Brit Micho, Curator of Exhibitions
One of the highlights of the museum this summer is The Fashion of Art Deco: Lifestyle in the Jazz Age. This exhibition focuses on Art Deco evening wear, featuring stunning deco dresses and accompanying accoutrements such as perfume bottles, makeup, hats, purses, and more from the collection of Don Orban, a local fort wayne collector.
The Art Deco period (1920-1939) is characterized by glamorous opulence, progressive modernity, and subtle androgyny. Originally known as “Style Moderne,” these stylistic tendencies stemmed from important societal shifts: the first women’s liberation movement, technological advances, and a booming economy that allowed women to take part in the modern urban culture.
In a time of widespread experimentation with artistic expression, Art Deco’s influences are rooted across the world: German Bauhaus, Russian ballet, Native American art, European Cubism, Egyptian iconography, and even its immediate predecessor, Art Nouveau. Its key stylistic features include streamlined, geometric designs, bold colors, impressive symmetry, and elongated compositions.
In the fall of last year, I was lucky enough to be introduced to Don and his extensive collection. Originally from South Bend, Don has resided in Fort Wayne for many years with a collection beginning around 1980. His first collection began with Czech glass perfume bottles, which can be seen throughout the exhibition. It wasn’t until 1998 that he began collecting vintage dresses with an emphasis on Flapper dresses from the 1920s. From then on, Don’s collection expanded to include women’s dresses from 1860-1980, purses, make-up accessories, photographs, and magazines. Everything on display besides the Roseville Pottery and the artworks on the wall are on loan from Don’s collection—yes, including the mannequins!
Women’s fashion began to shift during World War I (1914-1918) when women entered the workplace and took over responsibilities traditionally held by men. After the war ended, women enjoyed their new-found autonomy and demanded a fashion that reflected it. In the spirit of embracing modernity, functionality, and luxury, the long flowing dresses, petticoats, and corsets of the Victorian era were swapped for shorter, practical dresses that had lower necklines and emphasized straight, relaxed silhouettes. Alongside women’s voting rights (1920) and having a disposable income, women participated in the modern culture by going to speakeasies and jazz clubs.
A nightlife of decadence illuminated by electric lighting influenced the dazzling nature of fashion design—glass beads, sequins, stylized embroidery, and metallic thread adorned many of these dresses, allowing them to catch the lighting as they moved. Many high-end designers, like those featured in Vogue magazines, incorporated glass beading from the Czech Republic as it most closely imitated the sparkle of precious gems. This made glass beading the most popular fashion accessory of the era.
The term “flapper” appeared in the vernacular in the 1920s, however, it is unknown where exactly it originates. Flappers were considered the complete embodiment of the so-called new or modern woman as they broke away from the constraints that underlined the Victorian era. Characteristics of flapper fashion include:
- Short bobbed hair
- Drop-waist dresses with dazzling, geometric beading
- Shorter skirts for dancing “The Charleston” at jazz clubs and speakeasies
- Cloche (bell-shaped) hat
- Straight, sleek, boyish silhouettes (replacing a feminine silhouette)
- Often wearing makeup
Cloche hats, named after the French word for bell, appeared in the 1910s, but didn’t blossom into popularity until the 1920s. This iconic shape was vastly different from the wide-brimmed hats of the Victorian era, a tight fit with an outward curved lip, made to emphasize the newest hairstyle: the bob.
For years, “respectable” women were expected to have long, uncut hair, but during the 1920s, the most popular hairstyle was a short, cropped hairstyle called the bob. With over twelve styles of bobs, modern women were donning this style, well fit for their fashionable cloche hats. Anxieties surrounding this shorter hairstyle came from many sources. Doctors warned that an exposed neck could cause serious illnesses, and religious leaders considered the style immoral. In 1927, opera singer Mary Garden stated, “I consider getting rid of our long hair one of the many little shackles that women have cast aside in their passage to freedom.”
The stock market crash of 1929 triggered the Great Depression and subsequently a shift in fashion. The straight silhouettes, dropped waistlines, and exuberant beading of the 1920s fell to the wayside as fashion trended towards feminine silhouettes, accentuated waistlines, and long, sleek dresses that danced around the ankles. The two dresses—both white, as eveningwear often was—representing these ideals, highlight the shift from the ‘20s into the ‘30s.
The lace dress on the left upholds the dropped waist of the ‘20s, however the skirt length and its slightly fitted nature displays the modern shift. Glass beading, metallic thread, and sequins were left behind, but the geometric Art Deco patterns persisted, as seen embroidered into the sheer lace of the dress.
The satin dress on the right represents the ideal evening gown of the ‘30s. Designers were inspired by Hollywood stars, such as Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, and Ginger Rogers, who graced the silver screen with their glamorous presence. These gowns were often floor length, backless, sleeveless, form-fitting satin dresses. To elevate the look, jewelry, furs, or feathers were added to accessorize.
If you would like to see the glamour of The Fashion of Art Deco, Lifestyle in the Jazz Age, please visit the museum before the exhibition closes on July 5th, 2026!