1920s Fashion: Top Styles, Designers And Clothing Trends

Dropped waists, shorter hems and the first decade women cut their hair short on purpose.

Below: the clothes, the hairstyles and the accessories of the 1920s, then the fastest way to put together a costume if you are going to a themed night.

Useful for a decade party, a school project, a reminiscence session or working out what someone wore when they were young.

Years covered in the 1920s

• 1920 - The first Remembrance at the Cenotaph and a country still counting its losses. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1920
• 1921 - A miners' lockout, mass unemployment and the first British Legion poppy appeal. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1921
• 1922 - The BBC's first broadcast, the Austin Seven and Tutankhamun's tomb. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1922
• 1923 - The White Horse Final at Wembley and the first Radio Times. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1923
• 1924 - The first Labour government, the Empire Exhibition and the Chariots of Fire Olympics. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1924
• 1925 - The Charleston, the return to the gold standard and a summer of dance halls. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1925
• 1926 - The General Strike, the birth of Elizabeth II and Baird's public television demonstration. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1926
• 1927 - The BBC became a corporation, talking pictures arrived and the FA Cup went to Wales. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1927
• 1928 - Votes for all women, penicillin discovered and the Thames flood. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1928
• 1929 - Britain's first talkie, a second Labour government and the Wall Street Crash. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1929
• That is every 1920s year we have written up so far: 1920 to 1929.

What people wore in the 1920s

• Drop-waist dresses with the waistline at the hip rather than the middle.
• Hemlines rising to around the knee by the middle of the decade - shocking at the time.
• Beaded and fringed evening dresses for dancing.
• Cloche-friendly coats with big collars and fur trim.
• For men: three-piece suits, wide Oxford bags trousers, plus fours for golf.

Hairstyles

• The bob, then the shingle and the Eton crop - short, flat and set in finger waves.
• Marcel waves, pressed in with heated tongs.
• Kiss curls flattened against the cheek.
• Men: short back and sides with hair slicked flat with pomade.

Accessories and finishing touches

• Cloche hats pulled low over the eyebrows.
• Long rope pearls, often knotted or worn down the back.
• T-bar shoes with a low heel, for dancing.
• Long cigarette holders, feather headbands and beaded clutch bags.
• Men: flat caps, homburgs and pocket watches on a chain.

Designers and labels of the 1920s

• Coco Chanel - jersey, the little black dress (1926) and clothes you could move in.
• Jean Patou, who put sportswear and the tennis dress into fashion.
• Madeleine Vionnet, who invented the bias cut.
• Paul Poiret, still influential but overtaken by the younger houses.
• Jeanne Lanvin, dressing mothers and daughters alike.
• Burberry and Aquascutum making the trench coat a civilian coat.

Dressing up as the 1920s

• A plain shift dress plus a beaded necklace and a headband reads as 1920s instantly.
• Finger waves can be faked with gel and hair clips - no cutting needed.
• For men: waistcoat, shirt sleeves, braces and a flat cap.

Where to find the clothes

• Charity shops first - the later decades turn up constantly and cost almost nothing.
• Your own loft or a relative's wardrobe beats any fancy dress shop for authenticity.
• Buy the accessories new and the clothes second-hand; the accessories are what people recognise.
• Fancy dress versions of an era are usually a cartoon of it - one real garment looks better than a whole costume.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• Photographs date an outfit faster than anything - look at family albums from the era before you shop.
• Hair and accessories carry a decade better than the clothes do.
• Pair this with the 1920s playlist for a themed night that hangs together.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1920
• Look back to 1921
• Look back to 1922
• Look back to 1923
• Look back to 1924
• Look back to 1925
• Look back to 1926
• Look back to 1927
• Look back to 1928
• Look back to 1929
• 1920s books, films and TV
• 1920s calendar: year by year
• 1920s trivia: fun facts
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• Victorian and vintage parlour games
• Village fete and church hall games
• Card games your nan taught you
• Traditional British party games
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Decade-themed birthday parties
• Guess the year quiz
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What did people wear in the 1920s?

Drop-waist dresses with the waistline at the hip rather than the middle. The full list above covers the everyday clothes as well as the going-out ones, because the two were rarely the same.

What was the 1920s hairstyle?

The bob, then the shingle and the Eton crop - short, flat and set in finger waves. The other styles above ran alongside it - no decade had only one haircut.

Who were the big fashion designers of the 1920s?

Coco Chanel - jersey, the little black dress (1926) and clothes you could move in. The designers section above lists the rest of the names and labels that set the decade's styles.

How do I dress up as the 1920s for a party?

Pick one silhouette and one accessory that everyone recognises, and stop there. The dressing-up section above gives the shortcuts for this era.

Do you sell clothes?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read and free to copy.