The Thirties

1930 - 1940

Patricia Sumod 1
 Despite the Depression, fashion in the '30s maintained The Thirties
a beauty and glamour promoted to a large extent by
Hollywood. In the first half of the decade, plunging
1930 - 1940
backs, bias-cut draping, and clinging fabrics
transformed the androgynous silhouette of the '20s
into a new body-conscious, feminine line epitomized
by the on- and off-screen clothing of international
stars such as Jean Harlow, Carol Lombard, and
Claudette Colbert.
There was a return to a more genteel, ladylike
appearance. Budding rounded busts and waistline
curves were seen and hair became softer and prettier
as hair perms improved. Foreheads which had been
hidden by cloche hats were revealed and adorned with
small plate shaped hats. Clothes were feminine, sweet
and tidy by day with a return to real glamour at night.
Until the 1930s wealthy women had not really needed
to wear practical day clothes. Although styles had
been designated day styles if they were impractical it
had not really mattered as long as maids took care of Small pleats contour the lines of the chest, and the
chores. Now women had more productive and busier natural flow of the cloth becomes a skirt. This work
lives and simpler clothes gave a freedom of demonstrates the typical style of Grs. Madame Grs
movement women relished in daily life. More opened the fashion house Alix in 1934, but was
luxurious gowns were kept for evening. New fabrics forced to close it in 1939. In 1942 she opened a new
like metallic lame were very popular at night and were house under her husband's "nom d'artiste", Grs. In
made to shimmer even more richly by adding plastic the mid-1930s she became known for extravagantly
sequins and glass beads. arranged clothes made of silk jersey in the classical
The Paris couturiers Madeleine Vionnet and Alix Grs Greek style and with few visible seams. The dress
were known for their inventive use of diagonally cut illustrated here was designed in 1944 for actress
jerseys and shiny satins, although the technique wasPatricia Sumod Danile Delorme for her appearances in Jean 2
popular with all designers of the period. Anouih's play "Antigone".
The Thirties The French designer Madeleine Vionnet opened her own fashion
house in 1912. She devised methods of bias cross cutting during the
1930 - 1940 1920s using a miniature model. She made popular the halter neck
and the cowl neck. The bias method has often been used to add a
flirtatious and elegant quality to clothes. To make a piece of fabric
hang and drape in folds and stretch over the round contours of the
body, fabric pattern pieces can be cut not on the straight grain, but
at an angle of 45 degrees.
It is sometimes said that Vionnet invented bias cutting, but historical
evidence suggests that close fitting gowns and veils of the medieval
period were made with cross cut fabrics. The Edwardians also made
skirts that swayed to the back by joining a bias edge to a straight
grain edge and the result was a pull to the back that formed the
trained skirt. She popularized it and the resulting clothes are styles
we forever associate with movie goddesses and dancers like Ginger
Rogers.
Using her technique designers were able to produce magnificent
gowns in satins, crepe-de-chines, silks, crepes and chiffons by cross
cutting the fabric, creating a flare and fluidity of drapery that other
methods could not achieve. Many of the gowns could be slipped
over the head and came alive when put on the human form. Some
evening garments made women look like Grecian goddesses whilst
others made them look like half naked sexy vamps. Certain of her
gowns still look quite contemporary.
There was a passion for sunbathing. Women tried to get tans and
then show them off under full length backless evening dresses cut
on the true cross or bias and which molded to the body. To show off
the styles a slim figure was essential and that was getting easier for
women who were educated and aware as many now used
contraception
Patricia Sumod and did not have to bear baby after baby unless 3
desired.
The Thirties
Skirts were frequently longer at the back than the front. Below
1930 - 1940
the knee pleats and godets fell from panels so gave fullness at
the hemline. The hemlines reached the bottom of the calf
within a year. Some of the clothes were so stylish that they
could be worn today. Part of their appeal was the draping fabric
that was further enhanced by cutting fabrics on the true cross
or the bias grain also quite fashionable at the start of the new
millennium.
The new improved fabrics like rayon had several finishes and
gave various effects exploited by designers eager to work with
new materials. Cotton was also used by Chanel and suddenly it
was considered more than a cheap fabric for work clothes. But
nothing cut and looked like pure silk and it was still the best
fabric to capture the folds and drapes of thirties couture. Fine
wool crepes also molded to the body and fell into beautiful
godets and pleats.
Rayon dyed well and looked similar to and felt like silk. Often it
was used to make lingerie for the cheaper end of the market.
In 1927 Dr. Wallace Carothers began to research new polymers
and eventually discovered polyamide. By 1938 the Du Pont
company was producing commercial nylon and by 1939 making
knitted hosiery. Later it was given the commercial name Nylon.
Nylons were eventually available in 15 denier and these were
very sought after particularly in the 2nd World War.
Nylon hosiery transformed women lives. No more bagging and
sagging of stockings and a sheer allure which enhanced their
legs. The women of the era must have felt much the same as
women of the sixties did later when tights gave a new freedom.
Patricia Sumod 4
The Thirties Clothing styles were less extravagant for the most part
1930 - 1940 during the 1930s. However, you could still tell between
the haves and have nots of this time. Some of the
more affluent type of dress was presented by models in
issues of the womens magazine Good Housekeeping
with some of the businesslike influence in these simple
outfits in the April 1930 issue. Models in some of the
photos displayed simple-yet feminine outfits of two-
piece V-neck cardigan, simple blouse, and button-
down wrap skirts. Other photos showed off long free-
flowing dresses with moderately low V-necklines.
These dresses are known often as the 1930s
Trousseau.
These particular outfits are what many people would
perhaps associate in times past with tea time or
luncheon in high society. These particular elegant yet
simple lines of clothing or in the ever-growing middle
class social circle. The shapes of these dresses were
designed to show off a womans most feminine
features-tight or snug at the waist and then bowing
slightly out. Most of these dresses are either slightly
gathered and/or pleated. The pattern for many of the
early 1930s dresses that were made is known as the
cross cut bias style. Some of them are one-piece
while others are accented with a short elegant jacket.
All though women did cut back on the number and
style of clothes, Ladies Hats were still an integral part
of any Ladies wardrobe.

