Women's Fashion In The Roaring Twenties

Words: 757
Pages: 4

Throughout history Fashion, especially relating to women has evolved to show how society and women think about themselves. When one looks at fashion, one can infer the social values of the time. At the turn of the twentieth century, women would create womanly figures with the use of corsets then dress in long, frilly gowns. In the “Roaring Twenties”, skirts that just skimmed the knee and undergarments that gave a lean and “boyish” look were popular. Women’s fashion is always evolving, and one might think that WWII, when the government dictated the clothing of both men and women, was actually a standstill, it lead to a fashion revolution post-war.
During the War
Due to the war, fashion was mostly created around function and the rationing of
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One group known as the “Swing Kids” wore what was deemed as frivolous and “Un-German” 2. This included umbrellas regardless of the weather, longer hair to mimic jazz artists, and an air of liberation found in British and American men. Another group in France, called the Zazous, which was extremely disliked by the Nazi regime. This group featured lots of makeup and bright-colored lipstick, blonde colored hair, fitted sweaters, brightly colored skirts and socks 2. This group was the antithesis of what the Nazi’s thought women should wear. Under the Nazi regime, women were expected to wear matronly styles with minimal styling of clothing, hair, or dress. They were placed in labor camps outside the …show more content…
This look once again glorified the female figure. Dresses featured a slightly padded bodices, a wasp waist, and full skirt that grazed the calves 1. Some of the skirts used 30 yards of fabric, compared to the 2 yards allowed during war-time. To make the dresses fit properly, the corset had to be reinvented. Alongside the corset, special pads had to be placed on the hips and a pointy bra had to be worn to get the exaggerated curves of the New Look 1. Both American and British tried to convince women not to wear the new look. Other women criticized the corset and padding needed to achieve the look 1. Dior also created an alternative look, with a calf-length skirt and jacket, which used less fabric and became popular as well 1. Controversy aside, Dior was triumphant and Paris was the center of fashion once