Could history be repeating itself once again? Welcome to the new roaring twenties.
The “roaring twenties” often refers to the 1920’s, the decade following WWI and the influenza pandemic, during which the surging economy caused a wave of mass consumerism.
According to an article from History, those living during this decade used their new money to purchase consumer goods such as ready-to-wear clothing and home appliances.
“I know that fashion in the 1920’s was more androgenous for women. Women were wearing more loose-fitting articles of clothing and shorter hemlines,” said Prof. Kelly Marino from the history department.
According to Bloomberg Businessweek, “Consumerism and mass culture took shape. It was the decade of art deco and jazz, Coco Chanel and Walt Disney, The Great Gatsby and the Harlem Renaissance.”
Many journalists and historians have predicted the current decade as one that will be comparable to the roaring twenties, due to the increased distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and the reopening of businesses across the country.
According to an article from The New Yorker, “Following a year of isolation, revellers will flock to crowded underground dress-easies, where they can take in an intoxicating array of athleisure and feel the illicit sensation of strangers safely breathing on them.”
“I love the idea of the roaring twenties returning in the 2020’s. I think it is a very refreshing concept and is well needed, especially after the pandemic,” said Fashion Club Treasurer, sophomore Adrianna Byczko. “After the Spanish flu in the 1920’s, the world saw a renaissance in fashion and in life in general, and if history repeats itself, I am very excited for it.”
Many fashion designers have taken this opportunity of cultural revival to release new and unique collections both in-store and on the previously barren runways.
Most recently, luxury fashion brands Gucci and Balenciaga have collaborated on a new collection, “Gucci Aria.” This collection showcased a handful of both brands’ classic signatures and silhouettes from past collections into one cohesive show. Many have praised the collection highly, calling the designers “mad scientists’’ and claiming they “hacked” the system of fashion design.
According to an article from GQ, the designers shocked the fashion industry, and “we’re going to be talking about this Gucci x Balenciaga collection for years.”
“We can already see how the roaring twenties are returning with more daring styles in fashion, and bright colors,” said Byczko. “I think the years after the pandemic will be very critical for the fashion industry, and we should all be excited to see these changes.”
As well as new collections, the current rise of consumerism has repopularized the theory of heeled shoe height having a direct correlation to the state of the economy. With designers sending their models down the runway in higher heels than seen previously and platforms making a comeback, there is a lot of evidence to back up this recurring phenomenon.
In a YouTube video, fashion critique ModernGurlz said, “After a period of hardship, we tend to go the other direction and dress luxuriously, and what better way to do that by wearing absurdly high heels?”
“I think it’s so cool to draw comparisons between the two decades because we’ve seen that the world has come back from something like this before, so who’s to say it can’t happen again,” said sophomore Reagan Daly.
