At the end of every revolution comes an era of change and diversity. The end of the First World War sparked another revolution so big that it shook the fashion world. Women wore clothes whose aim was not only to make a fashion statement but also to make a statement of revolution.
During the First World War, women were forced to work in places and positions that men had previously occupied and this opportunity brought with it a sense of empowerment. In turn this provoked a trend that would have been considered shocking and almost appalling previously. The style of the “roaring twenties”, as it was called, is known as the flapper style. The average flapper would have short sleek hair, a shorter than average, shapeless shift dress and would have a very flat chest. Typically she would have worn a lot of dark make up and applied it in public, smoked with a long cigarette holder, exposed her limbs and exemplified the spirit of a reckless rebel who danced the nights away in the Jazz Age.
Although women exposed some skin, they still wore their dresses fairly long and it was not until the late twenties that knee high skirts made an appearance. This era encouraged a very boyish figure, which meant a flat chest, broad shoulders, bare arms, bare legs; corset sales declined by almost two thirds. Women’s clothes became more and more shapeless and loose as the years passed.
An important part of the twenties, as mentioned before, was short hair and so cloche hats came into fashion. These hats were only possible to wear if one had short hair and they had a major effect on a woman’s posture as it was pulled well over the eyes, forcing her to tilt her head in a certain angle at all times in order for her to be able to see.
The twenties not only provoked a style that was bold and powerful, but also elegant and sophisticated. They say that fashions fade yet style is eternal, and although the fashion faded with the decades, the style that was introduced in the twenties is, was and always will be revolutionary and unique.
By: Maliha Fairooz
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