The 1920s was the era of prohibition, bootleggers, gangsters, flappers, and all that jazz. The period followed the first World War, when the nation experienced sustained economic prosperity. As a result, decadence permeated throughout the decade. The kind of opulence and excess promoted, however, was unlike the overwrought motifs of years prior. Bold, geometric, and sparkly were preferred, thus ushering in the Art Deco style.
Women, by some measure, were also able to escape the confines of home life in the 1920s. They entered the workforce, forged careers, and used their incomes to dance at clubs and purchase garments that allowed them to move freely. Seeing this change in the status quo were the leading fashion designers of the day.
In their ateliers, couturiers like Coco Chanel, Paul Poiret, Jean Patou, and Jeanne Lanvin created looks that took elements from menswear, refining the silhouettes of frocks, while also adding much razzle-dazzle.
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