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.

Interesting facts about F. Scott Fitzgerald on what would have been his birthday

• Did you know that his parents were obsessed with his well-being? Both of his older sisters died (at the ages of one and three years old) while his mom was pregnant with him, so I guess it's understandable. Eventually they did have another daughter, but Scott felt that his mother never got over the deaths of her older daughters.
• His full name was Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald and he was named after the man who composed "The Star Spangled Banner." Edward Fitzgerald (Scott's father) was related to Francis Scott Key.
• I also didn't know that This Side of Paradise was the best selling of his books during his lifetime. These are just a few tidbits of information I found about him in this book.

Interested in learning more about him? Click here.