The 1920s and 1930s saw a revolution in women's dress styles. No more corsets, bustles, or restrictive stiff collars. Suddenly, it was alright to show the ankles, and even the knees. The flirty flapper-style dress became all the rage.
Flapper dresses feature long waists and short skirts with fringe or a handkerchief style hem. They are usually sleeveless and are often decorated with beaded embroidery. The neckline is generally scooped and somewhat low. Lightweight, sheer cottons such as lawn and batiste were popular for the original flapper dresses and these materials work great today as well.
White, cream, and black were popular dress colors. Sequins were often used, especially on black dresses. Other popular colors included red, peach, and blues.
These historic dresses are not difficult to make. Choose a simple pattern if you do not have much sewing experience. If you want a truly authentic dress, have a look at One Hour Dress -- 17 Easy-to-Sew Vintage Dress Designs From 1924 (Book 1), a book which was originally written in 1924 by Mary Brooks Picken, a famed fashion designer during the era.
This wonderful book shows you exactly how to make authentic dresses in 1920s style. Picken also wrote two other One Hour Dress books with styles from 1925. All three books are available on Amazon.
Alter an Existing Dress
If you don't want to take time to make a flapper dress from scratch, you easily make one from an existing dress. A fringe layered flapper dress can be made from a straight sleeveless or short-sleeved dress. Purchase enough long fringe to wrap around the dress several times.
Using 6 inch long fringe, you will probably need four or five layers. Begin at the bodice (top of the dress) over the bust. Sew a length of fringe evenly around the entire dress, front and back, at the bust, leaving any back openings free. Under the bottom of the first layer, sew the second layer in the same way. Continue until you have the desired number of layers.
Congratulations! You have made a flirty flapper costume which is great for Halloween and costume parties. It is sure to bring compliments and perhaps some fun Betty Boop references.
Accessories to Wear with Your Dress
Wear your flapper dress with a long string of pearls or other beads. If you have short hair it is easy to style it in a "bob". Look at pictures on the web for inspiration. Add a beaded headband around the forehead for an authentic accessory touch. If you don't have short hair, consider getting a "bob" style wig to wear with your dress. Or pin your hair into a low bun.
Feathers were also popular as flapper fashion accessories. They were worn in headbands and as feather boas. Feather boas are worn around the neck. They are great for twirling around in your hands on the dance floor.
Pumps with straps are the perfect footwear for your flapper outfit. A 1 to 2 inch heel was popular. Many dance pumps are ideal. Cloth pumps were often dyed to match the dress.
Add a purse to complete your outfit. Purses of the era were beaded or fringed and embroidered decorations were popular. Shoulder straps were beaded or made of chain. Inexpensive flapper-looking purses can often be found in thrift shops.
To be a perfect flapper, you'll also want to get the makeup right. Lips and eyes were emphasized. Red was the most popular lipstick color. Lipstick was used to emphasize the lower lip and make the upper lip indent like a heart-shape (Cupid's Bow).
Heavy black eyeliner and mascara were used and grey, blue, and green eye shadows were popular. Blush (which was called rouge) was generally red, although rose, raspberry and orange were also in vogue. Fingernails were painted red or pink, but the tips were left white and the moon-shaped cuticle was allowed to show.
Make your flapper dress in red and you'll have a great Betty Boop costume. (For those of you not familiar with her, Betty was a popular cartoon character in the 1930s. The quintessential care-free flapper girl, this character was in numerous flicks.) Any flapper dress pattern can be used as a Betty Boop costume pattern.
