1930s – THE TURBULENT THIRTIES

ECONOMY

 October 29, 1929 – the collapse of the New York stock market led to the Great Depression
(unemployment, 15% drop of the GDP)
 the New Deal - provided support for farmers, the unemployed, the youth and the elderly
 unions became more influential after a lot of strikes and violence and were able to achieve collective
bargaining supported by law
POLITICS
• 1933 – Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party came to power
• 1936 – Italy and Germany formed the Rome-Berlin Axis
• 1936-1939 – Spanish Civil War
• 1937 – the war between Japan and China started
• April 1, 1939 – Spanish dictator Francisco Franco proclaimed victory
• September 1, 1939 – WW II began with the German invasion of Poland
ART
• Surrealism, goals:
- to expose psychological truth
- to strip ordinary objects of their normal meaning
- to create a compelling image that was beyond ordinary formal organization
- Andre Breton called it a revolutionary movement in its manifesto
- most prominent artists: René Magritte/re’ne ma’grit (“The Pilgrim“, picture 1 below)), Salvador Dalí
(“Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach“, picture 2 below), Luis Buñuel/luis bunjuel (“La Chien
Andalou“- la šjen anda'lu; “L'Age d'Or – l'až do), Frida Kahlo (“The Broken Column“, picture 3 below)
CAFÉ SOCIETY

 royalty, ex-royalty, heirs, heiresses, socialites… who started to appear in magazines and influenced
fashion through their lifestyle of leisure and sports (sailing, yachting, golf, cars – required shorter
skirts, more comfortable clothes – sportswear becomes a separate category of clothing)
a) Daisy Fellowes (picture 1 below)
- heiress to the Singer sewing machine empire
- the greatest collector of fine jewellery the 20th century
- editor-in-chief of the French Harper’s Bazaar
b) Mona von Bismarck (picture 2 below)
- 1933 - the first American to be named "The Best Dressed Woman in the World" by a panel of top couturiers
(Chanel, Vionnet, Lanvin)
c) Wallis Simpson (picture 3 below)
- an American woman whom King Edward VIII fell in love with and abdicated from the throne because he was
not allowed to marry her

d) Edward VIII
- King of the UK until abdication and a great influence on man’s fashion (started wearing trousers with zippers
making them more appealing to men worldwide)

ELSA SCHIAPARELLI (elza skjapa’reli)

- the most prominent designer of the 1930s
- rivalry with Coco Chanel whom she called “that dreary little bourgeoise”
- mentored by Poiret in Paris – draped fabric directly on the body and relied on inspiration as she worked
- “The perfect dress, the one that will never go out of style, is just one: the dress of freedom”.
How would you interpret the abovementioned quote?
Contributions to fashion:
a) invented the wrap dress to flatter all body types (also a sporty wrap dress –two-half dresses that could be
worn in two different ways depending on how you tie the two halves)

b) the first to experiment with innovative fabrics (woven to resemble textures such as tree bark or crepe
paper), e.g., crumpled rayon, new synthetic materials, new prints such as newspaper clippings

c) used unusual buttons and collaborated with artists on jewellery (”junk” jewellery)
d) 1927 – created pullovers with surrealist trompe l'oeil (tromp’lei) images (picture 1 below)
e) 1928 – introduced knitted swimsuits (picture 2 below)
f) 1930 – designed the first backless swimsuit (picture 3 below)
g) 1931 – invented the divided skirt/trousered skirt – culottes (picture 4 below)

g) 1932 – invented the ”Speakeasy dress” (picture 1 below) – a dress which had a hidden pocket for keeping a
flask of liquor
h) 1934 – introduced zipper to high fashion (pictures 2 and 3 below)

i) collaborated with Salvador Dalí

• 1937 - Lobster Dress (picture 1 below)
• 1938 - Tears Dress, Skeleton Dress (part of the Circus Collection, pictures 3 and 4 below)
j) collaborated with Jean Cocteau - evening coat with a vase applique (,apli’ke), evening jacket with a woman
applique (pictures 1 and 2 below)

k) thought of accessories such as hats as very important – Shoe Hat (picture 1 below), Muttonchop Hat
(picture 2 below), Mad Cap (picture 3 below) – influenced a new hair style

l) first to introduce a matching jacket and evening dress (picture 1 below)

m) invented the shocking pink colour inspired by Daisy Fellowes' pink diamond (pictures below)

n) first to introduce the fashion show concept

o) Maison Schiaparelli was the first couture house to offer pret-a-porter/pret a por’te line
p) Hollywood costumes - dressed Mae West in Every Day’s a Holiday (pictures 1-3 below), and Zsa Zsa Gabor
in Moulin Rouge (picture 4 below) by using Toulouse-Lautrec’s original drawings (picture 5 below)
THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD
• films do not reflect the Great Depression
• censorship is enforced because of too much nudity and sex
a) Katherine Hepburn (pictures 1 and 2 below)
- confident, intelligent, witty, beautiful but did not rely on her beauty for which she was considered too
masculine, too rough
- in the early 1930s women could be arrested for wearing trousers in public, Freudian theory of female
perversion (among other things) caused trousers to be unacceptable for women
1981 – ”I put on pants 50 years ago and declared a sort of middle road”

 made trousers acceptable for women eventually

b) Marlene Dietrich/mar’lene ‘dit,rih (pictures 3 and 4 above)

