1920s evening - fashion and sewing questions

[QueenOfRandom]

So my Lindy Hop group have a Ragtime band just before Christmas, so the theme is going to be speakeasy, 1920s! I can't wait to dance Charleston to an actual Ragtime band, so excited! And of course my first thoughts, what do I wear?!

I'm thinking I am going to embellish a cheap shift dress, I am thinking fringing and beads, still finalising a design that will suit my more voluptuous shape.

Now I am ok at embellishing, it's the sort of sewing I am not afraid of, however I have never sewn beads, anyone have any tips?

Number 2, my head wear.

I am going to put in some finger waves and maybe some pin curls and want to put some sort of headpiece on. My googling has led me towards headbands, but I find them uncomfortable on my forehead. Now I do have a vintage Juliet cap crochet pattern (it's here if you want to see/use the pattern!) would that be ok? Maybe with a feather attached to it as well?

Any hints, tips, tricks of the trade you wonderful ladies have would be fabulous!

<3

 

[Mojito]

I'm afraid I won't be much help with sewing techniques as I don't have much hands-on experience (and the person who restores my 1920s evening dresses and who has a lot of experience with them doesn't use the internet, unfortunately!). I could possibly help you with examples of beaded dresses if there's something in particular you'd like?

The 1930s Juliet cap for evening wear (and prong-set rhinestone version often used in wedding ensembles) pretty much evolved from the 1920s evening cloche, so you could certainly adapt it for an evening look. You could use a shallower Juliet cap if it's not deep fitting, but if you could make it a bit deeper it will sit in a more 1920s way (although I do have some less deep sequinned and beaded evening cloches from the 1920s). I'm not a hand at crochet so I don't know how effective it would be, but if you could find something metallic or silky to work with, that would be close to the materials they used. Would it be possible to use a chenille (it often shows up used as an embellishment on evening cloches). The feather could work - either a straight aigrette (egret) or perhaps an ostrich feather curling down the side. Another popular way to embellish evening cloches was with faux gemstones. You could also have a beaded fringe on the cap's sides. I can dig up plenty of pictures if they'd help?

 

[Mojito]

Evening cloche with gold soutache embroidery and faux gemstones

 

[Mojito]

Having problems with my outdated browser here so can't upload many images from my collection - but here's a possibility for the feather from a pinterest image:

 

[Mojito]

Possible dangling beading arrangement (they'd have to be well attached!)

 

[Mojito]

Lanvin evening cloche from the Met collection:

 

[Mojito]

1927 evening cloche (Met collection)

 

[Mojito]

Lillyan Tashman wearing a more open-weave, pearl beaded evening cloche/headdress:

 

[Mojito]

George Barbier's La Roseraie

If you want to be a real purist, the elaborate headdresses and bandeaux with Aigrettes tended to be more a holdover from the Orientalism of the teens (influenced by the Ballets Russes and Poiret), whereas the neat, close fitting sequinned evening cloches etc are more second half of the decade when the skull cloche really became popular day wear. These are broad guidelines, however, as all sorts of things were wrapped around people's heads in the 1920s - necklaces, swathes of lamé fabric to match a gown, ribbonwork flower garlands, hats made of gold lace and beadwork...there is tremendous variety and what looks like very creative improvisation. Most - whether cap or bandeau - were worn quite low on the brow until towards the end of the decade, when (as with daytime millinery) brims began retreating up from the brow...but again, this is broadly speaking, and I've seen quite small, more cap-like headwear worn earlier (particularly as part of theatrical costuming).

 

[Mojito]

View attachment 19787

 

[Mojito]

Rather than a narrow bandeau, a wider one is also a possibility, and may be more comfortable/suit your facial shape or styling more, as worn by Lily Damita here:

View attachment 19789

 

[Mojito]

Bought this lovely one from Salon of the Dames recently - just waiting on getting my mannequin heads back from the restorer to photograph it. You could possibly use a beaded/sequinned applique on the brow like here - there are also faux gemstones attached around it, and the face is framed by gold bullion tassles:

View attachment 19790
Sorry if I got a bit carried away...I love talking 1920s headwear. If there's a particular style you're interested in, let me know and I'll pull up other examples. I have a lot of beaded/sequinned cloche type pieces in my collection, but I'm guessing you don't want to cover an entire headpiece with dense bead or sequin work?