Surely I can’t be the only person imagining themselves shimmying down those stairs clutching a martini on the rocks?
What does a Fashionista do with a few spare hours in London town? Well they head on over to the Fashion and Textile Museum that’s what! and to my utter delight they had an exhibition on of my favourite fashion era! The 1920s, is in my opinion, the golden era of fashion. Perhaps I was a jazz singer in a past life, whiling away my evenings, crooning in a dingy speak easy in downtown Chicago. Whether or not you believe in all of that, my obsession with flapper dresses is very real. I started to collect vintage, beaded, Oleg Cassini gowns when I was at University, as you do. I was obsessed with anything sparkly and my love of the 1920s grew from there. I like to think when I’m a very old lady I’ll be able to rattle around dressed in nothing but a vintage velvet opera coat accessorised with a feather headdress and a constant gin and tonic in my hand. That’s the dream anyway, we’ll see how it pans out.
If you ever needed evidence that fashion goes in cycles then here it is. 1920s matching silk sets and fringed kimonos which are currently having a bit of a revival on the high street.
This exhibition certainly quenched my thirst for the glitz and glamour of 1920s Haute Couture. It’s a celebration of fashion from 1919-1929 and also some of the most celebrated photographers of the era, including James Abbe. Abbe was at his peak in the 1920s and photographed some of the most glamorous women of the era.
A plethora of women photographed by James Abbe.
The 1920’s was not just a golden era for fashion but a golden era for women in general and the fashion reflected this. During the first world war women were required to go out to work and this carried on into the 1920s rendering the corset on the back burner. The loose fitting hemlines are a reflection of this.
A gold party dress
Velvet dresses accessorised with feather boas
A gold velvet dress with lace detail
Opera coats and a silk dress
Party dresses and jacket
1920s JAZZ AGE Fashion and Photographs is on at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London until 15th January 2017.
TICKETS
£9.90 adults / £7.70 concessions / £6 students
Children under 12 are free