Patricia Sumod 5
The Thirties The sleeves of most of the 1930s dresses and outfits
1930 - 1940 referenced in this article are of length or shorter.
The Hem line of most of the outfits during this time
was cut between the knees and the shin. Colors of
fashionable ladies wear in the 1930s were of
different colors such as red, navy, white, and black.
One of the most famous fashion influences of the
1930s was Coco Chanel. Another one of this time
was Madeleine Vionnet, who was a French Designer.
In fact, Vionnet was the one who is most known for
the cross cut bias pattern for dresses, which is a
style associated with actress or dancers such as
Ginger Rogers. This particular type of dress is very
long, and is usually all the way down to the lower
back. Women's fashions in the 1930s were a stark
contrast to the flapper look of the roaring 20s.
Hemlines were lowered and evening outfits became
more glamorous and sensual. Fabrics were draped
and usually showed off the woman's back.
Hollywood was the major contributor on the styles
worn, as movie star endorsements of styles and
accessories became common.
Other trends included women's sportswear which
became more masculine, hats were worn, but
usually at an angle to the face and fur of all kinds was
worn extensively during this era including coats,
capes and accessories.
Patricia Sumod 6
The Thirties
1930 - 1940

1930, Don English photographs Marlene

Dietrich on the set of Morocco. This movie
paved the way for an androgynous style
amongst stars such as Audrey and Katherine
Hepburn. Hollywood was becoming a
tastemaker to the masses, and Dietrich would
go on to become one of the most widely
emulated stars of the period.

