Style Inspo: the Historian, Flapper Style

I started going through my stash of 2000s Vogue magazines recently, and reliving some of the highlights of my mid-20s sartorial life. Well, mostly my dream sartorial life because, as a baby lawyer at the time, my fashion aspirations far outstripped my budget. This was the period when I started to become very aware of fashion and designer brands, though I was still mostly shopping at discount stores and consignment. Nostalgia aside, looking back, I am finding myself less inspired by this era than by the late 80s and the 90s. Maybe it’s too soon. But I am enjoying the variety and creativity of some of the Vogue editorials of that time. It seems like, in every issue, there was at least one over-the-top, fantastical photo shoot; the styling in those shoots often gives me material to mine for inspiration.

Case in point: this 1920s-influenced editorial.

I was a little bit surprised by how much I loved the vibe of these photos. I’ve never been especially drawn to the 1920s “flapper” style, but these images resonated with me and got my synapses firing. I thought to myself, “surely, Ralph Lauren has referenced the ’20s in some of his collections — let’s have a look” and, sure enough, I wasn’t disappointed. I did broaden my search a bit, era-wise, but I really liked what I saw; so I decided to create a little ’20s/’30s “inspo board” for each of my main avatars, the Historian and the Bohemian. I am adding these to my mental reference library for use when creating outfits. At this point, I have several “flavours” for each of my avatars — e.g. southwestern prairie, romantic cottagecore, English country, etc. — and I like updating these flavours every year. I don’t have a catchy name for it yet, but this ’20s/’30s vibe is a strong contender to be added to the list this year.

I’m going to break this up by avatar, and start by showing you some of the images I’ve been accumulating for the Historian.

I am no fashion historian (no pun intended!) but I am inclined to think that most of these lean more into a 1930s aesthetic, and probably pull a fair bit from the menswear of the era. I think they integrate well with my overall Historian aesthetic, and can be translated into outfits using pieces that are already in my closet.

Although I do need to find a beret or cloche hat, immediately 🙂