Roaring 20's parties, be prepared! Will you be a bossy boyish or a unapologetic Flapper ?

Twenties inspired parties are all over the place!

You want to do your homeworks before getting there right?

Well you've hit the right spot! We've done some researches for you!

A QUICK BACKGROUND

The twenties was an era of great changes that profoundly impacted the society. Beside the emergence of a US black culture commonly known as the Harlem Renaissance, it was also the golden age of Art Déco. But not only! This was the era that witnessed the emancipation of women!

As a reminder, the scene takes place just after world war I, and women working to support their men at war, found themselves totally changed after this bloody episode. Indeed, during the absence of their fathers, husbands and sons, they had to take the society in charge! Hey! Hey!

Women starting to gain their economic independence obtained more power through jobs such as telephone operators, clerks in clothing stores amongst other...

To this respect, "Mr Selfridges" TV series, which to our point of view is a gem of a series, is very interesting from the historic stand point. It actually reveals quiet accurately the transition between the old fashioned women and the modern ones. Certain female characters such as Lady Mae or Mrs Tilly, showed that women from this period could have a very non conventional way of life! They would undertake various position in the Selfridges' store, from sales in the fashion department store to sewer or fashion designer, in the back of the store. The well put together series also showcases, the start of entrepreneur women such as ESTEE LAUDER.

She started her beauty company with a skin cream developed by her chemist uncle, after years selling her own products on a free-lance basis notably to Selfridges. She launched Estée Lauder Cosmetic in 1946.

Another entrepreneur woman that emerge from this period in France was COCO CHANEL !

She was raised in an orphanage and opened her first shop in 1910.

Gabrielle Bohneur Chanel created a timeless designs still very popular today. She became famous by introducing the Chanel black suit for women, the black dress. She even became a style icon known for her simple yet sophisticated style paired with great accessories such as several strands of pearls! By the 1920, she was heading a financial empire!

History will unfortunately demonstrate that no one is perfect since Gabrielle secret's life from 1941 to 1954 was explosively revealed by Hal Vaughan in the book "sleeping with the enemy" were her collaboration with the nazis and her affair with one of them was disclosed.

Amongst the tremendous changes witnessed in society notably regarding women status, we would name their winning of the right to vote in 1933. This is a corner stone of women history! The way women started to dress and the lifestyle they adopted, were irrevocably marked by these societal shifts!

Indeed, women started to free themselves from their mother's victorian styles: they abandoned the "diktat" of old tights corset that were shaping their body in hourglasses appearance. Instead, they opted for new ones that were crushing their breasts achieving a much more childlike or androgenic feature; the lengths of the dresses were shortened. Women were praising a more practical way of life as they started to drive, to go out by night with no men around them and enjoyed hard liquors!

Hence various styles were born amongst them those two below!

20's STYLES

1/ The boyish ladies pants with hats and suspenders, mens' wear and the bossy ladies style

The twenties saw the emergence of women adopting the boyish style!

One iconic it girl of the period was JOSEPHINE BAKER that lived a life even nowadays women would not dare to! As a dancer, singer, comedian all in one, she was one of the first not only african - american, but woman in all races to be a world entertainer! She was renown to be a dancer and danced her way through the 20's. Freda Josephine Mac Donald was amongst the most celebrated performers to headline the revue of the Folie Bergères in Paris. She was a star of stage, screen and recording, a civil right activist and an honoured military woman during world war II as a french resistance agent. She contributed for the civil right movement in the US where she refused to perform for segregated audiences. She starred in various movies amongst which Siren of the Tropics, Zouzou and princess Tam Tam.

She raised a family of 12 children from various ethnicity that she referred to as the Rainbow Tribe.

This style was adopted by women confident in their seductive power enough and not relying on the eyes of men to feel beautiful. Most of all, they had achieved financial independence and were running businesses sometime at the limit of what was permitted! They could have been dealing with gangsters!

Lady Glam Gangster Costume and Mob Boss Costume

Shop the Lady Glam Gangster style here.

Shop the Mob Boss costume style here.

2/ Flappers

Flappers were young women, wearing short dresses and skirts ( at least over their ankles). The short bob cut which could be styled in a finger wave fashion or straight e.g DAISY BUCHANAN in the successful movie "the Great Gatsby", was their signature hairstyle.

They were listening jazz music and were by their attitude dismantling the traditional standard of the "perfect woman"! They were enjoying financial freedom enough to allow themselves to endorse a lifestyle that was judged controversial for the period. They were allowing themselves to experience life outside of what was considered "acceptable": they were wearing heavy make up, smoked, drank, drove cars, dated, danced provocatively and apparently seemed to have a lighter relation to sex. Even some older feminists hated the flappers behaviours!

Here some of Flappers styles that we founded interesting! You will find underneath where to shop approaching styles!

Playing with tights!

Fashion and Flapper dresses - ROBERTO CAVALLI our most trendy inspiration !

Cavalli Flapper inspired dress Fall Winter 2014

Oh myyy!

But hey, even from the 2014 run away or collection, these might be over our leagues no?

Let calm down and still find the ones! At affordable prices!

So let's find something approaching in spirit!

ETSY Flapper dresses are a idea for a price over 262,72€ available here!

Those gowns are beautiful and still come with a price tag!

We decided to compromise between Amazon average 20€ Flappers dresses and seek for a bit of quality and adopt a sustainable shopping behaviour, since we might have to reuse this dress right?

One idea still above our psychological threshold however interesting...you can shop the style that is labelled to suit all shapes here!

Our go to ASOS

Shop ASOS embellished dresses : Not the same work but few Euro less.

- Short embellished dress for 168,99€ here