Fashion in the 1920s

The Roaring Twenties was a time of elaborate partying, heavy drinking, and glamorous attire. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, taking place in the 1920s time period, the lavish lifestyles of Jay Gatsby and those around him are reflected by the clothing they wear. Nick Carraway, the main protagonist, describes an instance in which Gatsby is dressed in “a white flannel suit, silver shirt, and gold-colored tie” (84). The color white was often symbolic of class during the Jazz Age, and many wealthy people donned cars and clothing in this shade, as illustrated in the novel.

 
Women’s fashion during the Jazz Age was all about breaking tradition. They ditched their corsets and frilly dresses and opted for more shapeless, shorter articles of clothing that allowed them to freely move and dance. They also began to wear colorful fabrics and cut their hair very short – the ‘bob’ style originated during this time period. In addition, sportswear for women was very popular, as demonstrated by Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby, which allowed for more casual clothing to become acceptable in society. Women who dressed in this manner and defied previous norms were known as “flappers,” and thus a new era of individualism and female power was born.

 


Similarly, men began wearing looser trousers in more vibrant colors, as well as sweaters and shirts with shorter collars. Most men dressed like golfers/tennis players, regardless of whether or not they played. They sported collared shirts with delicate cufflinks underneath V-neck sweaters to give them a more sophisticated, suave appearance. In addition, they wore suits that were much less stuffy than they had been before, along with neatly folded handkerchiefs in the suit pocket and coordinating ties. In many ways, men’s fashion in the 1920s is very similar to men’s business attire today, as it is heavily influenced by this age.

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