Flappler Style: 1920s Fashion

Edward E. and Jane B. Ford Gallery
December 3, 2016 through January 22, 2017

The flapper is widely seen as the epitome of 1920s glamor and decadence. The term refers to the generation of young women who came to age just as World War I ended and shocked the older generation with their short hair and short skirts, their drinking, smoking, and swearing. Flappers faced a world strikingly different from the one their mothers knew and their clothing reflected this dramatic break with the past.

The "Roaring Twenties" were renowned for their exuberant parties and jazz music, which were reflected in the glittering fringe fashion that women wore. However, this exhibition looks beyond the quintessential beaded dress to explore the range of influences on fashion from sportswear to artistic movements such as Bauhaus and Art Deco. Standards of beauty in the 1920s shifted to celebrate youth with a fashionable silhouette that was slim and boyish. 

The exhibition includes more than forty pieces including undergarmets, evening wraps, sportswear, menswear and footwear from Kent State University Art Museum, which contains one of the country's most important couture collections.