How Did The Cloche Hats Become Popular In The 1920s

Another new concept the flappers shocked the world with was short, bobbed hair. Long hair represented elegance and respect, but “flappers had no time for elaborate hairdos” (Fashion . . . through the Ages 1). Many of them would wear their hair in small waves called “marcels,” named after the man who invented them, Marcel Greateau. Sometimes they would pin the hair back with another new invention called a bobby pin, which is still in use today. The shorter hair added to the “boyish look” that the flappers wanted. They would also wear newsboy caps and bras that made their chests look smaller, because big chests were considered ladylike. The flappers liked to believe that they were the complete opposite of ladylike. The center of attention was the desired goal.

During the great California Gold Rush and before there was coal oil, kerosene or carbide there was only candlelight. This is a "Sticking Tommy" candlestick. It is iron, made by a blacksmith, and dates to around 1850. These were used during the early days of hard rock mining. The curved hook in the center was used to "stick" the Tommy onto one's hat. Before hard hats, miners wore soft hats. The Tommy could easily be stuck in the hat and then provide arm free lighting while the miner carried his tools and walked to the work site within the mine. Once the miner reached the site, he could then take out the Tommy. If one of the miners needed light in a specific area they could take the Tommy and jab it into a wooden support beam or crevice. The

Her dress was that of 18th century garments. The frilled cap was probably a Bavolette which “was a ribbon frill at the back of the bonnet. Its purpose was covering the neck, which was considered an erogenous zone in the mid-19th century” (History of Hats for Women). The Bavolette

Throughout American history and the 1900’s, fads have been a hugely successful form of self expression. From fashion, to recreation, to dumb and sometimes dangerous things that youths do, fads are a way to distract from the troubles of the world and find something else fun to do.

The 1920s was an age of drastic social and political changes. For the first time in history, more Americans started living in cities rather than on farms. Americans were wealthier than ever before. People from coast to coast bought similar goods, listened to the same music, did the same dances, and even used related slang. Numerous Americans were uncomfortable with this unfamiliar, urban, and occasionally racy “mass culture”. In fact, for a large number of people in the United States, the 1920s brought more conflict than celebration. However, for a minuscule handful of youth in the nation’s larger cities, the 1920s were roaring. Prohibition gave criminals a way to illegally make money; gangsters, young men who worked in criminal gangs, began selling on the black-market alcohol. Young woman emerged during the 1920s with different appearance, attitude, and behavior; with a bobbed haircut and short skirts.

One hairstyle, known simply as “the bob,” would be at the center of this great debate. First introduced during the Great War, the bob haircut would eventually cause a revolution in the way women would wear the bob forevermore. It all started in 1915 with the introduction of the Castle Bob, named after the acclaimed ballroom dancer Irene Castle. While cutting her hair for convenience, little would she know that she would forever be linked with triggering a revolution in 20th-century hair fashion. The Castle Bob would be the first indication of the rage of short hair. The bob haircut was simply a hair cut leveling with the bottom of the ears all around the head. It was worn either with bangs or with the hair brushed off the side of the forehead. It was a simple look but an oppressive departure from the long feminine looks created by Gibson and Marcel. http://www.hairarchives.com/private/1920s.htm

The Jazz culture inspired multiple dances, such as the Black Bottom and the ever-popular Charleston. These dances required lots of movement leading to a shift in women’s fashion. Women wore less undergarments, went without coresets, and designed dresses that allowed for more freedom of movement. In 1921, Coco Chanel introduced the “drop-waist” dress, which were worn with long strings of glass beads or pearls. By 1925 these dresses resembled the shifts that were worn under the dresses of the early 1900. Evening dress were made up of mesh material, sleeveless, low v-neckline or backless, and sometimes adorned with sequence. These new fashions were advertised in fashion magazines that made their appearance in the 20s, Vouge, The Queen, and the

Women’s fashion was a social controversy in the 1920’s. This controversy was influenced by women’s clothing, swimwear, hairstyles, makeup, and attitude alone. This attire and new found character traits added a certain attitude and confidence to these women, starting what would eventually be remembered as a revolution.

