One of the most
glorious eras in history was the 1920’s. The jazz, the clubs and everything
that was prohibited found a voice during this time. By the end of World War One,
there was a sense of optimism in the air, but the loss and destruction was
immense. The only country to reap any benefits was America. Their contribution
of arms and ammunition made America a very prosperous country. And the start of
the 20th century saw drastic changes; it seems that society was purging
the war away. Morality blurred and society became more liberal. Fashion was
obviously affected, along with ideas, and fashion too became liberal.
One of the factors
that influenced this change in fashion was the evolving role of women. With men
busy with the war, women started sharing the role of the bread-earner and after
the completion of the war this continued. This brought about a change in the
way women dressed; trousers crept into their wardrobes, and the dresses lost
length, but fashion was still conservative but soon changing.
The 1920’s were about
living in the moment, instant gratification became the way of living. The entertainment
industry accelerated with silent movies and music changed with comets and trumpets
creating jazz in the expert hands of Louis Armstrong. Another thing that has gained
prominence during this time was a phenomenon called the ‘Roaring Twenties’.
This new found
freedom and the need of instant gratification were reflected in the fashion. Clubs
were on the rise and no matter the lack of legality of these establishments
they became the hub where people exercised this liberalization.
Men’s fashion was
known by high waist jackets paired with a belt and hats.
On the other hand a ‘new class’
of women emerged called the ‘Flappers’ with bobbed hair, who wore short skirts
with hair bands with feathers tucked, a long string of pearls, along with
dramatically lined lips as a ‘cupid’s bow’ and smoky eyes who listened to jazz
and visited the clubs.
They were considered impetuous because of their
excessive makeup, drinking, smoking and having casual relationships. They
listened to jazz, danced, drank and wore dazzling clothes.
The fashion style of
the 1920s has been so exceptionally stunning that the students of Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion had to recreate it.
Under the expert
guidance of Belinda Bawa and taking inspiration from the ‘The Great Gatsby’, a
classic example, the students designed their first shoot for a specific look.
The scenario was an underground club.
The task was more challenging because
along with their own designs they had to create looks for models too. The
students had a fabulous time and were able to capture the essence of 1920’s
fashion beautifully.
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