The Garçonne (French for "boy" with a feminine suffix) was a fashion and cultural movement of the 1920s, centered in France, that championed a revolutionary style of androgyny and independence. It was the aesthetic of the "New Woman," who in the wake of World War I, was asserting new social and political freedoms. The style is defined by its rejection of the traditionally curvaceous female silhouette in favor of a boyish, linear look, achieved through short hair, flattened chests, and the adoption of menswear.

While often associated with the American Flapper or considered a variant of it, the Garçonne was distinct. The Flapper was a social archetype defined by a hedonistic jazz lifestyle and decorative, though liberated, fashion. The Garçonne, in contrast, was a more politically and intellectually motivated movement rooted in French feminism, with a more severe and overtly androgynous fashion uniform.

The Garçonne look emerged from the social shifts in post-World War I Europe. The war had pushed women into the workforce and granted them newfound self-reliance. This "New Woman" required practical, unrestrictive clothing, a need met by pioneering designers like Coco Chanel, who championed the use of comfortable fabrics and menswear-inspired garments like trousers and blazers for women.

The term itself was popularized by Victor Margueritte's scandalous 1922 novel, La Garçonne , which depicted the life of an independent, sexually liberated woman who wore her hair short and lived by her own rules. The book and the real-life women who adopted the style were initially met with public outrage—actress Marlene Dietrich, for example, was famously threatened with arrest for wearing a man's suit in public—but the look quickly evolved into a defining fashion trend of the decade.

The primary goal of the Garçonne aesthetic was to create a boyish, androgynous, and streamlined silhouette that allowed for freedom of movement. This was achieved by abandoning the traditional hourglass figure in favor of a linear and rectangular shape with a flattened chest. Key garments included menswear-inspired items like tailored suits, blazers, and trousers, alongside simple, drop-waist dresses that further emphasized the lack of curves. The signature cloche hat, worn low over the eyebrows, was a common accessory. This look was defined by the iconic short, bobbed haircut, known as the coupe à la garçonne , yet was often contrasted with feminine makeup, such as bold red lipstick and sharply defined eyebrows.