The Great Gatsby and some fun fashion facts about the 1920s

The Great Gatsby is opening in theaters today which got us thinking about the fashions of the 1920s. We thought we would highlight some fun fashion facts of the time period from our book Fabulous Fashions of the 1920s. See how many you notice in the movie!

Did You Know:

• Sometimes, a tape measure was used to make sure a woman's bathing suit was no more than six inches above the knee.

• Ready-to-wear clothes in stores became available for women at the beginning of the twentieth century. Before that, they went to tailors or dressmakers or women sewed their own. 

• In the 1920s, it was fashionable to wear a different outfit for day, afternoon, and evening. Women would change clothes several times a day. The hemline indicated which outfit was for which time of day.

• Zippers started appearing on clothes. They were not used widely though. After all, zippers were metal. They rusted whenever the clothes were washed.

• Raccoon coats were popular with the people who owned cars. Back in those days, automobiles were wide open, and the fur coats kept the passengers warm.