It appears that my post yesterday on "What is Vintage?" was pretty popular. I was eager to find out that I am not the only person who had questions on the term Vintage in regards to clothing. Thinking about the decades that fall under vintage (1920s to the 1980s), I'd have to pick the 1920s as my favorite decade of vintage clothing. I've always been in love with flapper dresses, and definitely think the gangster look of the 20s was very attractive for men. Here are some pictures I found of 1920s fashion on the internet.
Check out an old McCall's Sewing Pattern!
Cars from the 20s
Wikipedia Definition of The Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London, Berlin and Paris. The phrase was meant to emphasize the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism. 'Normalcy' returned to politics in the wake of World War I, jazz music blossomed, the flapper redefined modern womanhood, Art Deco peaked, and finally the Wall Street Crash of 1929 served to punctuate the end of the era, as The Great Depression set in. The era was further distinguished by several inventions and discoveries of far-reaching importance, unprecedented industrial growth, accelerated consumer demand and aspirations, and significant changes in lifestyle and culture.
The social and cultural features known as the Roaring Twenties began in leading metropolitan centers, especially Chicago, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Paris and London, then spread widely in the aftermath of World War I. The United States gained dominance in world finance. Thus when Germany could no longer afford war reparations to Britain, France and other Allies, the Americans came up with the Dawes Plan and Wall Street invested heavily in Germany, which repaid its reparations to nations that in turn used the dollars to pay off their war debts to Washington. By the middle of the decade, prosperity was widespread. The second half of the decade becoming known as the "Golden Twenties". In France and francophone Canada, they were also called the "années folles" ("Crazy Years").[1]
The spirit of the Roaring Twenties was marked by a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity, a break with traditions. Everything seemed to be feasible through modern technology. New technologies, especially automobiles, moving pictures and radio proliferated 'modernity' to a large part of the population. Formal decorative frills were shed in favor of practicality in both daily life and architecture. At the same time, jazz and dancing rose in popularity, in opposition to the mood of the specter of World War I. As such, the period is also often referred to as the Jazz Age.
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Modern take on 20s Fashion
I have to admit that I would wear a flapper dress everyday like it was the next big thing in fashion if I could. I love the elongated wastes and the fringes. They pretty much flattered every figure. I wore a modern day version of a flapper dress to Vegas for my 25th birthday in 2009!
The cloche hat (the last picture above) has come back full circle. I love wearing cute little hats with outfits...even though I haven't blogged that many posts with hats yet...but they are coming! The sun down here is intense, and not only can I protect my hair and face from the some, but I can look cute doing it! So there you have it folks! My vintage pick: The Roaring Twenties!
Love,
