutting their hair. Traditionalists blamed short-haired women for emasculating men, ruining their families, and even imposing baldness, infertility, and hormonal problems upon themselves. Short hair as a marker of feminine agency posed a threat to the old world order, with women attempting to attack the imbalanced power dynamic.
4. Original Jewelry and New Materials
The 1920s jewelry had two major trends, varying in aesthetic and affordability. The most well-known was the Art Deco style with its strict geometry and precious stones and metals evoking associations with modern technology. Art Deco jewelers used the most exquisite and expensive materials yet radically detached themselves from tradition. They experimented with stone cuts and mountings, creating pieces that were never seen before.
On a more affordable note, many fashion designers preferred to focus on construction rather than on the value of materials. The 1920s jewelry accepted the legacy of Art Nouveau, using cheap materials like horn, lacquer, and newly discovered synthetic materials. Another breakthrough of the century came with the artificially cultivated pearls. Instead of employing divers looking for the precious material, jewelry companies could now afford to grow them in any amount, making the famous long-layered necklaces affordable to a wider audience.
5. Headwear of All Shapes
The 1920s fashion was remarkable for the abundance of headwear of all shapes, sizes, and styles. A particular element of headwear, the cloche hat has now become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Roaring Twenties fashion. Apart from its own aesthetic qualities, the bell-shaped hat had one more nuance that made it desirable. The tight-fitting hat was impossible to wear over pinned hair, thus automatically revealing its wearer to be brave enough to cut her hair short.
For formal occasions, women could choose between a variety of headbands and decorations made from beads, pearls, feathers, stones, or any other precious material. Other popular accessories were decorative hair combs made from horns or the newly invented synthetic material bakelite, similar in quality to plastic.
6. Dramatic Makeup
Bold makeup was one of the signature elements of the flapper—a young, independent, and fashionable woman. The generation of the flappers’ mothers considered visible makeup shameful and indecent. In contrast, their daughters proudly wore dark eyeshadow, blush, bold lipstick, and dark nail polish that became available on the market. Lipstick in a portable metal container, which was just recently invented, became the most desirable accessory. Women painted their lips in a fashionable Cupid’s Bow form. For mascara, women mixed Vaseline with coal, creating thick heavy eyelashes.
Mass culture also left a tremendous impact on makeup trends. The popularity of live performances (such as jazz concerts) and black-and-white films helped shape the preferences of female audiences. The harsh scenic light and bad image quality required the performers to wear heavy makeup with dark contrasting accents. The popular obsession with Egyptian culture, propelled by the colonial exploration of the land, also contributed to the popularity of heavy kohl eyeliner.
7. Trousers on Women
Although the idea of women wearing trousers was not particularly new in the 1920s, it nonetheless caused many scandals. Although pants first appeared in collections of popular fashion designers in the 1910s, fashion legends like Paul Poiret insisted that they were to be worn in the privacy of home only. For Poiret, it was a seductive garment that referenced the exotic imagery of Eastern harems. Such interpretation was partially a counter-movement to the suffragettes, who weaponized trousers as a marker of their agency and fight for change.
Until the 1920s, a woman could be arrested and even imprisoned for wearing trousers in public. However, during World War I, pants were a necessity for working women fulfilling their duties. After peace was briefly reinstalled, many women refused to change back into skirts and petticoats. Soon, wide-leg trousers that still looked like skirts from a distance became fashionable, particularly as an element of sportswear.
8. Cultural Appropriation: The Racialized Trends of the Roaring Twenties
One of the signature yet most problematic issues of the 1920s fashion was the rampant and completely insensitive cultural appropriation. Women’s fashion designers often referenced colonized cultures of Asia, the Middle East, or Africa, hardly diving into the meanings behind used symbols. Eastern menswear, such as turbans, often transformed into fashionable accessories for Western women. Some dress historians regard this appropriation as the act of symbolic emasculation of the Eastern man and the assertion of white male dominance. Orientalist fashion imitating Chinese or Indian costumes graced the pages of magazines, yet non-white models rarely appeared in them.
The widespread appropriation of cultural symbols would not be as problematic if it was not paralleled with the violent and ruthless destruction of the same people it borrowed from. Colonized people were continuously reminded of their inferiority, yet their art and culture were deemed good enough to be appreciated. Such an approach led to the misinterpretation of many cultural symbols and contexts, such as the popularized Ancient Egyptian aesthetic.
