1920s - fashion with fun, whimsy and chic

[Mojito]

Very pleased blushes here, Celia and Tomasso - thank you. Celia, you are so very lovely to compare me in any way to Phryne - she's my secret guilty fictional indulgance, and I adore the character (clothes, food, flirting (and a bit more than flirting), living well...oh yes, and the odd mystery.

Laura, I hope you find the lipstick - it tends to last as well. I don't have call to wear it often, but I do have a few burnt orange dresses it goes well with.

Celia, Pink's idea about patterns is a good one particularly if (as I am not) you are talented in that way. I'm hoping to break down one of the dresses I wore in Napier into pattern elements, as it felt so fabulous on - unfortunately the light silk was already on the point of failure and had undergone many repairs before I bought it, knowing it was deeply flawed but loving the colour. I was hoping it wouldn't collapse completely while I was wearing it, but fortunately it held up for just that one wear.

When you're collecting pieces, I think it's all too easy to fall into the same mistake that many new collectors in many areas do - they go for more of the cheaper pieces. In my case, I bought virtually anything that would fit me, regardless of style, quality or condition. Rather than do that, I'd recommend that you save your money on several of the cheaper pieces and invest in something that is in better condition and of better quality.

Don't turn your nose up at a bargain, though - I've bought many dresses for less than $40 - 50 USD, including this brown lace dress that is a favourite:

Same with hats - you'd be surprised what you can find on eBay that has been poorly photographed, poorly displayed, and perhaps needs a touch of steaming. I bought a pretty little I Magnin straw cloche (unfortunately I don't have a photo) for less than $20.

Go for versatility and durability if you intend to wear them - a beaded tabard on a netting base can be worn over a variety of coloured slips to achieve different effects.

Be aware that you would be wise to resew at least the underarm sleeves on long sleeved garments - I heard this tip from a vintage clothing dealer, and she was spot on. And be careful of beads - the base fabric may be strong, but the beads may shed with a horrible tinkling sound with every step you take. My mother is wearing a tabard in this photo that she had to virtually entirely resew - as soon as she'd touch a thread, it would disintegrate. She was able to stabilise the beading, and I think hardly lost a bead all night when she wore it (need to find a better photo - she's hiding herself with that awful big tote in this photo, and you can't really see the dress):

You may want to specialise in the first or second half of the decade, as they were quite distinct (personally, I just love them all).

 

[imoldfashioned]

This is one of my favorite threads ever at the Lounge. The photos are consistently wonderful!

 

[Goldfish]

I do often gesture back to the 20s in my daily attire and use some vintage accessories.

What are accessoires that you find are versatile in your daily wardrobe?
While I find the 20s to be the most visually pleasing decade of all I favour, the quality of clothes is contrary to my fashion philosophy. I am way too clumsy for detailed beading & delicate fabrics,and I prefer my clothing to last a good amount of time.

I am really interested in finding out more about the oriental influence a lot of clothes & accessoires had...I have mostly seen it in dance/ballet perfomances, but just in a few "streetstyle"() pics. Are there any books that go into detail about this? Especially how it (if) transformed into daily life?

Also, there are nice threads filled with pictures on TheFashionSpot, I can post some of them here, if anyone's interested. Just don't want to spam this thread.

 

[texasgirl]

Great pictures Mojito! I wish they did something like this near me. This is one of my favorites threads too!!!

Here's a neat picture from Shorpy Click on the link for the super-sized version.

New York, 1926. "Tiller girls." Arriving from England, 16 chorus girls in the troupe originated by British musical-theater impresario and precision-dancing pioneer John Tiller. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain.

http://www.shorpy.com/node/5602?size=_original

 

[tuppence]

Carsons Law

Mojito, I keep forgetting to ask you, if you're watching 'Carsons Law' up in Sydney.
It's usually on at about 2am on Tuesday nights, channel 9. But I can only confirm it's on regional t.v, as my antenae fell down in Melbourne.

 

[tuppence]

I don't know if Russian is Oriental

What are accessoires that you find are versatile in your daily wardrobe?
While I find the 20s to be the most visually pleasing decade of all I favour, the quality of clothes is contrary to my fashion philosophy. I am way too clumsy for detailed beading & delicate fabrics,and I prefer my clothing to last a good amount of time.

