1920s vs 2020s: How has fashion and entertainment evolved?

The world of fashion is a strange but exciting phenomenon. Throughout the last 100 years so much has changed culturally and the advancements in technology have led to a range of different fashion trends, outfits, and inspiration for how people dress across the world.

When the 2010s ended, many of us thought we would be heading into our own version of the ‘Roaring Twenties’, an era in the 1900s that defined fashion in a period of economic prosperity that allowed money to be spent on better designs, nights out, and entertainment in general. However, the coronavirus pandemic and a cost of living crisis have meant the last few years have been challenging for lots of people, but that hasn’t stopped styles and trends changing in the world of fashion.

The emergence of social media is also a massive influence on what people wear. Stylists pay content creators big money to advertise their products and even in the last three of our years we have seen several trends rise, from this spring’s preppy aesthetic to Blokecore- which combines baggy clothing with retro sports shirts - with videos collecting millions of views across viral social platforms like Tiktok, Instagram Reels and Youtube Shorts.

But back to the question at hand. How has fashion and entertainment evolved throughout the last 100 years? Read on, as we take a look at some styles of clothing and other outfits to see how they have changed between the 1920s and the present day.

Logos and Brands

One big change in styles that is used now is how many items of clothing implement big brands or logos as part of their design. Previously, simplicity was key in the 1920s with a bigger focus on how the clothes were produced and if they fit properly, with logos on t-shirts not being introduced until the 1970s.

Nowadays, a logo can decide if a t-shirt or pair of jeans costs £10 or £100, with several designers producing iconic images that increase their value, while other designers understating and appreciating the elegance of minimalist designs, such as Thom Brown and Bottega Veneta.

Hats and Accessories

 Back in the 1920s, a hat was the defining feature of an outfit for both men and women. Social class was often demonstrated by a gentleman sporting a top hat or an old Victorian-style flat cap, and it was common courtesy to remove any headwear when greeting someone or when heading into a significant building. For women, flappers were the rebels of their time, and their outfits were all the rage as they sported massive hats and headbands.

Women were still allowed to visit clubs and bars, as well as casinos, where their accessories and jewels showed their status. Nowadays, those checking the best new slot sites to play online or at a land-based venue might not need a flat cap or flapper hat to show their style, but instead, there is a focus on sports equipment, with baseball caps sporting logos as well as a good way to cover shorter hair.

Hairstyles

Speaking of hair, the 2020s is perhaps the generation with the widest range of styles, as well as the introduction of hair dye, which opened up the possibility of multi-coloured hair - something that would have been unthinkable 100 years ago. Men often keep their hair simple, fading the length of their hair between short and long in Europe, while Asia and Australia tend to keep their hair long, while in the 1920s men would all adopt similar styles, with many donning a slicked back approach accompanied by a clean shave or moustache.

As for women, “The Bob” was a revolutionary haircut in that era. It was known as the “shingle”—a bob covering the ears, but it was cut shorter to resemble a v-shape at the back of the neck. Famous actresses such as Louise Brookes, Clara Bow, Colleen Moore, and Marion Davies all inspired the haircut, perhaps some of the earliest examples of influencers that we have in the modern day.

To summarise, while the world has transformed dramatically, remnants of the 1920s persist in our current fashion landscape, with modern fashion always calling back to the retro style or charm every few years. Social media will continue to dominate what is trending and you only have to look at the recent fashion weeks in Paris and London to see that inspiration has been taken from every generation including the 1920s, which moved into an era of jazz, rebellion, revolutionary fashion, and iconic trends.

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