Flapper Chatter

CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES

Princess Tatiana thinks she’s the bee’s knees in her new 50s red sequinned topPrincess Tatiana was dolled up in her glad rags, and ready to paint the town red. She was wearing her brand new red sequinned top with the black satin skirt, with its matching cap adorned with a black rose. Tonight she was off to Tin Pan Alley to hear the latest jazz the newest, most copacetic whangdoodle was banging out.

Confused? Step right up and take a trip with Princess Tatiana to the world of 1920s slang  …

Tatiana squared her shoulders, flung back the marabou boa and defiantly stepped down the dimly-lit alley, there were no bulls about, and that sweet music called her on.

“Well, look at you, little biscuit, don’t you sure look like the cat’s meow?” the bimbo leaning against the wall outside the juice joint drawled, checking out the chassis as Princess Tatiana strolled past him to go inside.

“Swell,” she snapped smartly. “Hey snugglepup, this ain’t no petting party and the bank’s closed anyway, ok? So scram.”

She don’t say that to every feller!“Aww, be nice baby. That ain’t no line – I’m on the level. I can see you’re a real bearcat – but I ain’t got no beef with that. You go on in – I’ll cut myself a piece of cake.”

“Sure, sure, but I’m bettin’ you ain’t no cake-eater, and I’m no dumb Dora. Take a check, sweetie!” Princess Tatiana thumbed her nose at this drugstore cowboy and stepped inside to shake her booty to those fine jazz tunes. It was a good thing she had her mad money with her, because she figured she’d need to make a speedy getaway if she couldn’t find a suitable alarm clock inside.

Need a translation? Peruse this flapper dictionary, and click here for more, recorded by the genuine article in 1922.

Dancing to the copacetic Mad Manoush

The Artists Mock

I have owned this grey Veronika Maine top for years, and have loved it. It’s always reminded me of the traditional artist’s smock with its floppy sleeves and bow on the neckline. Unfortunately there are a couple of small stains on the front, created when I put it on one morning too soon after applying body lotion – nothing I have done has succeeded in removing them from the cupro material (a cellulose fibre made from recovered cotton waste).

Each time I go to cast it from my wardrobe though, I can’t bear to part with it. Probably it is in such condition now that it would be suitable to actually use as an artist’s smock!

Artist wearing smock: Franck-François-Genès Chauvassaignes (French, 1831–after 1900)

Here you’ll find a couple of examples of the artist’s smock, from the traditional to the fashionable. In fact, I own a somewhat similar white and black polka-dotted blouse with little puffed sleeves – you can see a little bit of it here. I do love Balenciaga’s designs from the 50s and 60s. Might be time for a Gordon Parks homage.

Polka dotted smock top over black skirt by Balenciaga, ph Gordon Parks, LIFE magazine March 1951

Queen of the Night

CELEBRATING THE ROARING TWENTIES IN A SPECIAL SERIES

You’ve heard of those flowers that bloom only at night? Here’s another varietal that comes out in the evening: a 1920s poppy fascinator to adorn the head of the femme fatale. Be careful she might have thorns to prick you …

Night flowers have such evocative names: Queen of the Night, moon flower, columbine, evening primrose and night flowering jasmine. Usually they are white or silver to catch the moonlight and attract night pollinators, drawing them with their exceedingly fragrant scent.

The most special is the Queen of the Night – there is no other flower so fragrant or rare as this one. It is in fact a variety of cacti flower that blooms once in a year if you are lucky – or only once in several years. Its Latin name is Cereus cactus, but for its rare and majestic presence it is commonly known as the ‘Queen of the Night’. It literally bleeds aroma from its beautiful white petals. Expect it to bloom on one special summer night.

The Queen of the Night herself

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