Thursday, January 29, 2009

Fashion Flashback: Flappers [1920s]

Everyone knows about the (then) infamous Flapper Girls. Preceeded by the reserved Gibson girls, Flappers were viewed as wild, boisterous, rebellious, and scandalous (to the older generation). Spurred by their freedoms during World War I, women began to change their place in society. Flappers took it to the extreme, changing their fashions, hair, makeup, speech, and whole lifestyle. They swore, they drank, they smoked, and they had casual sex rather than waiting around for a suitable suitor to show up at her doorstep and propose. While this type of thing might seem normal to us, back in the 20s it was revolutionary. (For a quick read, check out this).

Hemlines rose - calves and (gasp!) knees were visible; much more skin was shown. With all the men who died in the war, there was a shortage of them. This compelled women to “advertise”, in a way: they wore rouge, lipstick, and eyeliner (which, up to this point, had been saved for the loose women.)

So all I can say is… thank you for paving the way for us crazy chicas :)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/leluna/Brooks219.jpg

http://eversoslightlyaltered.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/flapper-cola.jpg

http://www.thespiderawards.com/AwardsPass/WINNERS-NOMINEES/PRO-fashion/images/Flapper.jpg

Flapper Girl

A Flapper removes a bottle of liquor from her boot… !

Notice the makeup and short (bobbed) hair, with a curl on either side, just sticking out from her hat… and the mischevious grin!

A few recent Flapper-esque runway looks:

Alberta Ferretti Spring 2009 Ready-to-Wear

Alberta Ferretti // Spring 2009 [Chanel Iman]

Erin Fetherston Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear

Erin Fetherson // Fall 2008. A key element in the 20s dresses was the dropped waist; during the war, it had a more empire waist.

Diane von Furstenberg Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear

DvF // Fall 2008. Love the gloves with this one…

So there you have it. Flappers, we thank you!

Look du jour:

Christian Dior Spring 2009 Couture

Christian Dior Spring 2009 Couture

Dior // Spring 2009 Couture (more on this later - I LOVE it to pieces!)

~ r

2 comments:

  1. My grandma has a picture on the wall in her bedroom that has a resemblance to the facial characteristics of that girl above in this blog, it's very notorious the lips shape in that age, women had thinner lips. When that picture was taken she was giving my grandpa his pill of Generic Viagra.

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