Bohemian Love

CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES

One of my favourite images in the shoot: I love the hair rolled up in the comb … and that robe!

This has always been one of my favourite 1920s themed fashion editorials, and now I see why: the photographer is also one of my all-time favourites, Friedemann Hauss. I am guessing that the magazine is British marie-claire, from the early 1990s.

There is something more sophisticated yet bohemian than the typical 20s style fashion shoots; something slightly louche about the artist’s muse lounging about in silk pyjamas and trailing semi-transparent kaftans. Yet she is still elegant; ethereal yet earthy, wandering the cold, wind-swept beaches in her tweeds, living a dream-life … sigh. 

Click images for larger versions.

I love the silhouette on the left, that coat and hat, and the luxury of velvet and ostrich feathersBeautiful panné velvets and chiffons – a romantic outfit for the beachDid I mention the fabulous jewellery?That gown is to die for!I would love a house with an interior like this, so decadent

Easy Dressing

Celebrating the Roaring Twenties in a Special Series

One of the most distinctive features of flapper dressing is simplicity. Fashion, as all forms of art and design, confirmed to the aesthetics of Art Deco: geometry, elongated lines, elegance. To suit the new, less formal lifestyle that was adopted after WWI, clothing became streamlined, and was characterised by functionality. Women worked, played sports, travelled, and enjoyed dancing.

Susan Lenglen in a sleeveless white silk frock by Patou, 1927. Image from The Twenties in Vogue, by Carolyn Hall (Octopus Books, 1983).Coco Chanel is often cited as the main proponent of the boyish style, but she is only one – albeit possibly the most prominent one – of many female designers who rose to stardom in the 1920s and changed the way women dressed. There was Mme Gerber, Mme Paquin, Jeanne Lanvin, Madeleine Vionnet as well as Coco Chanel; they were followed shortly by Mme Grès, Elsa Schiaparelli, Mlle Carven, and a dozen others. It is a period known for the large number of women designers. They pushed out the old houses of Poiret, Doucet, Drecoll and Doeuillet along with all their Belle Époque extravagances.

(Top left) tourists in Morocco dressed by Jean Patou; (top right) jersey bathing suits and silk bathing sandals; (bottom left) Madam Agnès, the Parisian milliner in Futurist dress and earrings, 1925; (bottom right) Lee Miller in Chanel jersey, hat by Reboux. Images from In Vogue, by Georgina Howell (Condé Nast Books, 1991).Jersey bathing suits. Image from In Vogue, by Georgina Howell (Condé Nast Books, 1991).Golfing attire, early 1920s. Images from The Twenties in Vogue, by Carolyn Hall (Octopus Books, 1983).Sailing attire in Vogue magazine. Image from The Twenties in Vogue, by Carolyn Hall (Octopus Books, 1983).Helen Wills, tennis champion with the eyeshade she always wore, in 1928. Image from The Twenties in Vogue, by Carolyn Hall (Octopus Books, 1983).Clothing was specifically created for sporting activities, which included tennis and golf; there were garments appropriate for motoring or the beach, and for winter sports. The design of these was dictated by the need for freedom of movement, lightness and comfort. At first these were largely utilitarian, but then fashion – and the imagination of the designer – prevailed upon ready-made knitwear, bathing costumes and travel clothes.

The tunic became the most characteristic shape, open at the neck and arms, with the hem above the knees. Bobbed hair was worn straight under the distinctive cloches of the era that were pulled low on the forehead, shadowing the eyes. Shoes were very low-cut, and low-heeled, rarely higher than two inches. Chanel, followed by Jean Patou and Lucien Lelong created the most typical models of this ‘garçonne’ line.

It would take decades and another war before women accepted the restrictions of corsetry again.

Fashion Notes

The striped wool knit by Sonia Rykiel as quickly become a favourite of mine – I love the stripes in their varying widths and the attached tie-scarf. The wool and velvet cloche by Milano is not original to the 1920s, but a 1990s version inspired by the era. The white A-line skirt is by Witchery and the shoes by Wittner. The first time I wore this outfit I was not intentionally trying to evoke the era, but it ultimately inspired this story on relaxed dressing.

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

She Collects Hearts

CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES

She collects hearts
from the weeping-heart tree
plucks them fresh
from drooping branches
laughing merrily.
She doesn’t want the fallen ones
crushed and withered underfoot
their scent has long-since faded …
But if you ask her prettily,
she’ll give yours back to thee.

I fell in love at first sight with this skirt when I first came upon it on Etsy. It is an antique 1920s costume piece, made from pinstriped pink silk, with raggedy silk velvet hearts sewn all over it. They are fraying all around the edges, which only adds to the charm of the skirt. There are also tiny bells sewn at intervals around the hems of the tiers, although most of them are missing, so I don’t jingle while walking as much as you might think.

I can just imagine a character such as Columbina – wife to Pierrot and mistress to Harlequin (what a heart-breaker!) – wearing it. Irresistible. 

What I Actually Wore #0065

Serial #: 0065
Date: 12/04/2012
Weather: 23°
Time Allowed: 10 minutes

It is another unseasonably warm autumn day, fortunately for me. In the usual period of laziness at the turn of the seasons, I still have not retrieved my winter wardrobe from storage. The outfit I put together looks quite springlike in fact, as a work colleague remarks.

The rather extravagant embroidered mesh top is from Asos, and features a dot-and-floral print sash in dusky pink that criss-crosses the front and ties in a bow at the back. When I first purchased it, it made me think of a Ballet Russes costume. Continuing the pastel theme is the pin-striped green and white skirt, and the blue suede shoes that exactly match the embroidery in the top.

My favourite item though is the pair of charm earrings I bought in Lisbon last year, dangling with little coloured beads and twinkling charms, stolen from a magpie’s nest. 

Items:

Top: Asos 
Skirt: Veronika Maine
Earrings: Bijou Brigitte
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Shoes: David Lawrence