1920’s fashion is in and 1950’s fashion is out, according to fashion critics. The new series Boardwalk Empire and the remaking of The Great Gatsby by Baz Luhrmant have inspired the new interest in the fashions of this era. Spring and summer fashion trends include drop-waisted dresses, long pearls, cloche hats and MaryJane shoes.
In the 1920’s, liberated women threw out their corsets and stopped wearing the depressing colors of wartime fashions such as grey and black. These ‘Flappers’ wanted to enjoy themselves after enduring the sorrows of The First World War. They ignored the restrictions of Prohibition by drinking at speakeasies and going to cocktail parties. They liked dancing popular new dances such as the Charleston and going home in the early hours of the morning. These trends are featured in Boardwalk Empire and The Great Gatsby.
Boardwalk Empire, set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition era concerns the rise of the American gangster. The look and the fashions of the series are extremely glamorous. The women of the series wear beaded dresses, fringed hems, and silk dressing-gowns. Accessories include tiny handbag, feathered hats, and silk scarves. These glamorous fashions are not just for the women. Fashion critics also agree that the men of Boardwalk Empire look extremely well-dressed and suave. Their clothes include pin-striped suits, fedora hats, and cashmere coats. Bold collared and patterned suits also feature in the show. The new ‘gangster chic’ is likely to be a big fashion trend soon.
Baz Luhrmann’s remake of The Great Gatsby show is also likely to cause a sensation in the fashion world and feature many of the same styles as the 1974 film. The iconic The Great Gatsby of 1974, which starred Mia Farrow and Robert Redford, featured luxurious silk and chiffon dresses and sequinned headbands. Mia Farrow as Daisy also wore delicate white tennis dresses. Robert Redford’s clothes included linen suits in pink and white and silk scarves and blazers. His shirts were designed by the great American fashion designer, Ralph Lauren.
These Roaring Twenties fashions have already influenced famous dress designers, including Rochas, Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton. Rochas showed silk pyjamas in its collection. Stella McCartney featured a three-piece white trouser suit for women which referenced the 1920’s. Louis Vuitton’s show included fringed silk evening dresses.
Men’s fashion designs were also inspired by the 20s. Dries Van Noten showed cream double-breasted jackets which were similar to those which Redford wore in The Great Gatsby. Men wore plaid blazers and colorful shoes in the show of Charleston company, Sucker Jeans.