Amelia Earhart receives major

attention in the 1930s as the
1935 purple satin Jeanne Lavin gown, 1930s first woman pilot to conduct
Madeleine Vionnet gown major air flights. Her
disappearance for unknown
reasons in 1937 while on flight
Patricia Sumod prompted search efforts which7
failed.
The Thirties 1930 - 1940
As the decade progressed, clothing gradually became more
tailored. As early as 1931, Elsa Schiaparelli extended the
shoulder line to give a "masculine" narrowness to the hips
and waist. Other designers, particularly in film, eventually
followed. Padded shoulders (sometimes with the addition of
military-style epaulets) increased in popularity in the latter
part of the decade to become the hallmark of the next. New
styles included the dinner suit, consisting of a long dress and
short jacket for the theater, dinner, or dancing. The "little
black dress" was fashionable from the afternoon to the
cocktail hour for the latter worn with a small feather or a
beaded hat.
The Italian Elsa Schiaparelli 1890-1973 had a love of rich
fabrics and feminine fantasy clothes that frequently had a
The Lobster Dress by Elsa Schiaparelli
surreal twist. She mixed with the now famous cubist and
surrealist artists Man Ray, Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp and
Francis Picabia. Fabric and accessories were often designed
for her by Dali, Jean Cocteau and Christian Berard.
Shocking-pink was Schiaparellis signature color. She
described hot pink as life-giving, like all the light and the
birds and the fish in the world put together, a color of China
and Peru but not of the West.
Despite the fact that Schiaparelli had a witty side she was just
the fashion inspiration that women who preferred classic
styles needed. Those that loathed the swathes of pastel
chiffon produced by Vionnet were easily compensated by
'Scap's' couture short fitted suits or jackets teamed with
black dresses. She used colors like turquoise or shocking pink
Patricia Sumod 8
or hyacinth blue. Skeleton dress. Elsa Schiaparelli collaboration with Salvador Dal, 1938.
 The designs Dali makes for Schiaparelli
included a hat in the shape of a shoe, a pink
suede belt with a buckle of lips, a dress of
rags and the lobster dress. And in 1936, Elsa
Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali presented suits
and jackets with bureau-drawer pockets
reflecting the themes prevalent in Dalis Art,
which were featured in the September 1936
issue of Vogue magazine.
1936) by Salvador Dal.

The Thirties
1930 - 1940
Schiaparelli liked new things as well as new
ideas. In 1933 she promoted the fastener
we call the zip or zipper. The metal zip had
been invented in 1893 and by 1917 it was
somewhat timidly used for shoes, tobacco
pouches and U.S. Navy windcheater jackets.
Her use of the new plastic colored zip in
fashion clothes was both decorative,
functional and highly novel. They soon
became universally used and are now a very
reliable form of fastening.
Patricia Sumod 9
Mrs. Reginald Fellowes (left) in Elsa Schiaparelli, 1933
The Thirties Beyond the little black dress which she
1930 - 1940 frequently designed, she would accessorize with
humor and designed funky hats made to appear
as mutton chops or ice cream cones. Her
eccentricity was much loved and her clothes
were revolutionary at the time.
She designed a wide shouldered masculine suit
that Marlene Dietrich wore and which was
copied throughout Hollywood.
She launched shoulder pads in man tailored
severe suits long before power dressing of the
80s. It was her late 1930s tailored suit designs
which were thought the most suitable clothing
to embrace in the war years rather than the
wasp waist bouffant dresses that were shown
just before the war started.
Schiaparelli and Chanel were great rivals who
both vied for top designer fame and competed
hotly against each other over their perfumes.
Schiaparelli's Shocking perfume in an hour
glass bottle designed on Mae West's figure was
fiercely competitive against Chanel's perfume
Chanel No 5.
Schiaparelli fled to the USA at outbreak of
World War Two and never regained her
designer dominance again. She continued to
lecture on fashion throughout the war years in
Patricia Sumod America. She held her final fashion show in10
1954.
The Thirties
1930 - 1940

1930s fashion film star Jean Harlow

Ginger Rogers in a metallic lame gown Film star Barbara Stanwyck- 1938
The silver screen soon became a common escape from the reality
of life in the depression. Movie celebrities began endorsing fashion
styles making accessories a highlight of 1930s fashion.

