The fashion; hairstyles, clothing, and cars of the 1920's ...



The fashion; hairstyles, clothing, and cars of the 1920's are as distinct and trend setting as the people who enjoyed them.

In the 1920s, a new woman was born. She smoked, drank, danced, and voted. No longer confined to home and tradition, the typical flapper was a young woman who was often thought of as a little fast and maybe even a little brazen. Mostly, the flapper offended the older generation because she defied conventions of acceptable feminine behavior. The flapper was "modern." Traditionally, women's hair had always been worn long. The flapper wore it short, or bobbed. She used make-up (which she might well apply in public). And the flapper wore baggy dresses that often exposed her arms as well as her legs from the knees down. However, flappers did more than symbolize a revolution in fashion and mores - they embodied the modern spirit of the Jazz Age.

Men's fashion in the 20's included sacque suit. With suit shirts of putty, peach, blue-gray and cedar all were the colors worn these years. Shaped silk ties that had small geometric patterns or diagonal stripes that were secured with tiepins. Black bowler hats completed the ensemble. Tailcoats were appropriate for formal occasions and so were black patent leather shoes. Two- toned shoes that were either made with white or tan or black and white for their combination colors. Fringed tongues on Oxfords and brogues were seen frequently. Lace-up style shoes were most in demand.

In 1925, the era of baggy pants dawned. Oxford undergraduates to circumvent the University's prohibition on knickers wore this. Jazz clothing passed in and out quickly during the 20's. Tweed (homespun wool) clothes became popular. Flannel was another popular fabric of the era. Colors worn in flannel were gray, white, beige, and stripes. The newly created, larger-than-life movie stars heavily influenced style, at all social levels. For the first time in history, fashion influences and trends were coming from more than one source.

The 1920's were a turbulent decade for automakers. Hundreds of new makes and models burst onto the market scene. The economy was in the midst of a post-war boom. At the time, many automakers couldn't ask for more. The 20's automobile era began with the return of eager World War I soldiers. Car sales soon went through the roof, as the public came to realize the benefits of an automobile. Auto-touring (vacationing) became extremely popular, with campsites and filling stations springing up around America.

As the end of the decade neared, Ford and Chevrolet locked horns in a fierce pricing battle that continued through the Thirties. Other automakers, such as Cadillac, Packard, and Chrysler, began to have an impact on the market.

Being one of the most significant inventions of the 1920s, the automobile drastically changed the lives of Americans for the better. It not only improved transportation (obviously), it also gave the economy the boost it needed to provide America with the age of prosperity that the 20s is known for.

By 1927, the Model T had really taken off. Over the first few years of the 1920s, the automobile became a hit with everyone, especially young people who wanted freedom and excitement. Soon virtually every household in America owned an automobile, and it quickly became an integrated part of American life. Parents would drive to work in their automobiles. Families could visit friends and family who lived farther away. And young people found a whole new way to have fun.

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