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1920’s ‘flapper’
I was researching to do a blog on beaded dresses of the 1920’s. I think they are so beautiful and as a beader myself I really appreciate the effort and talent that went in to making each one.
Well, you can’t research the 1920’s without getting slapped in the face with flappers.
I thought I knew about flappers. They were called that because they wore galoshes left unbuckled and they flapped when they walked.
I thought I knew about flappers. They were called that because they wore galoshes left unbuckled and they flapped when they walked.
Well…
not really.
Okay, but all the women bobbed their hair short and wore straight no-curves dresses mid calf, right?
Ummmm,
Nope!
Generally a flapper was a young woman around 16 years old who was rejecting the tight restrictions of the current society. During and after World War I, America had lost quite a few men in the War. Jobs needed to be filled, and they were - by women.
August 26, 1920
Women earned the right to vote.
The stifling rules were crumbling.
Then The Spanish Flu hit.
An estimated 20-40 million people died.
These were young people. People expected to live long and full lives. The USA was already devastated by the loss of their young men due to war.
As a result attitudes changed and the thought of ‘better enjoy it now while you’re still alive, as you might be gone tomorrow’ was prevalent.
Everyone, especially the younger crowd, wanted freedom! They were going to live life to the fullest, which they interpreted as smoking, dancing, drinking, casual sex, and partying.
And then The Charleston was born.
What a dance!
The Charleston represented everything that the Edwardian Era did not:Short skirts, bobbed hair, heavy makeup,
smoking cigarettes, alcohol, driving cars - fast! Women were listening to Jazz! They were treating sex casually and they were madly dancing the Charleston in speakeasies and clubs.
Those calf-length skirts hiked up to above the knee (scandalous!). Boned corsets and bras were tossed in favor of a flat female outline. There were even ‘bras’ designed to flatten your breasts!
Layers of heavy materials like taffeta and brocades were replaced with thin underslips of silk and overdresses of sheer netting, encrusted with thousands of beads. Feathers and fur added fun embellishments.
Did everyone dress like this?
Of course not. Fashion has always been a sliding scale determined by economics, convenience, availability and morals of the day. Just as most of us don’t buy our clothes from one-of-a-kind designer boutiques, the modern 1920’s woman wore fashion that fit her place, including social status and age, in society.
But times, they were a-changing.
Gone was the below knee hair plaited and piled up on top of the head. Bobbed haircuts proved this woman was in charge of herself. She wanted freedom!
Loose and shorter skirts allowed her to kick up her heels and dance with abandon. Receiving a paycheck meant she had the ability to buy things unavailable or considered frivolous before.
Hollywood embraced the newfound freedoms and their starlets were encouraged to promote this new outlook on life by becoming even more extravagant. Movie moguls prodded their stars to be even more outrageous, fueling the fire of consumerism and luxury. (Are we really surprised here?)
1920’s French couture, hand beaded
For those in a lower income bracket, there were plenty of patterns to make your own. Women’s magazines were very popular and frequently printed patterns in them. You did have to know how to hand bead however for any comparison!
‘Celery green’ was a fave color.
Each flapper dress might have thousands of glass beads attached. This added many pounds to the dress, but allowed it to hang properly.
The beads also mimicked precious stones and pearls in the lights of a speakeasy. Bakelite mimicked ivory. Tassels, gold thread and feathers added to the glamour.
The middle class could purchase panels of fabric that were machine beaded in motifs of ancient Egypt, Greece and anything ‘Oriental’. They would then finish the panel into a dress.
Were beads just for the evening?
Nope.
Uncut beads were used in daywear.
Faceted beads were used for evening.
The dresses were beaded onto fabrics such as silk, velvet, chiffon and organza. These are fragile by design. Add the weight of 1,000s of glass beads and you have dresses that have not survived in history very well. An intact 1920’s beaded gown will cost thousands of dollars today.
Museums hire specialty curators who spend hundreds of hours repairing a gown to its original beauty.
Bead by bead.
The beaded gowns were many times made of a sheer fabric, and meant to be worn over an under slip of neutrally colored silk. The styles relied heavily on the newly popular ancient Egyptian, once the tomb of King Tutankhamen was discovered. Ancient Greek motifs were also popular, along with anything ‘Oriental’ (Asian and Near East).
Esther Ralston
There was only a small part of the population that flappers consisted of. Yet when we think of 1920’s, we think ‘Flapper’, ‘Beaded gowns’, ‘Bobbed hair’ and beautiful beaded handbags!
(Well, ok at least I do!)
Most could not afford a Hollywood lifestyle of freedoms and luxury items. Much like today economies.
Cost? $346.50
By 1930 the flapper era was essentially over. It was a fun-filled, brief, flash-in-the-pan time when women explored their new-found freedoms.
I love the legacy they left us of beautiful beaded gowns and stunning handbags (which I will cover in a future blog).
But those headbands with all the beads?
You can keep those for history!
I think I will close with a few comparisons of 1920 cost of living to 2025 for fun.
Disclaimers: I am rounding up.
Prices vary across the USA.
Prices vary from quarter to quarter.
Prices vary from town to rural.
1920 new house- $6,297
2025 new house- $503,800
1920 new Chevy car- $525
2025 new Chevy sedan- $30,300
1920 Female hair cut- $5
2025 female hair cut- $76
1920 manicure- .25
2025 manicure- $31
1920 1Lb. Round steak- $3
2025 1 Lb. Rib roast- $18.25
1920 movie ticket- .15
2025 movie ticket- $16.25
1920 electric vacuum cleaner- $39
2025 electric vacuum cleaner- $150
1920 average house income- $3,270
2025 average house income- $67,521
That sure helps me put things in perspective!
Til next time,
inkspired
A few websites I visited for information, but not limited to and not in any order:
en.wikipedia.org
overdressedforlife.com
gbacg.org
royal-needleworking.org.uk
Pinterest
circavintageclothing.com.au
NationalmuseumScotland.blog.nms.ac.uk
en.m.wikipedia.org
History.com
mdhistory.org
Britannica.com
Worldpopulationreview.com
Very cool to see costs of lifestyle then.
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