”I dress for myself. Not for the image, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men.”
• the first famous woman to wear a tuxedo
c) Bette Davis/’beti dejvis
”Hollywood wanted me to be pretty, but I fought for realism.”
- she was known for her signature blonde bob which was the most popular hairdo of the 1930s
Interpret the three abovementioned quotes. Have you any examples of contemporary actresses using their
platform to advocate for a cause?

d) Joan Crawford
- trendsetter - her style was constantly changing ahead of the trends of the time
- her partnership with legendary costume designer Gilbert Adrian ( “The Women“, “The Wizzard of Oz“) made
her one of the most well dressed women both on and off screen
- 1932 - ”Letty Lynton” dress (picture 1 below) - a white cotton organdy gown with large ruffled sleeves,
puffed at the shoulder designed by Adrian (Macy's department store copied the dress in 1932, and it sold over
50,000 replicas nationwide)

e) James Cagney (pictures 1 and 3 below)

- played tough guys and gangsters and popularized the gangster style - a pinstripe suit, fedora hat, waistcoat
or suspenders, two-tone shoe or spats, and a fake gun
f) Clark Gable
- a well-dressed gentleman on and off the screen (at that time actors wore their own clothes on set) because
mastering the art of being well dressed always means to adapt to your surroundings without losing the
character of your personal style
- remembered for his iconic looks of the period (double breasted suits, wide lapels, broad shoulders, drape cut
and trim waist) and his signature moustache, as well as tuxedos and tailcoats
- he loved to hunt and play polo, and he enjoyed casual style which he made look very elegant

MEN’S FASHION
• the finest men’s fashion in the past century
• the free-spirited, reckless, youthful “me” class of the roaring twenties was replaced by serious,
masculine, working-class men who had responsibilities to home and country
• the new man was conservative yet colourful, oversized yet practical, confident yet concerned about his
spending on unnecessary clothing
• his “larger than life” look spoke to his optimism for a recovering economy and his role as the
patriarchal head of household
- ideal silhouette
- athletic body seen on boxers, swimmers and Superman
- extra broad shoulders, thin waists (the English Drape), and tapered wide legs
UNDERWEAR
a) long (picture 1 below) and short (picture 2 below) union suit
b) boxer shorts – shorts inspired by those worn by boxers (picture 3 below), the preferred underpants
c) briefs – very high-waisted, in 1936 Jockey company introduced knitted underpants with Lastex
waistband instead of traditional sewn-in waistband with button closure (widely copied by other
manufacturers), without legs and short legs options (picture 4 below)
d) undershirts –tank style undershirts (picture 4 below), Gob style undershirts (picture 5 below)

SUITS
• formal or casual depending on:
- the cut, material and colour (colours according to seasons: medium blue, beige, tan, grey for spring
and summer, navy blue, brown, dark grey for autumn and winter)
- time of day
- occasion they were dressing for
• bold patterns (large plaids, herringbone, Glen plaid -picture 3 below, bird's-
eye – picture 4 below, chalk stripes – picture to the right)
• trousers (picture to the right):
- high waist, wide leg (55 cm at the cuff), tapered
- with or without pleats at the waist
- single pressed line down the centre of the leg
• Hollywood trouser (picture 1 below)
- trousers with extra wide waistbands
• waistcoats
- single-breasted, 5 or 6 buttons, four slit pockets (picture 2
below)
- double-breasted (more formal-picture 3 below)

• jackets
- thigh-length, wide padded shoulders, wide rolled, notch or peak lapels, single or double-breasted
- backs: belted with a vent (picture 2 below) or ventless (picture 3 below)
CAPTAIN SUIT
- summer suits consisting of navy jackets and white or ivory trousers (pictures 4 and 5 above)
SPORTS COAT
- a sewn-on belt in the back with pleats from the shoulder to the belt
- worn with trousers (same colour and fabric or different colour and/or fabric)

FORMALWEAR
a) morning – morning suit (worn by upper classes only-picture 2 above)
- a black or dark navy blue morning coat, solid grey, grey stripe or herringbone print wide leg trousers, white
wingtip shirt, white or buff morning waistcoat, dotted tie
b) evening - tailcoat for very formal occasions (picture 3 above), but generally (picture 4 above):
- black double-breasted 6 button dinner jacket, black trousers, black or white V-cut waistcoat, white button-
down wingtip shirt, black or white bow tie, white pocket square
OVERCOATS
a) Harris tweed overcoat (picture 1 below)
- a tweed cloth that is handwoven by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, made from
pure virgin wool dyed and spun on location
b) wrap over overcoat (picture 2 below)
- oversized collar flipped up around the neck, full skirt, shorter length and the tie wrapped loosely to one side
c) rainproof trench coat (picture 3 below)
- made of rubberized cotton or gaberdine
- lightweight, belted waist and large collars
- supported the tough guy image of the thirties

