The expedition look
influencers
Places & Events
By Leslie Drollinger Stratmoen
One of the major fashion influencers of the 1920s, surprisingly enough, was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt in 1922 inspired all manor of Egyptian motifs on fabrics, headdresses, jewelry and entire outfits for those lucky enough to make the trek to the Valley of the Kings.
The discovery was made by Howard Carter, an archeologist funded by George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. Now, if that name sounds familiar, it’s because he was the earl of Highclere Castle, the estate in England made famous by Downton Abbey.
So, this Egyptian influence appeared in the early years of the decade when the tomb was discovered, an event that nearly did not happen, according to the 8th Countess of Carnarvon.
In her book “Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey,” she says, after years of searching for King Tut’s tomb, the two men decided in November of 1922 that it would be the last season of excavations.The earl could no longer afford the venture. Then within days, the tomb was found, with its seal intact, which meant there’d been no tomb raiders. She goes on to say the tomb was unsealed on Feb. 16 of 1923, and people from around the world were marveling at the beautiful artifacts being revealed.
This Egyptian influence on fashion remained ongoing throughout the ensuing decades appearing mostly in fabric prints and wallpaper, then came back with a vengeance in the 1970s when the King’s artifacts went on tour in the United States. I remember it well, not the exhibit, but the hype, and the beautiful pictures I was seeing that influenced my work as an art student at the University of Iowa. It’s true. I have the Cleopatra-esk porcelain mask to prove it and knee socks with purple sphinxes. Seriously. No kidding. I thought they might come in handy some day. Stay tuned for pictures.
My VERSION of the EXPEDITION LOOK
I had so much fun putting this look together.
AND I had everything but the boots!
The COAT and BOWLER — were both picked up in 2002 when I was costuming “Meet Me in St. Louis” and the blouse, vest, tie and gloves were random items from my accessories bin.
The PURSE — is actually one I found in recent years at an antique shop and represents the Art Deco influence of the period.
The SUN GLASSES — are a recent acquisition sent to me by a dear friend who’s excited about this project.
The PANTS — are throw-aways from a garage sale, which cracks me up. They’re jodhpurs from the first world war and that’s exactly what the women of the ‘20s were doing, raiding men’s closets because retailers were not making women’s pants. I found them in the bottom of a sack I’d purchased for 10 bucks because an antique satin dress was peeking out the top.
And NOW, these very PANTS — are actually in a movie I helped costume a few years ago during filming in Wyoming for which my model Oakley Boycott was a producer and star. It turns out, the pants were the perfect pair of army-style jodhpurs that fit the lead character in “The Rider.” The film is stalled in production, right now, but I’m holding on to the hope that those pants will, someday, get their 15 minutes of fame.
So, like I said, all I needed was the boots, and I found them online.
Pretty great!