I am really interested in finding out more about the oriental influence a lot of clothes & accessoires had...I have mostly seen it in dance/ballet perfomances, but just in a few "streetstyle"() pics. Are there any books that go into detail about this? Especially how it (if) transformed into daily life?

Also, there are nice threads filled with pictures on TheFashionSpot, I can post some of them here, if anyone's interested. Just don't want to spam this thread.

I don't know if the Ballets Russes is oriental but the costumes for these ballets influenced fashion in the 20s.
http://www.manhattanrarebooks-art.com/barbier_nijinsky.htm

 

[Mojito]

Thanks, Imoldfashioned and Texasgirl - I love the links and images other people post to the thread as well, and I'm learning from the discussion that has gone on. *love* that image of the Tiller Girls - liner history from the 1890s to c.1930 is one of my research images, so I adore photos from the 20s set aboard ships. Pity they don't mention the name - I'll see if it can be identified.

Tuppence, I'll have to see if I can find Carson's Law up here - I wasn't really aware of it, although I've heard the name. Thanks for bringing up Bakst and the Ballets Russe - one of the most interesting influences on fashion in the teens and 20s. There's a wonderful description in "The Rare and the Beautiful" about the influence the Ballets Russe had on the Garman sisters' fashions when they were living in London in this period.

Goldfish, I for one would love to see some of the images from TheFashionSpot reposted here - that thread is a fabulous resource, and I've drawn great inspiration from it...the participants have a wonderful eye for pieces from different eras (I've been particularly pleased to see that some dresses I've consequently come to own have been included - it's lovely to see them included in such distinguished company!)

Jewellery would be probably the most versatile accessory from the era that's wearable today - the long sautoir necklaces of glass seed beads, for example, come in an array of colours and can be worn in different ways, so I've started collecting them. There was a particularly colourful array of pieces in a huge range of styles coming out of Czecholskavakia in glass and crystal during these years, and the necklaces and broaches make beautiful accent pieces today.

I'll occasionally wear one of the straw or horsehair capelines during the summer, but not for long periods of time as I'm a bit nervous about the effect of UV exposure in our harsh light. The heavier winter cloches, however, of felt, velvet, satin etc are very wearable, and I'll often put one on my head to wear to work.

I'm also a recent convert to the lovely little leather Jemco bags that were manufactured from 1915 through to the 30s - the leather can be found in beautiful quality, and I love the embossing (usually more Art Nouveau than Art Deco).

I'm staying with a friend this weekend but hope to be able to discuss the Asian influences on 20s fashion tonight when I get home with reference to specific sources - it's one of the most interesting areas of collecting in these years, and I'm hoping some other forum members will have input as well.

 

[Caity Lynn]

Ladies, I need your help.

My history teacher has us making models of flappers and I wanted to know if they would've worn back seamed stockings

please help!

 

[Mojito]

Hallo Caity Lynn -

Yes, they did have backseams (also very fetching ankle clocks on some styles!). Early in the decade colours tended to be dark or plain (e.g. black, white, gray), with flesh coloured still be considered a bit racy, but as the decade went on a whole array of colours became available - black, white, moonlight, squirrel, gun metal, blue fox, blondine, light blond, almond, alesan, malacca, autumn beige or sand for medium weight and blondine, moonlight, squirrel, stone grey, gun metal, blue fox, flesh nude, black or white rare listed in "chiffon weight" in a 1927 Bella Hass catalogue. The term "fully fashioned" does appear in 1920s advertising material. The French heel appears as a "pointed heel" - possibly someone with more expertise in hosiery could comment, but I've also seen references in late 20s catalogues to what we now know as "Cuban heels" as a "French heel". There was also an array of materials and weights - from silk and cotton lisle, the introduction of artificial silk ("Rayon" post 1924) helped spread the popularity of lighter colours and a lighter texture.

 

[Pink Dahlia]

I was just gonna say yes but your response is so much better!

Here's what I can offer:

 

[Laura Chase]

Those diamond stockings are amazing!
Pink Dahlia, which catalog is that page from?

 

[Caity Lynn]

thanks so much!

 

[Pink Dahlia]

Here you go:

 

[Mojito]

Gorgeous, Pink - I love the colours, particularly that striking red and green.