WOMEN’S FASHION
• ideal silhouette
- tall and slender with a very small waist and narrow hips
- shoulders were exaggerated with puff sleeves, shoulder pads, full collars, and caplet, (picture 2
below) butterfly (picture 3 below) or cap (picture 4 below) sleeves, to make waists and hips appear
smaller in comparison
- bosom, waistline, and hips clearly defined by the shape of the clothes
- hemline dropped almost to the ankle and then became shorter towards 1940
 • factory-made garments became popular because they were cheaper than made-to-order custom
garments
• it was considered a woman’s duty to shop smart and look smart by wearing the latest 1930s fashions
and save her husband’s money
• single and working women were expected to look their best to be appealing to their male employers
UNDERWEAR

 panties (picture 1 below), briefs (picture 2 below) were shorter to fit under sportswear
 bras had separate cups and were meant to enhance and lift the breasts (picture 3 below)
 longline bra (picture 4 below) extended to the naval
 minimizer bra (picture 5 below) made larger breasts look smaller and also reduced the belly if needed
(picture 4 below)
 slip (picture 6 below)
  girdle – worn by slender women because the garments such as bias cut dresses showed every little
imperfection (picture 1 below)
 corselette – a one-piece bra and girdle which provided better shaping (picture 2 below)
 layered corset - for women with fuller figures, consisted of a girdle as an inner layer and a corselette as
an outer layer (picture 3 below)

DRESSES
• house dress (picture 4 above)
- most casual dresses made of durable cotton which
followed the ideal silhouette and used bright bold prints
• hooverette (picture 1 to the right)
- reversible house wrap dress
• afternoon/day dress (picture 2 to the right)
- made of silk or rayon crepe with puff sleeves, belted waists
and large yokes and collars
- had solid colours or more subdued prints
• evening dress (pictures 1 and 2 to the right)
- very fitted in the waist, slim and fitted through the hips,
easing out mid-thigh or just above the knees, where it
flared elegantly to the floor
- bias cut with modest neckline
- halter top with plunging backs
Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Wasp’s Nest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiLD5nkjbQ4
(from 28:00 until 30:00 minutes – a fashion show of evening
dresses as it was done in the 1930s – listen for the vocabulary you can use in describing 1930s evening
dresses)
TROUSERS
- women were still not allowed to wear trousers completely without restrictions, they could wear:
• beach pyjamas/pajamas
- one-piece garment with very wide leg trousers, belted or with fitted high waists, and a sleeveless top
(picture 1) socially acceptable for the beach or at home
• sportswear
- culottes (picture 2 below) – very wide, calf-length trousers that looked like a skirt
- shorts (picture 3 below) – wide thigh-length trousers
- sailor trousers (picture 4 below) – high-waisted, ankle-length trousers with nautical buttons on both
sides at the front

SEPARATES
- garments designed to be worn interchangeably with others to form various costume combinations (skirts –
high-waisted, calf-length, snug on the hips and flared at the bottom + blouses – picture 1 below; or knitted
tops – picture 2 below)
OVERCOATS
• high waist, full shoulders, wide lapels or oversized collars and made entirely of wool (picture 1 below)
• raincoats in various styles (picture 2 below)

SWIMWEAR
- fitted one piece with a mini skirt over boy shorts, made of wool
- frequently with narrow belts accentuating the waist
- simple tank straps and often low or even plunging backs
Why did the hemline become increasingly shorter towards 1940?
DICTIONARY
abdication (odstupanje s trona) - an occasion when a king or queen makes a formal statement that he or she
no longer wants to be king or queen
the Allies (Saveznici, Savezničke snage) - the countries that together opposed the Axis powers during the
Second World War (France, Poland, the UK, Greece, Yugoslavia, the USA, etc.)
apparition (pojavljivanje; prikaza) - something you believe, imagine, or dream you see, especially the form of a
person; ghost
appliqué (aplikacija) - decorative work in which one piece of cloth is sewn or fixed onto another, or the activity
of decorating cloth in this way

authoritarianism (autoritarizam) - a form of government characterized by strong central power and limited
political freedoms. Individual freedoms are subordinate to the state
avant-garde (avangarda, avangardan, a, o) - the painters, writers, musicians, and other artists whose ideas,
styles, and methods are very original or modern in comparison to the period in which they live, or the work of
these artists
Bette Davis - an American actress of film, television, and theatre. With a career spanning 60 years, she is
regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress
twice (“Dangerous” 1935, “Jezebel” 1938), was the first person to get 10 Academy Award nominations for
acting, and was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.
She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sarcastic characters, and was famous for her performances in a
range of film genres. Until the late 1940s, she was one of the most celebrated leading ladies of US cinema,
known for her forceful and intense style. Davis gained a reputation as a perfectionist who could be highly
confrontational. She clashed with studio executives and film directors, as well as many of her co-stars.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Davis spent the early months of 1942 selling war bonds. After Jack
Warner (president of Warner Brothers studio) criticized her for coaxing crowds into buying, she reminded him
that her audiences responded most strongly to her "bitch" performances. She sold $2 million worth of bonds
in two days, as well as a picture of herself in Jezebel for $250,000. She also performed for black soldiers as the
only white member of an acting troupe established by Hattie McDaniel.
binding (obvezujuć, a, o) – imposing an obligation
bird’s-eye () - a pattern for textiles consisting of a small diamond with a centre dot

