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 the 87th Anniversary of "The Great Gatsby's" Publication

Eighty-seven years ago today, Charles Scribner's Sons published F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The book, and Fitzgerald himself, achieved something akin to legendary status. Distinguishing fact from legend with Fitzgerald and his work isn't always easy. Here are some facts that caught our attention:

• The author finished the book's first draft while living on the French Riviera
• The first draft was returned to Fitzgerald for substantial revision
• One of Fitzgerald's suggested titles for the book that eventually became Gatsby was Trimalchio in West Egg (don't ask)
• Fitzgerald lent Ernest Hemingway a copy of Gatsby.

More facts about F. Scott Fitzgerald were noted in a previous Enslow Publishers blog post. Do you know some notable facts about Fitzgerald? You're welcome to post it here. Meanwhile, you're invited to visit Enslow's website today to order our biographies of American authors!