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| Seriously, they look like they're wearing sacks. |
Nonetheless, I've learned to hate the 1920s a lot less over the past few years, and I don't really know why. It certainly wasn't from watching Downton Abbey, because I'd much rather see them go back to their lovely Edwardian clothing. I certainly couldn't leave the decade out of this fashion history series, so here goes!
The 1920s were a complete revolution, especially for women. By the beginning of the decade, most women in the Western world were now able to vote. This was a huge step towards independence. World War I had opened up new career choices for women, who could now work in industries that were once considered inappropriate for them. Many chose to pursue both a career and a family.
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| Edith, from Downton Abbey, ran a newspaper! |
New technology also drove the decade. Automobiles replaced the horse and buggy. Radios, gramophones, and telephones brought more connection, and the widespread adoption of electricity fueled them.
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| The Dowager Countess sums it up. |
As in society, fashion changed too. Hemlines went higher and higher, and the waistline dropped and dropped, sometimes disappearing altogether. Make-up became popular, especially lipstick, for that iconic Cupid's bow mouth, and eyeliner. The natural eyebrows of the previous era became long and thin, sloping down at the corners.
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| A hemline chart. |
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| The WORST thing I saw on Downton Abbey. I cringed when I saw it. |
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| Bebe Daniels |
But the biggest fashion change was hair. Up to this point in time, long hair was the only option for women. Short hair was for men, completely unheard of for women. But in the 20s, women began 'bobbing' their hair, cutting it chin length and styling with finger waves (among other styles). Some women were hesitant about making such a change, especially those in the upper classes. But to keep up with the fashion, they styled their hair in a faux bob. Ever heard of bobby pins? Now you know where the name came from!
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| Even Lily Elsie cut her amazing hair off. |
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| This ad is hilarious! |
So because I'm not a huge fan of the 20s I don't have much in the way of clothing for that era. I've done it a couple times to celebrate Downton Abbey, but I wasn't very pleased with the results. However, I was fortunate enough to be gifted a 1920s style dress from a close friend of mine, Ms. Donna. It was hers when she was younger, and she knows I like vintage stuff, so she gave it to me. It even came with a necklace! The best thing was that it fit me perfectly. All I had to do was complete the look.
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| I had a different pair of shoes planned, but I found these Friday when I went thrifting with my mom. I LOVE them! |
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| This was the only picture of the purse, and it was blurry. It was a gift from a family friend a LONG time ago. |
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| Look at the fringe! |
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| So much fringe... |
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| These were the best two pictures of my faux bob. I'm still figuring out how to make it a bit smoother. |
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| I'm so bad at putting on lipstick. For an artist I have such shaky hands, and I don't think I've quite mastered the Cupid's bow mouth yet. |
I had some trouble with my hair, and some trouble with my lipstick, but overall I think it was a success. I just wish I could have done finger waves, but I couldn't figure it out short of finding and buying vintage finger wave clips on Ebay. My make-up isn't quite right either, because I'm not good at that kind of thing and I can't wear eye make-up except water-proof mascara. Still, I think the lipstick pulled it all together.
Join me next week for that weird in-between decade called the 1930s. Longer hemlines, bias-cut skirts, more short hair, and...pants?
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