The 1920s brought about a rise in androgynous fashion among a high society set that broke boundaries and caused controversy. This drew on a subculture that had existed for decades, perhaps centuries, but after the first world war gender-bending fashions became front page news.
It was a time of upheaval. Established regimes were toppling across Europe. In Britain, women over 30 had finally been given the vote and there was widespread concern about the new hedonism of their younger “flapper” sisters.
There was also a new market for novels, such as Radcylffe Hall’s banned book The Well of Loneliness (1928) that focused on, rather than merely hinted at, queer lives. Daring male university students started wearing makeup. One of these was Cecil Beaton, the future celebrity photographer, who delighted in cross-dressing both on stage and off.
Beaton became part of a set of high society socialites who were known as the “bright young things”. They were often socially privileged, many of them were queer and their antics were widely followed in the media with a mixture of horror and fascination.
The “things” took partying seriously and paid great attention to their outfits. They dressed to transgress. In 1920, high society magazine The Sketch reported that what it termed “freak parties” were suddenly in vogue with the younger set.
Before the war, articles had appeared condemning unusual styles as “freak fashions”, but suddenly “freaking” was all the rage.
Until this point, menswear had been heavily circumscribed. Black was the default colour for formal occasions and tweed for informal settings. But suddenly there was a circle who were keen to try out new looks, no matter how bizarre – or queer-looking – the results.
Queer parties, queer fashions
These styles were often worn as fancy dress, but they borrowed looks from marginalised queer communities such as feminine-styled queer men, some of whom made a living by selling sexual…
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