The 1920s were an age of glitz, prescription glamour and parties in the USA. Out of this era, help fashion was reinvented as a symbol of lifestyle and culture. Visionaries and artists became the world’s first fashion icons, click and among these Zelda Fitzgerald stands out as the embodiment of the inspirational decade. Having become known as the first flapper, Zelda’s desire for a unique creative identity was achieved through her paintings, books and career as a ballerina.
With a rich and powerful southern family, Zelda led a wild lifestyle of partying, binging, smoking and spending nights away from home. Much to the disgust of proper society, Zelda sought freedom and new creative outlets in her world. She married Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, in the year 1920, and the ‘it’ couple began a life of style and innovation. Although superficially perfect, the marriage began to rapidly break down. Fitzgerald had glorified her by using her as an inspiration for his work but Zelda yearned for independence. Refusing to become the typical housewife of the time, she broke away from conformity and became an ambassador for the Jazz Age. Her new, loose and flapper-style dresses were considered extremely risqué in comparison to the corset-orientated looks of the time.
However, Zelda Fitzgerald succeeded in making an impact with her short bobbed hair, revealing outfits and cigarette companions, all of which were to become the must-have trends of the 1920s. As one of the first fashion icons, she opened society up to a new world of self expression and inspired the people around her, thus fuelling what could be considered the most fabulous fashion era of all time.
Emily Kielthy
