Party Dresses 3

FLAPPER FLAPPER FLAPPER

Origin: This piece came up after World War 1, 1920-1930. After the War the death toll was very high and those coming back from the War and the people that lived through it saw it as a time of not taking life for granted. People, especially women became very liberated. They took the ideas from the past and completely changed them. When it came to the dresses the women when from conservative to a more racy look. 

Purpose: This dress was different from other time periods because of the amount of exposure of the skin. These dresses were higher up, about knee length, and had a lower collars. Before, the dresses were longer, but this style still incorporated the loose aspect. The dresses in this decade incorporated belts and cinches at the hips. Also, they were worn with very short hair up-dos and lots of pearls, diamonds, and feather accessories. This style was mainstream because it was the style that broke all traditions. The idea of breaking traditions was the trend during this time. 

Value: This piece was an expression of the decade by representing the idea of change, specifically with women. Women started to gain more respect and equality in the country. In 1920 they gained their right to vote. Just by gaining that they had this sense of liberation and a change from the past ideals. This is one of the best expressions of the time period because many women "let loose" and they would party, drink, and have sex constantly, which was a huge change in their life style. 

Limitations: These outfits do not show us the post-war conditions in the aspects other than the women-social aspect. During this time there were some people that were in support of the flapper style but then there were people who were against it. Even though there were people against it it was mainstream during this time, since it was post-War and people incorporated the idea of "You Only Live Once (YOLO)"