Jazz Festivals

For years, jazz has influenced different countries culture. This influence is mostly spotted on fashion developments across the years. This industry targeted a society that revolved around a certain kind of music. The evolution in jazz music throughout the 1920s was accompanied by reflective changes in the fashion industry. The jazz music was so popular in the twenties, that the fashion industry was barely able to satisfy the needs of the costumers.

Like the music, jazz fashion evolved in a few stages. Upper and lower body freedom was essential when dancing the Charleston, so dresses were cut to reflect the ability to move freely while dancing.

The precarious hairstyles of the pre-war era were unsuitable for jazz dancing. The “bobbed” hairstyle of the 1920s was not only a mark of rebellion; it was a practical style for the popular dance music. The Charleston was a very strange and vigorous dance, and chest binding, while appearing bizarre to some people, would have been a functional practice for many women. In the Fashion Source book of the 1920s, Peacock states that an average ensemble for evening wear in 1927 would consist of: “A sleeveless mesh dress embroidered all over with gold sequins, a low V-shaped neckline, a loosely fitted bodice, and a flared short skirt. Gold kid shoes and matching handbag, along with a long string of pearls” (58).

Jazz music provided females of all ages with an outlet for rebellion. It helped to provide jobs for women within the music industry, and expanded the base of women as a consumer target market. Jazz encouraged primitive and sexual behavior through the uninhibited and improvisational feel of the music. This kind of music was rejected by the older generation, and therefore, jazz music and jazz dancing were ideal ways for young women (and even men) to rebel against the society of their parents and grandparents.

By: Johnh Thompson