bourgeoise (buržoazija, buržoazijski, buržuj) - belonging to or typical of the middle class, especially in
supporting existing customs and values, or in having a strong interest in money and possessions
breach of contract (kršenje ugovora) - a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement is not honoured by
one or more of the parties to the contract (ugovorne strane)
brim (obod šešira) - the bottom part of a hat that sticks out all around the head
butterfly sleeves (leptir-rukavi) – sleeves that start at the shoulder and get wider toward the end of the
sleeves but usually don’t go longer than 12 cm

café society (-) - the description of the "Beautiful People" and "Bright Young Things" who gathered in
fashionable cafés and restaurants in New York, Paris, and London beginning in the late 19th century. Members
attended each other's private dinners and balls, and took holidays in exotic locations or at elegant resorts. In
the United States, café society became better known at the end of Prohibition in 1933 and the rise of
photojournalism to describe the set of people who tended to do their entertaining in restaurants and night
clubs and who would include among them movie stars and sports celebrities.
cap sleeve (-) - a very short sleeve covering only the shoulder, not extending below armpit level, usually worn
by women

chalk stripe (-) - a textile design consisting of fine white lines against a dark background. It is made of series of
threads, not just one (as in pinsripe), which are used to create a stripe that resembles one that is drawn with
tailor’s chalk. The stripe does not look like little pinhead spots (as in pinstripe), but much rather like a rope.
The width of the stripe varies while it is always wider than the pin stripe.
chancellor (kancelar, ka) - a title used in some countries for an official position of high rank in a government
Chicano/Chicana (-) - a chosen identity of some Mexican Americans in the United States, sometimes used
interchangeably with Mexican-American. Both names are chosen identities within the Mexican-American
community but have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the Southwest. The term became widely
used during the Chicano Movement by Mexican Americans to express pride in a shared cultural, ethnic and
community identity.
Clark Gable - an American film actor, who, at the height of his career during the 1930s and 1940s, was often
referred to as "The King of Hollywood". Gable was known for his role in Gone With the Wind (1939), as Rhett
Butler opposite co-star Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for It
Happened One Night (1934). Clark Gable almost walked off the set of Gone With the Wind when he
discovered the studio facilities were segregated into "White" and "Colored". Gable got on the phone with the
film's director and told him, "If you don't get those signs down, you won’t get your Rhett Butler." The signs
were taken down immediately. Gable tried to boycott the premiere of Gone with the Wind in Atlanta, Georgia,
because the African American Hattie McDaniel was not permitted to attend. He only went after she asked him
to go. Gable remained friends with McDaniel, and he always attended her Hollywood parties, especially when
she was raising funds during World War II. Doris Day summed up Gable's unique personality: "He was as
masculine as any man I've ever known, and as much a little boy as a grown man could be – it was this
combination that had such a devastating effect on women." Longtime friend, eight-time co-star and on-again,
off-again romance Joan Crawford agreed, saying in 1970 that "he was a king wherever he went. He walked like
one, he behaved like one, and he was the most masculine man that I have ever met in my life."
to coax (pridobiti laskanjem) - persuade by means of gentle urging or flattery
collective bargaining (kolektivno pregovaranje) - a process of negotiation between employers and a group of
employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other rights
for workers. The interests of the employees are commonly presented by representatives of a trade union to
which the employees belong. The term "collective bargaining" was first used in 1891 by Beatrice Webb, a
founder of the field of employment relations in Britain. In the United States, the National Labor Relations Act
of 1935 made it illegal for any employer (except the government) to deny union rights to an employee.
compelling (neotklonjiv) - if a reason, argument, or evidence is compelling, it makes you believe it or accept it
because it is so strong
crown (kupola šešira) - the top part of a hat
crumpled (izgužvan, a, o) – full of folds
culottes (suknja hlače) – look in divided skirt
Daisy Fellowes - a prominent French socialite, beauty, Paris Editor of American Harper's Bazaar, fashion icon,
and an heiress to the Singer sewing machine fortune. She was the biggest patron of Elsa Schiaparelli. She
possessed a sense of style that couldn’t be imitated, and was called “the world’s most elegant woman” by
various magazines during the 1920s and 1930s.
to denounce (denuncirati, optužiti) – to publicly say that something or someone is evil
to disenfranchise (oduzeti pravo glasa) - to take aweay a legal right, or some privilege or immunity
divided skirt/trousered skirt/culotte (suknja-hlače) - a woman's garment that gives the appearance of a flared
skirt but is divided and seamed as trousers

Elsa Schiaparelli - an Italian fashion designer. Along with Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as
one of the most prominent figures in fashion between the two World Wars. Starting with knitwear,
Schiaparelli's designs were heavily influenced by Surrealists like her collaborators Salvador Dalí and Jean
Cocteau. Her clients included the heiress Daisy Fellowes and actress Mae West. Schiaparelli did not adapt to
the changes in fashion following World War II and her couture house closed in 1954 but was reopened in
2014.
the English Drape (-) - a style for single breasted and double-breasted jackets featuring fullness across the
chest, forming vertical wrinkles, as well as over the shoulder blades. A very tapered waist makes the chest look
even bigger and creates a flared skirt line.

