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  • - hello?

  • - hi, how are you? - hi.. - i was thinking

  • if you could help me, cause i have this like..

  • 1920s..

  • uh..

  • themed party that i'm going to

  • and i have like literally no idea what to wear.. uh..

  • and because you're such an expert i was thinking you could maybe help me

  • - yeah, sure, yeah

  • - so basically i have this like.. um..

  • little black dress- - NOOOOO

  • - s.. sorry??

  • - yeah.. uh.. sorry, go on

  • - yeah, so i was saying i have this little black dress

  • that's like, um

  • it's kind of like strapless- - NOOOOOOOO

  • OOO

  • - ... are you ok?..

  • - no, uh, yeah, that was my.. my sister..

  • uh-h.. get out, i'm on my phone, stop it!..

  • yeah, go on, sorry

  • - so, it's strapless and it has like, um

  • like, fringe all over it-

  • - NOOOOOO

  • that.. that was my sister again!. um... - oh!

  • oh, ok, um..

  • and it's kind of..

  • it's kind of like a mini dress. it, like, it reaches

  • my, like, half of my thighs.

  • so, i was thinking i would wear that, and then i

  • also have like stilettos

  • yeah.. i'll probably just wear that. and then, i was thinking

  • in terms of like accessories, i was thinking, like

  • um, a string of pearls and maybe like

  • 'cause i don't really have a hat but.. but..

  • but i was thinking like, um.. you know, a piece of lace

  • on my forehead, and then like one single

  • like feather.. do you think that'll..

  • that'll work? would that be ok?

  • - ....... hello?....

  • Hi how are you ? I'm good

  • just.. answered my own question..

  • what is that? oh, oh, you like that? oh, thank you, that's my new

  • pin, that i've designed myself, i'm gonna show you

  • check this out

  • check. this. out

  • it's 18th century swag pin, that you can

  • get on Etsyyyyy 20 of those are

  • already sold, i'm gonna..

  • u know..

  • just go and get one. 'cause i designed them

  • back to the original topic of this sad video

  • 1920s! 1920s

  • is definetly one of the most stereotyped

  • decades i have ever.. witnessed..

  • i have not witnessed 1920's, what am i talking about..

  • and what's sad is because we all think

  • we know what 1920s was and how people dressed

  • and what they looked like, we

  • don't really feel like getting to know more about it

  • and it's so much more than what we think it is

  • i don't even know where to start, um.. i used to be

  • one of those people, i used to be like "1920s? ok,

  • short dresses, frills, headbands

  • feathers, black gloves

  • pearls, black dresses

  • heels.. is that alright?"

  • aand, it wasn't untill i got more

  • into fashion history, that i realized

  • it wasn't like that

  • in the first place, and also that it didn't happen right

  • after Belle Époque, 'cause i used to be like "ok,

  • so, they wore the long dresses, and then

  • it was like POP

  • short dresses!" as..

  • you know.. as i was more interested in fashion history

  • i discovered that nothing in fashion history

  • happens

  • at once

  • it's all gradual.. doesn't matter whether

  • that's.. crinolines to bustle dresses

  • or bustle dresses to Belle Époque

  • it's always gradual, it always takes years

  • for a single silhouette to kind of go through

  • so, when it comes to 1920s, it all happened

  • because of what happened before that, which is

  • you, know from 1908 actually, women's

  • silhouette and style of dressing

  • kind of started to become more simple, and people were kind of like

  • "wait, so we can make women's fashion

  • comfortable at the same time?" and because of

  • war

  • obviously, people started noticing that

  • women might actually need

  • dresses that they're able to move in

  • and, maybe it's not the best idea to have

  • you know, a 1 meter

  • diameter hat.. so 1920s

  • kind of the effect of that way of thinking, and also from

  • around like 1908, when Paul Perret

  • kind of started pursuing this new

  • way of thinking, which was "fashion

  • could be art", and they were kind of like "wait,

  • we could treat fashion as art and in that way we could be

  • more creative with our choices, and stuff"

