1920s Fashion

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I love 1920s fashion and style

There's something about the Haute Couture fashions of the 1920s that really appeals to me. Changes were taking place in society at that time, with women starting to throw off much of the bondage that had kept them in the 19th century. Was it this that made the decade exciting?

The world had altered after those terrible four years of the Great War - old values were upturned and the rigid class structure was crumbling rapidly around the edges. There was a new world sense of liberation and the empowerment of women had begun.

This showed in the fashions of the time. Women got out of their whalebone corsets and moved into more feminie and natural styles. Styles which were sleek, soft, clinging to curves, and more aware of the body than ever before.

 

 

The straight-line chemise topped by the close-fitting cloche hat became the uniform of the day. Women "bobbed," or cut, their hair short to fit under the popular hats, a radical move in the beginning, but standard by the end of the decade. Low-waisted dresses with fullness at the hemline allowed women to kick up their heels literally in new dances like the Charleston.

The dresses were lighter and brighter and shorter than ever before. Fashion designers played with fabric colours, textures and patterns to create totally new styles of dress. Hemlines rose for most of the decade but dropped slightly toward the end.

The Cloche 

Iconic hat of the twenties

One of the most enduring images of the 20s is the cloche hat, it will always be associated with the era.

It was the cloche that was responsible for the haughty period stance. To wear a cloche correctly the hat had to be all but pulled over the eyes, making the wearer have to lift up her head, and then peer snootily down her nose.

Try it. You can't wear a cloche without looking down your nose at the rest of the world.

Cloche hats had a basic bell contour with bulbous crowns which, if correctly designed, could add inches to the height of the wearer helping to foster the haughty look, so redolent of the 1920s.

Hairstyles of the 1920s 

From the mid 1920s, women changed their razor cut bobs to a similar styled and shaped cut, but with various forms of waving from the Marcel wave to finger waving. All of these new cuts made it easier to wear the smaller closer fitting cloche. The most extreme cut was the Eton Crop.

The Eton Crop

The Eton Crop appeared about 1927 and hair would often have brilliantine to increase the skull like appearance of the hair style. Shiny black hair was the best form of this fashion. Josephine Baker wore this style of slick, greased hair to great effect.

By 1927 hair was softening from straight to wavy and by 1928 neckline nape hair began to be grown, softening the look of some women.

By the late twenties women suddenly wanted to break free of the cloche and show their hair to the world. The point had been made. Women too, could have shorn hair.

My 1920s Bob 

The Bob Cut has never gone away


I find the Bob delightfully easy. I get it trimmed every 8 weeks or so and my hair never really looks any different. Wash it, run a comb through, and that's it.

Fashions of the 1920s 

Glorious Shoes 

Shoes and stockings assumed a greater prominence now that they were more visible. Silk stockings in all the colours of the rainbow, often with patterns, were designed to match the coordinated outfits of stylish women.

To see some glorious shoes from the 1920s, indulge yourself browsing these Photographs of 20s vintage shoes.

 

I fell in love with 1920s style after viewing the BBC series The House of Elliot.

House of Eliott, the series 

Family secrets, scandal, thwarted love, intriguing characters, and great clothes - the House of Eliott has it all.

Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard star as Beatrice and Evangeline Eliott, two free-spirited, talented sisters whose lives come unraveled when their father dies and leaves them unexpectedly broke. Their discovery of where his money went is just the first of several betrayals that befall them as they struggle to start their own fashion business.

Yes, it's about women and clothes, but The House of Eliott is much more than a chick flick. Bea and Evie's determination to make it on their own terms reflects every artist's struggle, and the fact that they are women trying to start a business in 1920s England adds another layer to that challenge.

The House of Eliott 

Series One

The House of Eliott is the journey that the Eliot sisters make to come into their own. A journey full of flair, drama and intrigue

Beatrice and Evangeline are dedicated and determined to make their way on their own terms. They overcome the obstacles and the people who threaten their dream.

The Eliot sisters dream of, strive towards, and finally accomplish their ultimate goal: a successful fashion house.

The House of Eliott - Series One

Amazon Price: $53.99 (as of 11/29/2009)Buy Now

The House of Eliott is based on the journey of two sisters, Bea and Evie, who embark on opening their very own fashion house amongst the haute couture of London and Paris.

Much more than a chick flick!

Continuing the House of Eliott 

The House of Eliott - Series Two

Amazon Price: $53.99 (as of 11/29/2009) Buy Now

House of Eliott - Series Three

Amazon Price: $52.49 (as of 11/29/2009) Buy Now

The House of Eliott - Complete Collection

Amazon Price: $117.49 (as of 11/29/2009) Buy Now

Scenes of the Salon from House of Eliott 

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10% of my income goes to continue the work of Fred Hollows in treating avoidable blindness and improving indigenous health.

Photo : Khim Rath, who can now see after a successful cataract operation, Kampong Chhnang province, Cambodia.

Blindness is a significant public health issue in Cambodia. Over 160,000 people are blind and an additional 20,000 become blind each year. The main cause of blindness is cataract, which can be treated by a simple 15 minute operation at an average cost of $25 (AUD$35).

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About Susanna Duffy 

Lensmaster susannaduffy has been a member since September 25 2006, has rated 3,920 lenses, favorited 128, and has created 206 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "Ancient Roman Recipes". See all my lenses

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