historic costume final project (1) (1)

Running Head: INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION PROMOTION 1

Historic Costume Final Project: International Exhibition Promotion

Maia Wilson, Missy Atkins, Jessica Lee, and Michaela Bull

University of North Texas

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION PROMOTION

Historic Costume Final Project: International Exhibition Promotion

Interior Discussion

The roaring age of the 1920’s brought new layers into both America and Europe

that had not yet been established in its time. While females were breaking from their

conservative dress and beliefs by wearing flapper dresses, obtaining the right to vote, and

gaining freedom in drinking alcohol and smoking, men experienced new revelations as

well (Goldberg, 1999; Goodman, 1971; Roberts, 1993; Ziolkowski, 2015). The 1920’s

brought a rise in economics, which allowed men to spend money more freely on what

they wanted, such as automobiles, radios, movie theaters, and ready to wear clothes

(Goodman, 1971). Automobiles heightened masculinity for all males become they were

no longer just for the upper class Men in the common class could also participate in

driving their woman and friends around (Tortora & Marcketti, 1989; Ziolkowski, 2015).

Using radios and going to the movie theater was a new form of entertainment available to

the masses that previously was nonexistent (Goodman, 1971). Ready-to-wear clothes for

men were a way to express their financial prosperity (Beshears, 2010). During the time of

American gangsters, clothing was important as well. With their overcoats, three-piece

suits, fedora hats, and refined shoes, their dress was a form of verbalizing their criminal

success (Beshears, 2010). From the short haired flapper to the common man to the

American gangster, fashion spoke volumes to what the wild decade of the 20’s was all

about (Beshears, 2010; Craik, 2003; Latham, 2000).

What brings the 1920’s to the current period of the twenty-first century, is not

through popular television and movies, but instead through the rise in the 1920’s trends

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from ready-to-wear designers’ collections for this coming fall of 2016/2017 (Bayard,

2016; Byrant, 2013; Manetti, 2012;). All aspects in fashion including beauty,

eveningwear, accessories, and menswear will relate to the roaring 20’s in some form

(Foster, 2016; WGSN, 2014; Yee, 2016; Yiannakuo, 2016;). Specifically, for men, the

oxford, also known as a form of the brogue shoe, was the predominant shoe during the

1920’s, ranging in black and brown in England and brighter colors in the United states

(Victoria and Albert Gallery, 2016). There are two types of brogues that were relevant in

the 1920’s, the full or wing-tip brogues and the spectator or co-respondent shoes (Pattison

& Cawthorne, 1997). Wing-tip brogues have a W shape at the tip of the shoe. Spectator

shoes were a significant shoe for American gangsters, and are two-toned with normally

white and brown or black colors (Beshears, 2010; Pattison & Cawthorne, 1997; Tortora

& Marcketti, 1989). For this coming fall season, there is a reflection of the brogue shoe in

varying forms for men, which includes the two-toned patch oxford and a brogue with a

wedged heel (Ma, 2016; Shah, 2015). Menswear designers in fall/winter 2016 have

clearly used the 1920’s as inspiration for their lines on the runway. These designers

include Canali, showing oxfords, Etro, with two-toned brogues, and Manganni, with dark

leather oxfords (Canali, 2016; Etro, 2016; Magnanni, 2016).

Garments

In the Roaring Shoes for a Roaring Era exhibit, there will be sights of a selection

of various styles of men’s brogue shoes from the 1920’s. Shoes will be from both the

Americas and Europe, in colors that pertain to the spirit of the times. In this exhibit there

will be variations of oxford shoes.

