1930s Women's Fashion
Fashion of the 1930s was directly influenced by the Wall Street Crash of October 24, 1929 and the subsequent Depression. The Autumn, 1930 Sears Catalogue admonished, "Thrift is the spirit of the day. Reckless spending is a thing of the past." The focus turned away from new clothing for every season and moved to reusing and remaking the clothes one already owned. The beginning of the decade saw women sewing more. Clothing was mended and patched before being replaced. It was also during this time that the practice of changing clothes several times each day fell out of style. (Before this time, many people had different outfits for morning, afternoon, and evening).A new passion for hiking, sports, sunbathing, and even nudism, invites briefer sportswear. Bathing suits are slashed and backless, made of linen and lastex yarn. Bare midriffs are everywhere in the late 30's. Womens gloves usually matched their shoes and handbags. Hats were worn at an angle. Pill boxes became popular along with brimmed hats. Towards the end of the decade, turbans emerged. Fashionable hats range from the pillbox toque, trimmed turban, and Basque beret.
Women of the 30's were quite pale since a suntan was seen as lower class. Rouge, lipstick, and eyeshadow were used to brighten their faces, and women used artificial eyelashes that took two hours to apply in a salon. Women's hair was fairly short and generally styled in finger-waves or soft curls with hardly any body.
The shape of the 1930s, for both men and women, was long and sleek. With the Clara Bow flapper passe, the rage is for the sophisticated Garbo look. Skirts widen softly below the hip and then reach mid-calf. Thick clinging fabrics are enormously popular. Broadening and squaring of the shoulders leads to three-inch shoulder pads, even in nightgowns.
Muted and deep hues were popular, as were abstract and geometric prints. Daytime hemlines reached midcalf, with evening hems at the ankle or floor. Dresses had a natural waistline, sometimes emphasized by flounces or seams. Moderately full skirts accentuated a small waist and minimized the hips. The long skirts of the 30s sometimes flared in flounces or were trimmed with ruffles, but just as often they were simply long and slender. The bodices sometimes had puffed, flounce, or ruffled sleeves. V-neck or crossover styles were the most common, accented with lace, ruffles, or ties. Separate lace collars or scarves were popular, as well. Necklines were lowered while torsos were sensuously molded beneath squared shoulders. Darts were replaced by soft gathers. Dress bodices were designed with inset pieces and yokes. Necklines received dramatic attention, often with wide scallop-edged or ruffled collars. Feminine V-neck sweaters or cardigans worn over long, slender skirts were also common. Popular fabrics included cotton, tweed, rayon, silk, and wool.
Evening fashion consists of backless dresses with slightly bloused bodices and fox furs with heads and tails. 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.
The one-piece garments known as corsets consisted of a brassiere and girdle with garters. Underpinnings of the early thirties continued to show the influence of the corset, although most of the corsets sold boasted "no boning"; boning was available for women who felt it was necessary. By the late thirties, the separate bra and girdle had become acceptable, but one piece corsets continued to be widely available.
A well-tailored suit was a good wardrobe addition, especially for the woman in business. This masculine fashion was seen to indicate a seriousness of intent, a perception that remains to this day. Women's suits were "feminine" pleated, flared, or straight with tightly fitted jackets.
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.
A variety of shoe styles was available during this era. Rounded toes were seen with wide, thick heels. Pumps and flat shoes were available, and ankle strap styles with moderate heels also appeared. Slip-on styles, lace-up shoes and buckle shoes were all worn. Spectator (two-tone shoes) appeared in the early thirties.
The first openly synthetic fibers were developed in the 1930s. Prior to this, manufactured fibers had been developed to emulate natural fibers. In 1935 the Du Pont de Nemours Company successfully synthesized nylon. Nylon was introduced in stockings during 1939 but its use in fashion was interrupted by World War II. Widespread use of this synthetic fiber didn't occur until after World War II.
The zipper's popularity continued during the 1930s. It was first commonly known as a "slide fastener." B. F. Goodrich coined the name "zipper" and used it as a fastener in an overshoe. The predominance of zippers in manufactured clothing increased toward the end of the decade, primarily as a side closing fastener.
For casual wear, women wore housedresses most of the time for doing housework or lounging. Dressier housedresses were sometimes worn to play cards or other casual social occasions. For summer wear, shorts outfits or playsuits were popular, in cotton or rayon.
On September 3, 1939, England and France declared war on Germany for invading Poland, and refusing to withdraw troops. This single event changed the world of fashion forever.