  • and, i think, all this combined, made 1920s

  • i think, the way we see 1920s today

  • is the result of us not really understanding

  • previous fashions and not really understanding

  • how big of a change that was, 'cause

  • when we hear "in 1920s

  • the dresses were much shorter", we

  • as modern people, imagine "ok

  • so, they must've been really short, if that made such an impact"

  • and we don't really see, how big of a difference would

  • let's say, 10 cm make,

  • if it comes to showing your calves for the first time

  • and the same goes for using makeup

  • where we're like "ok, so if they were so shocked

  • by the 1920s makeup, then that must mean

  • that they used a shitload of makeup", and that's not true, because

  • you have to remember what was happening before, and before that

  • you had to use makeup in a way that no one

  • could ever tell you're wearing makeup, so

  • in that case, it comes to something as small as, let's say

  • accentuating your eyebrows for people to go like "CRAP

  • THAT'S SHOKING", and, i think, if we keep in mind

  • that specific mindset,

  • it's so much easier for us to understand what 1920s

  • really was, and what it was, well, let me tell you that

  • so, basically, "the short dresses".. the dresses

  • up untill the mid 1920s

  • were reaching to around..

  • mid-calf?.. my cat is.. probably

  • urinating.. can you

  • keep it down?

  • no, he did not listen to me..

  • um, and that was considered shokingly short

  • because before that, before the war

  • something as simple as showing your ankle was a huge thing,

  • and they were kind of like "WOW", and then, around 1925

  • the dresses started getting even shorter

  • and they, in 1927 they were, like, the shortest

  • shockingly short, which meant they barely covered the knees

  • but, if you're thinking about 1920s fashion

  • as the one, that kind of

  • LIBERATED the knees, then, boy, you are wrong, because

  • the knees were not shown in fashion untill..

  • 1960s, actually.. obviously, when it comes to

  • day dresses, when it comes to, idk, shorts or..

  • swimwear, it's a completely different story, but

  • when it comes to mainstream fashion,

  • day to day fashion, they were not shown in 1920's at all

  • and the reason we think they were is because

  • when the skirts barely covered the knee,

  • obviously, when you sat down with your legs crossed

  • or when you were stepping up..

