1920s GATSBY WORLD
My Thought Process:
Like many, I had to read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald in my young years. The book introduced me to the world of the Roaring 20s and it led me to imagining what it would have been like to attend parties during this period of time. It also made me wonder what it would been like if people from different countries had attended Gatsby's party. For this set of looks, I focused on evening dresses that shed light on a few flags of the many countries around the world. With a fusion of colors and/or a country's traditional attire, I created some 1920s looks perfect for turning heads at the arrival of Gatsby's party.
Press on the illustrations below to view them
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, it is very common to see women wearing a Saree made from some of the most beautiful fabrics. It was very common during the 1920s for people to want the finest quality of fabric they could find for their dresses. For this look I wanted to combine elements of this traditional attire, their flag colors, and a 1920s Art Deco Pattern.
Gambia
In Gambia, many of the women like an emphasis of color. For this look I focused on their flag with a 1920s silver diamond pattern for reference to Africa being a source for diamonds and Gambia being a known diamond-exporting nation. Also notice the palm tree feather reference from their Coat of Arms.
Italy
In Italy, it is common in Italian Folk Dress that women wear a bodice/corset style top over a white blouse paired with a skirt. In combination with the colors of the Italian flag and 1920s Art Deco pattern the look was transformed into a dress that shows some errogenous zones that were popular during the time (shoulders).
Canada
In Canada, there was no particular traditional attire that I could reference for this look. This led to me focusing on the colors and the leaf detail from the flag. This red flapper style dress was paired with white fringe and white gloves, something that would certainly catch the eye of those watching the flapper performances.
Colombia
In Colombia, traditional clothing consists of colors from the flag (red, yellow, blue) shown through ruffle details. For this look I created a 1920s long-torso style dress with ruffles. The striping details on the ruffles are golden, allowing for shimmer as the colored ruffles move as the person wearing it walks.
Australia
In Australia, there was also no traditional forms of dress that I could reference for this look. The dress I decided to create was a loose dress that shows slight areas of a woman's side profile. The flag was the emphasis of the dress without forgetting the details of the 6 stars on the flag.
Reflection:
While I would have loved to create a dress for all 195 countries in the world, I still found creating 6 looks based on Bangladesh, Gambia, Italy, Canada, Colombia, and Australia to be a valuable experience. The process of learning about the fashion related cultures of each country chosen made me appreciate the differences and see the beauty in each. I am always amazed at how history, nostalgia, and culture can be infused together to create something that feels new.