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The 1925 Oxford’s Lace-up shoe was manufactured by Coxton Shoe Co. Ltd in

Rushden, England (See Appendix A, Figure 1). Due to the outlandish style of this shoe

when considering this time period, this shoe would have been worn by an American man

in the 1920’s. This product was created in the center of the decade that focused and

represented the lavish taste that the 1920’s held (See Appendix A, Figure 1). The intricate

design and use of gold color was something unheard of before this decade, but as the itch

for rebellion approached, the idea of acceptable fashion was questioned. The Coxton

Shoe Co. Ltd is made of a black stitched leather and gold canvas, making up multiple

wing designs on either side of the laces. The use of gold in this shoe embodies the

rebellion of the age. For this project, we will be borrowing this garment from the Victoria

& Albert museum.

The Oxford’ lace-up shoe from the 1920’s would have been worn by men in the

1920’s with extravagant taste (See Appendix A, Figure 2). The shoe was manufactured

by The Coxton Shoe Co. Ltd in 1925. This particular Coxton Shoe Co. Ltd Oxford shoe

from 1925 is made up of red and gold stitching and nailed leather with a canvas lining.

The exotic and extravagant design of this shoe best represents the rebellion of the period.

Our topic of men’s shoe in the 1920s focuses on the elaborate designs that were

introduced to this period. There was a focus on bright popping colors and intricate loud

designs. This shoe is a perfect example of the theme of the decade. This shoe is borrowed

from The Victoria & Albert museum Gallery 40.

The Coxton Shoe Co. Ltd oxford shoes for men were manufactured by the Coxton

Shoe Co. Ltd and the place of origin was Rushden (Northamptonshire), England (See

Appendix A, Figure 3). A greater number of men would have accepted this design

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because of the slightly more subtle flamboyance of the shoe. The shoe will be borrowed

from The Textiles and Fashion Collection of the V&A. This oxford shoe is relative to the

featured time period as it was manufactured in 1925. The shoe is a light brown leather

body with black and light brown stitching on the top and on either sides of the lacing. The

shoe, as a whole, is made up of linen and leather. Although brown and leather were

normal characteristics prior to the 1920’s, the stitching of this shoe credits it to be part of

the abstract style of this time period. See the appendix for referenced figures.

Interior Flap Discussion

Our exhibit will feature a lecture series from Bata Footwear Company co-owner

and Toronto Museum founder, Sonja Bata. She married shoe factory owner Thomas J.

Bata, and helped him rebuild his family’s footwear company (Canadian Business Hall of

Fame, 2008). Their combined efforts lead Bata to become one of the largest footwear

companies in Europe in the early 20th century, specializing in both men’s and women’s

footwear (Bata Brands, 2016). While traveling with her husband on business, she began

accumulating a variety of unique footwear. Sonja founded the Bata Shoe Museum in

1979 (McCambridge, 2011). Today, the museum houses 10,000 pairs of shoes, all hand

selected and purchased by Sonja herself (Bata Shoe Museum, 2015). Her love of shoes

and knowledge of the industry would enable her to give the best insight in to the creation

and styles of men’s footwear in the 1920s.

Back Discussion

The gift shop is comprised of primarily shoe related items as it was fitting with

the installation. Carried merchandise includes W29 X H42cm and W80 X H60cm

dimension prints of the shoes in exhibit. It also has a variety of red, gold, electric blue,

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yellow, and green color miniature shoes ranging around 3-5 inches long. We carry these

shoes as desk pieces, key chains, and magnets (See Appendix C, figure 8). Our most

popular magnet is the 1920 Brogue shoe in gold and black designs. In our gift shop, we

also carry coffee mugs for all your coffee needs however our mugs are in the shape of a

Brogue style shoe. Now you can drink coffee out of a shoe and travel back to the 1920’s

era. Enjoy a card game with your morning coffee using our 1920’s shoe collection deck

of cards, also available at our gift shop. In our library, we carry A Century of Shoes,

Shoes: Pleasure and Pain, and 1920: The Year That Made The Decade Roar.

Props, Films, Music Discussion

One big inspiration for the exhibit will be The Great Gatsby. We want the visitors

to feel like they are back in the roaring twenties. Of course we will have mannequins

dressed like flappers to show how women dressed, but the key pieces will be the men’s

shoes. We will have the different shoes on display and some mannequins dressed in the

typical men’s fashion to show how the men styled the shoes.

