The following photo shows young flappers in the 1920's. During this time period, women began to flaunt their independence and take part in activities that they traditionally wouldn't have. Flappers began wearing shorter dresses, at or below the knee, cloche hats, and long necklaces. They also made more drastic, lasting changes, such as, cutting their hair into a bob. By making these changes, women were able to show that they could make their own choices and would not submit to what was socially tolerable. It is interesting to see how extreme these changes were during the 1920's, due to the fact that women are now able to dress as they please without being looked down upon.
The follow photo portrays women's clothing during the early 20th century while at home. During this time, women wore the most comfortable of their clothing items. The most common type of outfit worn by women around the house included a cotton dress, accompanied by either nude or black stockings, and low oxford heels. The patterns on these cotton dresses normally included either a plaid or checkered print, but were sometimes a single solid color. The practicality of these dresses allowed for women to complete chores around their homes, including vacuuming, ironing, and cooking. I noticed that all of the dresses shown in the image were under two dollars, which is extremely cheap in comparison to how much dresses run for in current times.
The photo to the left shows afternoon attire, worn by women in the 1920's. The most typical afternoon outing for women included having tea with friends, or attending a business lunch with her husband. These outfits tended to be more dramatic, with expensive material and intricate patterns. They also wore elegant accessories, such as, strapped heels with white gloves, and a decorative wide-brimmed hat or cloche. One aspect of the traditional tea outing that I found to be odd was the fact that there was a no hat rule for the woman hosting the tea party. This may have been because it was not necessary for them to be seen outside, as they remained in their homes to set up the gathering.
In the picture to the side are vintage high heels that young women would wear during the late 20's and early 1930's. This picture was taken to show what type of shoes young women would wear, and it's significant because it's a type of style that women enjoyed to wear. I learned that women had a very different type of style back then, but these shoes are actually sort of similar to what women wear now. Women would wear these type of heels to special occasions such as party's, where they could dance and they enjoyed dancing with their heels. This fits into the timeline because, it's something that women wore, and it was a great accessory that women loved in the 20's and 30's. What surprises me is that so many of the young women would love to dance in the heels, when they are actually extremely painful.
The trench coat became quite popular during the late 20's-30s, with a double-breasted front, wide, pointed lapels, and belt around the waist along with a hat. They cost about $2.98 back in the day. This picture was taken to show men's style back during this time an how many men contributed to wearing the trench coat along with a hat. I learned that men liked to wear these types of coats, and it's similar to the other type of styles that men wore back then. This style is very old but was very popular during the era. What surprises me is that men's style was constantly changing every few years and that men liked to wear this because it was very comfortable and good looking.
Primary Sources:
The following Primary Source depicts the poster for a silent film called, "The Untamed Lady". The film was directed by Frank Tuttle, and stared an actress named Gloria Swanson. In the poster, Gloria is wearing a cloche hat, which was extremely popular during the 1920's. She is also wearing either a scarf or shawl, which is very elegant and dramatic looking, maybe meaning that the Paramount Picture film is of the drama genre. The film came out in March of 1926, which is only a year prior to 1927, when "The Jazz Singer" came out. During the roaring twenties, "The Jazz Singer" was the first ever movie where the photo was synchronized with the sound. It is interesting to see how quickly both fashion and technology advance throughout the decades.
The Primary Source to the left shows a page from a fashion booklet, published on January 12th, 1916. The clothing item being depicted is a coat, which is intended for springtime wear. The coat is a bit shorter than the long coats were prior to the twenties, and is obviously meant for special occasions. The coat is lined with fur at the wrists and around the neck, along with large buttons, adding a fancy and dramatic effect. One thing about the look that is odd is the fact that the outfit is meant for the spring season. In current times, an outfit like this one would be worn in the fall and winter seasons, while lighter, short sleeves and shorts would be worn in the spring.
The cover to a magazine that is shown to the left indicates tips about fashion for women, including what they should wear. It was published around the time period of the ate twenties/ early thirties era. The outfit that is in the picture shows a lady in all red wearing a hat, with a lovely pencil skirt and top. The women in that time period would love the tips from this magazine because, it makes them look very beautiful and is very comfortable. The magazine also gave tips about jewelry that goes well with the outfit. The women on the cover attracted women to read this magazine because the women looked very nice in the outfits and looks like she could gain the audience's attention.
The picture to the left is the cover of a fashion magazine in the 1920's. It's audience is for the maids and wives to wear during the spring. Many women took tips from this magazine and dressed in this way. It fits into this timeline because it's the type of fashion women wore, having a very unique style compared to what women wear nowadays. It can be learned that women would mostly take advice from magazines that were published during this time period, due to lack of technology. The 1900's is way different than now because women had different taste in style, including wearing large hats with long dresses. Many women enjoyed this style because it was something nice to wear during the spring season.