Dimples and beauty: Decades of Beauty // 1920's

First off sorry for the picture heavy post! But with this kind of post that I'm doing, a picture speaks a thousand words! Secondly I decided to do a series of post called "Decades of Beauty" where I talk about what the fashion was in those days and how make up was worn and just what it was like. I always say that I was born in the wrong era - I like the 40's, 50's and 60's
- so I thought would be a perfect opportunity to research all the most talked about era's. I chose the 1920's to be first because I've always been intrigued by the 1920's although I'm not quite sure why it intrigues me so much. To get an idea of the 1920's think about prohibition (the roaring twenties), The Great Gatsby, silent movies, stockings and lose glizty dresses, flappers, Charlie Chaplin and the old Hollywood. Think about late nights out at grand parties with illegal alcohol and women smoking with long cigarette holders. Think about the movie Chicago with Renee' Zellweger and Catherine Zeta Jones. Think of Clara Bow (the last picture) and Louise Brooks and that'll give you an idea of the classic 1920's beauty.

The 1920's hair was a bob cut that was either straight with an arch curling around your face or with tight finger waves and a bow around the forehead and tied to the back of the head. The makeup was kohl lined eyes and dark lips. The makeup industry was relatively new in this era and was now being bought on a regular basis. Red lipstick was the only colour available and they used red lipstick to highlight the cupids bow. Mascara wasn't in a tube and wand form but it was a cake of wax that had to be melted to form a paste and then brushed onto the eyelashes. The 1920's fashion was more about the feminine grace without any curves and a flat chest was the objective. The 1920's fashion style was well known as the Flapper Look. The dresses wern worn just below the knee and they were usually lacy or had some sort of overlay. The shoes were focused on a small but thick heel with a bar strap so that when you danced your shoes wouldn't fall off.

The most famous book, The Great Gatsby, gives the greatest image of The Roaring Twenties. It also highlights how bored people were with their lives during this era and that there were two types of people - the high society people and the low society people. High society people threw over extravagent parties to show how much money they were worth. All the people did was party and party some more. Also famously known to this era were the silent movies which were literally silent. Think about mimes and that's how the movie would be.

Personally I wouldn't mind living in this era but it wouldn't be my first choice, although I would never be able to sit through a silent movie I think this era had a lot to offer entertainment wise and what with movies and electricity being still relatively new and exciting you have to admit they must have had some fun.