Flappers: The Roaring Twenties and the New Woman

“Flapper” cover of the Saturday Evening Post, 1922. Source: Wikipedia.

With the literary classic The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald being given new life in this year’s film remake, what better time than to take a trip to the 1920s? The Roaring Twenties was a time of affluence and hedonism following the Great War and before the stock market crash of 1929 that heralded the start of the Great Depression. Social values and fashions took a liberal turn.

Actress Louise Brooks. Source: Wikipedia.

The independent New Woman broke free from the conservatism and social propriety of the preceding decades beginning at the turn of the century. Distinctive cropped bobs, loose flapper style dresses, dramatic make-up and sexually liberal attitudes typified the New Woman. They sought equality with men in the workplace and in politics.

Patent for bust reducing lingerie. Source: Wikipedia.

Fashions changed rapidly, making a strong break from had come previously. Hourglass corsets were done away with in favour of lingerie that flattened the breasts to give a slim, boyish figure. An ample bosom was considered unseemly. Coco Chanel and French designers inspired the flapper look with simple silhouettes. Hemlines climbed, reaching to above the knee.

Now, let’s take a moment to have some fun and pay homage to the fashions of the era.

Vintage 1920s French Dress. Source: Vintage Textiles.

1920s silk beaded gown available from VeraVague.

1920s flapper wedding dress available from TheVintageMistress.

Beaded and sequined flapper headband from greenleafvintage1.

1920s flapper lingerie onesie / teddy available from MaryIkaVintage.

1920s flapper gold beaded bag from TreasuredTinks.

1920s cotton dress available from simplicityisbliss.

Gold beaded flapper dress available from saintvermillion.

Do you think you’ll experiment with the 1920s aesthetic?

x Rena