1920s Fashion: Coco Chanel, Louise Brooks And Flappers

Posted: 10/05/12 | Updated: 03/09/12

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Follow: 1920s, CoCo Chanel, Louise Brooks, Chanel, Flappers

1920s style marked a change in women's fashions from the more restrictive silhouettes of the past in favour of more comfortable daily attire.

One of the key influences was Louise Brooks' flapper figure, including bobbed hair, short low-waist dresses with pleats and gathers (all the better to Charleston in) and plenty of embellishment like beading and fringing. The look was inspired by the geometric forms of the Art Deco movement.

Key pioneers of 1920s style included Jean Patou and Coco Chanel. The latter is credited with being one of the first women to embrace the more masculine aesthetic of the period; she rejected the rigid corsetry of the past and introduced clothes that celebrated the era's interest in boyish figures, like the little black dress and Chanel's signature cardigan jacket.

Men's fashions in the 1920s included short suit jackets, cuffed trousers or wide-leg "Oxford Bags"-style trousers, waistcoats and sport-influenced attire like jumpers and knickerbockers.

The spring 2012 catwalks saw a huge resurgence in 1920s style and Great Gatsby-inspired, Jazz-Age fashion, especially from brands like Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Etro.

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Norman Hartnell, circa 1920s
Model wears a feathered Norman Hartnell evening gown.
Summer dress, circa 1920s
A woman wearing a white pleated drop-waist summer dress, carrying a parasol, in Deauville, France.
Knitted suit, circa 1920s
A Parisian hand-knitted suit of rust coloured silk, which emphasises the hips and detracts from the waist of the wearer. The outfit is completed by a small purse and a silk hat tied with a large cravat at the side.
High heels, 1920
A pair of black patent high heeled shoes, with white straps and heels.
Fashion Parade, 1920
A model wearing a floor-length evening dress at the 'Lucille' fashion parade at Hyde Park Hotel, London.
Dress, 1921
A model wearing a dress with embroidery edging and motif.
Louise Brooks, circa 1921
Her bobbed hair, short skirts and low-waist dresses with pleats and gathers inspired the flapper look of the Roaring Twenties.
Coco Chanel, 1923
Designs by Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel epitomised 1920s fashion, with her tailored suits and caridigan jackets.
Summer dresses, 1923
Summer dresses with drop waists and pleated skirts, one has long sleeves fitted to the wrist. They are wearing Panam type hats and one-bar shoes.
Fashion sitting, 1924
A model wearing a Norman Hartnell evening dress.
Dress, 1925
A short, shift style dress embroidered with white pearls across the hips and down the back.
Twenties glamour, 1925
Models outside the fashion exhibition at Holland Park in London wearing comtemporary dropped waist dresses.
Tea gown, 1925
An embroidered blue tea gown (Gerard Laprerie) with old rose decoupage work on the skirt and velour ribbons of the same colour. Designed by Madeleine Fontenay.
Cute and coy, 1926
American actress Dorothy Gulliver posing in a negligee outfit with slip and wrap.
Jewelled dress, 1927
The back view of a fashion model wearing a jewelled dress.
Royal Ascot, 1928
Outfits to be seen in for the racing season, exhibited by Louonda.
Jewellery, 1929
Women wearing v-back dresses, with long necklaces hanging down their backs.
White dress and cap, 1929
A woman wearing 1920s fashions, a long white dress and matching cap.
Swarovski Fashion Rocks, 2007
Model Kate Moss arrives at the Swarovski Fashion Rocks concert wearing a light green dress.
MET Costume Institute Benefit Gala presents 'Poiret: King Of Fashion', 2007
Actress Kate Bosworth attends wearing red lips and her hair in a 1920s finger wave style.
Cinema Against AIDS, 2008
Actress Diane Kruger arrives wearing a grey 1920s style embellished dress.
The Art of Elysium, 2008
Actress Kim Raver attends the <em>Hollywood Domino</em> game launch benefiting The Art of Elysium wearing a metallic fringed dress.
'Grey Gardens' premiere, 2009
Actress Drew Barrymore attends wearing a pink gown and white fur.
Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award party, 2010
Model Lydia Hearst wears a 1920s flapper-style dress.
Art of Elysium 'Heaven' Gala, 2011
Actress Jaime Winstone arrives wearing finger wave curls in her hair.
Monte Carlo TV Festival, 2011
Emilia Clarke arrives wearing a white dress with white ruffled feathers at the bottom.
Lowe Vintage Southback festival, 2011
Pearl Lowe, Daisy Lowe and Betty Lowe during their 1920's inspired fashion collection.
Ralph Lauren, S/S 2011
Fashion from the spring 2012 Ralph Lauren Collection was inspired by the 1920s Jazz Age with the dropped-waist dresses, long necklaces and free spirit that went with it.
LACMA's Art + Film Gala, 2011
Actress Evan Rachel Wood wears her hair in a finger wave style.
The Weinstein Company's Golden Globe Awards After Party, 2012
Actress Malin Akerman arrives wearing a cream and lavender dress with a dropped waist.
Marc Jacobs, S/S 2012
1920s-inspired fashion from the Marc Jacobs Spring 2012 collection.