A time of rebellion. With prohibition in place, men and women drank giggle water together in illegal speakeasies, listened to lively jazz, and danced the night away. Follow these tips for a hotsy totsy roaring 20s party that will get all your guests making whoopee.
Invitations
Illegal bars and clubs were known as speakeasies as customers had to whisper (speak) a password quietly (low and easy) to get in. Make sure you let your guests know the secret password for entry.
Black and gold Art Deco style is iconic for this decade and will encourage your guests to smarten themselves up for the rub.
Party Attire
For men, suits were loose. This means you can suit up and still let loose on the dance floor.
Look for something that is a couple of sizes too big for you and hold the pants up with suspenders. Pant legs were wide with distinctively high raise waists so you’ll look the part.
Mismatching suit jackets and pants were common but jackets and waistcoats needed to match. Make sure your shirt between your pants and waistcoat is never exposed. A fashion faux-pas in the 1920s and another reason why pants were held so high.
If you can’t find a matching waistcoat, knitted pullover vests were worn in more casual settings which shouldn’t be hard to find in a secondhand store. Colors and patterns were very expressive so don’t be afraid to choose something brash.
Men’s shirts came in all sorts of colors such as tan, blue, lilac, sage, yellow, peach, and often had vertical stripes; except collars were white.
Suits were generally neutral colors (except black which was only worn at funerals) with patterns such as plaid, checks or stripes
but men’s accessories were just as colourful as women’s. Think neckties in diagonal stripes, paisley or geometric styles.
or polka dot bow ties.
A pocket watch is a good finishing touch.
Cufflinks were almost always worn and were usually plain gold circles monogrammed with initials. Invest now with your initials, use again later.
Armbands (sleeve garters) were used a lot to cope with ill-fitting shirts that were too long in the arm.
Don’t forget the hat. All men in the 20s wore hats. Fedora or homburg
or the wide floppy newsboy cap for sports or casual situations.
If your suit has a breast pocket, poke a brightly colored handkerchief out the top.
Gangsters have been immortalised in Hollywood although in reality there were many more people just living their lives as best they could. But if you have the urge to rock up to a 20s party with a gun holster to spark conversation….
Golfing knickers (breeches) were popular for sports and the outdoors. Not easy to find these days but if you add suspenders, a bold patterned knitted sweater or vest, and very loud knee length socks to these knicker pants, it should do the trick. Go with the newsboy cap for this look.
Simply cover any brown or black lace-up shoes you have with spats.
Enthusiasm for women’s rights after decades of suffragette activism encouraged free-spirited genderless fashion trends. Corsets were abandoned over a more relaxed look with no emphasis on cleavage or a narrow waist.
Probably the most well known feature was the lowering of the waistline to the hip.
Dresses came in all manner of fabrics and colors. From patterned or nautical style cotton during the day
to glitzy sequined, beaded or metallic embroidered gowns in tulle, silk or velvet in the evening.
Handmade outfits are not cheap but often beautiful so choose a design that you are likely to wear again.
Interestingly, fringed ‘flapper’ dresses did not really exist in the 1920s and arrived a lot later in the 1960s when historic movies were being made. But if you’ve always wanted to wear one to a 20s party….why not?!
Women also started to wear pants in public, particularly those with an interest in sports or outdoor activities. You can easily achieve this by finding men’s brown suit pants with that are too big and hold them up with a belt or suspenders. Match with a more feminine blouse and/or blazer.
Coats were usually rather shapeless so grab any old wool coat you can get your hands on. Alternatively, cape coats were popular in the evenings.
As were fur stoles and embellished shawls.
The 20s was the moment in history when women lopped off their hair into the quintessential bob. A haircut that has resurfaced over and over again ever since. If you can’t bring yourself to cut your hair for a party, a wig is the easiest fix for that.
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Overlay with pearls, rhinestones and/or feathers.
Turbans or beaded skull caps were also worn in the evenings as ‘Egyptomania’ caught on following the recent discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb.
For something a little less formal, this was the decade of the cloche hat with its tight fit and low brim (that actually made it hard for women to see where they were walking).
Women had mostly been wearing lace up boots for at least a couple of centuries. This all changed in the 20s when feet were exposed with casual Oxfords
or heels such as Mary Janes or the T-strap.
Gloves were considered as necessary as shoes. Mid-arm length during the day and over the elbow at night.
Jewelry was minimal but usually included a long bead, pearl or tasselled necklace. Stock up so you can wear a few at once but have some on hand for guests who need a little more jazzing up.
Some women also wore drop earrings
and cuff bangles or brooches.
Handbags were small and sparkly whether they were beaded, sequinned, metallic or mesh. Vintage stores usually have a wide choice. If you don’t have one near you, there are plenty online.
