The transition from one century to the next seems to function as a pretext for change. The beginning of a new era gives us the possibility of leaving everything behind and starting over; without a doubt, it is a moment of hope.
The explanation of the evolution of history is always given to us by centuries and seems to be divided by them. The idea of progress is built with the comparison of times and the century seems to be the right period of time to study a series of phenomena and thus be able to make sense of our behavior.
The beginning of the century that we are ending or are about to end is a time in which change is imminent and fashion, as always, reflects the character that society is adopting. More money is spent on fun and clothes. Ostentation and extravagance are governed by a laxity in political matters and the big parties occupy most of the time at all social levels.
In a matter of fashion, the 1920s are the first great break with the feminine tradition of long skirts, uncomfortable dresses and waists adjusted by inhuman corsets. The female "S" shaped figure from previous years is no longer used. It is about scandalizing, about being present in a world dominated by men. The female form acquires a cylindrical appearance, giving way to the characteristic model of this time, the long-waisted one, at the height of the hips without marking the waist.
The break is not just in fashion. Women are aware of their situation with respect to men and they do not like it, and this is how they begin to be present in areas where it was not well seen for a woman to carry out activities that were intended for men, such as sports; it became fashionable to play tennis, golf, polo, swimming, even the designs of sports suits were very peculiar and daring for the time. The swimsuits were small dresses, but from there they began to cut fabric without stopping until they reached the tiny beach clothes of our days. In fact, underwear also undergoes changes; the complicated corsets will gradually transform into bodices and the bra with different shapes emerges.
The woman begins to go out into the street, to carry out activities where free movement is necessary; the length of the skirts and dresses gradually shortened to the ankles, and in 1925 the skirt at the knee was launched on the catwalks. The indignation of male society goes so far that the Archbishop of Naples dares to say that an earthquake in Amalfi was a demonstration of God's anger at having accepted short skirts in the female wardrobe. The case of the United States is similar; In Utah, a law was proposed that would fine and imprison women for wearing skirts more than three inches above the ankle; in Ohio, the skirt height allowed was lower, it did not rise beyond the instep. Of course, these bills were never accepted, but the men, when threatened, fought with all their weapons to prevent the uprising of the women. Even the garters that stop the stockings, newly discovered by the new height of the skirt, became a new accessory; There were them with precious stones and they came to cost up to 30,000 dollars at that time.
In the nations affected by the war the presence of women in the streets was similar, but the reasons were different. While in many countries the need for change was for social issues, the defeated had to face devastation. It was necessary to rebuild from the buildings and streets to the soul of its inhabitants. The only way was to go out and do it, the women did it and the change of their clothes became a necessity.
The style with which this era can be defined is to appear as androgynous as possible. Along with the cylindrical shape where the feminine curves were hidden - on some occasions they would even bandage their breasts to try to hide it - was the haircut. For the first time the woman leaves behind her long hair and complicated hairstyles; Then a new aesthetic of the sensual arises. The cut, called garçonne (girl, in French) together with totally masculine outfits helps them create that erotic ideal based on the androgynous. Along with the haircut, hats are designed according to the new image. The cloche style took shapes following the contour of the head; still others had a small brim, so it was impossible to wear them with long hair. A curious fact about wearing the hat was that the small brim covered part of their eyes, so they had to walk with their heads held high; This suggests a very representative image of the new attitude of women.
In France, Madeleine Vionet invents the haircut "on the bias" of the hat, which begins to influence her creations, which will be imitated by the rest of the designers.
Some less rebellious women chose not to cut their hair, but styled it in a way that suggested the new style. It was not easy to distinguish a woman from a schoolboy, except for the striking red lipstick and the bright shadows on the lids. The makeup became more abundant, with more defined lines. The mouths of the 1920s are thin and heart-shaped, effects that were achieved thanks to new products. The thin line of the eyebrows is also characteristic, emphasizing, in every way, a simplification of the forms, both in makeup and in the styles of the designs that contrast with the complicated forms of the past.
