• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Shopping
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • Motherhood
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • The Cut Shop
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
ways of seeing
January 4, 2013

Inspiring Images: The Bright, Young, Roaring Twenties

By Veronica Misako Gledhill

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
Photo: Garreau Designs/Corbis

We only wish we could have experienced the thrash of fringe on the dance floor and the new freedom women found in flapper fashion that mainstreamed in the roaring twenties. It was the first time that fashion actually allowed for women to really move, the better to throw it down at the jazz club, knocking knees doing the Charleston or foxtrottting to glitzy Cole Porter tunes. It was also a period of extreme decadence between World Wars, one documented by Cecil Beaton, satirized by Evelyn Waugh, and portrayed by Hollywood’s gauzy celluloid film. As the third season of Downton Abbey (premiering this Sunday) leads into this era, and as we prepare for Baz Luhrmann’s treatment of The Great Gatsby later this spring, we’ve indulged our senses by collecting all that is art deco, fringed, or slinky, for you to kick off your weekend early. One thing’s for sure, there’s nothing innocent about these images.

Related Stories

Beautiful Things in Emerald, the Color for Now

Related Stories

Winter White Inspiration Gallery

Related Stories

Lose Yourself in These Images of Pretty Celestial Happenings

Related

Midnight Magic: Visual Candy for New Year’s Eve
View
1 / 17 Photos
A woman wearing a chain necklace attached to bracelets. Photo: Elisa Lazo de Valdez/Corbis
Portugese actress Maria de Medeiros and Uma Thurman on the set of the film Henry & June, directed by Philip Kaufman. Photo: Etienne George/Sygma/... Portugese actress Maria de Medeiros and Uma Thurman on the set of the film Henry & June, directed by Philip Kaufman. Photo: Etienne George/Sygma/Corbis
Couturier Jacques Fath takes the party out on his lawn, accompanied with Gene Tierney, dressed as a flapper. Photo: Bettmann/Corbis
Bee Jackson, the World Champion of the 1920s dance craze the Charleston. Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis
Louise Brooks. Photo: Bettmann/Corbis
An artistic rendering of a flapper girl. Photo: Garreau Designs/Corbis
An old advertisement featuring a woman with soap flakes. Photo: Blue Lantern Studio/Corbis
Dancing at a cabaret. Photo: Julio Donoso/Sygma/Corbis
Model Claudia Dell poses semi-nude in nothing but feathers and fringed silk. Photo: Corbis
Art Deco cultured pearl and diamond platinum set clip brooch by Chaumet. Photo: Christie’s Images/Corbis
Germaine, a twenties model, wears a turban and pearl necklace. Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis
Backstage at Christian Dior's fall 2009 runway show. Photo: Delphine Achard/Corbis
Josephine Baker once graced the Moulin Rouge stage with her famous banana dance, which is still performed by solo dancers today. Photo: Julio Donoso/... Josephine Baker once graced the Moulin Rouge stage with her famous banana dance, which is still performed by solo dancers today. Photo: Julio Donoso/Sygma/Corbis
A photographic montage of the Charleston. Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis
A woman wearing a fringed dress. Photo: Elisa Lazo de Valdez/Corbis
Actress Nancy Carroll reclines fashionably in silk fringe. Photo: John Springer Collection//Corbis
The top of the Chrysler building, during a foggy night in New York City. Photo: RAMIN TALAIE/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
1 / 17

Tags:

  • inspiration
  • ways of seeing
  • the great gatsby
  • downton abbey
  • mood board
  • flappers
  • More

More Galleries

parties! May 20, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Harry Styles > everyone! 
parties! May 13, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Bury me in Dove Cameron’s Saint Sintra skirt. 
parties! May 6, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Cue the Met Gala after-party FOMO. 
met gala 2022 May 2, 2022
Met Gala 2022: All the Looks [Photos]  Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Yeoh, Hailey Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Blake Lively, and more. 
parties! Apr. 29, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  This one goes to Olivia Rodrigo and her sweater vest. 
parties! Apr. 22, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  “Fuck those Zoom tops.” 
celebrity style Apr. 18, 2022
The Best Looks From Coachella 2022  From Harry Styles’s sparkling Gucci set to Megan Thee Stallion’s metallic bodysuit. 
style Apr. 13, 2022
A Look Inside the New Museum’s Spring Gala  Featuring all the best looks. 
grammys 2022 Apr. 3, 2022
Grammy Awards 2022 Red Carpet: All the Looks  Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Lenny Kravitz, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and more. 
oscars 2022 Mar. 28, 2022
How Were The Oscars After Party Looks Better Than The Actual Award Looks?  Finally, some fun. 
oscars 2022 Mar. 27, 2022
All the Looks From the 2022 Oscars Red Carpet  Zendaya, Regina Hall, Timothée Chalamet, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Ariana DeBose, and more. 
style Mar. 22, 2022
Bridgerton Season 2 Premiere: All the Red-Carpet Looks 
style Mar. 13, 2022
BAFTAs 2022: All the Red-Carpet Looks  Florence Pugh, Daniel Kaluuya, Emma Watson, and more! 
celebrity fashion Mar. 6, 2022
Spirit Awards 2022: All the Red-Carpet Looks  Julia Fox, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, and more! 
Mar. 1, 2022
All of Rihanna’s Maternity Looks  From belly-baring looks to sexy leather dresses. 
Feb. 27, 2022
SAG Awards 2022: All the Red-Carpet Looks  Selena Gomez, Ariana Debose, Daveed Diggs, and more! 
paris couture week 2022 Jan. 27, 2022
Glenn Martens Wows As Guest Couturier for Gaultier Haute Couture It is a sight to behold.
By Vivian Chuang
Dec. 9, 2021
All the Looks From the And Just Like That … Red Carpet  Sarah Jessica Parker, Billy Eichner, Sara Ramirez, and more. 
style Nov. 29, 2021
Gotham Awards 2021: All the Red-Carpet Looks  Tessa Thompson! Kristen Stewart! And more. 
red carpet Nov. 29, 2021
All the Best Looks From The British Fashion Awards Dua Lipa, Demi Moore, Kehlani and more looks.
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Help
  • We’re Hiring
  • Press
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Accessibility
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2022 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.