Evolution and History of Womens Fashion in 1920s

Women’s fashion in the 1920s changed the way women lived. It also changed how people saw women. Women’s clothing has changed a lot throughout the years (Hearst Media, LLC). Flappers in the 1920s cropped their hair, made up their faces, and overturned society's conventions. Clara Bow was a big influence on young women because they copied her look. Clara Bow is known for her cupid bow lips and her short hairstyles with cheeky curls. Hairstyles were the first thing that women changed. (21st Century Books). There was a variety of hairstyles. The most common were the dutch boy, the eton crop, the marcel wave, the castle bob and the shingle bob cut. CoCo Chanel was the first to popularize womens trousers. She also introduced the little black dress. Flapper fashions typical outfit consisted of a short dress.

Women also adopted mens fashion. Some women wore mens outdoor activity gear, such as plaid wool lumberjack shirts, knickers, and fair isle sweaters. Lady golfers wore knee-length skirts, while tennis players wore slim fitting, lightweight dresses. Hats and headwear were also adopted by women. The close-fitting hat brought short haircuts in because long hair wouldn’t fit under a tight hat (SeattlePi 2018). Expensive fabrics such as velvet, silk and furs were favored by the wealthy, cotton and wool were in abundance. Fabrics became more elaborate during the 1920s and were often reflecting Egyptian art (fabrics-american-historama para. #3).

Before the 1920s, makeup and cosmetics were not accepted in American society. This changed in the roaring twenties as women copied the makeup and cosmetics used by movie stars. Women plucked their eyebrows, used an eye pencil, applied kohl or mascara to their eyelashes, used lipstick to create an exaggerated lip line, applied nail polish, and applied blush. They even applied blush to their knees to draw attention to their knees (makeup-american-historama).

1920s Fashion attracted unprecedented publicity from the movie studios that publicized pictures and photography. Colleen Moore, a famous movie star of the era described the 1920s Fashion worn by the flappers as smart and sophisticated women who were so casual about their looks and clothes and manners to be almost slapdash. (the jazz age). Women gained freedom and independence. Fashion trends were the shorter, low-waisted dresses and revealing styles worn by the ‘bobbed’ hairstyles, cloche hats and the casual haphazard fashion of a mixture of bright scarves and stockings with bold, striking Art Deco geometric designs of the era.

In conclusion, womens fashion has changed a lot over time. Some women still follow the short hairstyle but it’s not as common as it was in the 1920s. Clothing has more coverage now. Women still wear revealing clothing but not as much as women used to.