One of the mains things in The Great Gatsby is the fashion of the time it was written. The Twenties were a time of glamour, and F. Scott Fitzgerald was mindful of that by having his characters dress in the appropriate fashion. Fashion in The Great Gatsby isn’t just about looking beautiful, it’s commentary on the differences between old money, new money, and those who are seeking to fit into society.
The women’s dress in the novel especially stands out. Daisy Buchanan, for example, is always described wearing , stylish dress wear, like white gowns that make her essentially angelic and beautiful. Her dressing shows her beauty and wealth as well as her unapproachable, elusive character. Then we have Jordan Baker, who wears more sporty types of clothing. Her dress is similar to her confident and independent personality, which was quite new and novel for women in the 1920s.
The men’s fashion is also interesting. Gatsby’s pink suit is the most famous in the novel. It shows how much effort Gatsby is really putting into impressing everyone, especially Daisy, by showing off his wealth. The color, however, also implies that he doesn’t really fit into the traditional, “old money” crowd. Tom Buchanan, on the other hand, wears more traditional clothes that reflect his class and confidence.
Overall, fashion in The Great Gatsby is not just for appearance. It tells us a lot about the characters, their goals, and the world they live in. The flashy clothing and bright fashion makes everything look so exciting on the level of the surface, but look closely beneath and you can see that the clothing also tells us just how fake and superficial a lot of it is, and it tells us who belongs in what class.