The "flapper girl" trend peaked in 1926, leaving materials such as silk, chiffons, georgettes, crepes, and voiles in high demand. Beads, sequins, and feathers also adorned the fashionable dresses. Coco Chanel, a role model for the flapper, provided many styles, including the popular single strand of pearls. Corsets were no longer popular, but instead the "sexless" figure was favored. Scarfs were often draped over the shoulders if one could not afford a dead fox neck piece. However, the one thing that distinguished the flapper from anyone else was the bobbed haircut. Although, efforts were made to revive long hair, the bob remained stylish.

Flappers were women of the new decade who were known to assert themselves in society and began to create their own identities. They started to drink and smoke in public, and talked about sex openly, all of which were highly frowned upon during this time. While smoking, a woman might wear a Turkish-inspired “smoking suit” along with a turban. They began cutting their hair shorter into bobs, which was often considered boyish. Fashion designer Coco Chanel and actress Louise Brooks helped to popularize this look. The style became the staple hairstyle of the flapper. Aspects of menswear were also inserted into women’s fashion, with looks such as tailored vests and pants, but were prohibited in some areas. This boyish look was often referred to as the “garconne” look.

It was a bright, crisp, mellow morning in April. I, being the untalented and unwilling hair stylist that I am, decided that getting dolled up wasn’t exactly going to slide into my schedule this morning. Instead, I declined the idea and rummaged around for another alternative that was probably buried under a pile of bobby pins and hair combs. Postliminary, I discovered the only item that would shelter my bedhead from onlookers - a fashionable headscarf. Naturally and skillfully, I wrapped my unkempt hair and headed to my National History Day practice that I was already pressed for time for. I’ve always been keen on the idea and look of headscarves, and I’ve always believed that headscarves were admirable and a unique accessory, and seeing that

In 1914 till 1918, the years of the war, factory work was being done by women in order to help produce for the war. This meant that caps were worn due to the factories being dirty and it provided the hair with some protection. The

The 1920’s fashion was a period of liberation, change, and even more importantly a movement towards the modern era. Fashion in the 1920’s varied throughout the decade but one could see the noticeable change from the previous fashion statements and eras. At the start of the decade, women began emancipating themselves from the constricting fashions by wearing more comfortable apparel. As women gained more rights and World War I forced them to become more independent, flappers came to be, mass-produced garments became available, and artistic movements increased in popularity, one can see how the fashions from the roaring twenties characterized the time and redefined womanhood. (1920s clothing 1)

Like clothing, the 1920‘s also took a great tole on women’s accessorization, the use of cosmetics, and tanning. Some popular accessories girls wore were long strand of pearls, bangles, dangling earrings and furs. The strands of pearls were normally looped a few time around the neck. Long straight fur coats without curves became very popular (Women’s Fashion Accessories). Women began getting their eyebrows thinned to emphasize a younger face. They started wearing make up around the eyes to make them look larger. Lipstick became popular to accent the upper lip and depth of the lower lip. Because women wanted to change their look with makeup, the makeup market started booming during this decade. Although you could buy makeup, few women still made their own makeup. They used soot for eyeshadow and petroleum jelly mixed with soot for mascara. Women began to wear heels, the most popular being the ankle-strap cuban heeled shoe. They wore brimmed hats, such as a cloche hat to finish their look. Later in decade, more headbands with feather were being worn instead of brimmed hats. This look coming from the

Around 1947, after the end of World War II that Christian Dior introduced “Kings” style. This style gave a sense of luxury to Americans and was very classy. The women began to wear formal dresses that had delicate necklines. The women were also introduced to stylish hats and distinctive hairstyles with curls. The men’s style didn’t see many changes expect that the war jackets were now distant, and they followed a narrow shoulder and hip pattern in everything they wore (“Brief History”).