Art Deco In The 20's

The Art Deco Movement could (and still can) be seen in everything in the twenties, from art to textiles and architecture.

These images of the famous Chrysler building in New York represent Art Deco well, as they show all of the typical characteristics of 1920's architecture such as:   symmetry, repeated patterns, ziggurats, curves ( unlike those from art nouveau).

These characteristics can also be seen in other aspects of the movement, often accompanied by geometric shapes in textiles and art.

This VOGUE cover shows the typical style used when creating artwork or posters. From this we can see how certain parts of the figure were exaggerated such as the length of the neck, this was very popular and was used in paintings and fashion illustrations as well as posters.

Geometric shapes have been used mainly in the background of this image causing the more elegant shapes on the garment to be accentuated.

The Shift Dress

The sixties was the catalyst for life as we know it today. Each aspect of the sixties is a piece of a hypothetical jigsaw that all fits together to form our modern way of life. Even something as small as the shift dress helped change our lives for the better.

 This image shows some shift dresses designed by Mary Quant. Shift dresses were the major development in fashion since the 1920's, testing attitudes towards women's equality and sexuality. Dresses and skirts became shorter as the decade progressed. This followed the release of the contraceptive pill which enabled women to control pregnancy like they never could have before; This ultimately resulting in Free Love and eventually the hippie movement in the later years of the decade.Women started exercising their right for equality by defying social convention any chance they got, from not wearing bras to more literal protest techniques such as tying themselves to fences.

Without these acts it is hard to believe that women would have the same rights as men even today.