Getting the "Flapper" Look

The Flapper is an icon of womanhood and style that first appeared in the 1920s in the wake of the world-changing events of World War One. Flappers were young girls (or young-in-spirit) who rebelled against the strict moral and fashion codes of the older generation. They were free-spirits, into dancing, jazz music, and illegal substances like alcohol --outlawed in the Prohibition-era 1920s, also the time-period of bootlegger gangsters and speakeasies.

Pioneered by designers like Coco Chanel, the Flapper "uniform" was new because it got rid of corsets and other older forms of female undergarments and was thus a liberating change.

Flapper icons include Jazz Age heroines like Josephine Baker, Zelda Fitzgerald, Anita Loos, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, and Helen Kane. Think Betty Boop, Olive Oyl, and the cartoons of John Held Jr in the New Yorker.

Flapper-style dresses often have dropped waists and are sleeveless. Open backs and and scooped necklines were common. A simple cocktail dress with a straight or slight A-line will also do as a Flapper fill-in. Look for beads, fringes, and tassles. Sometimes a mod 60s dress can even double for a 1920s frock.

Stockings and garters are a must. Some flappers wore their stockings rolled down to the knee.

Cloche hats or bell-shaped / bucket hats are also hallmarks of the 1920s, as are headbands and feathered headpieces.

Gloves, longer skirts (knee-length or slightly longer) matched with sleeveless tops or matching suits, long pearl necklaces, cocktail rings, cigarettes and cigarette holders, flasks, and Deco purses and clutches are also perfect accessories.




Flapper Costumes in Guelph!