Necklines started to plunge and waistlines were of a more

sensuous shape accentuating the female silhouette. Empire-waist
gowns became popular. Fabric flowers and bows were often
placed on the shoulder, or mid-waist or center neckline. The
peplum also made a great appearance into 1930s fashion evening
wear. For those that could afford it, fur was in style. Fur capes, Ginger Rogers
stoles and wraps hung from womens shoulders and dresses. Stunning 1930s
Sable, mink, chinchilla and silver fox were in hot demand.
Patricia Sumod fashion gown11
 During the decade of the 1930's saw dramatic changes in mens fashion. It began
with the great Wall Street Crash of October 24, 1929. By 1931, eight million
people were out of work in the United States. Less or no work meant little or no
money to spend on clothing. The garment industry witnessed shrinking budgets,
and going-out-of-business sales were prevalent. The Edwardian tradition of
successive clothing changes throughout the day finally died. Tailors responded
to the change in consumer circumstances by offering more moderately priced
styles. During the early part of the decade, mens suits were modified to create
the image of a large torso. Shoulders were squared using wadding or shoulder
pads and sleeves were tapered to the wrist. Peaked lapels framed the v-shaped
chest and added additional breadth to the wide shoulders.

This period also say a rise in the popularity of the double-breasted suit, the
forerunner of the modern business suit. Masculine elegance demanded jackets
with long, broad lapels, two, four, six or even eight buttons, square shoulders
and ventless tails. Generous-cut, long trousers completed the look. These suits
appeared in charcoal, steel or speckled gray, slate, navy and midnight blue.

Lovely dark fabrics were enhanced by herringbone and stippled vertical and
diagonal stripes. In winter, brown cheviot was popular. In spring, accents of
white, red or blue silk fibers were woven into soft wool. The striped suit became
a standard element in a mans wardrobe at this time. Single, double, chalk, wide
and narrow stripes were all in demand.
Plaids of many various kinds became popular around this time as well. Glen plaid
checks, originally known as Glen Urquhart checks from their Scottish origin,
were one of the more stylish plaids. Glen plaid designs are sometimes referred
to as Prince of Wales checks. Initially the design was woven in Saxony wool and
later was found in tweed, cheviot, plied and worsted cloth.
Patricia Sumod 12
The Thirties 1930 - 1940
Men's fashions in the 30s
In 1935, as a result of President Roosevelts New Deal program,
signs of prosperity returned. The rebounding economy demanded
a redesign of the business suit, to signal the successful status of
the man who wore it. This new look was designed by the London
tailor, Frederick Scholte and was known as the London cut. It
featured sleeves tapering slightly from shoulder to wrist, high
pockets and buttons, wide, pointed lapels flaring from the top
rather than the middle buttons and roll, rather than flat lapels.
Shoulder pads brought the tip of the shoulder in line with the
triceps and additional fabric filled out the armhole, creating drape
in the shoulder area. As a result of this last detail, the suit was
also known as the London drape or drape cut suit.

Other versions of this new suit included four instead of six buttons,
lapels sloping down to the bottom buttons, and a longer hem. This
version was known as the Windsor double-breasted (D.B.) and the
Kent double-breasted (D.B.), named after the Prince of Wales and
the Duke of Kent respectively. Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Fred
Astaire and Cary Grant were a few of the Hollywood stars who lent
their endorsement to this style by wearing the suits in their movies.
From there it became popular in mainstream America.