  • idk, into a vehicle, or something

  • the knees would show, obviously, because the skirt would go up

  • a bit

  • but, if you were just standing, like

  • doing nothing, the knees would always have to be covered, and

  • obviously, when you look at photographs, and like

  • what people actually wore, the knees are sometimes shown

  • but i think that's because they often wore clothes

  • that they got from someone, or clothes that were not

  • exactly fitted for them, so

  • i think, that's why on some photographs

  • knees show

  • but it definitely wasn't common back then

  • but it is true that it was the shortest

  • that dresses have been in a long time, probably ever

  • in fashion history, so, that's why we keep

  • thinking they got to real extremes, whereas

  • actually, they only showed the calves

  • most of the time, and the reason we think that way is also because of

  • the way it's been depicted in

  • the movies afterwards, so whenever something was set

  • in 1920s, the costume designers would usually put

  • a huge

  • accent on the legs

  • but, because the modern audiences are kind of used to seeing calves

  • they would have to make the dresses really short

  • to make people see the legs the way

  • the 1920s people saw the legs, so do not trust

  • movies! and also if you see drawings from the era

  • depicting women's knees,

  • like, if you see drawings where you can see

  • women's knees, that's because the proportions are

  • all over the place, and if you see photographs

  • where someone is deliberately

  • showing their knees, probably an erotic photograph,

  • so you should be ashamed of yourself

  • so, that's about the length, when it comes

  • to the makeup,

  • it's the same thing again - it was shoking

  • for 1920s people

  • because before that

  • you wouldn't normally see people wearing

  • visible makeup

  • on the streets, but when it comes to us seeing

  • 1920s makeup

  • it's not that crazy, it's mostly about the blush

  • it's mostly about the plucked eyebrows, which

  • also is kind of the reason why

  • the visible makeup was more acceptable, because, obviously,

  • when you pluck your eyebrows and they're king of light

  • you wouldn't be able to really see them, so

  • in order to achieve the fashionable shape, you would

  • need to accentuate them in some way. you also might do your

  • eyelashes, darken them a bit, and some eyeshadow, but

  • it honestly wouldn't be too

  • dark, even for nighttime

  • makeup.. also the reason we tend to think

  • that 1920s makeup was like really really strong is because of

  • the silent cinema stars that had their special

  • film makeup on while being filmed, because

  • the film tape at that time was not

  • really sensetive to yellow or red, it kind of showed

  • both yellow and red as dark, and

  • it was not considered cool to have a dark face back then

  • so, you obviously want your face to be

  • as vibrant as possible, so people

  • would just paint their faces white, an then

  • to kind of accentuate eyes and lips, which are kind of

  • the most important pieces of acting, let's say

  • they would put dark eyeshadow

  • around their eyes and they would have some dark lips

  • just so they can have more expressive faces

  • so, that's what they did, and it didn't

  • mean that that was fashionable

  • they did not do that because of fashion, that was purely

  • because of tehnical issues they had. now to the accessories

  • the problem i have with excessive accessories

  • when people are trying to style themselves

  • "like 1920s", is because they mix

  • the wrong accessories, for example

  • i'm not a huge fan of wearing

  • long gloves for 1920s style dresses, because

  • a) that did not really happen that often

  • in evening situations..

  • maybe if you were at a really official thing with

  • the Queen, let's say, and someone, that's where

  • gloves were kind of expected to be worn

  • but for evening things.. i don't think

  • i've seen that many people wearing long gloves

  • like, the ones that reach kind of over your elbow..

  • i don't think i've seen that many women wearing those

  • in formal situations, or

  • like, balls and stuff, from 1920s, so.. now, shoes!

  • they were not high. they were not

  • high, they were not higher than they were before

  • the heel was pretty much the same

  • it almost looked the same, really

  • it was a really kind of like low heel that was kind of curved

  • in a specific way, which makes it really hard

  • nowadays to find heels like that

  • which is also

  • kind of why i get why when people

  • have 1920s parties, they just wear regular heels

  • cuz why would they look specifically for

  • heels like that, when they're really hard to find

  • so, yeah, i totally get it, but if you wanna go for something more historically

  • accurate, your heels shouldn't be that

  • high, and it probably shouldn't be really thin

  • cuz they got thinner in 1930s

  • but they were quite thick in 1920s. and also

  • t-bars were not really that huge of a thing

  • what i've seen is on most pictures is

  • like, a single strap across thefoot, and that's pretty much it

  • also, i think, a lot of people

  • think that 1920s were a decade of cloche hats

  • you know, the ones

  • that are

  • really tight over your head, and.. what was that?..

  • H eHE aD

  • and that's not true, i mean, obviously, it was a huuge thing, especially

  • later in the decade from, let's say,

  • 1926-27, you could probably only see

  • cloche hats on the streets, cuz i've seen group pictures

  • where every single woman is wearing a cloche hat, but before that

  • that means, that was for most of the decade

  • it was completely ok to wear either

  • a cloche hat or

  • a hat with a wider brim

  • and it was equally fashionable, especially early in the decade

  • it was just as fashionable to wear a small hat

  • as it was to wear a big wide brim hat, with that brim

  • going a bit downwards, and also

  • what changed in 1920s hats was

  • that they stopped showing the forehead, they were really really low

  • when it comes to the front of your head

  • you could almost have your eyebrows covered by your hat

  • so, that's something that has changed because before that

  • you would wear them sort of on top of your head

  • that's very specific for 1920s, so if you do have a hat

  • try wearing it really low in front

  • and that should give you this like special effect

  • another thing that is my pet peeve and you know about that

  • is hair. so, ok, basically, you had two options

  • you either could cut your hair and have them really short, or

  • if you didn't wanna do that, you could wear them in a really

  • low tight bun, or you could just twist them

  • at the back of your head. sometimes, if you wanted

  • to be fashionable but you didn't feel like cutting your hair

  • you would have the front of your hair cut

  • so you could style them in a fashionable way

  • and the back of your head wold still be a bun

  • so basically you would have your long hair

  • and the front would make you look fashionable

  • so, those were like literally the only two options you had

  • either have short hair or

  • have long hair and pretend they're short..

