What a Return of The Roaring ‘20s Would Mean For Fashion

Unprecedented, unnatural, unlike anything we’ve ever experienced—these are the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized over the past year of case spikes and quarantines. Though it may feel this way to many, contagions of COVID-level proportions realistically are nothing new to mankind. And neither are the after effects for fashion. Chronocentrism, a term coined by sociologist Jib Fowles in 1974 meaning “the belief that one’s own times are paramount, that other periods pale in comparison,” has understandably been made easy by the challenges of the past months on fashion houses everywhere. Still, amidst declarations of irreversible damage done—like The Guardian’s April announcement that the pandemic had “plunged the $2.5 trillion (£2tn) global fashion industry into crisis,” or The New York Times’ August proclamation of “Sweatpants Forever” in the face of a “collapsing” fashion industry—a stream of calmer retrospective based predictions has arisen. 

The tragedy of the 1918 Spanish Flu (accompanied by that of World War I) was followed at full tilt by a decade of social liberation, economic prosperity, and celebrated style we now refer to as the Golden Age or Roaring ‘20s. It is not disillusionment to see a similar golden light at the end of our current COVID-tinted tunnel. In fact, Social Epidemiologist and Yale University professor Dr. Nicholas Christakis, predicts this outcome in his recent book Apollo’s Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live. “During times of plague, historically people get more religious, they get more abstemious and risk averse, they stop spending their money, and they avoid social interactions,” said Dr. Christakis in an interview discussing his book with The Independent.

Indeed, Americans are doing their damndest to limit social and financial expenditures, and it’s no secret the fashion industry has taken a hit with all the frugality. In a “normal” COVID-less world, brands could carry on despite economic shifts, because at their core they provide a universally necessary product: clothing. A socially distanced society working from home, however, can elude this necessity. Not to imply that people are quarantining in their birthday suits (no judgement if you are, though), but when given the choice to literally suit up for the workday versus leave on our loungewear, obviously we're opting for the latter.

So, what were people wearing during that last decade of ‘20s? Many associate the “roaring” era with glitz and glamour, but it was actually most revolutionary for the development of progressive evening silhouettes for women. The global conflict and plague of the years prior had irreversible impacts on society at the time. Impacts that dress historian Jayne Shrimpton writes in Fashion in The 1920s, lead to “the development of a more convenient, modern female wardrobe [as] a major trend of the 1920s and was achieved through the progressive simplification of dress as the decade advanced—a rejection of formality and multiple layers, in favour of comfort and a lighter, more natural effect.”

Activewear’s rise in popularity also led to idolization of female athletes as style icons. French tennis player Suzanne Lenglen for example, could be credited with the widely worn short sleeve pleated tennis dress and matching bandeau becoming current. Designer Jean Patou even made Lenglen a custom dress and circlet to play in. The collaborative result was evident as women everywhere began donning the get up “to lunch at the fashionable restaurants; as a matter of fact they [were] often worn until the hour of cocktail,” wrote M.E. Brooke in a 1928 issue of The Tatler.

More casual clothing also made the “fashionable look” more accessible as materials like jersey and articifical silk made clothes more affordable. Those who typically lacked the necessary financial means to dress in vogue could compensate for the first time with personal style. Thus began what is now referred to as the “democratization of fashion,” allowing anyone to participate. Logomania, Hypebeast culture, and the resale-site obsessions of recent years have unfortunately had adverse effects on this attitude, making seemingly accessible clothes feel exclusive. Surprisingly, quarantined brands and fashion influencers may both salvage and progress the equalization of fashion. Young designers upcycling everything from vintage finds to unconventional household items into sellable products are inspiring high fashion houses to follow suit. Many established labels like Miu Miu, Maison Margiela, and Alexander McQueen upcycled quarantine collections from pieces of seasons’ past or sourced from exisiting stock and scrap fabrics.

Even among the rise of simpler styles in the 1920s, some women elected to wear layers and longer skirts. This was not necessarily a nod to conservatism, but more so for the sake of variety. Designers like Jeanne Lanvin, who chose not to reimagine her brand's DNA, defied fashion with her Robe de Style with its wide, floor-reaching silk skirts. Likewise today, designers such as Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, and more continue to present sweeping gowns even with no place for them to go. 

Still, what will this mean for fashion’s future? If the year 2020 taught us anything it’s to prepare for the unexpected (and the absolute worst), but in an effort to resist the temptations of chronocentric thinking, let’s have a look at the possible positives. The reopening of the world (and the club) will assuredly spark celebration for which we will all naturally want to look our best, so we will shop. We will shop to party. We will shop to work. We will shop to vacation. Fashion will not only survive, but much like last century it will thrive. Already, women tired of dressing down have elegant Jacquemus, Spotsmax, and Proenza anklet heels to look forward to. Over your loose-hanging loungewear? Skin tight Versce, bodiced Dolce & Gabbana, and flouncy Marni dresses paired with peek-a-boo bras are waiting. Ladies desperate to travel, there are literal safari-inspired strapless Kenzo dresses, Alaïa sets, and Patou trench coats prepped and ready for your first resort-bound take off (remember airplanes?).