Jazz: Dance and Fashion
1920s pink silk beaded gown. Gift of Wilbur Alan Smith. 1920s Black silk crepe sequined and beaded evening gown. Gift of Robert K. Fox.
Back view of 1920s evening dress
1920s Pink beaded evening dress
Detail of 1920s pink dress
Norma Shearer in After Midnight (1927)
“The implacable and hypertrophic rhythms of the new dances, the blues and the Charlestons, the din of unearthly instruments, and the musical idioms of exotic lands as well as other American influences would eventually lead to increasing masculinity and severity in women’s fashion” – Paul Poiret
Jazz provided the soundtrack to the youth culture movement that permeated the 1920s. The decade’s youth-centered focus is reflected in the changing silhouette for women’s clothing. As mentioned in the above Paul Poiret quote, the popular silhouette for women changed to a narrow tube-like shape. Paris dubbed this androgynous style “La Garçonne” and it dominated popular fashion. While this new boyish silhouette was influenced by the growing independence of women, the material and decoration of eveningwear was a result of the jazz craze.
One of the key elements of jazz music was its close relationship with dance. Jazz produced numerous new dances, the vast majority of which required freer movement of the legs than had previously been seen. Its influence on women’s eveningwear is seen in three ways. 1. Gowns frequently featured beaded fringe that swayed and made noise when the body moved. 2. Dresses were often made in shiny fabrics, which reflected the light. 3. Dresses had shorter hems, which allowed the legs to move more freely.
Watch this clip from a Fox Movietone Newsreel from 1926 showcasing Bee Jackson dancing the Charleston in front of the Jenkins Orphanage in Charleston, South Carolina. The orphanage band is playing music around her.
The two gown featured in the exhibit are a pink silk beaded evening dress from 1920-1929 that was donated by Wilbur Alan Smith. The dress belonged to Lelia Timberman, and it is likely that it was purchased at the time of her wedding to Wilbur Smith in 1926. The black silk crepe beaded evening dress is a gift of Robert K. Fox and date from 1920-1929. This dress belonged to Nell Salt Bush, wife of Lester C. Bush. Lester owned the National Glove Company in Columbus, Ohio. Nell wore this dress to attend the opera.