What was 1930s fashion

Couture clients who had previously come to visit from all over the world dropped off, and even their trade in licensing models to be copied for ready to wear by department stores suffered, as several stores now clubbed together to buy the licence for one model when before they would have bought one each.

Instead they promoted home grown designers. Because of this, many s fashion couture clothes of the time that you may see in museums may have had their labels cut off, to get around customs. Three afternoon dresses, Day dresses. Although the silhouette of the mids had been flat and simple with hemlines at just below knee length, by the end of the decade it had begun to come down and entering the s daytime skirts were mid calf length.

They dropped an inch or two lower before rising again to just before knee length at the end of the decade. For evening wear, skirts were floor length. Day wear and evening wear in s fashion were full of flounces and decoration. Tailoring was in and the silhouette was triangular, with shoulder pads in dresses and suit jackets alike.

Cap, elbow length and wrist length sleeves were worn, usually with volume at the top and narrowing towards the wrist. Interesting necklines were key, with collars and cut outs, mock jabots, draping, frills, bows, buttons and fastenings to add interest.

Sometimes skirts were also decorated with buttons, waterfall flounces and frills too. The Bulgarian style blouse, Blouse, collar and skirt combinations, Sports suit. In amongst this frippery and frills were also some very plain black and white or chocolate brown structured suits, and simple, pretty cotton print dresses which could easily be washed.

In America, these dresses were made from the specially-printed cotton fabric of flour, sugar and feed sacks, and were known as feed sack dresses. Topping this would be a fur or wool coat, with hat, gloves, scarf, handbag and high heels, maybe a muff for very cold weather. Striking colour combinations. Chic colours. Colour spanned just about every combination in s fashion , with the main rule being that outfits matched with a touch of the same colour appearing on, say, a lapel, hatband, gloves and shoes, or matching belt, embroidery on the dress, a hat-feather.

In this way, accessories pulled an outfit together. Cheerful bold floral prints were made for cotton summer dresses, and polka dots were popular, while stripes and nautical themes of navy, red and white looked smart and playful for beach wear.

Fun prints with motifs like landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, boats and anchors or jungle themes appeared. All shades of grey, from pearl to charcoal, looked chic, and black and white was a strong look for both daytime and evening.

Some quite bold colour combinations were used, such as red, yellow and black, blue and violet, or orange white and green. Vionnet Gown, s. The main innovation in s fashion was the bias cut. Used for daywear too, its main application was in slinky flowing evening gowns and in underwear. Greatly popularised by the couturier Madeline Vionnet, bias cutting is an expensive technique, as it requires the fabric to be cut on a 45 degree angle so less pattern pieces will fit on a piece of fabric.

The effect is stunning though, as the fabric then stretches and moulds itself gently to the body. Generous satin eveing gowns inspired by the drapery of Greek goddesses was the result. This evening gown features pearl straps at the back.

Stacks of bracelets and a bead necklace. Pearls and a hair clip. Diamond dress clips on fur and diamond earrings. Trapeze buttons on a Schiaparelli jacket. Buttons became a feature of outfits in s fashion and were often so large or elaborate they were often the equivalent of jewellery in a look, and together with the additional decoration on clothes often ruled out the need for actual jewellery.

Earrings were very rarely seen, perhaps only as a simple pearl button clip on, and equally simple short pearl necklaces or unfussy strings of beads complemented daywear. Costume jewellery in the form of big brooches pinned at the lapel or neck line, stacks of bangles, diamante dress clips, jewelled belt buckles, and unusual back jewellery designed to complement the swooping backs of evening gowns appeared.

A vest, pocket handkerchief, shorter tie, hat such as a fedora or bowler , and dark or two-toned leather dress shoes completed the look. Daily wardrobes of laboring men paid little heed to fashion trends. They often wore bib overalls or coveralls of sturdy denim or duck cloth. Work shirts were loose-fitting and long-sleeved.

Work uniforms often paired lighter-weight, colored shirts with matching trousers. Heavy leather work boots protected the feet. Some men wore sports jackets for leisure; in the United States, men also wore them to work. Knitted sweaters, soft-collared shirts, and flannel trousers were also donned for sports and relaxation. Many children wore homemade clothing or items purchased from mail-order catalogs.

These items would have been unique and perhaps well-worn, but many were styled after prevailing trends. Embellished, puffy-sleeved dresses sported rounded Peter Pan collars. Hemlines were high for younger girls and dropped below the knee for older girls. Older boys wore trousers or flannel suits with button-down shirts and ties, sometimes with a knitted sweater or sweater vest. What did your relatives wear in the s?

This was a common free service that stores offered. Read more about the fashion trends of the s with our year-by-year timeline below. With the Clara Bow flapper look becoming passe, the new rage is the sophisticated Garbo look. The silhouette is tall and slender, emphasizing broad shoulders, a small bosom, streamlined hips and a standard waistline. Both hair and hems are longer in The more narrow skirts widen softly below the hip and then stop at mid-calf.

Greta Garbo popularized the windblown look, with her side-parted hair, while Joan Crawford embraced the puffed sleeves, which emphasized her slim waist. Jean Harlow strutted her stuff in slinky halter tops and evening gowns. Thick, clinging fabrics are enormously popular.

The gradual broadening of the shoulders lead to three-inch shoulder pads; found even in night gowns. Makeup emphasizes angularity. In , most every woman owns a close-up mirror to pencil in well-plucked eyebrows and to apply black mascara and eye shadow. The curling iron was another fashion necessity. In , new fashion accessories include suede gloves with matching bag and shoes, a red or gray fox fur flung over one shoulder , batik scarves, large rings and watches set with gems.

Women love their hats. In , they are deep and close-fitting with both large and small brims, and women liked them to cover one eye. Women wear their hair a little longer and loosely waved with a side part. Fashionable shoes include the black silk style with ankle strap and the white suede style with a T-strap. For men, hair was worn short and natural, parted on the side.

Men left their pomade in the cabinet, going for the natural look a la Charles Farrell or Buddy Rogers. Thank you to Hinesite Vintage for loaning vintage clothing for the creation of this article. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So to help shed light on the changes the s brought to feminine style, I worked with Hinesite Vintage to showcase 5 culturally important pieces for the era.

Keep reading after the jump to see these pieces of s fashion and to read how they revolutionized the way women dressed! What to Buy at Thrift Stores ». Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. More about Sammy Hi!