The 1920s were an age of dramatic social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and this economic growth swept many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar “consumer society.” People from coast to coast bought the same goods, listened to the same music, did the same dances and even used the same slang. Many Americans were uncomfortable with this new, urban, sometimes racy “mass culture”; in fact, for many people in the United States, the 1920s brought more conflict than celebration. However, for a small handful of young people in the nation’s big cities, the 1920s were roaring indeed including the clothes!
The most familiar symbol of the roaring twenties is probably the flappers who are young woman with bobbed hair and short
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Being away from parents and in a fashion-forward subculture, college kids wore sportier clothing, such as knit dresses, knee length knit suits, knit sweaters, knit vests, knit socks, knits gloves. They were easy to wash. Cotton, linen, silk and rayon dresses, too, but knitwear was sportswear and sportswear was what every college kid was wearing. As for shoes, sporty two-tone Oxfords, straps, and pumps were in vogue, and flashy satin sandals were out. In winter, wearing a racoon coat was top fashion.
Traveling in the 1920s was a dirty affair. Cars were dusty, trains were hot and buses were so packed with people that people were bound to be a wrinkled mess by the time they arrived at their destination. For those reasons, 1920s traveling clothes, for both men and women, were simple suits, a sturdy overcoat, comfortable hat, leather gloves, leather purse, and low profile shoes Colors were drab grey, brown and blue that showed the least amount of dirt possible. Materials that wrinkled, like linen and cotton, were avoided, and instead knit, wool or sturdy cotton blends were