The famous Palm Beach suit was designed during the 1930s. It
was styled with a Kent double or single-breasted jacket, and was
made from cotton seersucker, silk shantung or linen. Gabardine
was also used to make this suit. It quickly became the American
summer suit par excellence and was touted as the Wall Street
Patricia Sumod
businessmans uniform for hot days.
In the 1930s, bigger was better, with
double-breasted suits, full-cut trousers,
and tuxedos with tails setting the standard
for how a gentleman should dress. Also:
the dawn of shirtless sunbathing.
13
The Thirties
1930 - 1940
Men's fashions in the 30s
Clothing manufacturers had long known that by continuously
altering the style of clothing to increase sales as people continue to
buy to keep up with the trends. This, however, had not been
applied to men's clothing Not until the thirties that is.
Clark Gable was shown removing his shirt in a movie, exposing his
bare chest. Soon, men all over the country were throwing away
their undershirts as the trend took hold.
During the early part of the decade, single breasted jackets were
the stylish look for men. Towards the end of the 30s, double
breasted jackets became the style with a much higher jacket front
than before.
Edward the III was a major figure during these times for
unusual male fashion. He is seen in short, baggy knee pants
known as Plus Fours along with a round-necked schoolboy
sweater.
Underneath he was wearing a white butterfly-collared shirt
with a black tie. On his head he was wearing a grandpa" style
hat. Both men and boys wore full three-pieced suits during this
time when attending formal occasions such as weddings.
Similar to mens suits for sale in present day, these were made
with broader shoulders and a more masculine-looking pattern
than in earlier years.
The alternative was usually something along the line of a
sweater vest and knickers or trousers. These were also popular
in the 1920s as well. Patricia Sumod 14
 During this time, blazers became popular for summer wear. Blazers are descendants of the jackets worn by
English university students on cricket, tennis and rowing teams during the late nineteenth century. The name may
derive from the blazing colors the original jackets were made in, which distinguished the different sports teams.
The American versions were popular in blue, bottle green, tobacco brown, cream and buff. Metallic buttons
traditionally adorned the center front of the jackets, and they were worn with cotton or linen slacks and shorts.

A discussion of mens fashion during the thirties would be incomplete without recognizing the gangster influence.
Gangsters, while despised as thieves, paradoxically projected an image of businessman because of the suits
they wore. However, they didnt choose typical business colors and styles, but took every detail to the extreme.
Their suits featured wider stripes, bolder glen plaids, more colorful ties, pronounced shoulders, narrower waists,
and wider trouser bottoms. In France, mobsters actually had their initials embroidered on the breast of their
shirts, towards the waist. They topped their extreme look with felt hats in a wide variety of colors: almond
green, dove, lilac, petrol blue, brown and dark gray. High-fashion New York designers were mortified by
demands to imitate the gangster style, but obliged by creating the Broadway suit.

In 1931, Apparel Arts was founded as a mens

fashion magazine for the trade. Its purpose was to
bring an awareness of mens fashion to middle-class
male consumers by educating sales people in mens
stores, who in turn would make recommendations to
the consumers. It became the fashion bible for
middle- class American men.

Patricia Sumod 15
The student on the left is wearing a double-breasted navy suit made Apparel Arts Magazine
from worsted wool. His shirt features bold blue and white stripe and
a tab collar shirt with a tab collar. This ensemble is accompanied by
a dark tie with light blue polka dots as well as a red and blue silk
pocket square. The black bowler or derby hat, the pipe and the black
oxford shoes finish off this combination. The topcoat laying on the
arm of the chair is likewise double breasted and comes in a slightly
lighter shade of blue than the suit.

The other chap on the right is wearing a single-breasted three button

three piece suit with notched lapels in a black & white shepherd
check. He combined it with sturdy dark brown brogue shoes with a
straight rounded toe and a grey & red striped shirt with a rounded
club collar and a collar pin. His narrow maroon (crochet-)knit tie
tops of the ensemble. Over his arm there is a bow tie with a small
pattern and two vividly colored ties. In his hands, he is holding
Norfolk jacket which is made out of tweed.

In the trunk to his right, you can see a double-breasted dinner coat
with massive lapels and behind that a tail coat. On top of the trunk,
you can spot a Balmaccan made of Harris Tweed and a brown Snap-
Brim-Homburg. Next to the trunk, you can see a pair of patent
leather oxford shoes without a cap. On the floor there is also a pair of
light blue & red slippers, white buck shoes with black rubber soles
and heels and a pair of brown buckskin bluchers. The
evening shirts is made of linen with a black bow tie, then there is a
button down collar shirt, a striped tab collar shirt as well as a
detachable a wing collar with a white full dress tie. Beneath the Apparel Arts - Laurence Fellows - Norfolk Jacket
shirts you can see a Tatters-all waistcoat and a collapsible opera
hat. On the bottom, there are three pairs of pajamas, an assortment
Patricia Sumod 16
of pocket square and a dressing gown.
The Thirties
1930 - 1940
Men's fashions in the 30s
In the first part of the 30s, Suits were tailored in
such a way to give the visual effect of a large
torso, by squaring the shoulders of the jacket.
The double breasted jacket also 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. Born in Black Harlem's nightlife
subculture the style eventually spread and
became popular with segments of the Hispanic
population (Pachucos). The suit has an
exaggerated style with baggy pants, an oversized
jacket, gold chains and a hat called a tando.
Edward VIII was also a fashion leader in his own
right.

