Costume and Fashion

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)

The Tubular Twenties from The Delineator in 1923

The Delineator magazine offered up paper patterns including these which are part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s Fashion Plates Collection. I am always impressed at the complexity of garments offered up to the home dressmaker, although professional dressmakers would have used them too when they liked them.

These are typical of the early 1920s. The skirts are still long, just a big above the ankle. That would change by the mid-1920s when they soared upward, even above the knee, only to drop in 1928 when Jean Patou showed longer skirts again and short skirts suddenly went out of style. The other typical 1920s trend is the tubular look which ignored the waist entirely and instead dropped belts to the hips.  Which must have looked quite flirty when a woman walked, as every step would send the belt and its bow or tassels swinging. Tunics over long skirts became popular. Notice how even the simplest of dresses would have tiers or belting or embroidery and the home dressmaker bought the pattern for the embroidery to do herself. “The red, beige, black and blue ensembles all feature hand embroidery patterns. Such a lot of needle skill was expected. You can see why wardrobes would have been smaller than today, but each dress or coat carefully chosen for long wear and style persistence.

Dressmaker hats were offered too, see the turban at top, which remind me of something from Paul Poiret, as well as the more typical daytime crushed hat on the woman in black. I take so much satisfaction from making simple dressmaker hats, I can imagine women did so too in the 1920s.

Tancrède Synave (French, 1870-1936) • Au coin de café-le soir ( At the Corner of Café-le soi) • Unknown date

Chapeau de Marthe Collot (milenary advertisement) • 1920s