Here are some costume ideas for the chaps from the 1920-1930's era with a little history to set the scene...

After the carnage of the trenches in World War One and the worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918, people were more than ready to enjoy life in the 1920's.

The sun was still shining on the British Empire - a chap in search of adventure (with a private income) could safari Africa, excavate in Egypt or explore the Hejaz. All things exotic in clothing were highly fashionable.

New technology provided exciting entertainment options for the working classes - news reels, both silent and talking movies, motoring, aviation races and radio. A new style of music - Negro Jazz took the world by storm with wild new dance styles like The Charleston, Black Bottom and Shimmy. Led by the young, menswear became colourful, and quirky - brightly striped blazers worn with Oxford Bags - trousers a foot wide at the cuff.

Mixed bathing!!! in woollen togs with cut-out armholes. Sport was highly fashionable and the young flocked to play tennis and golf. Hats were compulsory wear for men in the street and jackets were not taken off in public.

The well-to-do chap wore a fobt-watch on his waistcoat, oiled his hair and wore two-tone shoes.

Alas the fun and frivolity had to end with the stock market crash of 1929 and the resulting economic depression. Much of the 'old money' was lost and a third of the workforce faced unemployment with no social welfare payments or unemployment benefits.

America voted in prohibition and organised crime started to profit from running illegal alcohol. Mob rivalry lead to gangster wars in Chicago with the infamous tommy gun as the weapon of choice.

The upper classes considered it bad form to wear bright colours and flashy new clothes; the working classes wore what they had, patched it and wore it some more. Men took to the road searching for work or joined Government relief schemes, planting forests and making roads with pics and shovels.

As the world's economies began to recover in the mid thirties, Hitler had a firm grip on power in Germany and was starting to worry his European neighbours.

Sport and physical fitness were immensely popular as was the Scouting movement, lead by the hero of Mafeking, Baden-Powell. Hollywood ruled entertainment with stars like Shirely Temple, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers while Disney released its first animated film "Snow White".

After the declaration of war in 1939, people again had to "make do and mend" for clothing and the majority of the male population was conscripted into some sort of uniform. Thus ends the "Art Deco" period with clothing rtioning in force until the lare forties and early fifties in Britain.