That fashion is a reflection of the social, economic, political, and cultural changes is indubitably factual and that while it mirrors the changing trends of our daily life, it simultaneously conveys the apogee of modernization and reinvention of styling perspectives. The standard paradigm of certain epoch may be regarded as discordant to be adapted by current age but trendsetters won’t have second thoughts in embracing something novel just to be different from among the rest.
Take for instance the ever well-liked and archetypal Gatsby-look that set an unprecedented trendy movement during the 1920s… the most significant era in American history. Along with the said fashion statement the western world experienced a period of sustained economic prosperity and cultural dynamism.
There was the birth of ‘flappers,’ a new breed of young women who wore short skirts, sported short hair (the Bob-cut), loved jazz music, wore excessive make-up, drove cars, and treated sex as a casual thing. In short, these were the women who broke loose from the conventional stereotypes.
This decade created men and women who lavishly partied and ostentatiously celebrated every single event with extreme exuberance, deafening music, and thunderous excitement —hence, the term Roaring Twenties.
Those years of dramatic social and political change encouraged more Americans to live in cities than on farms that swept them into a well-heeled but unfamiliar lifestyle.
The striking social set-up also attracted a great migration of African Americans that caused an increasing visibility of black culture which discomfited the whites… the so-called Cultural Civil War. The Blues and Jazz beats pervaded the music scene while new dances were introduced: the Charleston, the Peabody, Turkey Trot, and later, the Boogie. Alcohol was banned and considered illegal.
The 1920s era significantly introduced the credit cards, the vacuum cleaner, washing machines, radios, frozen foods, and hair dryer.
Popular celebrities during those times were author Ernest Hemingway, Poet Robert Frost, Magician Harry Houdini, fashion designer Coco Chanel, scientist Albert Einstein, dancer-actor Fred Astaire, gangster Al Capone, singer-songwriter-composer George Gershwin, and the Great Gatsby author Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald.
The Crash of Wall Street in 1929 brought an end to the height of the Roaring 20s era followed by the years of industrial meltdown. A huge number of Americans was extremely affected by the declining economy and social restlessness started to set forth. America suffered an unparalleled slump in its financial system coupled with a massive number of unemployment. Due to these disheartening social and economic situations, especially towards the later years (1930 – 1939), it was easy for those severely affected to disclose the perilous condition as the Decade of Depression.
There were public assemblies that called for change and free the people from the miserable bondage of excessive deficiency and paucity of food. The dismal economic situation that critically stemmed from the Wall Street crash that brought a domino effect which caused a global economic crisis. At the height of the Great Depression it was reported that more than a quarter million teenagers were living on the roads and sidewalks.
The frighteningly demoralizing social condition induced the people to reverse the situation. Instead of merely sulking in the corner waiting for uncertain development, they went boisterous in extreme contradiction.
The history of the Great Gatsby
In 1924, American short story writer and novelist Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896-December 21, 1940) moved to France, in Valescure, where he wrote what would be credited as his greatest novel, The Great Gatsby which was published in 1925.
The story was set in a fictional town of West Egg in Long Island during the summer of 1922 as told or narrated by Nick Carraway, supposedly a neighbor and friend of Gatsby. The main male protagonist was a young and mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby who constantly hosted weekly parties for the rich and fashionable. Jay Gatsby had always set his eyes on Daisy Buchanan whom he met years earlier when he was still in the army. Later, Gatsby made his fortune with nothing in his mind but to win Daisy.
In contrast to his current lavish and affluent lifestyle, according to Nick Carraway, Gatsby was born James Gatz to an unsuccessful farming family and changed his name when he turned seventeen when he met Dan Cody, the man who would become Gatsby’s powerfully influential mentor. When Cody died, Gatsby, who was then a full grown man with all the bearings of a well-cultured man who would never acknowledge his meager past, effortlessly acclimatized the ritzy feel as his second skin.
A party animal and gracious host, Jay Gatsby was the epitome of a great dresser…consistently fashionable and updated with the latest trend that made him a standout in every social gathering and party he threw. Every man in West Egg would attend his party not only for the high-end wine but to see and copy what he wore.
Gatsby met his tragic end from the hands of the same men he considered his allies. For Nick, all men are all a little like Jay Gatsby… rowing boats up a river, sailing onward but persistently being dragged by the haunting past.
The influence of Jay Gatsby and the Roaring 20s to People’s Ball
After having had the state dance Rigodon-de-honor for five consecutive times, the Cotillion when Fiesta in America turned 16 (2014), followed by the Formation Dance, this year ushers in a timeless classic dance patterned after the celebrated years of the 1920s and the enduring appeal of Gatsby’s fashion sense for the commemoration of the 8th People’s Ball.
Through the collective efforts and driven enthusiasm of the regular Fiesta Dancers, the Great Gatsby-inspired trend during the Roaring 20s takes a rebirth via a choreographed dance production toreminisce the good old days and relish the splendor of the unforgettable era. Through their authentic costume and imposing movements, the Fiesta Dancers will attempt to invade the splendid years of decadence through their passionately fashionable outfits and well-calculated terpsichorean motions.
All donned in their Roaring 20s finest are: Rose P. Javier, Ramona S. Gapasin, Linda Navarette, Marieta Lamar, Shirley Capaldo, Myrna Bautista, and Becky Samanyaphon.
The dashing gentlemen who will give the justifiable reincarnation of Jay Gatsby include: Vince Gesmundo, Tony Abellar, Ben Hernandez, Gani Puertollano, Emmanuel Sorza, Anthony Bautista, Suriya Samanyaphon, Ed Manalo, and Marcelo Valarezo.
Active and prominent community leaders Angie Molina and Ollie David will exhibit their inherent dancing prowess when they join the group as People’s Ball Honorary Chairs.
Gracing the event and to entertain guests with their innate brand of musical capabilities are fast-rising balladeers, boy band, and chanteuses of the tri-state area: Take The Stage, Michele Pross, Rasmin Diaz, Michelle ‘Mitch Week’ Semana, Usher Turek, and Christopher Corro.
If only for the acclaimed presence of the most in-demand Musical Director around Eric Celerio on keyboards and Master Saxophonist Adam Hutcheson, the entertainment segment of the People’s Ball is, undoubtedly, a surefire hit.
Two of unrivaled personalities are slated to host the event: tested field broadcaster / reporter Lenn Almadin-Thornhill and New York City socialite and documentary producer Paola Isabella Rocha Tornito while full excitement envelopes the air with the sounds provided by Ernie Bugarin.
An Invitation
Though ambitiously conceptualized and a gargantuan task to execute, the event’s venue will be inexplicably turned into the era of sophisticated party hall reminiscent of the 1920s.
Relive the rebellious decade of the 1920s…! Attend the 18th Fiesta in America’s 8th People’s Ball on Friday, August 12 at 7 PM at Double Tree by Hilton along 128 Frontage Road, Newark, New Jersey 07114 and experience a different kind of high induced by the infectious jazz beats.
Come stylishly Roaring 20s! Be Gatsby modish!
Exciting prizes are at stake for the “Most Authentic-looking 1920s Outfit” (Male & Female), the “Gatsby Icon of the Night”, and the “8th People’s Ball Flapper of the Night.”
For more information, inquiries, to purchase or reserve tickets, please call: 201-300-5234, 201-993-8815, or 201-920-0441.
Please visit: www.fiestainamerica.com or email: [email protected]
For comments and suggestions, please email to: [email protected]
