Just a few years before, skirts and hair were long, and girls were demure and innocent. Not any more. Skirts now came to the knees. Legs were - gasp - visible. And if a slight breeze came along, you might get a glimpse of a whole knee. It was enough to make dowagers faint and young men say that's the cat's pajamas!

Flappers celebrated their liberation even more by cutting off their long tresses and bobbing their hair. The bob was comfortable and saved several hours a month in hair-washing time.

Nowadays flapper costumes are just good fun. You can relive those spirited times and blow off some modern-day steam. Here are some flapper costumes essentials you want to be sure to include, to make sure you look really nifty.

The first important element of flapper costumes is the dress. The dress should be sleeveless, with narrow shoulder straps. It should be above knee length. The trend nowadays is for flapper costumes to have full-on miniskirts. You can get a shiny dress in satin or polyester, and if it has sequins and fringes, that's even better.

Then you'll want flapper costumes shoes. You can get shoes now that have straps, closed toes, and chunky heels, and that look like the real thing. They actually look like granny shoes, but who am I to judge flapper costumes?

Then, unless you already have a 1920s bob, you'll need a flapper costumes wig. You can get a dark one, for that Clara Bow look. I don't know who she was, you'll have to look it up for yourself.

Great accessories really make flapper costumes. You'll want a sparkly headband with a feather in it, and a feather boa. Of course, nowadays flapper costumes have synthetic feathers and not ones from dead ostriches. Don't forget a little square purse with fringes on it and a flask in it; a must for flapper costumes, especially the flask.

The flapper costumes party will be hotsy totsy, so get a wiggle on and get into those flapper costumes!