تاثیر شرایط اجتماعی بر پوشاک زنان آمریکا در 1920 میلادی/مریم مجابی

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period, high-heeled shoes were not fashionable. Therefore, flappers wore medium-heeled shoes. Today, women imitate Flappers by wearing shoes with buckles and straps.

* Decorative: wearing long pearled necklaces was the prevalent decorative accessory used by Flappers. In some cases, they used multiple stepwise strings of pearls. It should be mentioned that Flappers did not use thin chains and they preferred to use strings instead of them. Nowadays, Flapper fashion has been transformed and women wear thin and long shawls, which are tied around the neck and decorated with beads instead of pearls.

COLOR AND TEXTURE OF FABRICS IN THE 1920S

Fabrics used in this period were also transformed extensively. Generally speaking, the fabrics of the Flapper era were very delicate, thin, and light. In order to preserve their clothes. They only washed the dirty part of the dress instead of washing entire parts of it. With this method, Flappers could preserve the form and color of the fabric and maintain its shining features. Various types of fabrics were used during that period. Some of those fabrics are enumerated as follows:

* Cotton: A growing industry at that time was the cotton mill and many clothes were made of durable cotton fabrics.

* Wool: It was used for producing fabrics in different ways.

* Silk: Silk was used in different parts of clothes such as collars and ties.

* Rayon: It was made of processed wood pulp. At first, it was known as artificial silk. In the early 1920s, rayon was so common that they were even used in producing underwear and ties.

* Linen: Linen is an old fabric that was first used by ancient Egyptians. It is a light fabric which does not become dirty soon. Linen was usually used for producing underwear and sportswear.

FABRIC COLORS IN THE 1920s

During this period, Flappers used solid colors. They used to wear mono-colored clothes. In the early 1920s, the Flappers used colors such as black, dark blue, bronze, and violet. Later on, they used green jade, dark pink (rose), sea blue, and light gray. The use of these colors made accessories, such as beads, sequins, ribbons, and embroideries look more beautiful.

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It is worth mentioning that patterns such as stripes, polka dots, check, and huge geometrical designs were used in that era. These designs were usually used in skirts, children’s clothes, or underwear garments. (Vintagedancer.com)

WOMEN’S MAKEUP

Cutting their hair short and doing masculine jobs were among the early initiations of women of this period to express their demands. However, many women were reluctant to act in this way, because their appearance would seem too masculine. In addition, they used to wear special makeup. They utilized special eyebrow pencils to turn their eyebrows dark, covered their eyes with kohl, and used silver shades to beautify their eyes. Another important feature of Flappers was the fact that they preferred red for their lipsticks. (Visforvintage.net)

CRITICISMS AGAINST FLAPPERS AND THEIR FALL

We should bear this important point in mind that parts of society did not approve of Flappers. Oppositions against Flappers were so strong that, in the late 1920s, many women expressed their dissatisfaction over the absolute unconditional liberties of this group and wanted them to be banned. For instance, swimming suits used by Flappers were deemed inappropriate by other people. These oppositions continued up to 1929. In November 1929, stock exchanges collapsed all of a sudden and as a result, American society experienced a harsh financial and economic crisis. People became widely depressed. As a result of this crisis, all dances, songs, and luxurious parties came to an end. Women were no longer capable of purchasing new and fashionable clothes and had to substitute their extravagances with economic thrift. (Allison Tolman, Rebels in the 1920s, 1917)

CONCLUSION

By reviewing the history of fashion, it can be realized that different styles are selected, designed, and produced due to numerous reasons. As it was pointed out, environmental factors, such as heat, cold, and sunlight, can play vital roles in selecting and promoting different kinds of fashion. Other factors, such as social status, personal thoughts and etc are also influential in this regard. Some special social conditions such as wars or revolutions affect the way that people dress. Furthermore, in some other social circumstances, people wear some clothes as a means of expressing their own social demands. The present article reviewed Flapper fashion as a case study in this regard. This fashion became prevalent in the US in the 1920s and left tremendous effects on American women. We can witness

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the influence of Flappers on many movies of this period. Flappers emerged during World War I. They were advocating of more liberties for women. Flappers were attempting for more comfortable clothes for women so that they can carry out their social responsibilities more easily. By adopting this new fashion, women found themselves in a new social condition as a result of which they became able to take part in many social activities such as driving automobiles, participating in dancing and parties, and enjoying many other social liberties. During this decade and beforethat, women were living in harsh social conditions. However, upon the introduction of this new fashion, which was more liberal, women changed their dress codes and wore dresses that were totally different from the Victorian era. This new fashion was faced with heavy criticism from conservative circles who considered it a break from the accepted norms of society.

Women insisted on their demands and continued to promote this new fashion. Nevertheless, Flapper fashion was unable to establish a cultural relationship with the society as a result of which its foundations were undermined. Meanwhile, the economic crisis and the collapse of the stock exchange market further increased the gap among social classes in American society. These developments created an extensive mental depression in the society. Financially speaking, people were no longer able to buy fashionable and luxurious clothes. After a while, these developments led to the decline of Flappers and they were substituted by more modern fashions. Despite the fact that some fashion designers are still inspired by Flappers, this fashion is now desolate and is no longer considered a lively and dynamic trend in the world or even in the United States.

In conclusion, it should be pointed out that despite the fact that Flapper fashion is desolated now and has lost its significance in the United States, its advocates and designers – who were trying to obtain further social liberties for women – achieved several favorable objectives which are still preserved in American society.