The needs of the new times led to the invention of accessories that made femininity more practical, such as cigarette cases and ring-shaped perfume boxes. "To always have it on hand in case of need, you can now store your favorite perfume in rings specially made for that purpose, and which contain a tiny bottle inside." This is how the magazine El Hogar (Buenos Aires, April 1926) presents this new product. Other important accessories include long pearl necklaces, compact bags and, under the influence of Coco Channel, jewelry that has become fashionable for the first time.
The weariness of elaborate forms makes fashion look simple and practical. The purity of form in opposition to the past, the need for change from the massacre of the first great war, made women realize that they had to live in the present, because the future could be uncertain. With the Second World War and the appearance of the atomic bomb, this sense of "living from day to day" would be accentuated.
In another vein, it is important to say that design houses, such as "Doucet", "Doeuillet and Drécoll, which created the glory of the belle epoque, by not being able to respond to the new demands of society, or perhaps by opposition to change, they closed their doors giving way to new designers such as Madame Schiaparelli, Coco Channel, Madame Paquin, Madeleine Vione, among others. The designers were very close to the intellectual revolution; the artistic avant-gardes of the beginning of the century marked an exceptional dynamism, the currents went against the academy, which is why they were so ephemeral.
Art overlapped with everyday life because it used it to create. The new designers were intimately linked with these trends. Schiaparelli, for example, was part of the group of Surrealists and lived like them. Fashion writers say that as she was very ugly, she ate flower seeds so that beauty would be born in her, an attitude very typical of her time. She was repeatedly accused of "taking the Apache to the Ritz" for including working-class designs in upper-class clothing. Another famous person, Coco Channel, moved in the intellectual circle, and had as close friends Dalí, Cocteau, Picasso, and Stravinsky. Intellectual issues permeated across the board and fashion was no exception.
The dissemination of fashion was carried out by two important media, the mail and the cinematography. The new models were printed in catalogs and sent to the most remote villages. Anxious crowds awaited the magazine that the metropolis brought home, as if by magic. They could be both in fashion and also acquire it. The other, much more spectacular medium was the cinema, where the great personalities were the models, which was an excellent advertising strategy, since the public identified with the actors and therefore tried to imitate them. Such was the case with the popular Greta Garbo who marked an entire era in cinema.
Mexican women at the beginning of the second decade of the 20th century were distinguished by their attachment to the traditions and rules imposed by their elders; However, they could not stay out of the social and cultural changes brought about by the revolutionary movement. Rural life was transformed into urban life and the first communists made their appearance on the national scene. Women, especially the most informed and wealthy, succumbed to the allure of the new fashion, which for them was synonymous with freedom. Frida Kahlo, Tina Modotti and Antonieta Rivas Mercado top the list of the many young women who, in their various activities, they waged relentless struggles against conventionalism. When it comes to fashion, Kahlo echoed the muralists, determined to rescue the authentically Mexican; Following the popularity of the artist, many women began to wear traditional costumes, to comb their hair with colored braids and strips, and to acquire silver jewelry with Mexican motifs.
As for Antonieta Rivas Mercado, belonging to a well-to-do and cosmopolitan class, from a very young age she manifested having a rebellious spirit contrary to prejudice. At age 10, in 1910, she had her hair cut in the Joan of Arc style and at 20 “she adopted Chanel fashion as one who takes the habit that corresponds to an inner conviction. He admirably fitted this fashion of sober elegance, of studied and inadvertent comfort, which he had always sought. She, who was not a woman with accentuated forms, perfectly wore those straight dresses that forgot the breasts and hips, and liberated the body with the jersey fabrics that fell without scandal in a clean silhouette.
Black also became his favorite color. Also at that time, her hair was imposed on the garçonne, preferably black and gummed on the Valentino ”(Taken from Antonieta, by Fabienne Bradu)
The fashion of the 1920s, despite its apparent superficiality, is a symbol of rebellion. Being in fashion was considered important, as it was a feminine attitude towards society. The twentieth century was characterized by the dynamic of ruptures and the twenties were the beginning of change.
Source: México en el Tiempo No. 35 March / April 2000
