1920’s
Photographed by Edward Steichen, Vogue, November 01, 1923
Short hair so defined the Roaring Twenties that F. Scott Fitzgerald, that chronicler of the age, wrote a short story about it. Flappers like Clara Bow and Louise Brooks (above) wore their shingled hair with scarlet red lips and heads capped by cloche hats over streamlined tubular silhouettes that ended at the knee.
1930’s
Photographed by Lusha Nelson, Vogue, February 15, 1938
The garçonne made way for the bias-dress-wearing siren in the thirties. The severity of the bob was softened by waves, and the perfectly lit silver-screen stars, with their perfectly matte complexions (as seen on actress Helen Bennett, above), provided inspiration to women everywhere.
1940’s
Photographed by Crane, Vogue, March 15, 1945
Lauren Bacall’s face-framing waves represented one variation of the era’s beauty ideal, while the look proved positively dangerous for Rosie the Riveter types who pulled their hair away from their face to work in factories during wartime. Rolled, architectural pompadours, whether worn with tailored suits or feminine party frocks, communicated strength and purpose.
1950’s
Photographed by Richard Rutledge, Vogue, March 15, 1952
The fifties ushered in more than a sinuous sweater line and the reign of the fit-and-flare silhouette (first introduced by Christian Dior’s New Look in 1947). It also established an idealized, formal ideal of womanhood that demanded arched-brow perfection and a perfectly drawn lip, seen here on the original supermodel, Suzy Parker.
1960’s
Photographed by David Bailey, Vogue, November 15, 1966
Youthquake divided the decade, which progressed from helmet-like bouffants to hippie hair. As the decade wore on, makeup became a means of artistic expression. Pale lips contrasted with a dramatic eye (epitomized by Catherine Deneuve), and eyelashes reached unparalleled lengths.
1970s
Photographed by Francesco Scavullo, Vogue, February 1, 1974
Ushering in a more expansive definition of beauty, American model Beverly Johnson became the magazine’s first black cover star in 1974. When it came to hair and makeup, the decade’s most famous faces favored artfully sculpted cheeks, frosted eye shadow, and a languid, Halston-influenced aesthetic.
1980s
Photographed by Irving Penn, Vogue, May 1989
Like **Billy Idol’**s little dancer, the eighties aesthetic screamed “more, more, more.” Big hair and shoulders formed the top of an inverted triangle silhouette that exposed miles of worked-out leg. Bodacious bodies—and healthy complexions—came in shades of terracotta, as embodied by supermodel Cindy Crawford, whose full brows and trademark mole would become her signature.
1990s
Photographed by Bruce Weber, Vogue, June 1996
Grunge defined the nineties, the era in which supermodels ceded ground to Kate Moss and the diminutive, bare-faced waifs. A natural documentary-style beauty—unpolished, raw, lived-in—was beauty’s idea of nirvana.
2000s
Photographed by Mario Testino, Vogue, March 2003
2000s The best way to play up a perfectly sculpted body? With subtle, perfectionist beauty touches. Flat-ironed hair, fresh skin, and a new kind of pared down ease reigned with celebrities and models like Liya Kebede.
2010s
Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier, Vogue, December 2014
In a world when everything and anything is instantly available on Instagram, the faces that stand out are those with distinction—**Joan Smalls’**s chiseled cheekbones, **Cara Delevingne’**s solid brows, and the symmetry of Kendall Jenner’s dark, harmonious, “Goya”-like good looks.
Jodie Tovey PJD blog 