The world of fashion in the 1920s was characterized by excessive decorations and fancy decor. It was a time of growth and independence for women that was reflected in their dress and style. The 1920s may have represented the change in the roles of women, but more then ever the 1920s also represented a time of image. American society became caught up in the world of selfish ambition and desires wrapped up in a world of image and materialism. American people were lost in a world of fun, parties and wreckless freedom. In this time of glitz and glamour, reality was lost and the power of one's image became a driving force in fashion.

The younger generation of the 1920s was an especially influential force in the fashion trends of the 1920s. "Flappers" and "Bright Young Things" were the younger generation that started the direction of shorter skirts and more revealing clothing. Ankles and calves began to show, evening gowns lost their backings, and the most basic innovation of 1920s fashion was the revelation of the beauty of skin. Previous to the 1920s, baring skin was considered immoral and scandalous, but as the years progressed sex appeal and the image of wildness and rebellion took over.

Not only were clothing styles themselves changing, but even the materials in which they were made. Clothing materials themselves became a symbol of sex appeal as well; chiffon, long elegant yards of silk, georgette, crepes and voiles were all excessively used in fashion. The materials themselves represented the gracefulness and the smooth sleekness of a woman. Even shoes reflected the idea of femininity with increasingly higher heels. All these elements of femininity and sex appeal were seen throughout the Roaring Twenties but with a mixture of boyish charm as well. Bobs and the figureless dress were a few of the items that symbolized the crossing of gender fashion. It was this contradiction of styles that were thrown together making the Twenties so distinct in fashion history.

Beads and short hair, sheaths of silk and low brimmed boyish hats, figureless dresses with no backs: these elements of fashion may contradict each other, but they effectively represent the times of the 1920s. One part of American society willingly accepted and pursued the decadent lifestyle of the Twenties while the other half of American society condemned the immoral behavior of the others. This contradiction of behaviors is also seen in Invisible Man. This is applicable when the story of Trueblood is revealed. It seems that Trueblood's act should be punished but instead he is rewarded for what he is done. He now has more work and money to sustain him, and police officials protect him, all for the illegal and atrocious act he has committed. Not only does fashion and Invisible Man connect in this way, but they both also deal with the issue of superficiality and image.

After Invisible Man comes from the hospital, he senses the shallowness of others and their obsession with image that is also a dominant theme of 1920s fashion. In analyzing these image obsessed people Invisible Man says, "Yes, and that older group with similar aspirations, the "fundamentalists," the "actors" who sought to achieve the status of brokers through imagination alone, a group of janitors and messengers who spent most of their wages on clothing such as was fashionable among Wall Street brokers, with their Brooks Brothers suits and bowler hats, English umbrellas, black calf-skin shoes and yellow gloves...." (256). These image-obsessed people described are those that ran fashion in the 1920s. It was this same theme that ran strongly and influenced the fashion court in the flapper-dominated age.

In both Invisible Man and the fashion industry of the 1920s, the themes of image and contradiction were two of the more prominent and controversial themes. Both the book and fashion history of the Twenties reflect highly upon the reaction and the thoughts of society upon touching these highly intricate and delicate subjects.

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