The silhouette
A straight, tubular dress with the waist dropped to the hips and a flattened bust under a bandeau. Hems rose gradually to near the knee around 1926–1927, then lengthened again at the end of the decade.
Previous episode: Belle Époque & Edwardian
Chanel
Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel used knitted jersey, previously used for underwear, for elegant womenswear. In 1926 American Vogue published her little black dress and called it "Chanel's Ford".
Vionnet and the bias cut
Madeleine Vionnet mastered cutting on the bias (45°), so fabric drapes and wraps the body without a corset. She tried her designs on a small wooden doll before cutting full size.
Sport enters fashion
Jean Patou dressed tennis champion Suzanne Lenglen in a short pleated skirt and sleeveless cardigan, bringing practical sportswear into everyday fashion.
Egypt and Art Deco
The discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 sparked a wave of Egyptian motifs in textiles and jewellery, and the 1925 Paris exhibition of decorative arts gave its name to the geometric Art Deco style.
Fabrics of the decade
Silk, chiffon and georgette embroidered with beads and sequins, crêpe and jersey. "Artificial silk", which took the name rayon in 1924, spread, especially for stockings.
Learn to cut on the bias like Vionnet
Understand grain and drape and use them in your patterns, in Anna Stella's Manchester classes.
Sources
- Valerie Mendes & Amy de la Haye, 20th Century Fashion, Thames & Hudson.
- Betty Kirke, Madeleine Vionnet, Chronicle Books.
- Vogue (US), 1 October 1926: "Chanel's Ford".
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Costume Institute: 1920s dress collection.