the 1920's: Detail In the Dress

Prior to the twenties women's clothing had extravagant detail only on evening clothing and on the rare occasion of every day clothes if one was rich enough to afford it. When the twenties came clothing was being masses produced, and for the first time being sold in select stored around the world.

Store wide clothing sales allowed companies to spend more money on better quality fabrics and detailing on the dresses. By 1924 almost all of women's clothing contained hours of hand beading and layering of fabrics. Women around the world flocked to the small clothing store hours away to get the newest dress on the market. It had now become a custom to them to wear only the popular printed dresses during the day and the extravagant beaded and detailed dresses to parties.

It had become the new fade to take several different weights and types of fabrics and layer them within one dress. This layering technique created stunning dresses that moved differently depending on how it was layered. Such dresses were companies ways of saving money because the layered dresses required no extra detail as the dresses stood out on their own. 

Companies would often seek similar ways to save money on even the beaded or silk dresses by adding buckles and belts to their garments. These garments would stand alone in a crowd and were often meant for the women who could afford a more unique dress.