Resurgence of Jazz Age Couture
Resurgence of Jazz Age Couture
By: Audrey Cooper
Fashion, like history, has a tendency of repeating itself. The same fashion trends from 1920s America – 100 years ago now – can still be seen in high fashion and all over the street style of 2024. The Jazz Age was a renaissance of rebellious fashion and art deco designs. Women were cutting their hair, wearing short skirts, applying heavy makeup, and smoking cigarettes. The prohibition of alcohol seemed to have the opposite of its intended effect, leaving society only wanting to throw bigger, more lavish parties than ever. The economy was booming and with it, art and fashion flourished. Clothing has always been influenced by culture, and the 1920s and 2020s share a similar recovery from trauma and shift toward a brighter future than the years it left behind. With the resurgence of many 1920’s classics, Jazz Age fashion is undoubtedly making a roaring comeback in our current decade.
Pearls
Throughout the 1920s, women desired clothing that would make them stand out wherever they went. Intricate beading, uneven hemlines, and other extravagant design details were heavily prevalent. Today, women still head into town dressed in head-to-toe sparkles, short dresses, and decadent beading. The pearl necklace is making a huge comeback as a staple in the modern woman’s jewelry box. Pearls give a classic look to any outfit, whether paired with a gown, worn to a sporting event, or in day-to-day wear. Pearl chokers and long beaded necklaces can be seen in many couture collections as well, such as the Christian Dior Spring-Summer Haute Couture show.
Slip Dress
In the 1920s, an undergarment called a “step-in” was widely popular and resembled the slip dress of today’s fashion. These styles were often made out of silk or cotton and had a clasp that made them into a romper. Slip dresses are seen everywhere today, dressed up and down in an array of different styles, colors, and lengths.
Elaborate Makeup
Flappers favored bold colors that hinted at rebellion and sex appeal. The classic red lip, hollowed out eye makeup, and barely-there eyebrows can be seen on the film stars of the 1920s. While the 1990s nude lipstick has reigned the past decade, classic red lips are predicted to have a major comeback in 2024. Thanks to shows like Euphoria, dark eye makeup has also circled back around with fun undertones of navy and deep green, as well as the classic black and brown shades. Thicker eyebrows are in style, opposite of the almost invisible 1920’s brow, but nonetheless, people care about their eyebrow aesthetic today just as much as in the 1920s.
Fringe
Fringe is no longer a trend of the past, as it is making its way back onto designer runways, street style, and all over influencers feeds. Designers are blending fringe into understated pieces in order to add detail and make an outfit appear more chic. Fringe is not just limited to clothing; it also serves as an accessory to bags, shoes, and jewelry.
Athletic Wear
Sportswear was a concept that came to life in the 1920s due to more leisure time to dedicate to activities like tennis, golf, sailing, and swimming. Trousers, pleated skirts, and Oxford shoes became popular as womenswear staples during this time and paved the way for more leisure-centered clothing. In today’s world, “athleisure” is all the rage with leggings, matching sets, designer sneakers, and stylish sweats in almost everyone’s closets.
Short Hairstyles
Short bob cuts and finger waves were unquestionably the height of hair fashion in the 1920s and are making a return in 2020s fashion as well. Celebrities left and right are making the choice to cut their hair to their shoulders to bring more attention to their facial features and natural beauty.
Heavy Accessories
Flappers were especially obsessed with accessories – hats, necklaces, and headbands to name a few. While 1990’s minimalism has protruded throughout the past couple of decades, maximalism and abundance are becoming more prominent. Mixing metals in jewelry has become increasingly popular alongside statement rings, thick headbands, and chunky cuffs and bangles.
Feathers
In 2024, people are unafraid to take risks in their style, which is likely why some are leaning into feathers once again. High-end designers love to incorporate feathers into their looks for ready-to-wear and couture collections alike.
Influencers
There is a misconception that the “influencers” of today’s world are a new concept in fashion. Movies were one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the 1920s, and the stars of these iconic flicks were the influencers of the decade. Actresses such as Mary Pickford and Greta Garbo were looked to for styling ideas and new trends. Famous party girls of the period such as Josephine Baker and Louise Brooks also helped usher in new ideas of fashion.
Androgynous Fashion
The 1920s brought about a huge rise in androgynous fashion that broke boundaries and caused controversy. This drew greatly on a subculture that had existed for decades, but after the first World War, gender neutral clothing made front page news. Women began sporting men’s clothes (such as pant suits) and male university students even started wearing makeup. Until this point, men’s fashion had been boringly dire, with neutral colorways dominating the marketplace. The Jazz Age saw a buzz of experimentation with new looks. Following the Wall Street crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, people quickly abandoned gender-bending styles, but in recent years, this trend is back and better than ever. Gender neutral clothing is ever-evolving and expressed more publically through runway shows, red carpet events, and within day-to-day wear. The desire for an elimination of gender codes in fashion is flourishing.
All signs point to 1920s style sticking around for the next portion of the 2020s. We are more than excited to see how this decade will bring influence from the past into styles that will be worn by generations to come.
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