Modern Times?

Image: brightly coloured 1920s illustration showing two ladies and a man in a naval uniform, with the sea in the distance

1920s illustration from 'Modern Times?' exhibition

Image: three female display figures wearing 1920s knee-length, sleeveless dresses in green and black

1920s dresses on display

The people and fashions of one of the 20^th century's most exciting and liberated decades were on display at The Museum of Costume during 2003.

Modern Times? People and Dress in the 1920s opened to the public on Wednesday, December 11 2002 and ran until Sunday, January 4 2004.

Rosemary Harden, Keeper of Collections at the Museum of Costume, said: "The 1920s was all about women doing it for themselves - it was a real transitional period. This exhibition looked at many aspects of fashion and society for both men and women during the twenties and showed how attitudes were beginning to change."

Modern Times? included fashions such as the beaded dress, sportswear and the new phenomenon of separates. There was a wedding dress from 1928 and items from the young bride's trousseau.

Each case featured a central character from the 1920s. Some are based on real people and some are inspired by characters in contemporary magazines such as Good Housekeeping and Woman and Home.