Other than the mannequins, we will have multiple props. One big prop will be a

Ford Model T from the 1920’s. We’ll include one of these because during the 20’s, more

people were buying cars and the Model T was the car to have at the time. It wasn’t too

expensive and people were buying them so they wouldn’t have to take the trains (Foner

& Garraty, 2010). Having this there will let the guests see how different cars were during

that time. Another prop that we will have will be ads from the 1920s (See Appendix B,

figure 5 and 6). During this era, people were spending more money than in past years, so

this meant that ads were becoming popular. This will be a way to show the guests what

type of products people were buying during that time (Goodman, 1971). We’ll have these

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put around the exhibit so as the guests walk around to look at the shoes they will also get

to look at the different print ads from the 20s. One big part of the 20’s was prohibition

(See figure 7). Because of the 18th amendment the sale of alcohol was illegal. (U.S. Const.

amend. XVIII, repealed in 1933) So to show this we will have blown up pictures of

people protesting this, the barrels being dumped out, the amendment, etc. This will give

the visitors the feel of how people felt during this time. To add to the pictures there will

be empty beer barrels around and signs from the protest. Having this props will give our

guest the feel of being back in the 20s. These are a few of the big events that were

happening during this time.

To keep the theme of the roaring twenties throughout the exhibit, we will play

popular music from the 1920s. The most popular genre of music at the time was jazz, so

we will feature jazz songs that were popular at the time. A few of those songs are; “Ain’t

We Got Fun,” “Jazz Me Blues,” “Wabash Blues,” and “Doin’ the Raccoon” (Drowne &

Huber, 2004).

On opening night of exhibit, we will show the movie The Great Gatsby to provide

our visitors with a taste of the hustle and bustle of the roaring 20s. The modern rendition

of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Carey

Mulligan as Daisy.

The film follows a young man pursuing the American dream, Nick Carraway, as

he moves to New York to work his way into the bond business. He resides in his new

Long Island cottage neighboring a mansion owned by a mysterious man and extravagant

party host named Gatsby. Across the bay lives Nick’s fabulously wealthy cousin Daisy,

and her unsavory husband Tom Buchanan. Nick soon becomes enthralled in the world of

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New York’s wealthy and their illusions and secrets. The captivating story line paired with

historically actuate costumes and excellent filmography makes it the perfect opening

night film.

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References

The Bata story begins - Bata shoes for all. (2016). Retrieved from Bata Website:

https://www.bata.com/heritage/bata-story-begins/

Bata Shoe Museum, An unusual and unique Toronto attraction: A museum of footwear.

(2015). Retrieved from Bata Website: http://www.batashoemuseum.com/

Bayard, L. (2016, February 06). ‘Downton Abbey’ Season 6, Episode 6: Does Lady Mary

Have a Heart? The New York Times. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/arts/television/downton-abbey-recap-season-

6-episode-6-please-dont-touch-the-china.html?_r=1

Beshears, L. (2010). Honorable Style in Dishonorable Times: American Gangsters of the

1920s and 1930s. The Journal of American Culture, 33(3), 197-206.

doi:10.1111/j.1542-734x.2010.00743.x

Canali The FW 2016 Show. (n.d.). Retrieved

from http://www.canali.com/en_gb/collection/show/fall-winter

Craik, J. (1994). The face of fashion: Cultural studies in fashion. London: Routledge.

Drowne, K. M., & Huber, P. (2004). The 1920s. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

ETRO Official Website. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.etro.com/en_us/

Foner, E., & Garraty, J. A. (2010). Automobiles. Retrieved from

http://www.history.com/topics/automobiles.

Foster, C. (2016, March 18). Key Items A/W 16/17: Jewellery. [Presentation Slides].

Retrieved from https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/65171/page/6

Goldberg, D. J. (1999). Discontented America: The United States in the 1920s.

Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

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http://www.etro.com/en_us/


Goodman, P., & Gatell, F. O. (1971). America in the twenties; the beginnings of

contemporary America. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston.

Lace Ups. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.magnanni.com/lace-ups/

Latham, A. J. (2000). Posing a threat: Flappers, chorus girls, and other brazen

performers of the American 1920s. Hanover, NH: Published by University Press

of New England Wesleyan University Press.

Ma, J. (2016, March 22). Retrieved from https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/?

lang=en#/64735/page/7

Manetti, M. (2012, June 23). 'Great Gatsby' Movie Costumes: Will The Film Accurately

Depict 1920s Fashion? [PHOTOS, VIDEO]. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/the-great-gatsby-trailer-costumes-

fashion_n_1539497.html?ref=styl

McCambridge, F. (2011, April 19). A Step into the Bata Shoe Museum. Retrieved from

Bata Website: http://astepintothebatashoemuseum.blogspot.ca/search?updated-

max=2012-03-21T16:25:00-04:00

Pattison, A., & Cawthorne, N. (1997). A century of shoes: Icons of style in the 20th

century. Edison, NJ: Chartwell Books.

Tortora, P. G., & Marcketti, S. B. (1989). Survey of Historic Costume (6th ed.). New

York: Fairchild Publications.

Shah, I. (2015, April 21). Men's Footwear Collections A/W 16/17 – OffBeat.

[Presentation Slides]. Retrieved from

https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/57885/page/9

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/the-great-gatsby-trailer-costumes-fashion_n_1539497.html?ref=styl

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/the-great-gatsby-trailer-costumes-fashion_n_1539497.html?ref=styl


Sonja I. Bata (2008). Retrieved from The Canadian Business Hall of Fame

Website: http://cbhf.ca/sonja-i-bata

Roberts, M. L.. (1993). Samson and Delilah Revisited: The Politics of Women's Fashion

in 1920s France. The American Historical Review, 98(3), 657–684.

http://doi.org/10.2307/2167545

The Decade That Roared. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/us/46.asp

V&A (n.d.). Shoe | Coxton Shoe Co. Ltd | V&A Search the Collections. [Catalog].

Retrieved from http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O170949/shoe-coxton-shoe-co/

V&A (n.d). Pair of shoes | Coxton Shoe Co. Ltd | V&A Search the Collections. [Catalog].

Retrieved from http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O135423/pair-of-shoes-coxton-

shoe-co/

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (2013). The Great Gatsby. Retrieved April 14, 2016,

from http://www.warnerbros.com/great-gatsby

WGSN Forecast team. (2014, December 19). Megatrends A/W 16/17 – Artisan.

[Presentation Slides]. Retrieved from


Yiannakou, L. (2016, March 21). Key Items A/W 16/17: Evening & Special Occasion.

[Presentation Slides]. Retrieved April 13, 2016, from


Yee, T. (2016, March 29). Fashion Week Streets A/W 16/17: Beauty. [Presentation

Slides]. from https://www.wgsn.com/content/board_viewer/#/65181/page/5

Ziolkowski, T. (2015). Classicism of the twenties: Art, music, and literature. Chicago:

The University of Chicago Press.

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http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O170949/shoe-coxton-shoe-co/


Appendix A

Figure 1. 1925 Oxford Lace-up Shoe with Black and Gold Stitching. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum.

Figure 2. 1925 Oxford Lace-up Shoe with Gold and Red Stitching. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum

Figure 3. 1925 Oxford Lace-up Light Brown Shoe. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum.

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Appendix B

Figure 4. 1932 Automobile. Courtesy of Model T Ford Club America.

Figure 5. Tobacco Advertisement. Courtesy of Stanford School of Medicine.

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Figure 6. Coca Cola Advertisement. Courtesy of Coco Cola Company.

Figure 7. Pouring Liquir in a Sewer. Courtesy of Britannica Encyclepedia.

Appendix C

Figure 8. Oxford Key Chains. Courtesy of Zazzle.

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