The Age of Jazz! Art Deco Fashion and Style

Art Deco swept across Europe and America in the 1920s, bringing with it a transformation in design.  From brightly coloured, geometric patterns on fabrics, wallpapers and in book illustration to the soaring, elegant lines of New York skyscrapers.  Art Deco helped to introduce Modernism to a mass audience.  Fashion design too was affected by the new style, bringing with it beaded ‘flapper’ dresses, fabulous handbags and bias-cut dresses.  Hollywood was quick to reflect the new style, perhaps best epitomised in the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  This lecture gives an overview of Art Deco style and design and also looks at the movement’s legacy today. 

Dr Sally Hoban has lectured extensively on art, design and antiques throughout the UK and at The University of Birmingham. She has broadcast on BBC Antiques Roadshow, BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC Radio 4 and her publications include the book Miller’s Collecting Modern Design. She has an Honours level certificate in public speaking from The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and is a freelance arts journalist for local, national and international media. Sally has a PhD in the history of art and design from The University of Birmingham and currently runs her own antiques businesses specialising in 19th and 20th century decorative arts and antique and vintage clothing and textiles.