Fashion of NYC men and women in the 1920s (Gallery)
There was far more to women’s fashion in the 1920’s than the iconic Flapper look of bobbed hair, long necklaces, cloche hats, flapper slang and dancing to the ‘Charleston’! The explosion of creativity in stunning innovative styles in dress, hair, swimwear, shoes — the list goes on, all raised the bar to a height that hasn’t been matched since. Fashion entered the modern era in the 1920s. It was the decade in which women first liberated themselves from constricting fashions and began to wear more comfortable clothes. Not only did the waist drop — but most significantly, the hemlines rose — dangerously! This sudden exposure of women’s legs in the 1920s, brought about a huge interest in women’s hosiery, and stocking sales went through the roof. Silk was still the main sought after fabric, and the common colours were beige and grey and white being the most favoured.
Men likewise abandoned overly formal clothes and began to wear sport clothes for the first time. The suits which men wear today are still based, for the most part, on those which were worn by men in the late 1920s.
The 1920s were characterized by two distinct periods of fashion. The early 1920s where nature and change progressed slowly as many were reluctant to adopt the new styles. From 1925, the styles that have been associated with the Roaring Twenties were passionately embraced by the public and would continue to characterize fashion until early in the 1930s.
Want to see more retro fashion? Click here!