• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.19-29
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the sociocultural meanings of flapper look in American society during the 1920s. Using the ProQuest database, I searched articles from The New York Times published between 1920 and 1929 for opinions and discussions on the flapper look. Keywords included "clothing," "dress," "fashion," and "flapper," and advertisements and articles on menswear, leisurewear, and bathing suits were excluded. In the resulting articles, I extracted the following sociocultural meanings: autonomy, activeness, practicality, attractiveness, and extravagance. Meanings were analyzed from the opinions and discussions focusing on skirt length, dresses that directly and indirectly exposed the body, heavy make-up, non-constricting underwear, the H-line dress, bobbed hair, hygiene, comfort, and consumption. In sum, the 1920s flapper look represented progressive characteristics such as autonomous and active womanhood and practicality, which matched the technological development of the time. However, the flapper look was commercialized and exploited to make women look attractive and extravagant. Even though American women had access to higher education, more economic power, and suffrage in the 1920s, they were limited in their ability to overcome social conventions and the power of consumerism. Understanding the double-sidedness of flapper look within the social context of the time would enhance the comprehension of the relationship between women's lifestyles and changing fashion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
• /
• v.61 no.2
• /
• pp.1-19
• /
• 2011

As modern society advances, women's self-consciousness and attitudes toward beautiful appearances have changed. Amid this trend, the young and slim body of adolescent girls expressed in contemporary fashion incites fantasy on continuing youth among women. In modern society, women's youth is frequently regarded as a subject of consumption and a sex product in the mass media. In this regard, the study is focused on examining desire and psychology of worshipping women's youth and beauty in connection with flapper fashion in the 1920s. In the process, the study took a look at the social and cultural background of flapper fashion and conducted an analysis on formative characteristics and aesthetic sense of flapper fashion as follows: First, the formative characteristics include a short skirt that expresses straight lined shape and the beauty of exposure, lighter clothing, thick make-up, short hair style and black or vivid colors, and they lead to exceptional and innovative aesthetic sense in flapper fashion. Flapper fashion style is focused on completely denying outdated fashion worn by women in the age right before. Second, pursuit of mature, graceful and classical beauty that had continued in previous ages has gone through complete changes in the flapper era in the name of pursuit of youth, and the flapper fashion expresses sensual image through the exposure of slim arms and legs of a young girl. In the formative characteristics, aesthetic sense of youth and sensuality inherent in the flapper fashion was generated. Third, women's free-spirited lifestyle at that time and 'aesthetic sense of freedom and amusement that reflected the speed of machine civilization could be found in the flapper fashion. Material and decoration of the flapper fashion pertained to clothing that enabled a free expression through rapid movements. Aesthetic sense of the flapper fashion generated in the process could be defined as women's internal determination to express individual and free-spirited ideas through the use of fashion when tradition and order of the old age were torn down. And this aesthetic sense is continuously affecting modern fashion design.

• Journal of Fashion Business
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.12-27
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study is to study main characters' (Roxie Hart, Velma Kelly) costumes and color images in the movie "Chicago". First, regarding the costumes and color images in characters, Roxie's straight silhouette slip in skin tone reflected her frailty and monotonous routines in reality. On the other hand, a white beaded dress showed her fame-hungry and self-absorption in fantasy. Also, a low waistline blue dress and a see-through black dress with a white collar were to disguise her guilt and draw sympathy to win a suitcase. Black and contrasting colors of red and blue body-suit style dresses expressed Velma's sensual attraction, aggressiveness, and desperation. Second, these images were reinforced by color images in the backgrounds in the film. On the scene of Velma's 'cell block tango', black and red showed her strong character. Contrasting colors of the red and blue expressed Velma's desire and despair in her act of 'the desperation'. As for images of black color on Roxie's stages, they represented her self-absorption and frustration of failing to attract public attention. On the ending of duet performance of Roxie and Velma, the yellow of the background expressed success and joy in life.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.261-275
• /
• 1995

This paper analyzes the parallelism between the art trend and the fashion. As a representative case, we consider the Modernism and the Flapper look. The Modernism rejected the tradition of the past and pursued something new. This trend was in parallel with the fashion called flapper look which was against the tradition and made drastic change. The factors which represent the spirit of the age the Modernism are the simplicity, the rejection of the tradition, the individualism and the subjectivity, the functionalism, the fragmentation of the self, and the straight line. We discuss the fashion style of the flapper look in terms of these factors.

• Journal of Fashion Business
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.55-72
• /
• 1998

The purpose of this study is for consideration of the flapper fashion (1924-1928) in Jazz Age (1919-1929) of America and the influences of it on modern fashion. This study is started from the latest fashion trend which is pursuing it's inspiration into the Jazz Age, the 20s. The etimology of 'flapper' was based on mines is 'flap' such as 'flutter of skirt hemline', 'hands', 'arms', 'wings' and a slang which was applied to young women from 1830. In 20th century it has meant not only new American women but also their fashion and attitude. The designs of flapper fashion were expressed by simplicity, functionality, nudity and rhythm. Simplicity was the best value of this time and the simple image was considered the smartest. Functionality was represented by straight boyish style and loose baggy silhouette that was related to free dome. Nudity was expressed by revealing of legs, arms, backs in shapes and see-through by materials. It was related to sexual attraction and point to youth. Rhythm of flapper fashion expressed optical effect of movement. Using of light material was deep related to freedom of flappers, speed, rhythmical Jazz and dancing. The influences of flapper fashion were giving an opportunity that changed fashion leader from high class to young popular group and simple design of flapper fashion effected to modernization and popularization of American apparel business. And it influenced American casual fashion which was known as brightness, youth and openhearted mood. So flapper fashion can be reganded as the starting point of the street fashion of the 20th century.