Thread: 1920's/1930's Flapper Inspired costume?

I'm playing with ideas in my head for a costume that is inspired by art deco style and a lot of the beaded flapper dresses that I've seen... Anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I'm thinking of doing a beige mermaid skirt with black beading.
Anyway, just looking for inspiration. It's kind of a fusion piece...
And I don't know if anyone has seen that skirt that Zoe Jakes has that looks like a flapper dress (she actually made it from a flapper dress!), but that is another piece of inspiration.
Anyway. Any ideas, shoot 'em at me! :D

Don't know how period-specific you want to get, and I'm not a real expert on this period, but Mermaid doesn't really say Flapper to me. I believe their costumes were definitely fringy, but things were cut very boxy, as the ideal silhouette was boyish. Rosanna has a nice fringy flapper-esque belly dance skirt:

Dover Publications has both fashion books and paper dolls of various eras. If you get on their mailing list, every week they will send a sampler of their featured books, with a few free downloadable pages for each title. This isn't a complete list of the books in their catalog that might be relevant to what you want, but I'm sure you could find some ideas here:

http://store.doverpublications.com/0486244822.html
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486247244.html
http://store.doverpublications.com/048640806x.html
http://store.doverpublications.com/048644158x.html
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486236277.html
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486430413.html

Originally Posted by mathkitty

...but Mermaid doesn't really say Flapper to me.

I agree. I'd lean more toward a Cleopatra dress or a simple toga.

I agree that mermaid doesn't say "flapper," but dropped waists do say "20s" to me, so maybe if you wanted a little more fit around the hips, you could work with that?

The Mystical Hips tribe (JeniViva) has done some flapper-inspired pieces. In the video below, the skirts are pretty minimal, but I think the bras are in the spirit and of course the long strings of pearls.


And then of course there's the '50s take on '20s fashion in "Singin' in the Rain." I have always wanted Cyd's dress in this scene:


Sounds like it's going to be a fun project!

Here is my flapper inspiration cossy! (I still don't know if I'm going to hang on to it or post it on the swapmeet.)..c::

There's not to much fringe, but the headband, feather and straight skirt do the job.

Tempest has some gorgeous costumes with an art deco/flapper look; check out her gallery:
http://www.darklydramatic.com/gallery3.html#

Dahlal had a very art deco green costume a while back...I think it might have been called Absinthe, and it's gorgeous (and in my inspiration folder!). Not flappery in the fringe sense, but definitely deco

Originally Posted by SomaBellydance

And then of course there's the '50s take on '20s fashion in "Singin' in the Rain." I have always wanted Cyd's dress in this scene:

I'm actually making Cyd's dress to wear at a costumers' convention. :D I just wish I had legs like hers!

Originally Posted by Melantho

I'm playing with ideas in my head for a costume that is inspired by art deco style and a lot of the beaded flapper dresses that I've seen... Anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I'm thinking of doing a beige mermaid skirt with black beading.
Anyway, just looking for inspiration. It's kind of a fusion piece...
And I don't know if anyone has seen that skirt that Zoe Jakes has that looks like a flapper dress (she actually made it from a flapper dress!), but that is another piece of inspiration.
Anyway. Any ideas, shoot 'em at me! :D

Some lovely Art Deco photos in Serpent of the Nile. Your library might be able to get a copy.

So far, the thread has focused on the flapper-inspired look, which is logical since that's where your original post showed your own focus.

Just to give you some other non-flapper ideas on evoking the Art Deco era....

There was a big assuit craze in Europe and the US during the Art Deco era. So one way to approach the Art Deco aesthetic might be to make a straight skirt out of black assuit, and accessorize appropriately with bra/belt set.

According to my research into vintage cartoons (Disney, Felix the Cat, Ub Iwerks, etc.), the public's idea of what a "belly dancer" would wear back then was some kind of a midriff-baring top (halter top, bra, etc.) combined with some kind of a hip band and harem pants. And, ALWAYS a sheer face veil. So, if you want to evoke the Art Deco era by wearing what the American public of the time believed belly dancers wore, it would be bedleh with harem pants. I'm not so sure I'd go with the face veil, though.

For music, since you're planning fusion, I'd suggest using something from the sound track for The Sheik.

I almost did a themed event a few years back that was based on this era. I looked to period art and fashion (outside of the typical flapper fringe look) for inspiration. Look at some of Erte's work from that time (and from the later deco revival stuff as well). . . it just begs to inspire dance costumes!

French writer Colette when she was a music-hall performer at the Moulin Rouge's "Reve d'Egypte" show in the mid-1920s

my personal favourite ;)