Roots of Men’s Fasion: The 1920’s

With World War I coming to a halt, the “Roaring Twenties” was a time of uplifting cultural happenings. The nation became obsessed with the automobile and consequently, “touring” or vacationing as we know it exploded across the nation. With more disposable income than any time in history, America began to focus its popular culture on luxury and elegance. This fact becomes quite apparent when looking at men’s fashion of the era. To maintain a gentlemanly mystique, men were expected to change outfits several times throughout the day, with evening wear being the most formal and dressy. Sacque suits, which had been popular since the mid-1800’s, were permissible for casual wear throughout the day. Casual suits came in light colors such as putty and gray and were typically accented by a black bowler hat. Evening time meant nothing less than a tail coat, starch white shirts with pleated yokes, and a top hat. Bow ties and shirts with white wing collars were also acceptable; however, the tuxedo had not yet become staple evening attire and was frowned upon. To complete the picture, the perfect 20’s ensemble demanded black patent leather shoes for evening wear and two-tone shoes in white or tan for casual dress.

In the mid-1920’s, casual dress became more acceptable with the rise in popularity of “Oxford Bags” or baggy pants. Knickerbockers, or pants cropped below the knee, were already in style, but baggy dress pants had not been accepted until this time. The Ivy League or Oxford style, adopted from the UK, made a huge impact on American fashion and would remain a mainstay for nearly 3 years. With this new turn in fashion taste, flannel and tweed came on the scene. These casual fabrics came in a wide variety of colors and patterns and were very comfortable, yet still portrayed a subtle formality. Flannel was derived from the Welsh term “gwalnen” which means woolen cloth and was most popular in shades of gray. Tweed came from the highlands of Scotland and was named for the Tweed River and eventually became the generic name for all hand spun or woven fabric from that region.

In the 1920’s Paris was the world leader in women’s fashion; however, London became the unofficial authority on men’s fashion. Rebellious students at Oxford and Cambridge had the courage to develop their own style and their own interpretation of what was acceptable attire. Instead of changing clothing several times throughout the day, with the final ensemble being the most formal and stiff, these students remained in casual tweed and flannel through evening hours.

A lesson to be learned from this era is that fashion is not a set of rules formed by society. Fashion is the freedom to express yourself as you wish and to allow your clothing to speak for who you are and what you represent. If we continue to break rules and leap over ancient fashion “laws”, fashion and style will continue to progress. 1920’s Oxford students may not have thought of themselves as revolutionaries, but to successive fashion designers and trend seekers, that is exactly what they had become.