Flapper Fashion

The so called “fast living” younger generation drank in carefree disregard of the Prohibition. The perception was that young people lost respect for authority and traditional morals. Young women smoked cigarettes and danced the Charleston and Blackbottom. Shorter skirts allowed greater freedom to dance, and plunging necklines, in addition to low backs, put more of the female body on display than ever before.

Flappers incorporated an unusual use of clothing into the wild new style. Flappers rolled stockings below the knee, and wore unhooked rubber galoshes that flapped when they walked. Cloche hats were all the rage: narrow, close fitting, bell shaped hats that often featured feathers, bows, beads, or artificial flowers. Flappers held hair out of their eyes while dancing with headbands decorated with embroidery, beads, or a feather.