Boy Heads and Lazy Flappers

CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES

It was Victor Margueritte who coined the term ‘La Garçonne’ describing the boyish, sleek style of the 1920s. Those women seeking a sophisticated look sans frills cut their hair short and donned pantsuits, hats and wield a cane – avoiding fickle fashion, and creating a distinctive look of their own thereby.

In Europe this short hairstyle was first called the bubikopf (literally ‘boy head’ in German), which was eventually shortened to simply the bob.

Although Louise Brooks is one of the most famous proponents of the bob, the dancer Irene Castle was the first of the Americans to bob her hair and hoof it over to the cabarets of Europe and America.

An unfamiliar look for Louise BrooksThe dancer Irene CastleThe bubikopf quickly became the most popular hairstyle – and was besides necessary so that women could cram the tightly fitting, bell-shaped cloche onto their heads.

A softer alternative was finger- or marcel-waves, created with combs, pins or primitive-looking curling irons. According to this 1927 Ladies Home Journal article, written by Hollywood actress Ann Harding, it could take up to three years to train your hair to wave using simple finger waving technique on wet hair; the iron must have seemed an attractive alternative for immediate results for those lazy flappers.

I’m game to give finger-waving a go, but I think I shall rely on product rather than Old Father Time. 

Finger-waves on Bette Davis (click through to a lovely article on marcel waves at Chic Vintage Brides)Speed things up with a marcel wave iron