The Fashion Lag in the 1920s

Found photo When I first looked at this photo, I focused on the older woman on the right—I’m assuming the mother of at least some of these young people. Her dress, a waistless smock shape, is surely from the 1910s, maybe even with some of the arty decoration from that era. The dresses of the younger women are quite a bit shorter and feature the dropped waist of the 1920s. Given their length, I would guess they come from the middle of the decade. And is the young woman front left wearing a divided skirt? The contrast between the daughter and mother on the right is a clear example of the fashion lag. While the daughter has most likely kept up with current fashion, the mother didn’t bother. Why should she? Her dress looks supremely comfortable.