Boardwalk Empire and Flapper Fashion!

Michael K. Williams, who played Omar on "The Wire", is Chalky White on "Boardwalk Empire"

Well, dear hearts, we don't know if you watched Boardwalk Empire on Sunday night or not, but we sure did. Much to our dismay, we had been hearing a bit of damage control already regarding this show and were really concerned it wasn't going to be any good.

The adorable and talented Michael Pitt.

Wow. Were we ever wrong! First of all, Steve Buscemi is a fantastic actor, as everyone knows, and we can not wait to see what happens to his character Nucky Thompson. Second, we have loved Michael Pitt, the actor who plays Jimmy Darmody, since he wooed Michelle Williams on Dawson's Creek as Henry Parker. And, finally, the costumes are to die for!

In fact, we are really, really hoping that we see some 1920s styles hit the fashion scene soon as a result of this show (just as Mad Men is inspiring designers now). But, until the 1920s craze makes its way onto the pages of Vogue, we'll have to settle with the few 1920s-inspired fashions we can find now...




We have good flappers. These two looks, recently seen at the Amanda Wakeley 2011 Spring fashion show at London Fashion Week, are not complete literal translations of flapper-style dresses, but the sillhouette, fringe-effect and even the neckline of the dress on the left, mimic the lines and the glitz of the Jazz Age. We adore it and find it both beautiful and super chic. On the right, the "necklace" detail of the dress, also from the Amanda Wakeley show, mirrors the similar long beads many a Gatsby Girl sported during the decade of Prohibition. We love the delicate nature of this detail, it is absolutely, positively gorge.




We also have confused flappers. This poor little flapper, seen at the Fashion East 2011 Spring/ Summer Show at London Fashion Week, can't decide if she's in a Tim Burton film or living in a hippie commune. Birkenstocks? Really? Is that the right choice here? A cute patent leather mary jane would have been so much better, even if more obvious. At the same time, we could see some totally hip (and young) chick pulling this entire look off. We could even see someone a little older and more sophisticated wearing this dress with sky high black pumps.

And then, we have very, very, very bad flappers. The most literal translation of the flapper dress is by far the worst. True, this is Bristol Palin's Dancing With the Stars costume, but there is never, never, never any excuse to model your look after a ketchup bottle. And we don't want to be catty (ok, we will be), but suck in the gut, babe, or get a pair of spanx.

A fashion no.

 
And so, dear readers, while there is great risk with today's designers taking on 1920s fashion, there is also great potential, much like Boardwalk Empire.