 

[Laura Chase]

I'm in love!

From Mojito's blog. You are the quintessential jazz baby! These photos made my day, they are magic.

 

[epr25]

I thought that this might work with this thread. I found many photo in the library of congress of beauty pageant contestants in the 20's here is the link

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/pan:@field(SUBJ(beauty+))

Here is one of the photos

 

[Mojito]

Thank you, Laura! That's so sweet of you!

Epr25, great photo! Can you imagine how colourful all those parasols must have been? And the different colours in the costumes?

It's fascinating reading about the first Miss America pagent in Atlantic City...Miss America, also the winner of the Bathing Revue, wore her stockings rolled below her knees. And yet a woman had been arrested a mere week or so earlier at the same beach for doing that. Very interesting times!

 

[Paul]

Sorry I not ben around for a while.

Mojito you put together another fabulous set of outfits all the time you must have put in to get them just right.
The daring little orange one is great and not too short for the period certainly would have turned heads back then.
And Mojito did I see you taken up smoking like a true flapper in some of your other photos? lol

I think people do forget that patented stockings wear around then just you do not see them come onto the market that often, especially compared with nylons .

What a great period it was for fashion

Thank you also for the help on the shoes (my last post)

A millinery question
I need a hat to go with this car coat,

(the milliner can make almost anything hat wise ) I thinking of something like these

I really need to know how much decorations to asked for and some good photo.

Also I need some head wear for this black beaded dress,

personally I love feathers (the shoes in my earlier post are for thisoutfit)

again it's how OTT 20's I can get away with.

Any suggestions/ photos are very much appreciated for both the coat and evening dress.
Thank you Paul.

 

[Lily Powers]

Ladies, I need your help.

My history teacher has us making models of flappers and I wanted to know if they would've worn back seamed stockings

please help!

Caity Lynn, I accidentally stumbled upon some great vintage resources in our public library. In the genealogy section, there were school yearbooks for colleges and high schools in the early 1900's, along with archived newspapers. They were great resources for hairstyles and clothing. The newpapers (late 1800's to mid 1930's) were on microfiche and were surprisingly clear. If you have some time and are so inclined, go to your main branch and see if they have similar archives.

 

[Mojito]

Hallo Paul - thank you for your kind comments on the outfits! I'm afraid that the cigarette holders were purely for show - I'm a non-smoker. But they're tremendous fun to gesture with.

I *love* your new pieces - I'm in the coat market myself at the moment, with winter coming up (just bought a very pretty blue velvet late 20s/early 30s coat that I'll photograph soon). I agree that a nice, tightly fitting little brimless skull cloche from the second half of the decade would look good with that coat - a pleasant contrast to the fullness of the fur collar. And you can fit motoring goggles on with it it necessary! You could also go with a small or even medium brim from either half of the 20s.

I'm sorry I'm being a bit lazy and haven't scanned any images for you - just sourced them online - but here are some ideas:

This one is from a site that does croched patters. The general shape would work for felt hats as well.

I love your black dress - the patterning of the beads is fabulous, and the hankerchief hem to die for! How long is it when worn?

I'm not particularly a purist when it comes to headwear for evening dress in the 1920s - I will mix early and late. It can be hard to be precise, too - I've seen advertisements for the sort of rhinestone bandeau that we tend to associate with the early 20s advertised in catalogues up to the end of the decade (for bridesmaids or evening wear, for example). So although it's a cliche, I think a bandeau can look good (just be careful about aigrettes - in my opinion, they can easily tip the ensemble over into a halloween costume look). Leluxe does a nice range of repro bandeaux, so you could choose either a black one to match or a contrast to go with your accessories:

http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACK-Multi-Vam...25476QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262

I'm wearing one in this image:

You could also go the diamante bandeau option, or a beaded/sequinned evening cloche. A spanish comb might look good with it - Miss 1929 would be the person to ask for an opinion on that!

As it's evening wear, you could also go without any form of headdress and still be appropriate. Simple flowers and feathers could be worn as well. As I say, I'd be careful with the bandeau/aigrette combo, as popular as it is with costumers. I tend to associate that look more with the teens, although it was worn into the 20s. There were also other feathers worn in the hair besides egret - ostrich was a notable one. You could make your own hair ornament with all the feathers easily available today.