1920s : Fashions of a Roaring Decade

[DosViolines]

Couture quality beaded satin dress, c.1925

The superb hand beading and finishing suggest Paris couture, but unfortunately there is no label. Fashioned from pale dusty rose satin, the dress is totally covered with elaborate beading.

The beading pattern artfully combines silver-lined crystal beads with occasional rhinestones. This creates a subtle glitter effect. The three long swinging tassels on the skirt front present a tour de force of the art of beading.

The straight cut of the dress is softened on the sides with hip level pleats and cap sleeves. The deep key-hole opening on the bodice front can be as sexy as you want it to be. You can close the ties tightly, as in the photos, or leave the ties open. I love the scalloped hem.

The upper back has cutwork openings. Taken together with the key-hole opening on the front, the openings add a sexual frisson to the elegant refinement of this stylish dress.

vintagetextile

 

[DosViolines]

Lamé silk flapper dress, c.1925

Fashioned from lamé, a metallic brocaded fabric, this cheerful dress features a Deco-style floral design in rich tones of red, orange, and green on a black silk crepe ground, brocaded with bronze metallic thread. Lamé, often woven with gold or silver threads, perfectly captured the spirit of the flapper years when the demand for glitz and glamour in clothing was insatiable.

The dress slips over the head in an easy-to-wear style. The layered skirt is straight underneath with bias-cut, draped panels on top. The bias cut had been invented only a few years earlier (1922) by Madeleine Vionnet. The straps are dark green velvet ribbon.

vintagetextile

 

[DosViolines]

Evening dress
1920-1930, 20th century

mccord-museum.qc.ca

 

[DosViolines]

Evening coat
About 1925, 20th century

mccord-museum.qc.ca

 

[DosViolines]

Evening dress
About 1925, 20th century

mccord-museum.qc.ca

 

[DosViolines]

Evening dress
About 1928, 20th century

mccord-museum.qc.ca

 

[DosViolines]

Evening dress
Norman Hartnell
About 1929, 20th century

mccord-museum.qc.ca

 

[DosViolines]

Dress
About 1925, 20th century

mccord-museum.qc.ca

 

[DosViolines]

Ornament, diadem
About 1923, 20th century
4.5 cm

mccord-museum.qc.ca

 

[DosViolines]

Art Deco Egyptian Metal Mesh Wedding Shawl
1920s Over chatreuse silk charmeuse coat. Lined in black silk in 1980s.

lesliehindman.com

 

[DosViolines]

Flapper chiffon party dress, c.1924

This lovely party dress came with a pinned note that reads "Elsie—college formal." We do not know who Elsie was, but we can tell it was an important dress by the way it was carefully stored with its note.

Throughout the 1920s the mood shifted from Deco modern to flowing romantic. Elsie chose a soft romantic dress for her college formal. The dress is fashioned from seafoam green silk chiffon with contrasting layers of brighter green.

The layered skirt is full below the drop-waist bodice. I love the fluttering scalloped edges of the skirt. The floral ribbon-art decoration is to die for!

The bodice is self lined; the skirt is lined with pale green silk. The skirt has stiffened inner pads on the sides at the hipline to hold the shape. They are smaller than, but reminiscent of, 18th century panniers. The dress has a small side opening that closes with snaps.

vintagetextile

 

[DosViolines]

Cut-velvet, black silk chiffon jacket, c.1925

I love the gentle sculptural cut of this splendid jacket. The bias-cut, circular lower sleeves draw attention to hand gestures. The sheer silk chiffon creates a striking silhouette, dramatizing the jacket's casual elegance, a mark of the most stylish clothing.

The bias hem border is smooth and soft, breaking the straightness of the silhouette. The sleeves are cuffed at the wrist with rows of narrow pin tucks. The sleeves close with small black satin buttons—see the detail pictures below. The versatility of the jacket is an added plus: you can wear it over pants or over a floor-length slip.

Bold Deco blossoms of rose and black velvet decorate the body and upper sleeves of the jacket. The stylized flowers have a freshness that transcends time. The jacket is beautifully constructed with a faggoted back yoke seam.

vintagetextile

 

[DosViolines]

Hand-embroidered tulle tea dress, c.1923

The tea dress—lavishly embellished with lace and embroidery—was the mainstay of every lady's wardrobe. This one has an abundance of raised floral embroidery executed in padded satin stitch and French knots. The floral theme is repeated in the hem border of handmade filet lace (bottom picture). The crisp and clean floral design is of the last degree of charm.

The dress is fashioned in layers from white cotton tulle. The tabard-style outer bodice closes with one snap on each side. The dress slips over the head with no other closures. Tabard refers to the tunic that a knight wore over his armor. The tabard-style dress was an important transitional style from the late Teens to the early 1920s.

vintagetextile

 

[DosViolines]

Silver leather T-strap evening shoes, 1920s

The knee-length flapper styles of the mid-1920s focused attention on the exposed leg and foot. During the prodigal 1920s, the demand for luxury shoes was met by an explosion of surface decoration and color. Metallic kid shoes with elaborate decoration met that demand—they appealed to the appetite for extravagant, expensive accessories.

These fabulous evening shoes are styled with T-straps and fancy cutwork on the toes and back sides. They feature 2 1/2" high heels. The label on the insole reads "Smart Chisholm's Sandals."

vintagetextile

 

[DosViolines]

Deco metallic brocade handmade shoes, c.1925

The shoes are fashioned from metallic brocaded, champagne-colored satin. The edges are trimmed with bands of gold and silver kid. The heels are covered with silver kid. I love the striking Deco pattern on the toes.

The small silver-tone buckles have an embossed pattern. The soles are leather. These shoes are a dazzling reminder of the high style glamour of the 1920s, mentioned in our article on Fashion in the 1930s.

The label on the insole reads "Frank Brothers/Fifth Avenue/New York." The soles are stamped "Frank Bros/Hand Made."

vintagetextile

 

[SomethingElse]

I was looking for old velvet and came across this beauty. I'm pretty certain it hasn't been posted yet.

Evening dress, late 1920s, by Jessie Franklin Turner. Silk. The nonchalant "hang" of this design is derived from the pretailored forms of regional dress as much as the planar silhouettes endorsed in the 1920s. Jessie Franklin Turner, a custom dressmaker especially famed for her sinuously draped tea gowns, created evening dresses with exotic allusions, often in fabrics of her own design. Although the simple chemise shaping of the gown suggests an earlier date, the designer has introduced a velvet border that extends into a train to reflect the vogue for increasingly long hemlines at the end of the 1920s.

metmuseum.org

 

[SomethingElse]

Evening dress, Sylvian, 1924-25.

vam.ac.uk

 

[misspistol]

I think this might be my new favourite thread, it's just amazing!

 

[TopazNYC]

^ Ditto! So interesting...and gorgeous detailing!

 

[DosViolines]

Unlabeled Gallenga Velvet Gown & Purse, 1920

whitakerauction