How to be a 1920s House Wife

I love all eras of fashion and history. Each has their own unique set of values, style and interests that makes revisiting them a fun hobby for me and my little family. Recently I took my current interest in the 1920s and spent an entire weekend reliving life as a housewife in the 1920’s. Here is a photo journey through my weekend and some lessons I learned to help us all in our modern life too.  All of these pics were taken in my house (built in 1920) or in Lake Tahoe, CA at the 2013 Great Gatsby Festival.

Morning Hair Ritual

Start Your Day with You

A 1920s housewife began her day where most women do- at the mirror. Taking out rag curlers for fresh bouncy bobbed hair or pinning back long hair into a faux bob style (what I do). In the early 1920’s the most respectable women kept their hair long. The bobbed look was for the young and unmarried set. They flocked to men’s barber shops where no woman had ever set foot before. To come home with bobbed hair was a shock to your friends and neighbors! Over time almost every woman bobbed her hair and the women’s beauty parlor industry was born.

Tip: Taking time to start your day off looking pretty is not vain, its a moment to take care of yourself, to do what YOU want to do, before the demands of your family take over.

Dress for Fun and Comfort

Dress for Fun and Comfort

Day or night. Women in the 1920s changed clothes several times a day. Above I am wearing a 1922 house dress that I made. House dresses were the most colorful with fun gingham checks, stripes and polka dot patterns! Also, they didn’t wear them outside of the home, opting for a nice yet more conservative dress or walking suit.

For evening the colors came back, arms went bare, accessories were lavish and hems were short for dancing. My dress on the mannequin is a thrift store remake into a 1927 style evening dress. Both are exceedingly comfortable. That’s what makes 1920s clothes so great to wear. Fun colors, unrestricted, and contrary to popular belief very flattering on all body types when you avoid dressing like a flapper.

Tip: I found out how much I loved wearing a dress around the house. Usually I put my frumpy comfy clothes on in the morning but a dress was just as comfy and easy to work it- plus Gingham check  makes me smile all day long. Clothes should make you happy. Wear whatever is fun for you even if no one will see you in it all day.

Be Social

Have a Tea Party

Life as a housewife can be lonely during the day. 1920s women had a lot of household responsibilities that took massive amounts of time. Electric appliances like the vacuum, sewing machine, clothes washer, and toaster were just starting to enter homes and make life a little easier. Most chores were still done by hand. All that work and no fun? Not quite. Having tea with friends or dinner followed by a game of Mah Jong was a regular ritual for ladies. Being social helped ease the loneliness and monotony of a housewife life a little more.

Tip: Do you have vintage “things” you never use, like my 1928 tea set? Make a point to start using your things for the purpose they were meant to be. Don’t make a big deal about it. Invite a friend over, messy house and all, and just sit and have some tea and conversation.

Do Something Extra

Shhhh

With prohibition in full swing many housewives turned an extra room in the house into the neighborhood speakeasy. They would make bathtub gin and other home brewed libations during the day and then sell them to their friends and neighbors after hours. A small red light shining in the window meant the speakeasy was open for business. The extra income was needed for the rising costs of living (and spending) in the 20’s.

In my 1920 house we think the basement cold storage room was a speakeasy. Shhh don’t tell anyone, it’s where we keep our party drinks too.

Tip: While I don’t recommend doing anything illegal as a side business I do think having something extra helps keep you happier in life. Teach a class, make and sell crafts, write a blog, or work a temporary job (like an annual event.) Having an extra job not only can give you some fun money but may also turn into a business that you will really love.

Get Outside

Take a Staycation

The 1920s were the first decade to fully embrace a weekend of leisure. Families flocked to beaches, took road trips, hiked, played sports, camped, and skied. In Lake Tahoe, city slickers from San Francisco spent a week playing in the cool Tahoe waters. Life outdoors was where life was at.

The idea of a vacation was also a new thing to many families in the roaring twenties although it was mostly the rich who could afford to travel.

Tip: When the weather is nice, take the family out on a vintage picnic. It’s okay to cheat and bring pre-made sandwiches packed in your vintage picnic basket : ) Just get outside and let nature be your playground. And if you can’t afford a weeks vacation you can always have a “stay-cation” 20’s style with day trips to the beach, the lake, even the movies. Be a tourist in your own town and I bet you’ll discover many new things to do.

Old Fashion Fun Times

Being a mom in 1920 is the same as being a mom today. Love your kids, play with them, teach them, help them grow up to be good citizens and good parents. Most importantly just have fun with them. I like to make vintage costumes for my daughter for all the events we attend. I made her a matching house dress for our day at the lake.

She could care less what she wears as long as she gets to play. Having kids who love nothing more then playing with a cardboard box is a reminder to ditch the iPad and play some easy vintage games like these:

Dress your kids up while you can

1920s Games for Kids are Classics!

1. Pin the Tail on the Donkey

2. Peanut Hunt (like an indoor Easter egg hunt)

3. Hide the Thimble called Hot and Cold today.

And that wraps up my very 20’s weekend. If you are fascinated by life and fashion in the 1920s please join my free 1920s style guide blog series.

Debbie Sessions is  a vintage clothing and lifestyle blogger, entrepreneur, and owner of Vintage Dancer, an excellent shopping resource for those seeking vintage inspired men’s and women’s clothing and accessories from the Edwardian period through the 1960s.