1930-1939 Fashion

I got a kick out of this video!  Seriously so funny how they look straight at the camera and then pretend that they are acting natural.  But the music, clothing, hats, hair styles…it’s all so fun to watch!

The 30’s was greatly affected by The Great Depression.  I look at the Roaring Twenties and I am seriously FLOORED that fashions changed SO quickly!  Don’t you agree?  From going to such elegant, detailed, modest dresses with bustles and corsets, to flapper dresses and pants and such!?  Amazingly fast.
The 30’s seem to return to a bit more modest fashion for the women.  And I really really love some of the fashions during this decade!

Wikipedia says that attention to the shoulder detail started during this decade, “with butterfly sleeves and banjo sleeves, and exaggerated shoulder pads for both men and women by the 1940s. The period also saw the first widespread use of man-made fibers, especially rayon for dresses and viscose for linings and lingerie, and synthetic nylon stockings. The zipper became widely used.”

What a cool picture I found here of a woman cutting out a pattern to sew!!!

Wikipedia also says,

“The lighthearted, forward-looking attitude and fashions of the late 1920s lingered through most of 1930, but by the end of that year the effects of the Great Depression began to affect the public, and a more conservative approach to fashion displaced that of the 1920s. For women, skirts became longer and the waist-line was returned up to its normal position in an attempt to bring back the traditional “womanly” look. Other aspects of fashion from the 1920s took longer to phase out. Cloche hats remained popular until about 1933 while short hair remained popular for many women until late in the 1930s.”

Beautiful woman and dress in a 1935 photo found here.

Just the Swing states that,

“A popular formal look was the empire-waisted gown, with ties at the back. The dress might boast butterfly or large, puffy sleeves. Hemlines fell at the ankle and trains added a further formal touch. Fabric flowers might be placed at the neckline, on one shoulder, or at the center waist or center neckline. Bows were another popular accent. The peplum made its debut in the late thirties evening wear. Later in the 30’s women started wearing slinky silks popularized through the movies…

“Fur of all kinds was worn extensively during this era, both during the day and at night. Fur capes, coats, stoles wraps, accessories and trimmings adorned women’s dresses. Pelts in demand were sable, mink, chinchilla, Persian lamb and silver fox.”

Notice the fabric flowers info two paragraphs above?  We’ve gone back to that, haven’t we?  Awesome!
Actress Dorothy Gish, 1932. Picture found here. 

Pattern from 1935 found here.

Girls Sundress pattern found here.

1939 dress pattern found here.

Shirley Temple!  Of course she’ll be great for children’s fashion pictures!!!  How cute is this one? Pics found here.

I just KNOW I’ve seen many dresses around so similar to this!  Idea for you? Or for me? :)

According to Paper Dragon, men’s fashion was as follows:

“The double breasted jacket became popular in the early part of the 30s. After things started to look up with the economy the lines softened on the jackets. One thing didn’t change, hats were mandatory for the well dressed male.

“ One thing that could not be helped but be noticed was the “gangster” influence of clothing, after all, the gangsters seemed to be the only ones being successful in the 30s. Their style became what was thought of for “Successful Businessman”

Another interesting piece of fashion was the Zoot Suit….The suit has an exaggerated style with baggy pants, an oversized jacket, gold chains and a hat called a tando.”

Historical Boys Clothing says,

“Boys still commonly wore suits. This was the last decade that American boys commonly wore suits, although it continued to be common for British boys for another decade. Of course the American boys wore knicker suits and the English boys short pants suits.

Here’s a picture from one of my readers–Bridget.  Love the detail we can see on the dress here!

More great links:
Costumes.org
1930’s Fashion
Etsy Vintage Clothing (I saw a few 1930’s items in there)
Marquise.de
Lisa’s Nostalgia Cafe