Essences’ Best Eras?
I’ve gotten several great questions about the best fashion eras for the essences.
So today we’ll explore how you can use some of the most popular 20th century trends as style inspiration—either for Halloween costumes or for your daily life.
1920s Trend: Ethereal Gamine
In the 20s, women ditched corseted, constricting styles and embraced straight, shift-dress silhouettes, with cropped hems that were daringly short for the time period.
Costume Idea: Flapper Girl
One of the most iconic 1920s looks was the flapper dress: a short shift dress (Gamine) typically consisting of whimsical Ethereal Gamine embellishment, including intricate beading, sequins, feathers, and fringe.
Flapper headbands also often had an Ethereal Gamine whimsical feel.
This can be a great costume for Ethereal Gamine blends, too, since flapper accessories and embellishment sometimes add other essences, like pearl necklaces for Classic:
Fashion for Daily Life: Shift Dresses and Layered Necklaces
For a modern, loosely flapper-inspired look, simply pair a shift dress with layered jewelry:
Basic cropped shift dresses often suit Gamine or Classic Gamine.
Long, narrow, layered chain necklaces are great for Ethereal.
You can also choose long necklaces with spaced beads, often also Ethereal.
Pairing a simple dress with intricate or layered jewelry mirrors the mashup of vibes that made flapper fashion so great.
1930s Trend: Romantic Ethereal
One of the most popular styles of the 30s was a bias-cut, maxi-length evening gown, which was designed to drape fluidly across the body.
Costume Idea: Marlene Dietrich (or Another 30s Actress or Singer)
Marlene Dietrich was a German and American actress and singer who embraced elaborate 30s styling (and happened to be an Ethereal Romantic Dramatic, making her an ideal wearer of 30s evening gowns!):
If your blend has Ingenue, you’ll be great in Marlene’s shoulder-length curls.
If you’re a Romantic Ethereal blend, grab an extra-long bias-cut glamorous gown, with silky and optionally beaded fabric, add a microphone and diamond accessories, and you can channel Marlene:
A faux fur robe is optional but obviously enhances the glamour.
Fashion for Daily Life: Modern Maxi
A perfect modern style staple for Romantic Ethereal blends is a flowy narrow maxi dress (Ethereal) with sensual detail like a sweetheart neckline or overt waist emphasis (Romantic).
You can also add accessories to incorporate your other essences. Here the look is dressed down with casual, highly Natural styling. But swap the hat and flip-flops for sleek boots and a tailored jacket, and it could work for a Romantic Ethereal Classic or Romantic Ethereal Dramatic.
More maxi inspiration:
A one-strap silhouette and watercolor print embrace the modern side of Ethereal, while a bodycon fit and ruched fabric bring Romantic into the 21st century.
1940s Trend: Classic Gamine (and sometimes Natural)
Early 1940s fashion reflected wartime frugality and practicality: streamlined, minimalist, and highly Classic.
Spirited Gamine details like stripes or plaids were also common, as were roomy Natural silhouettes.
Costume Idea: Newspaper Reporter or Private Detective
If you’re highly Gamine and Classic, you could do a 1940s reporter outfit complete with a newsboy cap, blazer, button-down, cropped vest, and tailored slacks.
Or add a magnifying glass and turn it into a 1940s noir film detective outfit.
Fashion for Daily Life: Vintage Plaids
For a 1940s-inspired look for real life, embrace neutral or muted plaids:
This appears to be a highly Gamine Ingenue plaid flared dress and Classic cardigan, plus sensual lace Romantic gloves.
A highly Gamine micro-plaid set:
1950s Trend: Ingenue Classic Gamine
The 50s were all about Ingenue’s iconic flared skirt silhouette, often incorporating timeless Classic and playful Gamine details.
Sometimes glam Romantic was featured, too, especially for eveningwear.
Costume Idea: 50s Girl
With a retro flared Ingenue skirt, basic Classic blouse, and fun Gamine detail and accessories, you can easily channel a 50s girl.
An Ingenue Classic dress option:
This could work for Romantic, too, with the bust emphasis.
The sneakers feel a little modern but the costume police will probably let them slide.
You can also add retro curls and a red lip for a complete 50s look:
Fashion for Daily Life: Vintage Dress with a Twist
I love the idea of doing a somewhat vintage-feeling Ingenue Classic dress paired with modern-feeling accessories, like these pointed-toe studded Dramatic heels:
One strategy for wearing vintage fashion without feeling like you’re at a costume party is to pair vintage pieces with conspicuously modern ones.
But of course, there’s nothing wrong with wearing an ultra-vintage look for everyday life.
Plus, since many modern trends are inspired by styles of the past, “vintage” pieces can sometimes appear quite current.
We’ll look at more 20th century trends in Part 2! : )
