A Flapper dress, worn by a flapper girl. A flapper girl was defined by her dress. The dress that had a shortened hemline, a shapeless form; a low waist and sleeveless top. This streamlined embellished dress, was ironically the starting point of modern middle class fashion.
This dress was made in France. The Parisian influence is unmissible, as Paris was the stages were almost all art battles were fought. This is the same place Picasso turned the art world on its head with cubism. The flapper dress made this its stage, to states it intentions toward vintage constrained fashion.
The delicate silk embroided, layered fabric was infamous amongst flapper dress designers. It is gently draped and sown by the craftsmanship of its designer. High fashion until the twenties had been for upper class women; because of the construction of the flapper dress it was easier to make at home. And so flapper fashion Buttrik home dress making patterns were born.
The dress was designed and made by pioneering couturier Paul Poiret. Pioret revolutionised dress design by freeing the female form from its constructing and painful, boned corset. This glitzy flapper dress was made for a golden film star Flapper. Someone who was glamorously flamboyant, with shorter hair, adventurous and more spirituous
After the First World War more women were experiencing a modern high passed life; were all the old was disregarded, and the new, modern machine was celebrated. Mass communication and mass traveling by car, train, ship and plain, now portraying a modern man and women.
The new modern social butterfly of the 20’s, found themselves swing dancing to new dances like the Charleston, in jazz clubs till the sun come up. Drinking and smoking heavily in public. The Flapper displayed a carefree disregard for authority and morality. The used slang drove fast cars; and freely took lovers and jobs.
The silent lavish budget of the Golden age of film was starting to fade in the lime light. Instead it made space for more expressionistic films. These films brought willingness to look at the future, new ideas and artistic styles. They dealt with madness, insanity and betrayal.
The modern heroine did not merely emerge after World War 1. The inspiration dates back to 1890, when artist Charles Dana Gibson depicted independent women, who remained attractive. The
Gibson Girls as they were known had shorter hair, more adventures spirits. They also took on more masculine rolls like attending college.
As the Flapper become less constrained with the norms so too did the designers. The discovery of King Tothkans tomb in Egypt, lead to mass stylised Egyptian figures, painted and embroidered and stylized on fabric and jewellery. The geometric patterns, lavish layers of gold, combined with bright vivid colours of yellows, turquoise and reds.