eugenics (eugenika) - the practice of controlled selective breeding of human populations (as by sterilization) to
improve the population's genetic composition
Eugénie hat (-) - a small women's hat that is usually worn tilted forwards over the face, or it may be angled
low over one eye. Typically, it is made of velvet or felt, although a variety of materials may be used. The classic
design also has a plume of feathers, although other trims may be used. It first became popular in the mid-19th
century and was named after the French empress Eugénie de Montijo, a fashion trendsetter whose taste was
much admired and copied. In the early 1930s a version designed by Gilbert Adrian and worn by Greta Garbo in
the film “Romance” inspired a wave of similar styles.
fedora (fedora) - a felt hat with a fairly low, creased crown with a brim that can be turned up or down
felt (filc) - a type of thick, soft cloth made from a pressed mass of wool and hair

flamboyant (kitnjast, napadan) - marked by very elaborate or colourful display or behavior

Frida Kahlo - a Mexican artist who painted portraits, self-portraits and works inspired by the nature and
artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore
questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had
strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-
revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a
surrealist. Kahlo's work as an artist was relatively unknown until the late 1970's, when her work was
rediscovered by art historians and political activists. By the early 1990s, she had become not only a recognized
figure in art history, but also regarded as an icon for Chicanos, the feminist movement and the LGBTQ
movement. Kahlo's work has been celebrated internationally as a symbol of Mexican national and indigenous
traditions and by feminists for what is seen as its uncompromising representation of the female experience
and form.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOUzQYqba4Y the trailer for the 2002 film Frida

gabardine (gabarden) - a firm hard-finish durable fabric (as of wool or rayon) twilled with diagonal ribs on the
right side
GDP-Gross Domestic Product (BDP-bruto nacionalni proizvod) – the monetary value of all the goods and
services produced in a country in a given period of time and bought by the final user
Gilbert Adrian - widely known as Adrian, was an American costume designer whose most famous costumes
were for The Wizard of Oz (gingham dress and red ruby slippers) and hundreds of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
between 1928 and 1941. Adrian worked with the biggest female stars of the day: Greta Garbo, Katharine
Hepburn and Joan Crawford. The Eugénie hat he created for Garbo’s film “Romance” became a sensation and
influenced millinery styles. When Adrian emphasized Crawford's shoulders by designing outfits with shoulder
pads, these created a trend. Adrian was famous for evening gown designs, a talent displayed in “The Women”.
Though filmed in black and white, “The Women” includes a Technicolor fashion show of Adrian designs (link
below).
https://vimeo.com/112028153
gingham (vrsta pamučnog platna s kockastim uzorkom, vichy uzorak) - a clothing fabric usually of yarn-dyed
cotton in plain weave that has a pattern of coloured squares on a white surface

glen plaid (-) - a woollen fabric with a woven twill design of small and large checks. It is usually made of
black/grey and white, or with more subdued colours, particularly with two dark and two light stripes alternate
with four dark and four light stripes which creates a crossing pattern of irregular checks.

The Great Depression (Velika Depresija) – a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly
during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The Great Depression had devastating effects in countries
both rich and poor. Cities around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry.
Farming communities and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by about 60%. Between 1929 and 1932,
worldwide gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 15%. By comparison, worldwide GDP fell by less than 1% from
2008 to 2009 during the Great Recession.
Hattie McDaniel - an American stage actress, professional singer-songwriter, and comedian. She is best known
for her role as "Mammy" in “Gone with the Wind” (1939), for which she won the Academy Award for Best
Supporting Actress, the first Academy Award won by an African American entertainer. During World War II,
she served as chairman of the Negro Division of the Hollywood Victory Committee, providing entertainment
for soldiers stationed at military bases. The military was segregated, and black entertainers were not allowed
to serve on white entertainment committees.

