Vintage Cocktail Dresses |
Vintage Cocktail Dresses
Like so many of the most sinfully enjoyable traditions we participate in today, the cocktail party was an invention of the 1920's. Alcohol was officially illegal, but booze flowed freely as the shell shocked vets of WWI needed something to calm the nerves and woo the women. The ladies were ready for a break from the hard labor of war time factories as well, so they happily joined in on the festivities. Since public bars were now shuttered, the cocktail party was introduced as a way for the social butterflies to gather in privacy to imbibe some booze and kick up their heels on the dance floor It wasn't long before cocktail parties were the place to be, and the wealthy revelers naturally needed suitable apparel for the occasion. Formal wear was too stuffy, and yet cocktail parties were too festive for daytime work wear. The answer to this conundrum turned out to be the cocktail dress. The cocktail dresses of the mid-1920's were inspired by the flapper fashions of waist-less loose cut garments. They also featured heavy beadwork, fringes, and silky fabrics such as chiffon. By the 1930's, people of all ages were enjoying the delights of the cocktail party, and women of a certain age came to prefer dresses with more defined waists and slimmer cut in the skirt. Silks and other fabrics remained in vogue, but the look became more polished and refined. Tailoring and form-fitting were taking hold enhanced with lace and rhinestone accents. The iconic little black dress was also brought to its first full incarnation at this time. World War II saw another crop of returning soldiers coming back from far flung regions of the orient. This time they returned with exotic fabrics such as glamorous brocades and eye catching floral rayon prints. Women quickly adopted these fabrics to design a whole new style of Asian inspired cocktail dress which reflected the growing cultural trends which occurred when East began to meet West in America. More skin started to appear as well. Necklines got lower and hemlines rose shockingly to the knee. Sleeves were almost never seen either. Bare arms, cleavage, and ever more daring decorative elements were the order of the day. There were never enough rhinestones and sequins for the ladies of the late 1940's cocktail set. By the 1950's, cocktail parties had their own unique culture. They grew larger and more lavish and public bars opened with cocktail and lounge themes in every city. The garment of choice for the women of this scene was now the Peignoir. The peignoir was the over the top cousin of the cocktail dress with long flowing full length skirts of silk embellished with bubbly lace and ruffles. This look reflected the romanticism which was now a part of the lounge life. Adding to the romantic aura were decollete necklines, and body hugging tailoring to show off all the feminine curves. The 50's morphed into the 60's in very subtle ways when it came to women's cocktail wear. Narrower skirts slowly appeared until they transformed altogether into outlandish disco outfits. The older cocktail crowd clung to the more traditional looks, but the new girls on the scene began wearing one piece jumpsuits which resembled full length gowns. After the 1970's, cocktail culture cooled off for a while, but it saw a retro resurgence in the 1990's. At that time, women began rediscovering the charms of kitschy vintage lounge wear. Today that rebirth continues and there's a world of well-preserved classic cocktail wear to be dusted off and brought back to its former glory.