Outfit: Flapper Girl

One of my favorite fashion eras to channel around Halloween is the 1920s.
While I love wearing vintage on a regular basis, the 1920s always feels a bit fancy and costume-y to me for most "everyday" outfits, but when you have an excuse to dress up it's one of the most fun eras to channel. Flapper looks are so theatrical and their lives seem so exhilarating; it was this new period of liberation for so many women. They cut off their hair, burned their corsets, postponed marriage, and danced on table tops. Of course history is more complicated than that and many of the women who did these things were considered scandalous, but it's hard not to be charmed by the glamorous sort of life flappers seemed to have. In many ways we can have the best of that world now with none of the consquences (like your family sending you away to an asylum for doing almost anything), because now we can channel the fashion anytime we want, but we still get to own property and vote and probably dance on a table if we really want. Win-win-win. To me the look always starts with the dress. Lately I get all of mine from Gatsbylady; I've been working with them for months and still every time I look at their site there's some new and interesting style. I like how many options there are; so many different colors, maxi dresses, sleeved dresses (so rare to find when you're looking at flapper styles!), unique beading styles, capelets, etc. For my Halloween look I immediately honed in on this elegant black and silver dress--I already knew I had the perfect accessories to complete my costume in my closet! If you're looking to get the most period accurate flapper look, check out my quick list of style "dos and don'ts" below. It would also be wise to watch some films made in the 1920s, like Clara Bow's "It" or even one of the early talkies like Broadway Melody or The Jazz Singer which will help you channel the look and attitude of the era. A modern film that does a wonderful job of channeling this era accurately is The Artist.

Period accurate dos and don'ts for the perfect flapper look: 
-Do wear a lot of makeup with dark, rounded eyeshadow and strong cupid's bow style lipstick.
-Don't contour or highlight, but instead try a very pale matte base with some intense blush.
-Do wear t-strap and other dance inspired shoes with a moderate, thick heel.
-Don't wear any platform or stiletto heels.
-Do carry a small clutch or purse, you can even get adventurous with a small novelty bag which became popular in this era.
-Don't carry anything big or bulky or overly plain; every accessory should work with evening attire and be lightweight or small enough to be convenient for dancing.
-Do wear stockings in nude or matching color to your outfit.
-Don't wear stockings with a backseam.
-Do throw on a faux fur (or fur trimmed) in a loose boxy shape for an added layer or warmth.
-Don't wear a trench or coat that ties at your natural waist.