heir/heiress (nasljednik, nasljednica) - a person who will legally receive money, property, or a title from
another person, especially an older member of the same family, when that other person dies
Holocaust (holokaust) - a genocide during World War II in which Nazi Germany, aided by local collaborators,
systematically murdered some six million European Jews—around two-thirds of the Jewish population of
Europe—between 1941 and 1945
iconoclast (ikonoklast, rušitelj ikona) - a person who strongly opposes generally accepted beliefs and traditions
indigenous (autohton, a, o) - produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or
environment
ingénue (anže’nu) (čedna, nevina djevojka) - a naive girl or young woman
instep (gornjište) - the part of a shoe or stocking that fits over the instep (he arched middle portion of the
human foot in front of the ankle joint (rist))
James Cagney - an American actor and dancer, both on stage and in film. Known for his consistently energetic
performances, distinctive vocal style, and comic timing, he won major awards for a wide variety of
performances. He is best remembered for playing complicated tough guys in films such as “The Public Enemy”
(1931), which became one of the most influential gangster movies of the period, “Angels with Dirty Faces”
(1938), “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, for which he received the Academy Award in 1942, and “White Heat” (1949).
Cagney walked out on Warner Bros. several times over the course of his career, each time returning on much
improved personal and artistic terms. In 1935 he sued Warner for breach of contract and won. This was one of
the first times an actor succeeded against a studio on a contract issue. In 1999 the American Film Institute
ranked him eighth among its list of greatest male stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Orson Welles said of
Cagney, "[he was] maybe the greatest actor who ever appeared in front of a camera"
Jean Cocteau - a French poet, writer, designer, artist, and filmmaker, described as "one of avant-garde's most
successful and influential filmmakers.
Joan Crawford – an American actress who often played hard-working young women who found romance and
success. These characters and stories were well received by Depression-era audiences, and were popular with
women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars, and one of the highest-paid
women in the United States. In 1945 she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in “Mildred
Pierce”, and would go on to receive Best Actress nominations for “Possessed” (1947) and “Sudden Fear”
(1952). Crawford continued to act in film and television throughout the 1950s and 1960s; she achieved box
office success with the highly successful horror film “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” (1962), in which she
starred alongside her long-time rival Bette Davis.
junk jewellery (bižuterija) - inexpensive costume jewellery
Katharine Hepburn - an American actress. Known for her fierce independence and spirited personality,
Hepburn was a leading lady in Hollywood for more than 60 years. She appeared in a range of genres and she
received a record four Academy Awards for Best Actress (“Morning Glory” (1933), “Guess Who's Coming to
Dinner” (1967), “The Lion in Winter” (1968), “On Golden Pond” (1981)). In 1999, Hepburn was named by the
American Film Institute the greatest female star of Classic Hollywood Cinema. Hepburn deliberately avoided
the Hollywood publicity machine, and refused to conform to society's expectations of women. She was
outspoken, assertive, athletic, and wore trousers before it was fashionable for women to do so. She was
briefly married as a young woman, but thereafter lived independently. A 26-year affair with her co-star
Spencer Tracy was hidden from the public. With her unconventional lifestyle and the independent characters
she brought to the screen, Hepburn was the ideal example of the "modern woman" in the 20th-century
United States, and is remembered as an important cultural figure.
Lastex (-) – a type of elastic yarn that was introduced in 1931 and was primarily used for swimwear, brassieres,
girdles and corselettes. It consists of a rubber core surrounded by wool, rayon, silk or cotton threads. It was
invented and distributed by the Adamson Brothers, a company owned by the US Rubber Company.
leisure (slobodno vrijeme, dokolica) - the time when you are free from work or other duties and can relax
Luis Buñuel - a Spanish filmmaker who worked in Spain, Mexico, and France. When he died, his obituary in
The New York Times called him "an iconoclast, moralist, and revolutionary who was a leader of avant-garde
surrealism in his youth and a dominant international movie director half a century later". He shot and directed
his first film, 16-minutes short, “Un Chien Andalou” (An Andalusian Dog) with Salvador Dalí. It consists of a
series of shocking images of a Freudian nature, starting with a woman's eyeball being sliced open with a razor
blade. It was most important for Buñuel and Dalí to remove all logical associations with the intention to shock
and insult the intellectual bourgeoisie. After the premiere, Buñuel and Dalí were granted formal admittance to
the community of Surrealists, led by poet André Breton. The film, entitled “L'Age d'Or” (Golden Age), was
begun as a second collaboration with Dalí, but, while working on the scenario, the two had a disagreement;
Buñuel, who at the time had strong leftist sympathies, desired a deliberate ruin of all bourgeois institutions,
while Dalí, who eventually supported the Spanish nationalist dictator Francisco Franco and various figures of
the European aristocracy, wanted to just cause a scandal through the use of various obscene and anti-Catholic
images.
Mae West – (picture 2 below) an American actress, singer, playwright, screenwriter,
comedian, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades. West was
one of the more controversial movie stars of her day and had many problems, especially
with censorship. She opposed the system, making comedy out of conventional attitudes,
and the Depression-era audience admired her for it. In 1932, West was offered a motion
picture contract by Paramount Pictures despite being close to 40. This was an unusually late
age to begin a movie career, especially for women, but she was not playing an ingénue, and
her characterization of an undisciplined, sexually secure, and liberated woman was timeless
and ageless. During World War II, Allied aircrews called their yellow, inflatable, vest-like life
preserver jackets "Mae Wests" partly from rhyming slang for "breasts" and "life vests" and
partly because of the resemblance to her torso. Salvador Dalí painted works entitled "Face
of Mae West which may be Used as an Apartment", and completed the Mae West Lips Sofa
in 1938. Elsa Schiaparelli had the bottle for her first perfume Shocking! made according to
Mae West’s torso.