Drawstring bags were also used a lot.
Other accessories that will send you back to the 1920s are fans
and the iconic feather boa.
If you want a shortcut, just wear a simple black dress and go to town with a headpiece, a long string of pearls or feather boa, gloves, and a shawl.
Make-up was not common and usually limited to face powder, pink blusher, matte red lipstick, and sometimes cake mascara although this was mostly used in Hollywood studios.
People smoked, it was considered healthy! Not something we suggest taking up but if you’ve always wanted to wave an elongated cigarette holder around, or emphasise a point with a fat cigar in your hand, now is your chance.
Decorations
Stick one of these on your front door and scribble something like; “…unless you know the secret password” at the bottom.
Add removable decals to dress any wall that is looking a little bare.
Get your dancing space shimmering with a golden chandelier. Make sure you have a light of some kind shining on it.
No harm in getting a few walls to shimmer as well.
Put flowers in prohibition tins around the place.
Get your powder room ready with vintage style soaps and geometric mirrors for when someone needs to iron their shoelaces. They’ll also look great after your 20s party is over.
Cinemas were big news. Well known stars inclued Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino and Mickey Mouse.
Toys were starting to be commercially manufactured. Yo-yos and Raggedy Ann (and Andy) dolls were popular, or anything with a circus theme.
Finally, make sure you think in advance how best to layout your rooms to create the right space.
Food
Food was plainer and less spicy. Nutritionists of the time were recommending ‘dainty food’ so there were many popular appetizers for celebrations.
Although the range is much wider these days, cheese, olive and mixed nuts platters were often a feature. As were finger sandwiches such as the Sardolive sandwich, Cuban sandwich, Honolulu or Dixieland sandwich.
A number of snack brands were launched in the 1920s that are still recognised today and can supplement your refreshment table. Chop up largish pieces of Baby Ruth or Oh Henry! chocolate bars and add Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Boost with Godiva chocolate if you can get your hands on some. Put out a few bowls of crunchy Golden Flake or Jays. Choose your favourite Heluva Good dips to have with crackers. Bake anything to your heart’s content with Betty Crocker or use ready-made cookie dough to bake Art Deco cookies.
Coat with edible gold dust.
Beverages
Although alcohol was prohibited during the 1920s, bootleg alcohol (also called moonshine) was reasonably easy to get your hands on and included gin, whisky and rum. Doctors could prescribe ‘medicinal whisky’ to men on occasion. Absinthe, a hallucinogenic was also around, which you can still get, although the recipe has changed now.
Making bathtub alcohol became popular during prohibition so fill your bath with ice and keep all drinks in there for your guests to go and replenish their glasses.
The quality of whiskey and gin was often poor so they were mixed with fruit juices, ginger ale, sodas, mint, lemon amongst other things to hide the taste. Essentially a springboard for the cocktails we recognise today.
If you’ve decided to make some cocktails for your guests, consider these options:
Great Western Brewing Company and Red Stripe Beer both launched in the late 1920s if you want to provide beer.
Of course champagne echoes this festive decade in case you choose to fizz up your 20s party.
For non-alcoholic options, iced tea and lemonade were common. 7-UP was even launched in 1929, although it did contain lithium citrate to calm people’s nerves which it no longer contains.
Disposable martini glasses means you don’t have to deal with finding bits of glass on the floor during the party.
If you do decide to set up a cocktail or drinks bar, put a poster up so people know straight were to go to mix a drink. Make sure it’s a decent size for the size of your table.
Stuff a few empty gin or whisky bottles with cork string lights and place amongst your bottles to jazz up the counter space.
Tableware
Grab an old sheet for your refreshments table and transform it with an Art Deco table runner
or scatter with geometric, reflective confetti.
Compliment with glitzy tableware.
Serve your appetizers with a golden edge.
Parasols were in vogue. If you’d like to add a dash of colour to your refreshments, decorate your nibbles or drinks with some of these.
Icebreakers
Tiddly Winks or Checkers were popular games that can easily be set up in a corner.
Renewed fascination with the paranormal and communicating with the dead following WWI led to an interest in the use of Ouija Boards.
Music
The speakeasy that had the most fun, lively music gained the most patrons. This competition created a huge demand for upbeat jazz and there is plenty to choose from. Not to forget ragtime blues, lindy hop and even tango was in full swing.
Use your favourite streaming service to create your own playlist with these suggestions.
Brush up on how to do the basic Charleston in advance so you can really move on the dance floor. Others will take your lead and start to follow you.
Send them off with a smile
As circuses were popular, carnival nut bags were a treat for people who were out and about.
Bubble gum was also invented in the late 20s, although not yet in the form of gumballs.
Set up a basket of either of these options by your door so your guests can have fun shelling nuts or blowing bubbles all the way home.