1920s WOMEN’S WEAR – Screen Archive South East (2024)

FAQs

What 3 major changes happened to women's dresses in the 1920s? ›

Fashion-wise, women were dressed in cloche hats, tubular silhouettes with drop waists, and handkerchief hemlines boldly skimming shins—which were on show for the very first time. A breakdown of all these 1920s fashion trends and more, below.

Twenties fashion is often remembered for its glitz and glamour, though underlying this was a move toward simplicity in dress. For women, this meant shorter skirts and simple shapes, while men enjoyed casual suits.

Hair was cut short, corsets were discarded, hemlines rose, waistlines dropped, more skin was revealed and a new slim, flat, boyish figure became the ideal. Never before in the history of Western dress did women wear skirts revealing their legs and extremely short hair.

The flapper dress was one of the most iconic looks of the Great Gatsby era. This style was characterized by its knee-length skirt and loose fit, which allowed for more freedom of movement. They were often made from light materials like chiffon or silk, adding to their airy feel.

Flappers wore high heel shoes, threw away their corsets in favor of bras and lingerie, applied rouge, lipstick, mascara and other cosmetics, and favored shorter hairstyles like the bob.

Flapper fashions included short hair under cloche hats, lingerie over corsets and loose dresses with hemlines that rose from the ankles in 1920, knee length or higher by the mid-1920s and back down to below the knee by 1930.

You could put on a one-piece 'frock' or a skirt and blouse/jumper combination, bearing in mind that to achieve the low waistline popular for most of the decade, blouses had to be worn on top of skirts. Outside, dresses were covered with matching or contrasting jackets and coats, often lined and/or trimmed with fur.

The most memorable fashion trend of the Roaring Twenties was undoubtedly "the flapper" look. The flapper dress was functional and flattened the bust line rather than accentuating it. The straight-line chemise topped by the close-fitting cloche hat became the uniform of the day.

Flappers were a "new breed" of young women in the 1920s who wore short skirts, bobbed (cut short) their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior.

Coco Chanel

We couldn't have a gallery devoted to 1920s style without including Coco. She revolutionized women's fashion during the Jazz Age, introducing loose, jersey fabrics, long strings of pearls, and a feminine take on sailor suits.

What did little girls wear in the 1920s? ›

Young girls' dress styles included baby doll, drop-waist, and sailor-style dresses. Older girls more closely copied women's styles, with the straight, drop-waist dress a popular choice. Little boys wore short pants with matching jackets or short overalls and shirts.

Also from the collection at the V&A Museum. Oxfords, Mary Janes, and T-straps were the most popular styles in the 1920s, the latter two in particular for 1920s eveningwear.

The fashion trends of the 1920s were more casual and relaxed. Women often wore knee length tubular day dresses and men often wore knickerbockers with sweater vests. The flapper style for women and the zoot suits for men were also popular in the 1920s.

Although this dress features a simple silhouette, the detail in the velvet skirt reflects a fun, more extravagant side of the wearer. Evening gowns of the 1920s separated themselves from formal afternoon dresses by going sleeveless. Elaborate shawls, wraps, furs, and capelets covered the bare arms.

The development of new fabrics and new means of fastening clothing affected fashions of the 1920s. Natural fabrics such as cotton and wool were the abundant fabrics of the decade. Silk was highly desired for its luxurious qualities, but the limited supply made it expensive.

Bob cuts, shingling, finger waves and the 'Eton cut' truly came into fashion for 1920s women. They were more practical for domestic duties, workplaces should they have them, and most importantly - dancing.

Fashion historians offer various explanations for this revolution: Women had moved into the workplace and refused to be encumbered by heavy floor-length dresses and layers of petticoats; they were engaging in sports, such as tennis and golf, and needed clothing that allowed them to move freely; they expressed their ...

Final answer: The shifts in women's fashion trends during the 1920s signified a departure from societal expectations and a desire for self-expression.