There have been countless moments throughout history when fashion has been a signifier of change: From the eradication of the corset and the sexual liberation of the mini dress, to the power suits of the 1980s, it has a unique power to speak to both the political and cultural shifts that are occurring at any given moment.
The ‘roaring ’20s’ has got to be up there in the fashion hall of fame when it comes to clothing’s symbolic power. Broadly considered a period of economic prosperity that spread after the desolation of World War One, it was a decade that saw an explosion of innovation within the world of art, culture and style. Hemlines rose, waistlines were relaxed and hair was bobbed: The ‘flapper’ was a symbol of women’s liberation from traditional Victorian ideals.