BY GRACE EVANS
Chertsey Museum is delighted to announce that a brand-new fashion exhibition: The Roaring Twenties, Fashions of the Jazz Age is now open. Designed to celebrate the centenary of the start of the 1920s, this exhibition features beautiful examples of glittering couture evening wear, fashionable day dress, sportswear, underwear and bridal clothing. There are also many 1920s accessories to discover, including shoes, bags, makeup and of course cloche hats.
Gold Lamé Dress With Tassel – ‘Goddess’ Gown By Paul Poiret, C.1927. Gold Lamé With Glass Bead Embroidery.
Black And Silver Beaded Dress – Evening Gown, C.1925 – 1928. Silk Crêpe With Glass Bead Embroidery.
Detail With Figures & Birds – Detail Of An Evening Tunic, C.1923, With Egyptian-Inspired Glass Bead Decoration.
Images copyright The Olive Matthews Collection, Chertsey Museum.
The styles of the 1920s were bold and distinctive. Despite the many years that now separate us from their creation, garments from this era still exude an undeniable air of freshness and optimism. The 1920s was characterised by an emphasis on the new. Hopefulness was the order of the day and youth was celebrated above all things. This was partly a result of the shocking loss of young life during the First World War, which had a profound effect on social attitudes. It led to greater independence and new-found freedoms for women, many of whom had taken on traditionally male-dominated roles in the workplace for the first time during the war.
Women’s fashions of the 1920s reflected changing attitudes. The era saw dramatic stylistic shifts. The emphasis on youth was a strong influence on the spread of the ‘garçonne’ look which dominated the middle years of the decade.
This style, in which female fashion played with ideas of adolescence and masculinity, required the elimination of womanly curves. A completely straight, simple, tubular silhouette, hip-level waistlines, knee-length skirts and simple, short hairstyles were the hallmarks of this look, which tends to be the most memorable of the period. Make-up was a further daring accessory. Rather than hide the judicious use of cosmetics as their mothers had done, young women of the 1920s applied bright red lipstick and pencilled their eyebrows in ways that made the older generation gasp.
Breakthroughs in manufacturing and transport also affected styles as fashion became more affordableand accessible. Broader horizons led designers to draw upon a vast array of sources, both contemporary and historic. They were inspired by the decorative art of cultures as varied as those of Africa, China, Ancient Egypt and South America. The resulting styles, which often featured complex surface decoration, were simply stunning: reflecting all the giddy, optimistic flavour of the ‘20s. These fascinating influences and much more are explored in the exhibition at Chertsey Museum. Check the website for details: https://www.chertseymuseum.org/1920s .
For those unable to visit in person, and for general information about visiting Chertsey Museum see:
https://www.chertseymuseum.org/covid.