manifesto (manifest) - a written statement of the beliefs, aims, and policies of an organization
Marlene Dietrich – (picture 3 above) a German-American actress and singer. During her long career, which
spanned from the 1910s to the 1980s, she continually reinvented herself. Dietrich starred in Hollywood films
such as “The Blue Angel” (1930) and “Shanghai Express” (1932). She successfully traded on her glamorous
persona and "exotic" looks, and became one of the highest-paid actresses of the era. During World War II, she
was a high-profile entertainer in the United States. Although she still made occasional films after the war,
Dietrich spent most of the 1950s to the 1970s touring the world as a live-show performer. Dietrich was known
for her humanitarian efforts during the war, housing German and French exiles, giving them financial support
and even advocating their U.S. citizenship.
milliner (klobučar) - a person who designs, makes, trims, or sells women's hats
Mona von Bismarck - an American socialite, fashion icon and philanthropist. Her five husbands included
Harrison Williams, one of the richest men in America, and Count Albrecht von Bismarck-Schönhausen, a
grandson of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. She was the first American to be named "The Best Dressed
Woman in the World" by a panel of top couturiers, and she was also named to the International Best Dressed
List Hall of Fame.
Nazi Party/ The National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nacionalsocijalistička njemačka radnička stranka) -
a far-right political party in Germany that was active between 1920 and 1945, that created and supported the
ideology of National Socialism. The Nazis sought to strengthen the Germanic people, the "Aryan master race",
through racial purity and eugenics, broad social welfare programs, and a collective reduction of individual
rights, which could be sacrificed for the good of the state on behalf of the people. To protect the supposed
purity and strength of the Aryan race, the Nazis sought to exterminate Jews, Romani, Poles and most other
Slavs, along with the physically and mentally handicapped. They disenfranchised and segregated
homosexuals, Africans, Jehovah's Witnesses and political opponents. The persecution reached its climax when
the party-controlled German state set in motion the Final Solution–an industrial system of genocide which
achieved the murder of an estimated 5.5 to 6 million Jews and millions of other targeted victims, in what has
become known as the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler, the party's leader since 1921, was appointed Chancellor of
Germany on 30 January 1933. Hitler rapidly established a totalitarian regime known as the Third Reich.
Following the defeat of the Third Reich at the end of World War II in Europe, the party was "declared to be
illegal" by the Allied powers.
the New Deal (New Deal) - a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations
enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1936. The programs
focused on what historians refer to as the "3 Rs": it responded to needs for relief, reform, and recovery from
the Great Depression.
notch lapel (-) – lapel that is sewn to the collar at an angle, creating a step effect (shape of the letter v). This is
the standard on single-breasted suits, and is used on nearly all suit jackets, blazers, and sports jackets.
obituary (osmrtnica) - a report, especially in a newspaper, that gives the news of someone's death and details
about their life
organdy (organdi) - a very light transparent fabric with a stiff finish made of fine cotton yard in plain weave

patriarchal (patrijahalan, a, o) – ruled or controlled by men

persecution (progon) - unfair or cruel treatment over a long period of time because of race, religion, or
political beliefs
philanthropist (filantrop) - a person who helps the poor, especially by giving them money
photojournalism (fotonovinarstvo) - journalism in which the written text is “less important” than the
photographic presentation of news stories or in which more photographs than text is used
plunging (dubok dekolte, izrez, itd.) – that which drops or dips suddenly
postcolonialism (postkolonijalizam) - a theoretical approach in various disciplines that is concerned with the
lasting impact of colonization in former colonies
pret-a-porter (konfekcija) - the term for ready-made garments, sold in finished condition in standardized sizes,
as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a particular person's frame. In other words,
It is a piece of clothing that was mass produced in different sizes and sold that way instead of it being designed
and sewn for one person. ALTHOUGH some fashion houses and fashion designers make mass-produced and
industrially manufactured ready-to-wear lines, couture houses’ pret-a-porter offer garments that are not
unique but are produced in limited numbers and are very expensive.
prominent (istaknut, a , o) - very noticeable, important, or famous
Rene Magritte (re’ne ma’grit) - a Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in
unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature and boundaries of reality
and representation.[1] His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art. René Magritte
described his paintings as "visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one
sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question, 'What does that mean?'. It does not mean
anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable."

