Fashion in the 1920's

1. Fashion in the
1920’s

2. The Edwardian Silhouette
•Edwardian undergarments
were intricately created to
provide women with a
standardized figure that was
considered fashionable.
•The S-Shaped corset provided
women with the desired look
of a large Monobosom and a
16” waist.
•An Edwardian woman’s
undergarments consisted of a
corset, corset cover, camisole,
a pair of drawers, cotton
petticoats, and flannel
petticoats.
13

3. Factors that lead to the reforms
of fashion in the 1920’s
•World War I
•Newfound buying
power in the
Roaring Twenties
•Feminine
Liberation
Movement and the
19th amendment
•Prohibition
•Advancements in
the textile and
garment industries
•Ready-to-wear
fashion
•Fashion
Magazines

4. World War I
•During the War, women entered
the workforce to fill jobs left
open by soldiers. After the war
women continued to work
outside of the home.
•Women’s fashion altered to suit
the workforce, constrictive
undergarments such as
whalebone corsets were
abandoned to allow for an ease
of movement
•Also with the lack of men due to
the war and its aftermath,
women began wearing more
alluring clothing to attract a
husband.
11

5. Newfound buying power in
the Roaring Twenties
•The Economic
prosperity of the
Roaring Twenties
allowed more women
access to luxurious
clothing.
•More woman began
buying their clothing as
opposed to making
them themselves.
10

6. Feminine Liberation Movement
and the 19th Amendment
•The ratification of the
19th Amendment in
1920 was a large leap
forward for Women’s
Rights.
•Women soon began
wearing loose pantsuits
called “pajama suits”, a
direct result of the newly
gained right to vote and
the strong cries for
further female
empowerment.
15
77

7. Prohibition
•Due to Prohibition,
drinking took place in
the home and women
became included in
drinking.
•Women soon began
drinking in public at
Speakeasies.
•This new social freedom
was matched in fashion
with new styles that
were more scandalous,
revealing, and freeing.
9

8. Advancements in the textile
and garment industries
•With the Garment
Industry becoming
increasingly
Industrialized, rapidly
evolving women’s styles
were more available to
those of lower economic
standing, the new
luxurious styles were
available to the middle
class, as opposed to just
the economic elite.
12

9. Ready-to-wear fashion
•Because clothing was
now easily
manufactured, stores
began selling clothing,
carrying outfits in a
variety of sizes to fit
almost any customer.
•Because Women were
more frequently buying
their clothing as
opposed to making it,
the style was dictated by
fashion magazines.
2

10. Fashion Magazines
1
8
90
7

11. Fashion Timeline
•1891- Artificial silk created in France from a cellulose fiber
•1910- first American plant begins producing the new synthetic
silk
•1923- Waistline drops to a point between the natural waist
and the hip
•1924- Waistline drops to the hip, synthetic silk is named
Rayon
•1925- shift types dresses with no waist emerge
•1926- "One Hour dress" designed
•1928- hemline rises to the knee, also dresses become more
fitted
•Oct. 24, 1929- the Stock Market crashes

12. Characteristics of 1920’s
Fashion
•Loose-fitting clothing
•Dropped, loose waistlines
•Shorter hems on some styles of
dresses
•Loose fitting pants for women
•A long, lean, flat-chested silhouette
•An overall androgynous appearance

13. The Progression of Style
through the Decade
•As the decade proceeded, fashion
continued to rapidly change.
•Hemlines rose from an inch below the
knee to knee-length
•Waistlines dropped to the hips and then
disappeared altogether creating a shift
dress

14. Flapper Fashion
•The Symbol of the Roaring Twenties, the
Flapper, emerged in 1926 and embodied the
decades modern fashion elements such as
short sleek hair, a short shapeless dress, and
a flat chest, and exposed limbs.
•Flappers had a reputation that added to their
style as well.
•Flappers smoked from long cigarette holders,
applied makeup in public, and danced to jazz
with reckless abandonment of propriety.

15. Flappers
89
5
6
4
3