  • so, that's why i don't really get why would anyone think

  • that long waves were fashionable in 1920s

  • so, i dont really know where that comes from, but that would not happen

  • in 1920s at all.. and the last thing is corsets.

  • so, i've heard "IN 1920s

  • WOMEN STOPPED WEARING CORSETS" so many times

  • it's actually unbelievable, and it's not true

  • because.. yes, it is true that

  • they stopped wearing corsets as they knew them before

  • meaning, structures with boning and stuff

  • and front opening, and lacing, but, again, "they

  • stopped wearing corsets" in 1920s perspective

  • because what they wore they didn't think of as corsets

  • but nowadays, i think we can pretty much call them corsets

  • they were just.. they were kind of corsets without boning

  • they had some elastic panels on the sides

  • or the back to shape them differently, but

  • they were .. the thing they were supposed to do

  • was exactly what a corset would do, meaning

  • shape a body so it adjusts to the beauty ideal better

  • but this time, instead of

  • accentuating the waist, it was supposed to flatten the silhouette

  • make the boobs go, make the butt

  • kind of stay in place

  • and basically it gave it a different silhouette, but it was still a corset, so, that's something that

  • majority of the women had to wear still

  • especially if they were a bit more curvy

  • to get the right silhouette, because the silhouette was really

  • hard to achieve, because, the beauty ideal at the time

  • was to be flat and have no boobs whatsoever

  • but at the same time you couldn't be

  • really skinny, cuz that was not fashionable, you had to have some

  • meat and fat..

  • so, that's really hard to achieve, so, in order to achieve that

  • you had to flatten your chest, and that's what

  • most people did, either by using special bras or

  • or special shirts and stuff

  • and then the corset was..

  • was multifunctional, cuz at the same time

  • it served as a garter belt. so, it's not true that they

  • didn't wear corsets, they did,

  • to a certain extent, especially if you are not skinny and

  • if you did not naturally have that silhouette

  • of a flat boyish

  • woman.. so, a lot of people still did, and

  • the only difference is

  • you didn't have to and you would not be considered

  • gross and indecent

  • so, the way they perceived corsets

  • changed, but the way they saw the silhouette

  • was still pretty much the same, like, if you don't have the silhouette

  • you're not fashionable, so, if a woman had big boobs

  • and she didn't hide them in any way, she would be considered

  • unfashionable. so, here's another thing

  • i alleged forgot about, and that is

  • i wanted to mention how 1920s

  • clothes were really really loose in a sense that

  • if you have a dress that you think might work

  • as a 1920s dress but it's really

  • tight or it's a bit tighter around your waist

  • area, there is a fair chance that

  • it will not work as a 1920s

  • style dress, mainly because everything back then

  • was supposed to be really really loose up

  • untill late 1920s, let's say, 1929

  • so, if you see something that's a bit

  • tighter, it's not 1920s style

  • even though it might look better on you than having

  • some loose rugs. it's kind of strange, because back then it

  • was considered fashionable to look like

  • a potato bag then having something that actually fits you..

  • but clothes basically used to look

  • as if they're a bit too big, so if something's

  • a bit tighter

  • it probably will not work, if you're looking for

  • a historically accurate look

  • ok, so, right now i can't really remember anything else

  • i wanted to point out

  • i'll probably remember at list five things as soon as i stop recording

  • but.. these are all kind of like suggestions, i really

  • advise you to dig deep into

  • 1920s, because it's so much more than you think

  • there are so many trends that you could explore

  • and that might help you if you're looking for a 1920s

  • style outfit for a party or something

  • you might find it in unexpected places

  • you might, you know, find an indian robe that might actually work

  • you might have a shawl, that you can just wrap around your head

  • just have a look at photographs and

  • just find some inspiration, cuz it's a good

  • starting point. yeahhh where's my boy..

  • do you agree with me or not?

  • do you..

  • what?..

  • ouch!

  • such a little..

- hello?

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