1. Another early Schiaparelli trompe-l’oeil sweater, this one from the summer of 1928. I love this one! It’s the epitome of sporty, jazz age fashion.

    Another early Schiaparelli trompe-l’oeil sweater, this one from the summer of 1928.

    I love this one! It’s the epitome of sporty, jazz age fashion.

  2. This cute hand-knitted sweater with a trompe-l’oeil bow was the piece that launched Elsa Schiaparelli’s fashion career. She made the sweater for herself in 1927 and soon afterward wore it to a society luncheon where it caused quite the sensation. She soon received numerous requests from other attendees to make copies of the sweater available for purchase. Her business soon grew enough for her to open a salon. The rest is fashion history.

    This cute hand-knitted sweater with a trompe-l’oeil bow was the piece that launched Elsa Schiaparelli’s fashion career.

    She made the sweater for herself in 1927 and soon afterward wore it to a society luncheon where it caused quite the sensation. She soon received numerous requests from other attendees to make copies of the sweater available for purchase. Her business soon grew enough for her to open a salon. The rest is fashion history.

  3. Adorable girls’ fancy dress costumes from a 1926 French fashion magazine. The beetle and the chick in the egg are absolutely precious.

    Adorable girls’ fancy dress costumes from a 1926 French fashion magazine. The beetle and the chick in the egg are absolutely precious.

  4. A luxurious ‘Queen of Sheba’ fancy dress costume designed by Mon Pascaud in 1926.

    A luxurious ‘Queen of Sheba’ fancy dress costume designed by Mon Pascaud in 1926.

  5. Turkish and ‘Oriental’ themed parties remained popular through the 1920s, especially with the upper class. This adorable “Young Princess of Lotusland” costume was made for a little girl in France in 1926.

    Turkish and ‘Oriental’ themed parties remained popular through the 1920s, especially with the upper class. This adorable “Young Princess of Lotusland” costume was made for a little girl in France in 1926.

  6. Tina over at the amazing what-i-found came across a wonderful magazine of mid-1920s masquerade costume patterns last year. I think they are the my favorite ever images of flapper-era fancy dress. And pretty darn risqué considering this was only five or so years after women got the right to vote in the US.

    Tina over at the amazing what-i-found came across a wonderful magazine of mid-1920s masquerade costume patterns last year. I think they are the my favorite ever images of flapper-era fancy dress. And pretty darn risqué considering this was only five or so years after women got the right to vote in the US.

  7. A group of wealthy teenage girls at a Parisian fancy dress party in 1925.

    A group of wealthy teenage girls at a Parisian fancy dress party in 1925.

  8. A July 1922 La Gazette du Bon Ton fancy dress plate for a Victorian costume. Interestingly the placing of a bustled costume in a major fashion magazine may be more than just a passive suggestion for fancy dress. The major fashion houses in Paris participated in a rather desperate campaign to re-introduce long skirts and bustles to fashion in the years following World War I. A campaign which, obviously, entirely failed to take hold with real women.  

    A July 1922 La Gazette du Bon Ton fancy dress plate for a Victorian costume. Interestingly the placing of a bustled costume in a major fashion magazine may be more than just a passive suggestion for fancy dress. The major fashion houses in Paris participated in a rather desperate campaign to re-introduce long skirts and bustles to fashion in the years following World War I. A campaign which, obviously, entirely failed to take hold with real women.  

  9. An Italian Renaissance fancy dress costume from the July 1922 Gazette du Bon Ton. I love how the designer incorporated the exaggerated drop-waist of the early 1920s to give the costume a modern flapper twist.

    An Italian Renaissance fancy dress costume from the July 1922 Gazette du Bon Ton. I love how the designer incorporated the exaggerated drop-waist of the early 1920s to give the costume a modern flapper twist.

  10. This ancient Egyptian themed fancy dress costume is a La Gazette du Bon Ton fashion plate from 1922, the year King Tut’s tomb was discovered and set off a cultural frenzy for anything even vaguely Egyptian.

    This ancient Egyptian themed fancy dress costume is a La Gazette du Bon Ton fashion plate from 1922, the year King Tut’s tomb was discovered and set off a cultural frenzy for anything even vaguely Egyptian.