How to recreate a 1920's look - How to Be a Flapper Girl

"A well dressed woman, even though her purse is painfully empty, can conquer the world." ~  Louise Brooks

1920s Flappers: The flapper look is seen frequently during the show in the women’s costumes. This look that we associate with the 1920s, was about achieving a boyish shape.

What's going on?
With the twenties came an outburst of optimism for the war was over, the factories were full and the stock market was climbing.  People had money and they wanted to have fun, fun, fun.  It was the era of the flapper, bathtub gin, organized crime, the model T, talking movies and the Charleston.  It was a time of change and rebirth.  A time to celebrate.

When I think of the twenties I immediately think of the “flapper” which is totally out of whack because flappers didn’t come into being until 1926. Must be Hollywood messing with my head again.  The fact is, dresses and coats were calf length throughout the entire decade.  Short skirts that revealed the knee were only worn during the official “Flapper Period” between 1926 to 1928. The Flapper liked to shake things up and seemed to have fun doing it.  She wore short sleek hair, a short shapeless dress with a flat chest.  She wore makeup, smoked with a long cigarette holder and danced the nights away.

Flapper styles were different or odd for that time.  How to Be a Flapper Girl, here are some steps:

1. Know what a Flapper girl is. The dictionary defines a flapper as - "A young woman, especially one in the 1920s, who showed disdain for conventional dress and behavior." That is, conventional in the 1920s. The style came around after the first world war, and women were tired of trying to conform to society's idea of normal - women were gaining more independence (e.g. being given the right to vote), and the face of America was changing! Flappers were most commonly known for their dancing, drinking, smoking, wearing a lot of makeup, and a love of films.

My 1920's extreme Flapper Make-up & Costume

2. Research some famous Flappers. What better way to learn than by example? Here are some women you may want to look up -

• Anita Loos (Author of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)
• Clara Bow (Actress in film It)
• Louise Brooks (Actress in film Pandora's Box)
• Josephine Baker (Performer in the Folies Bergere)
• Helen Kane (Singer of I Want To Be Loved By You)
• Zelda Fitzgerald (Socialite, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald)

3. Dress like a Flapper. So, you know how to act, how to talk... but how do you dress? Well, Flapper's had a very distinctive dress sense - it was like nothing else around in the 1920s. Go out to your local clothes shops, boutiques, thrift stores and vintage stores, or click on eBay or a specialist vintage retailer, and try to find these items.
Behold the shoe of the 20s! This shoe, and versions of it, were ubiquitous through the 20s and remained popular in the 30s as well. Look through the photographs of the time and you will see this shoe in huge variety with “Mary Jane” or t-straps.

Not all women wore the short skirts or flippant styles of the flappers.

T-straps were popular

4. Get some Flapper Glamour: Make-up. You could easily be regarded as a Flapper now! Your wardrobe is the bee's knees, but what about your makeup? Well, don't worry about it, we'll sort that out next. You might be surprised to hear that many brands popular in the 1920s are available today - Avon, Max Factor Elizabeth Arden were all popular among flappers. 

• Cover your face and your lips with a thin layer of foundation that matches your skin tone (your lip colour should be the same as your skin colour, now), and top it off with some powder on your t-zone. Apply blusher at your own discretion - if you do choose to, keep it up at your cheekbones.
• Pluck your eyebrows. Flappers were known for having tiny eyebrows. They should be very thin, and either straight or slightly turned down. Highlight your lovely brows by going through them with a dark brown eyebrow pencil.
• Flapper's wished to achieve the large, doe-eyed look. Wear smudgy, smokey eye-makeup. Finish with some dark mascara and false eyelashes, to really make a statement.
• This is possibly the most important part of the Flapper look - the lips! You'll want to have cupid-bow lips. Before you begin, make sure your lips are properly coated in foundation. There are two ways to create this look. The first is to take a red lip liner and draw two dramatic peaks on your top lip - don't fill these peaks in, however, nor the rest of your lips. Or, if your prefer, you could take a jar of lipstick, dip your thumb in, and rub it twice over each of your peaks (a lot of girls did this.) This is where your pouting practice will become useful - you'll look very silly with a big grin and cupid bow lips! 

5.  Get Flapper hair. Your flapper look will not be complete with out Flapper hair. A Flapper's hair was extremely important. Ridiculously important. Flapper's wore their hair in bobs. If you have straight hair, or hair straighteners, have a sleek and smooth bob. If you have curly hair, have a wild and unruly one! The choice of having a fringe, or "bangs", is completely up to you. Some people find comfort hiding behind long hair. Well, that has to change. Be loud and proud! NOBODY doesn't suit short hair - there are many different styles of bob to suit different face shapes. Ask a professional hairstylist about what will suit you best. You could also try "finger rolls" in your short hair. Flappers held hair out of their eyes while dancing with headbands decorated with embroidery, beads, or a feather.

6.  Wow. You now have the knowledge, the personality, the hobbies, the lingo, the looks and the dress sense of a true Flapper girl! Have fun with it, and remember to stay true to yourself!

The Jazz Age one which will never be forgotten

With love,

Idda van Munster