Patricia Sumod 17
 Zoot suits appealed to the male dandy and
according to historians, were particularly
The Zoot Suit
appealing to Mexican Americans or Pachucos,
as they were known, Filipinos and blacks - if
you wanted to make an assertive style
statement, the zoot suit was the way to do it.
In many ways they were a symbol of ethnic
identity and indeed, in Los Angeles, California
in 1943 when a battle broke out between
American servicemen and Latino and black
youths, they became known as the Zoot Suit
Riots and the suit itself, a symbol of cultural
subversion.

Although there are several theories about

its origin(including one that posits zoots
were a copy of Clark Gable's outfit in Gone
with the Wind), the Zoot suit appears to
have emerged from the vibrant Harlem jazz
culture of the 1930s. At that time they were
known as drapes and were possibly called
zoots as a play on the word 'suits', though in
urban jazz culture of the 40s the term 'zoot'
meant anything that was exaggerated or
extravagant and didn't gel with the norm.
Patricia Sumod 18
 Characteristics of 1930s Men's Fashion

New suit styles are the hallmark of fashion shifts in menswear of the 1930s. Formal wear was
influenced by the colonial enterprise. Summery white-jacketed evening suits, with a
cummerbund, replacing the waistcoat gained popularity.
By the mid 1930s the economy was showing signs of recovery. This directed attention
especially to the business suit. The sensation of the day was the 'London drape' or 'drape cut'
suit. Its designer, Frederick Scholte, was the tailor to the Prince of Wales.
The London drape suit was more loosely cut, especially around the armhole and shoulder,
with subtle padding. The style was tailored at the waist, and cut to flatter the male form.
Trousers had become wider in the twenties. Now they became rather more tapering toward
the ankle once again, but the cut remained generous.
Double-breasted suits, the jackets with broad lapels and no vents, also proved very popular
in the thirties. Variants, that also took their cues from London tailoring and aristocratic wear,
included the Windsor double-breasted and Kent double-breasted.
Stripes were also very much in vogue, and the well-dressed gentleman would almost
certainly have had a striped suit in his wardrobe, as well as a fedora hat. For summer, the
lightweight Palm Beach suit caught consumer imagination.

Patricia Sumod 19
The Thirties 1930 - 1940
Designers waited eagerly for new rayon fabrics to be released onto the market but some
designers were staying with known fabrics. Chanel was one of the designers, who through her
inventive use of cotton she elevated what was considered a budget fabric to designer material
status.
But, as far as 1930s fashion was concerned, nothing came close to the look and feel of silk.
Rayon, when properly dyed and cut could imitate the look and feel and silk to a certain extent
and was commonly used in cheaper priced lingerie.
With the advent of nylons came something to change many womens lives. Gone were the
days of saggy, baggy stockings as nylon hosiery hit the market. The new hosiery also had the
ability to enhance the look of the legs.
At the end of the '30s, in an atmosphere of uncertainty about the future, many fashion
designers ransacked the past for ideas: the bustle of the 1880s, the leg-o-mutton sleeve of the
1890s, and the high-waist neoclassicism of the early nineteenth century.
Overall, perhaps in response to current events - the Spanish Civil War, the rise of Fascism in
Europe, and Hitler's invasion of Poland - sobriety and restraint characterized late-'30s
fashion. As the threat of war loomed, the sensuous curves of the early part of the decade were
replaced by a structured masculinity.
Over the next three decades, American garment makers rose to a new level of sophistication,
successfully competing with the long-established English and French tailors. However, the
eruption of war at the end of the decade brought an abrupt halt to the development of
fashion all over the world.
On September 3, 1939, England and France declared war on Germany for invading Poland, and
refusing to withdraw troops. Once again, mens fashion would change as a result of historic
events. Patricia Sumod 20