How 1920s high society fashion pushed gender boundaries through 'freaking' parties

First panel of The Freak Merchants or, the Bright Young People by Arthur Wallis Mills, published in Punch (1930). Courtesy of Keele University

The 1920s brought about a rise in androgynous fashion among a high society set that broke boundaries and caused controversy. This drew on a subculture that had existed for decades, perhaps centuries, but after the first world war gender-bending fashions became front page news.

It was a time of upheaval. Established regimes were toppling across Europe. In Britain, women over 30 had finally been given the vote and there was widespread concern about the new hedonism of their younger “flapper” sisters.