Fashion Styles of the Jazz Age

'Goddess' gown by Paul Poiret, c.1927. Gilded lamé with glass bead embroidery.

Grace Evans, Keeper of Costume at Chertsey Museum, on how fashion was transformed during the roaring twenties

The styles of the 1920s were bold and distinctive. Despite the many years that now split up usa from the time of their cosmos, garments from this era however exude an undeniable air of freshness, optimism and decorative entreatment.

The 1920s was characterised by an emphasis on the new. Hopefulness was the gild of the twenty-four hours and youth was celebrated in a higher place all things. The Start World War had resulted in the terrible and unprecedented loss of immature male life.

Shocked and in mourning for the deaths of so many, order reacted strongly and swiftly.  The seeds of social, cultural and technological modify had already been sewn before the war, but the disharmonize accelerated this process and paved the way for a more dramatic pause from the conventions and formalities of the by.

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The Commencement Earth State of war was a especially important goad for change in the lives of women. Many had been called upon to work, oft in traditionally male person roles, during the conflict. The result was greater independence and visibility within society, which was reinforced past the advent of long fought-for female suffrage. Some women were permitted to vote in 1918.

All women over 21 gained equal voting rights with men in 1928. Though women were encouraged back into the dwelling once troops returned, circumstances had changed, and attitudes had altered. For some the sheer number of male casualties meant that they could no longer look to follow the standard route to marriage and motherhood. Greater female person participation in the public sphere was, whether by choice or necessity, an important office of the post-war world.

Evening gown, c.1925 – 1928. Silk crêpe with glass bead embroidery.

Technological progress was also a authentication of 1920s society. Here again the war had been instrumental in hastening developments in communications, ship and manufacturing methods. The accelerated pace of life that characterised the decade was fed by these advancements. Domestic entertainment in the form of the gramophone and mass-communication via radio and film were essential ingredients in the swirling mix of progress and novelty.

Foreign travel also became easier. Those who did not have the means to participate in the luxurious and international lifestyles of the wealthy, could all the same witness and aspire to them through the wireless or local cinema.

Jazz music, in many ways the soundtrack of the 1920s, was also spread by these means. The popularity of this music of black American origin was another small step towards the hope for a more autonomous and integrated guild; 1 which nosotros proceed to aspire to today.

In terms of fashion, technological developments had a direct impact. Advancements in manufacturing techniques, the growth of the ready-to-wear industry and developments in the use of the manufactured fibre artificial silk (known as Rayon from 1924), meant that style became more available and affordable during the 1920s.

Modes strongly reflected the social, cultural and economical changes that were taking place within society, merely despite our modern conception of a typical 1920s look, styles varied quite significantly through the decade. Hemlines altered, fashions for accessories and decoration came and went and waistlines moved up and downward. To the untrained eye the styles of the menses 1920 – 1922 were more akin to those of the Outset World State of war of 1914 – 1918. Information technology took time for ideas and styles to crystallize into what we now associate with 1920s style.

For example, during the early years of the decade waistlines had non fully dropped to hip level and hemlines fluctuated from ankle-length to calf-length, but never higher. It was non until 1923 that the familiar tubular, drop-waisted style took agree in earnest and shorter genu-length skirts did not brand an appearance until effectually 1925.

Detail of an evening tunic, c.1923, with Egyptian-inspired glass bead decoration.

The accent on youth was a stiff influence on the spread of the 'garçonne' look during the heart years of the decade. This manner, in which female person fashion played with ideas of adolescence and masculinity, required the elimination of womanly curves. A completely straight, simple, tubular line, hip-level waistlines, knee-length skirts and unproblematic, short hairstyles were the hallmarks of this look, which tends to be the well-nigh memorable of the menstruation.

During the afterward years of the decade variations crept in. Skirts flared out with the addition of godets (or triangular inserts), and uneven hemlines were seen, particularly in more formal dress and eveningwear. Drapery such as scarves and stoles were likewise used to pause upwardly the columnar line of women's dress; softening its appearance both day and dark.

The last few years of the 1920s saw day and evening clothes diverge significantly in terms of hemlines; something that would behave on for decades to come, and curvier figures, natural waistlines and longer skirt lengths did in fact return to women'due south mode in 1929.

Accessories were a vital aspect of the overall 1920s 'look'. Hats were particularly important. Social custom dictated that everyone was expected to article of clothing a hat when out in public, and it would have been very unusual non to grab ane when leaving the house. The cloche chapeau is specially associated with the 1920s. They varied in size and style through the decade, simply this helmet-like detail of women's headwear, pulled down low over the forehead, was a specific 'flapper' mode which first emerged around 1923. Alongside the cloche hat came short hairstyles for women; another distinctive feature of 1920s mode.

The bravest manner-setters bobbed their hair from around 1917, and by the early on 1920s many more than had followed. Past 1926 short hair was the most common style for women, with the bravest later going for the 'Eton Ingather'. Make-up was a further daring new accessory. Rather than hide the judicious utilize of natural-style cosmetics, young women of the 1920s applied bright red lipstick and plucked and pencilled their eyebrows in ways that made the older generation gasp.

Woman's cloche hat, c.1924 – 1926, of blackness straw with cotton fiber flower trim.

Decorative influences on fashion were many and varied as designers gathered inspiration from a multitude of sources; peculiarly the decorative fine art of ancient civilisations and works produced by African and Asian cultures. 1923 was the twelvemonth that 'Egyptomania' swept the Western world following the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in late 1922.

The fashion saw an abundance of 'Pharaoh' sandals, tightly pleated wrap-around garments in greens, blues and golds and accessories decorated with Egyptian-style motifs such equally scarab beetles. Fine art produced by Mayan and Aztec peoples was also a potent influence on 1920s way and decorative art.

Many of these pattern motifs were made manifest in the form of surface ornamentation, which was an important aspect of 1920s fashionable dress. Though the cut of '20s garments was relatively simple and linear, this was often merely a canvass for a riot of applied ornament. Beadwork was a especially pop technique. Glass chaplet were lavishly applied to evening dress, making them glitter in the calorie-free every time the wearer moved. Shiny fabrics were important too. The gathering momentum of Hollywood was a stiff influence hither.

Unable to use color to add together flavour, costume designers for black and white movies turned to shiny fabrics to evoke glamour. Unsurprisingly this sparked a fashion for similar textiles in the real world. Newly developed metal lamé in gold and silver was widely used in 1920s eveningwear, and occasionally even for hymeneals gowns.

Change was most definitely in the air during the 1920s, but our conception of the hedonism and optimism of the decade is besides tempered by what we know occurred at its close. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the subsequent Nifty Depression brought the positivity, fizz and exuberance of the 1920s to an precipitous cease; altering fashions once again and making this cherished era all-the-more poignant and fascinating to our modern eyes.

Rouge and lipstick, c.1928.

It is now 100 years since this footing-breaking and exciting decade began. The Olive Matthews Collection at Chertsey Museum celebrates this centenary with its brand-new exhibition The Roaring Twenties, Fashions of the Jazz Historic period. Yous can visit it and more at the newly re-opened Chertsey Museum.

All images copyright The Olive Matthews Collection, Chertsey Museum. Photos by John Chase Photography.

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Chertsey Museum

Chertsey, Surrey

Nosotros take fine collections, including history of the Runnymede surface area, local archaeology and history of Chertsey Abbey, fine art, decorative art, social history including many documents and photographs, local clocks and the nationally significant Olive Matthews Collection of dress and textiles. Free Wi-Fi and smart phone gallery guide bachelor.

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