Ladies' fashions reflected the times as they had throughout history. This article, however, isn't intended to go into that history in any depth, but rather to focus on the accessories which fascinate us today - the handbags, the compacts, the hats and gloves, which are wonderful collectibles for the 21st century collector!
At the close of the 19th century, women were still encased in several layers of cloth, intended to disguise their sexuality, emphasize the features men were most attracted to, and protect the wearer against the elements and the poor sanitation endemic to the era. We marvel that our great-grandmothers managed households, raised children, cared for the sick, ran farms and businesses, while wearing tight corsets, high-buttoned shoes, long many-layered skirts, and woolen stockings! Yet they did.
By the end of World War I, women had gone to work in factories, labored in field hospitals, and were about to gain the vote. The styles of pre-war Edwardian days were discarded as old-fashioned, and the age of the "flapper" was born. Short hair, slim bodies and unstructured undergarments became the rage - perhaps the "boyish" look was a reflection of the loss of a generation of young men. Women of all classes and ages embraced the new style, no doubt overjoyed to be released from the bondage of the corset and the ankle-length hems that dragged in dirt and germs!
Make-up (once worn only by "loose" women and actresses) quickly became the rage, and an industry just as quickly responded. And of course, all the accoutrements of the modern wardrobe such as handbags, hats, jewelry, makeup containers and carriers, scarves and shoes underwent significant changes as well.
Coco Chanel was an early innovator in fashion, stressing simplicity and practicality without neglecting elegance. She began her career as a milliner, and certainly understood the importance of accessories to a wardrobe. Her signature Chanel handbags, for example, complemented her clothing designs and were desired as much as the suits worn with them.
With the stock market crash in 1929, fashion changed dramatically. The clothing of the typical real-life woman contrasted sharply with Hollywood's influential designer styles. Nonetheless, the glamour of Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich or Joan Crawford was reflected in knock-off copies sewn at home or ordered from the Sears catalog, in Philadelphia or Kansas City. Hats and handbags and costume jewelry enabled a simple dress or suit to be re-born each season as something "new".
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