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| After World War I, the renewed enthusiasm for fashion ushered in significant changes. The American dance craze exploded, and along with it came a new social norm. The Dixieland Jazz movement swept the country and much of Europe. The "Charleston" was the rage as young dancers filled nightclubs. Women embraced new social freedoms and fashions, taking up drinking, smoking, bobbed hair and make-up. The short dresses of the late 1920s once again demonstrated the extreme swings of the fashion pendulum. Beginning in World War I, underwear continued to simplify with combinations and short chemises becoming very popular. Bust confiners and corsets, now more like girdles, were the foundation of the straight silhouette. Young women pushed post-war freedom to the limit, and quickly became known as "good-time girls" and "flappers" -- a term that originated from the way young women wore their boots -- unbuckled and flapping as they walked.
While America was swinging to the Jazz Age, Paris saw the rise of Coco Chanel (1883-1971). Orphaned at an early age, Coco was taught to sew by her aunts. She opened two Paris boutiques in 1914, and her minimalist but sophisticated garments enjoyed success beyond her death.
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L: Silk satin, lace, silk satin ruched ribbon; blue lapis and rhinestone ornament. c. 1920. Museum of the Rockies Collection.
C: Silk velvet with picot edge, chinchilla fur trim collar. c. 1925. Museum of the Rockies Collection.
R: Silk crepe, silk moire ribbon. c. 1927. Museum of the Rockies Collection.
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L:Cotton chemise and drawer combination with silk lingerie flower. c.1920. Museum of the Rockies Collection
C: Cotton waffle weave bandeau with cotton twill tape, elastic and side stays. c.1920. Courtesy of the Virginia City Collection of the Montana Heritage Commission.
R: Silk crepe envelope chemise or teddy. c.1925. Museum of the Rockies Collection.
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