1930’s in fashion for women. What did women really wear in the 1930’s? The trends, dresses, hairstyles and makeup and where to buy them.
The influence of Hollywood and Art Deco modernism on women’s fashion was never greater than in the 1930’s.
Costume designers names were almost as well known as the Paris couture designers. The crash of 1929 and the Depression which followed, only slowed the inevitable rise in consumerism and ready to wear clothing. Makeup and stockings sales steadily rose through the decade. Women’s day-wear became more tailored with single buttoned jackets and matching gored skirts.
Hems dropped to just above the ankle in 1930 and rose to below the knee by the mid 1930’s.
The gored skirt ( made from several triangular gores) created a more feminine flare at the hem.
Curves returned and newer synthetic foundation girdles were worn by women of all ages. Brassieres now came in cup sizes and 1930 saw the seamless bra go on sale.
In hairstyles, the Marcel wave replaced the 1920’s crop and bobbed hair look. Good for the hairdressers but hard on the pocket for a young woman of limited means. Makeup was now commonly worn in day time and the sale of swivel lipsticks and mascara pots soured.
These are just some highlights of the fashion trends in the 1930’s. Jump in to our time machine archive of posts on 1930’s fashion history.
Brief History of Sunglasses in Fashion – By the 1930’s, basking in the sun had become such a norm, that the wearing of sunglasses naturally became a real fashion accessory. We explore the history of sunglasses through the 20th century. The classic tortoise shell framed and tinted sunglasses of the 1930’s were worn by many …
The Parisian Riviera in photographs – 1910 to 1940 F.Scott. Fitzgerald mentioned Deauville in “The Great Gatsby” as a place Tom Buchanan and Daisy visited on their honeymoon. It is the birthplace of Chanel’s career in fashion. It’s proximity to Paris made it the go to resort for French high society. In 1913 Coco Chanel …
Be a 1930’s Bride on your big day – 1930s Fashion report – by Cassie Brewer – Makeup Artist If you’re thinking of channeling your inner 1930’s starlet for your big day–Jean Harlow, Bette Davis, Mae West, and Carole Lombard–you’ve come to the right place. The iconic and attainable looks of these women–a mixture of soft features, …
As a committed fan of Downton Abbey, its soap like plot, endearing characters and of course the costumes, Glamourdaze waited with interest for Channel 4’s new tv drama starring Julie Walters and Roshan Seth begins in the dying days of the British Raj in colonial India of 1932. And it was worth the wait. I’m …
Life Magazine peeks behind stylish veils in 1937 – This year, while the women of the Middle East are still rejoicing in the fairly recently acquired freedom of showing their faces, more women of the west than ever before will cover their features with veils. No one knows why, but it is the fashion, and …
Evolution of Women’s Style in the 1940s and 1950s – A Vintage Fashion Exhibition curated by the Museum of Vancouver features stunning haute couture clothing garments by some of the great fashion designers from Paris, London, Berlin and New York, which pretty much covers the pole points of couture during that era. The exhibition is comprised from …
This stylish 1930s suit is fashionable – BECAUSE – the street ensemble ” smoke screen” is made of the new wide-ribbed crepe in the new and desirable shade of eel-gray that well dressed women are choosing for autumn and winter wear BECAUSE – of the smart high neck-line achieved by the removable jabot trimmed with …
1930s Fashion report by Seymour – Fashionable Daywear – Lest you think that the fox cape is part of Sally Blane‘s costume above, I must tell you that it is her own, worn for the occasion in her new picture ” Advice to the Lovelorn”. Bright contrasting vestee and sash give vivid accent to the …
Mesmerising movie stills from another era – 1930’s Street style captured on film in 1938 Long before New York’s Scott Schumann – known as The Sartorialist – made street style snapping a web phenomenon, long before the media became obsessed with high street chic – in the sleepy South Dakota town ( now a city) of …
A photographic trip back through time – College girl fashions are an often overlooked source of both style and female trends.Whether they start in the schools or have been adopted over the years from fashion periodicals, young women heading to college in 2015 may well be putting as much effort in to their style and …