Roaring showcases the interconnected evolution of fashion and automobile trends

At its inception, driving was intended to be a man’s sport. But as it became more common, the culture adapted to welcome a more feminine motorist. This idea is central to SLAM’s exhibition Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918–1939, on view through July 27. 

By the 1920s, marketing campaigns aimed to make the car a fashion accessory. Numerous advertisements for cars included related fashions, showing that women could maintain their femininity while driving hundreds of miles through the countryside. She’d wear a long wide-cut coat, with large armholes and a high collar, that was belted to emphasize the waist and protect her day dress from the dust of the road. She’d have a hat, gloves, and boots to preserve her silk stockings—and a spare pair of heels stashed in the special compartment designed for such accessories—allowing her to motor in comfort and to be ready for any occasion once she was out of the car. Leaving her outerwear behind, the woman could head to lunch without appearing “trop ‘sport,’ ” that is, masculine and inappropriately sporty.

The interwar period in France demonstrated that fashion, elegance, and the automobile are intertwined. Along with a dozen period automobiles, Roaring features numerous examples of French women’s fashion that were inspired by the design of the automobile itself and kept in mind the practicality of wearing it while driving. An essay by Pierre-Jean Desemerie in the exhibition catalogue explores the interconnected evolution of fashion and the automobile. 

As luxury and elegance became important factors in car design, the language used to describe them changed as well. The terms long silhouette, elegance, graceful feminine lines, smart, svelte, refined, and ravishing were all used to describe the ideal car, not unlike characterizations and qualities expected from women and their clothes in the 1920s and ’30s. And as car designs evolved, so did automobile fashion, according to Desemerie’s essay. 

For competitive sport driving, women would wear a full-body jumpsuit or a tweed ensemble consisting of a jacket and full-length trousers. Since the vehicle was typically open-bodied, they’d also wear protective accessories like leather gloves, a plain cap with chin straps, and thick goggles. This attire was not dissimilar to men’s sporting fashion of the period, and some of these elements made their way into high fashion.  

In closed-body cars for leisurely driving, less protective attire was needed, but female motoring fashion still took the design of the car into account. For example, before heaters were common in cars, a driving coat was needed. These were typically designed to be wide enough to cover any type of outfit underneath. 

The advancement of the automobile also opened doors to new accessories. Cars at the time typically had separate keys for the locks and ignition. Luxury brand Hermès produced a key ring for storing the usually small keys in a bag or pocket. Gloves were another essential driving accessory for practical and stylish purposes. Elbow-length styles were initially favored to protect sleeves from dust or grease, and some featured zippers for easy removal. Disposable paper gloves could be stored in the glove box and were worn to avoid staining more expensive leather gloves. As automotive technology advanced to allow for smoother steering, though, thinner leather gloves were designed for better grip and maneuverability. This marked a shift from the thick, lined gloves used before World War II for driving in open-chassis cars. Before long, gloves with openwork designs and perforations were introduced to allow hands to breathe.