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more 1920's topics Nostalgia Cafe main page Nostalgia Cafe site map | 20's Fashion============================================================ ============================================================ ============================================================ | ||
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Fashion entered the modern era in the 20's. The long hair and floor-length gowns of the 1910's were replaced by bobbed hair and shorter hemlines. The uncomfortable S-shaped silhouette favored by the Gibson Girl was replaced by the slim, boyish figure of the active modern woman. The first changes took place during World War I. While the men were fighting in Europe, their jobs were taken over by women, and a factory was no place for long dresses or long hair. Women who worked in factories began to wear shorter, simpler dresses for safety reasons. They also began to bob their hair (cut it). |
 1928 | ||
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Before the 20's, women NEVER cut their hair. Like the old saying goes: a head of long, flowing hair was a woman's crowning glory. A woman with short hair was assumed to be either 1) ill with a fever, or 2) a member of one of those radical "dress reform" cults. Ladies who bobbed their hair were taking a big step....they were getting their hair cut for the very first time. | hair | "What have I DONE?" This young lady looks a bit nervous! I would imagine that most women felt a sense of panic as they watched the first curls begin to fall. | ||
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After the deed was done, these women felt liberated. They were finally free from the ordeal of washing, combing, and styling masses of long, tangled hair. Most men hated the new bobbed hairstyle, but women loved it. By the late 20's, it was difficult to find a woman under 50 who didn't have bobbed hair. As the 20's wore on, hair kept getting shorter and shorter. In a shingled hairstyle, the hair in back was cut very short and tapered like that of a man. In 1926, the Eton Crop was even shorter and more severe. Other popular hairstyles were the Moana and the Chesterfield. The ultra-stylish lady also sported a spit curl right in the middle of her forehead, held in place with dried soap or a homemade setting gel. |
 bobbed or shingled? --a humorous postcard with real hair attached | ||
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the new beauty ideal In the 20's, Americans developed a new interest in healthy lifestyles. As a result, our concept of the "ideal woman" and "ideal man" began to change. In the 1900's, just 20 short years earlier, the stylish man was fat and successful. He enjoyed multi-course dinners, brandy, and cigars. The stylish woman was curvy and corseted. In the 20's, we were changing our eating habits, engaging in more outdoor activities, and developing an obsession with youthful beauty. The stylish man became slim, energetic, and clean-shaven. The stylish woman was slender, boyish, and athletic. This desire to be eternally young and beautiful also resulted in the explosion of the cosmetics and beauty parlor industries. |  |  flapper style The flapper look sent society into a state of shock. Young ladies who adopted this style rejected every outdated fashion tradition. A flapper shortened her hemlines and shortened her hair. She rolled her stockings down below her knees, wrapped her head with a "headache band," and went without a corset. Her pearl necklaces hung down to her waist, and her unbuckled galoshes went "flap flap flap" when she walked....hence the nickname "flapper." | ||
dresses |  Not all ladies were tomboys. The feminine look was still popular in the 20's, complete with flowing summer dresses, large picture hats, and floral prints. |  1929 | ||
| Dresses had straight, boyish silhouettes and drop waists. | 
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accessories outerwear undergarments cloche hats fur coats fur stoles long pearl necklaces silk stockings rayon stockings bra & girdle combinations |
 It was fashionable to wear fur in the 20's. Popular pelts included bear, goat, wolf, and raccoon. Silver fox was the most prized fur of the era. Fur stoles were usually made of fox, and used the entire body....head, tail, and paws. |
 Close-fitting cloche hats emphasized the new shorter hairstyles | ||
beachwear----- | that hussy ought to be ashamed of herself! Bathing suits also became modern in the 20's. In the past, beach attire consisted of heavy wool suits with bloomers and stockings. In the 20's, the new tank top bathing suits were made of stretchy, lightweight knits, which made them extremely form-fitting. They also revealed a good portion of the wearer's arms and legs. This was unheard of! At some point during the 20's, almost every beach hosted its own version of the "Bathing Suit Battles." Many women who wore the new styles were arrested for indecent exposure. | |||
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