Thoroughly Modern Filly

CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES

Clara Bow modelling as the well-dressed flapper

Those of us who love vintage clothing and shop for it today will probably have a fair idea of how much garments cost according to their age and quality. But have we thought about how much these same clothes cost back in the day? 

Here is a breakdown of a well-dressed flapper’s ensemble, and what a pretty penny it cost: $346.50 to be exact. Doesn’t sound like much to us, does it? That silk faille coat trimmed in ermine fur on collar and cuffs cost $150 then; today it would fetch many hundreds of dollars or even thousands, depending upon where you did your shopping. On The Frock, a 1920s black silk evening cape in excellent condition fetches $1150 – which is really not that much compared with the cost of a similar modern designer coat, let alone haute couture. (Do browse through The Frock website – there are some truly amazing pieces there.)

… That puts the cost of Clara’s outfit at nearly three months’ wages!

To give you some perspective, the average yearly income of the American worker (across all industries) in the 1920s was $1407. That puts the cost of Clara’s outfit at nearly three months’ wages! Back then, a new-fangled electric washing machine cost $85; a bicycle $43, and a dozen eggs set you back just 78¢.

So Mr Pierce is not joking when he writes: ‘As a matter of fact, it costs about as much to dress a modern girl in a genuinely modish flapper outfit as it does to equip completely a reasonably well-furnished three-room flat.’

Image from Australian Grazia magazine, Oct 22, 2012; photographed by Harold David and styled by Virginia Van Heythuysen

Above is my comparison with the well-dressed flapper: a well-dressed filly, taken from the current issue of Australian Grazia magazine, in a fashion editorial aimed at young ladies attending the Spring Racing Carnival. The total cost of this outfit is $4,684.96. That’s not including the cost of the Chanel makeup used in the shoot. Suddenly I can visualise the scoffing exclamations an average 1920s flapper lass must have made when she flipped through the magazine that page was torn from.

Suddenly I can visualise the scoffing exclamations an average 1920s flapper lass must have made when she flipped through the magazine …

The average Australian female salary (excluding overtime) is around $61,760 – and that before tax. Take that out, and this outfit costs nearly two months’ wages. A dozen free-range organic eggs, by the way, (which is probably what that flapper girl was paying 78¢ for) costs around $8. 

So, beautiful clothes have become a little cheaper, and ‘quite nice’ clothes from high street brands are within the reach of most of us, but it’s worth remembering that there are still some true vintage bargains to be had out there. And I’m not talking about The Frock prices – I mean thrift shops where you could strike gold and find an amazing garment for $5 or $10. Thrifting, op-shopping, flea-market shopping, whatever you call it – that’s thoroughly modern, and thoroughly kind to the earth.