Women's Flapper Fashion

When we think of 1920s clothing, what we usually visualize is women’s flapper fashion. In truth, the actual flapper look only lasted about three years, from 1926 to the stock market crash and end of the Jazz Age in 1929. It was powerful enough, however, to stick forever in the national conscience.

What a flapper sought to be, more than anything else, was modern. She was sexually alluring, but that was only part of the modernity – women had been sexy before, although not by modern standards. A flapper was cutting edge. She didn’t just have It, she was It.

The flapper look consisted of a loose, shapeless shift dress that skimmed the body and ended at the knees - or, for the especially daring, slightly above the knees. Stockings were rolled down and knees were then rouged. This made for a bold and memorable effect when dancing the Charleston and other exuberant dances of the day. While all women were keeping their curves hidden with the help of the outerwear and flattening corsets, flappers sought to have positively boyish flat chests. Sleeveless dresses were the ideal – let other girls cover their arms, but flappers had nothing to hide.

Makeup was not new either, but 1920s makeup was very distinct. This was the beginning of women of all ages and classes being able to wear makeup without being considered “bad.” But flappers didn’t mind if anyone thought they were bad. It was more interesting! They wanted to look bold, and dark lipstick and dramatic eyes made for a powerful impact on whomever they might choose to wink at.

The cloche, which was the standard hat for women throughout the decade, is wrongly associated solely with flappers. All women wore them. The difference might be in evening headgear, when a flapper would accessorize her very, very short hair with a spangly headband or exotic feathers – something very attention-getting.

Two of a flapper’s most important accessories were her cigarette box and holder. It had only recently become acceptable for women to smoke – and many people still didn’t like to see it – and a flapper not only smoked, but looked great doing it. Style was all.

One of the distinctive, if not often discussed, aspects of women’s flapper fashion is how it leveled the societal playing field. That is, middle and even working-class women could look stylish without a big expenditure, so whereas movements towards more practicality and simplicity in clothes had been underway in the 1910s, they came to fruition in this period. The very wealthy of course still always looked the part in high-end fashions and fabrics. But the simplicity of the flapper dress meant that a good home seamstress could make herself a beautiful dress that didn’t look homemade. She could trim her hat to match, and with some kohl eyeliner and rouged knees, who was to know what her class was? For the first time, anyone who made an effort could look sophisticated.

This leveling of society might not have been appreciated by those on the top, but even women who were not strictly flappers thought well of aspects of women’s flapper fashions. The simplicity of the lines and fabrics meant a lot less time and effort was spent in clothes. The jersey fabric used in daywear, pioneered by designer Coco Chanel, was easy to wear and, especially, easy to wash. It held up for a long time, so a flapper could enjoy a sporty season and not worry about needing to replace her clothes or fret that they’d rip. Flappers wanted to move – that’s another key to women’s flapper fashions, they were all about movement. This wasn’t just the dancing, it was during daily activity as well. It had become acceptable for women to engage in sports and even dash about town, and they needed the clothes to do it right. Flappers could do it and did so – in style.

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