When we think 1920s fashion, our minds tend to skew towards flappers, bobbed hair and drop-waist silhouettes. Glamorous? Yes. Perceived as outdated in the 21st Century? Maybe so. Here at RUSSH, we beg to differ. In today's fashion vortex, everything has a second life under the sun. The world of Gatsby-fused couture is so much more recyclable than we could originally anticipate.
The 1920s was a time of equal opulence and post-war recovery. Resulting from this was a produced effect of downplayed elegance and relaxed cuts in the modern wardrobe of every woman. This movement, characterised as the "la garconne" look was popularised by the likes of Coco Chanel and Jeanne Lanvin. The free-flowing, tubular attire represented key cultural changes: attitudes towards dress moved to become less restrictive and more fluid over time.
From the full-skirted panniers of Simone Rocha's Couture Spring 2024 show for Jean Paul Gaultier to pairing silk with blouses in the CHANEL Fall-Winter 2024/25 Ready-to-Wear collection, the atelier world has forecast the return of the 20s in full swing.
For a casual, gracely descent into fall, these stylistic hallmarks of the 1920s remain heavy-hitters in our closets. Underneath, we've rounded up the best iterations of 20s style that are still resonant today.
Micro Bangs
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The 20s are back with a bang. Hair, long heralded as a symbol of femininity finally turned the trend of the Victorian past on its head. One current iteration of the short hair movement is the micro bang. Worn by unparalleled icons like Anna May Wong and Zendaya, the shorn cut is a daring staple of the flapper era that we will be exporting well into the calendar year.
Culottes
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Quintessentially french and quintessentially 20s, there's a reason why CHANEL has cemented itself as a style stalwart of the decade. And there's nothing more french than the pleated, three-quarter name-sake that revolutionised women of the heyday to make the switch from frocks to trousers. Hitting just above the kneecap, the culotte is (and will always be) understatedly chic.
Menswear
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While feminine silhouettes started to billow, menswear became less restrictive. The simplicity of the 20s veered away from formal, three-piece suits, but waist-coat free suits were still very much in circulation -- with drop-down blazers and trousers patterned in tweed and flannel. Recent nods to this can be found in NYFW 2024 within Helmut Lang's showing, where a smattering of high-collar lapels made waves on the runway.
Pencil brows
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Bleached brows are officially on the way out. What's in is the whisker-thin, pencilled brow of every self-respecting flapper, often shaded in dark gradients of brown and black. The thin brow that ruled the period between the 20s and the 30s was reanimated in Pat McGrath's iconic make-up medley for the Maison Margiela Spring Summer 24 showing.