resort (odmaralište, ljetovalište) - a place where people can go on vacations to relax or for an activity they
enjoy
rivalry (suparništvo) - a situation in which people, businesses, etc. compete with each other for the same thing
Rome-Berlin Axis (Osovina Rim-Berlin) – Axis powers (Sile Osovine) (also known as "Rome–Berlin–Tokyo
Axis") were the nations that fought in World War II against the Allies. The Axis grew out of the diplomatic
efforts of Germany, Italy, and Japan to secure their own specific interests in the mid-1930s. The first step was
the treaty signed by Germany and Italy in October 1936. Benito Mussolini declared on 1 November that all
other European countries would from then on rotate on the Rome–Berlin axis, thus creating the term "Axis".
The second step was the signing in November 1936 of the Anti-Comintern Pact, an anti-communist treaty
between Germany and Japan. Italy joined the Pact in 1937. The "Rome–Berlin Axis" became a military alliance
in 1939 under the so-called "Pact of Steel", with the Tripartite Pact of 1940 leading to the integration of the
military aims of Germany, Italy and Japan.
Salvador Dalí – Spanish surrealist known for his paintings (“The Persistance of Memory”). Dalí was highly
imaginative, and also enjoyed unusual and grandiose behaviour. To the disbelief of those who admired his
work, and to the irritation of his critics, his eccentric manner and attention-grabbing public actions sometimes
drew more attention than his artwork. In 1922, Dalí moved into the Students' Residence in Madrid and studied
at the Academy of Fine Arts. Dalí already drew attention as an eccentric and dandy. He had long hair and
sideburns, coat, stockings, and knee-breeches in the style of English aesthetes of the late 19th century. At the
Residence, he became close friends with Luis Buñuel and Federico García Lorca. Dalí grew a flamboyant
moustache, influenced by 17th-century Spanish master painter Diego Velázquez. This moustache became an
iconic trademark of his appearance for the rest of his life. In 1929, Dalí collaborated with surrealist film
director Luis Buñuel on the short film “Un Chien Andalou”. While the majority of the Surrealist artists had
become increasingly associated with leftist politics, Dalí maintained an ambiguous position on the subject of
the proper relationship between politics and art. He insisted that surrealism could exist in an apolitical context
and refused to explicitly denounce fascism. With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Dalí fled from the
fighting and refused to align himself with any group. He did the same during World War II, for which he was
heavily criticized. George Orwell accused him of running off like a rat as soon as France was in danger after
Dalí had prospered in France during the pre-war years. Orwell also wrote in a famous 1944 review of Dalí's
autobiography, "One ought to be able to hold in one's head simultaneously the two facts that Dalí is a good
draughtsman and a disgusting human being". He returned to Spain after World War II and moved closer to the
authoritarian regime of Francisco Franco. He also returned to the Catholic faith and became increasingly
religious as time went on.

segregation (segregacija) - the policy of keeping one group of people apart from another and treating them
differently, especially because of race, sex, or religion
shoulder pads (jastučići za ramena) - a small pad used to shape the shoulder of a shirt, dress, or jacket
slit pocket (urezani džep) - a pocket on the underside of a garment, reached through a vertical opening
socialite (pripadnik, ca visokog društva) - someone, usually of high social class, who is famous for going to a lot
of parties and social events
the Spanish Civil War (Španjolski građanski rat) - Republicans loyal to the left-leaning Second Spanish
Republic, in alliance with the Anarchists and Communists, fought against the Nationalists, an alliance of
Falangists, Monarchists, and Catholics, led by General Francisco Franco. Due to the international political
climate at the time, the war had many aspects, and different views saw it as class struggle, a war of religion, a
struggle between dictatorship and republican democracy, between revolution and counterrevolution,
between fascism and anarchism. The Nationalists won the war in early 1939 and ruled Spain until Franco's
death in November 1975.
spats (-) - a stiff legging worn over the instep and ankles of a shoe
sportswear (udobna odjeća) - informal clothing designed for comfort
subdued (neupadljiv, a, o) - if a colour or light is subdued, it is not very bright
suspenders (naramenice, tregeri) - supporting bands worn across the shoulders to support trousers, skirt, or
belt
tapered (koji, a, o se sužava) - becoming gradually narrower at one end

totalitarianism (totalitarizam) - a political concept of government that prohibits opposition parties, restricts
individual opposition to the state, and exercises an extremely high degree of control over public and private
life. Political power in totalitarian states has often been ruled by one leader who employs propaganda
campaigns broadcast by state-controlled mass media. Totalitarian regimes are often marked by political
repression, personality cultism, control over the economy, restriction of speech, mass surveillance and
widespread use of state terrorism.
trompe l’oeil (-) – an image that is cleverly designed to trick people into thinking that the objects represented
in it are really there

unions/trade unions/labour unions (sindikati) - an organization that represents the people who work in a
particular industry, protects their rights, and discusses their pay and working conditions with employers
Wallis Simpson - an American socialite whose intended marriage to the British king Edward VIII caused a
constitutional crisis that led to his abdication. After abdicating, the former king was created Duke of Windsor
by his brother and successor, King George VI. Wallis married Edward six months later, after which she was
formally known as the Duchess of Windsor, but was not allowed to share her husband's title of "Royal
Highness". Before, during, and after the Second World War, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were suspected
by many in government and society of being Nazi sympathisers.
war bond (ratna obveznica) – a financial instrument issued by the government to collect money from the
buyers and finance the war
World War II (Drugi svjetski rat) - a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's
countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and
the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries.
The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort,
blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in
human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and
China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from
starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
wrap dress (-) - a dress with a front closure formed by wrapping one side across the other, and knotting the
attached ties that wrap around the back at the waist or fastening buttons. This forms a V-shaped neckline and
hugs the wearer's curves.

yoke (plastron - ukrasni umetak na prsnom dijelu haljina i muških košulja) - a fitted part of a piece of clothing,
especially a strip that goes around the shoulders or waist, to which is sewn a looser piece of material
Zsa Zsa Gabor - a Hungarian-American actress and socialite. Outside her acting career (Moulin Rouge), Gabor
was known for her extravagant Hollywood lifestyle, her glamorous personality, and her many marriages. In
total, Gabor had nine husbands, including hotel magnate Conrad Hilton.