If you are looking for a costume idea for a fancy dress or costume party, or for Halloween, the 1920s have a couple of ideas that could be used.
The decade of the 1920s, which were also known as the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age, were a distinct change to prior periods. Economic prosperity after the end of World War I caused a cultural change most notable in major western cities, such as New York, London, Berlin, Paris and Chicago. Compared to previous eras, the 20s were a decadent era, with hedonism playing a big role. Jazz music burst into the main stream and became popular in clubs and inspired new dances.
There are two main standout styles that are known from the 20s, one for men and one for women.
Flapper was the name given to some young Western women in the Twenties. They dressed in what the older generation considered scandalously short dresses and did not behave at all in what was considered an acceptable manner. Drinking alcohol, smoking, driving those new-fangled automobile things and having a much more casual attitude towards intimate relationships than used to be seen.
Flappers wore dresses with, at the time, short skirts, which rose to just above the knee by the end of the decade. The dresses were straight and loose, and the shortness of the skirt was designed for dancing the new dances such as the Charleston. The dresses left the arms bare, and stockings were worn on the legs.. Hair was bobbed and worn in boyish styles that could fit under the hats that were popular at the time, cloche hats, which had a bell shape, and newsboy caps, which were similar to the flat cap. Sometimes headbands were worn when dancing.
For men, the look most associated with the decade is that of the gangster.
Prohibition was in force in the United States for the entire decade. This law banned the sale, production and transportation of alcohol, although not its consumption. This lead to a substantial rise in organised crime as mobs and criminal organisations manufactured, distributed and sold alcohol, before branching out into other ventures.
The most notorious gangsters from the Twenties were the Chicago mob led by Al Capone. As a consequence, Capone’s manner of dressing became associated with gangsters in general. For a gangster outfit, a pinstriped suit, fedora hat and optional Tommy gun, the Thompson submachine gun, with the distinctive drum magazine, which has become associated with the Chicago mob. Hats in general, not only fedoras, were much more common.
Flappers and gangsters were not the only styles of the 1920s of course, but they are the two that are most probably recognisable today. A couple can go as a gangster and his moll. For a different idea for a group of people, they could go as a jazz ensemble.
Take a look at more ideas: