The Great Gatsby Fashion

Everyone has heard of The Great Gatsby whether you have read the book, seen the original movie, or seen previews for the remake that premieres in May 2013. The Great Gatsby is written by F.Scott Fitzgerald and covers the Roaring Twenties in Long Island, New York. The 1920’s fashion has been a huge influence on current fashion trends. From shorter skirts to looser boyish silhouettes women and men have really grown to love the 1920’s style.

The 1920’s was a time of liberation and wealth with jazz dancing, fast cars, and sex.  The flapper fashion was all about being modern and stylish. The main identification of the 1920’s fashion for women was the short sleek hair like this one below:

 As you can tell, the hair was short and soft with curls rounding the face and with a deep part. Most women sported this hairdo as it was a declaration of women’s freedom.  Secondly, the hemline became much shorter on dresses and skirts. The hemline prior was closer to the ankles and in the wake of the Roaring Twenties, the hemline had risen to a little above the knee. Along with the shorter skirts came the masculine silhouettes. After the first world war, the woman had a bigger impact in family lifestyle as the woman had to step in as a father figure as the men were away at war. This stuck through the roaring twenties as female clothing became less fitted with the waist disappearing and the broadening of the shoulders.  This silhouette emphasized a flat chest with narrow hips. Below are a couple pictures of outfits women wore:

 One of the most famous designers made the 1920’s fashion such a big impact on future collections. This woman goes by the name of Coco Chanel. She promoted styles in neutral colors like beige, cream, and navy in fluid jersey fabrics with simple shapes that didn’t hug to the body. All women in the twenties praised her work for the clothes were comfortable, easy, and modern.

Men:

After the first world war, mean began to discard their suits with broad shoulders and go for a more athletic look with suits that were skinnier and had no padding. Men’s suit pants were given a complete 180 with creases in the front, cuffs at the bottom, and belts to accentuate the waist. Pastel colors were worn under the suits with silk ties. To top of the look bowler hats were usually worn on a day to day basis. Below are a couple pictures of men’s fashion in the 1920’s.

The Great Gatsby movie and remake:

The Great Gatsby was made into a movie in 1974 with Robert Redford as Gatsby, Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan, and Sam Waterston as Nick Carraway. According to Entertainment Weekly’s March 2000 issue the writers described the movies costumes as what “everyone was talking about…even before the movie released. Its old-money look was, from the white suits and impeccable tuxes worn by Robert Redford as Gatsby to the flapper dresses and beaded skullcaps worn by Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan. “"Women's Wear Daily adopted it as the look of the year,"” claims Bob Evans, a production executive at Paramount at the time. It became more fashion than film.” (Pener, Degen) The Great Gatsby really made the fashion industry go wild with bringing back the bowler hats, the front pleats for men, and the flapper dresses for woman. In May 2013, the remake of the Great Gatsby featuring Leonardo DIcaprio as Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway will screen. It is already being talked about in the fashion industry as some of those great styles being incorporated in designer’s collections. The costumes designed by Miuccia Prada who is the Italian designer behind Miu Miu and Prada and American designer Catherine Martin are already buzzing.  Here are a couple sneak peeks of the costumes below:

The Great Gatsby was a huge inspiration to designers for the past Spring/Summer 2012 Collections. Ralph Lauren recreated these looks with drop waists, floral dresses, and slip dresses. Marc Jacobs inspired his collection off the jazz age of the 1920’s with many cabaret looks. Gucci’s designs were also inspired by the jazz age with bold art deco motifs. And Marchesa’s collection consisted of many flapper fringe dresses. With bringing these great styles back to the 21^st century allowed the designers to put their own twist to the classic 1920’s look.(Sunny day in LA) Below are some pictures of the Spring/Summer 2012 collections inspired by The Great Gatsby:

I personally can’t wait to see the remake of The Great Gatsby just to watch the remarkable fashion. I already see many of the 1920’s in collections right now so men and women, better pull out your 1920’s inspired clothing! Until next time…

Xoxo,

Alexa

  

References:

"The Great Gatsby." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

Pener, Degen. "All That Jazz From Flapper Dresses to Swanky Suits, Mia Farrow and Robert Redford Turned '20s Fashions into '70s Chic with THE GREAT GATSBY." Academic Search Complete. EBSCO, Mar. 2000. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

 Sowry, Bibby. "Miuccia Prada Designs Costumes for The Great Gatsby." - Telegraph. Telegraph UK, 22 Aug. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

"A Sunny Day in L.A." A Sunny Day in LA. N.p., 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.