There are key eras of the 20th Century whose fashion we look back on and romanticize ~ the 20s and 30s are undeniably two of these such eras; and thanks to the hit TV shows and the period films we've been seeing recently, fashion of the 20s and 30s is having a huge revival, and we couldn't be any happier...
And never was there a decade more in sync with cinema than the 1930s ~ just think of Jean Harlow, for example, who so often wore white satin gowns on screen, and which gave her a luminous quality which many a bride wanted to emulate...For most 1930's brides, a long, sleek appearance was very much desired and a natural, slim silhouette became the fashion with accents on the bias cutting and draping of the gown's fabric. Dresses were often made of satins, in silk especially, or in rayon, and in a neutral palette of ivory, cream, pale gold or pinkish white.
The gowns were imitations of the glamorous evening dresses worn by Hollywood movie stars and were designed to reflect the elegance, romance and glamour of the age, in everything from the drape of the fabric, to the art deco inspired beading & jewel embellishments. As in the 20s, close fitting cloche cap headpieces were very much in fashion, and through the 30s they became more sophisticated and sleek, hugging the head and matching the slimness of the silk bias silhouette.
Vintage archive film of beautiful 1930's pinup hairstyles.
In the 1930s hairstyles were still quite close to the head with deep set finger waves. Some were parted in the center , others on the side. Around 1932 the styles began to soften a little bit as a play in the waves arrived and a little bit of volume appeared. Many hair styles were worn with a center parting with deep waves and the hair pulled back into an array of small curls on the neckline, sometimes secured with bobby or hair pins.
This film features great examples of 1930s women's fashion and style.
When Kate Moss, the fashion icon and supermodel, got married, she took inspiration from the 1930s and The Great Gatsby to create a wedding so glamorous, elegant and romantic it has influenced thousands of brides to turn to the roaring twenties and thirties for inspiration...
The model showed off her 30s inspired theme in a Galliano gown, with a sheer slip dress, bias cut in silk, with a bodice detailed with a sheer overlay embroidered with gold sequins ~ while the skirt was an intricate web of beading, embroidery and rhinestones. Kate perfected the look with a 1920s inspired lace cap veil, embroidered with flowers, thirteen beautiful bridesmaids dressed in flowing white gowns and of course her husband Jamie Hince, dressed in a pale blue suit. Brides to be and the fashion world alike, waited in baited breath for this glamorous union, and it certainly didn't disappoint ~ and ever since, Kate’s 30s inspired nuptials have sparked a vintage wedding frenzy for 20s/30s Great Gatsby inspired vintage weddings and vintage wedding dresses...
Think of Pippa Middleton in THAT beautiful sheath of a dress...Think of Jean Harlow in all her sleek glamour...Think of Marilyn Monroe, the platinum blonde in platinum silk...
Women’s fashion in the 1930s moved away from the daring frivolity of the previous decade and became more streamlined; 1930s dresses in particular revived a subtle and reassuring elegance and sophistication, ushering in a more refined look that lent itself to a romantic, graceful and sleek silhouette.
The infamous shorter skirt lengths of the previous decade were replaced in 1930s dresses by a longer, sleek shape with a restoration of the waistline and a renewed appreciation of the bust, enhanced in flatteringly soft, slim-fitting day dresses, and moulded to the body’s form in the most stunning, opulent, often backless, evening gowns. These were frequently inspired by the screen goddesses and celebrities of the time who had an immense influence on the clothes of the day ~ an example being the broad shouldered look favoured by 30s movie stars, and which was present throughout the decade, squaring the shape of dresses, blouses and coats (half a century before the power dressing 80s). Zips became widely used, lower necklines sought attention with v-necks, crossovers, ruffles, scallop-edges or lace accents, while muted and deep colours became popular, as did abstract and geometric patterns in cotton and silks and the new synthetic materials such as rayon.
The day look for 1930s dresses was floaty and delightful ~ sleeves fluttered and flounced; bodices became fitted, emphasising the sleek lines of the torso and the slim waist. Elaborate collars and necklines which incorporated folds, ruffles or draping, and peplums too, became popular towards the end of the decade. Mid-calf or full length dresses and skirts traced the line of the hips then flared out from the knee ~ and many 1930s dresses fitted this mould and style, focussing as they did on the classic hourglass shape.
For ladies who meant business, a well fitting suit was ‘de rigeur’ with an overall more ‘masculine’ look (borrowed from men’s tailoring) which retained its chic essence with slim or slightly flared skirts elegantly pleated, and gorgeous fitted jackets which enhanced the figure. Overcoats were chosen to match outfits and an individual’s unique style but, as today, they were purchased and worn as classic pieces which were often mixed with more inexpensive and ‘fun’ items. Coats in general were smart and usually mid to calf-length, single or double breasted. Wrap coats were also popular and familiar features included roll collars, yokes, shoulder capes, belts and trimmed collars and cuffs. Jackets were smart and fitted, in wool, tweed and leather, while bolero jackets and short, classy capes were also in the style spotlight.
Any 1930s woman worth her style credentials knew that elegance extended from head to toe and no outfit was complete without a chic hat. Wide brims were often worn at an angle and pill box hats and turbans would become popular later in the decade, to accentuate the shorter 1930s hairstyles. Short or opera-length gloves in fabric or leather, matched to shoes and handbags, were worn during the day, while adorable fabric flowers or bows decorated hats, collars and bodices.
For the most part, footwear of the period carried on where the 20s had left off ~ the stylish Cuban heels, round toed Mary Janes and T-straps with moderate heels were popular, as were flats, pumps and ballet shoes. Sophisticated strappy sandals (often in metallic or mesh) and peep toes came out at night, setting off the most sumptuous, sensuous and sultry evening wear!
New, opulent materials such as velvet, silk and lamé, enhanced and embellished by sequins, diamonte stones and beads, were used to create luxurious evening dresses that shimmered and shone. Elegant dresses inspired by the cross cut bias method of innovative French designer Madeleine Vionnet marked a resurgence in the female form with the cut allowing the fabric to drape softly and accentuate body lines. Most evening gowns of this period were cut this way and were ultimately designed to accentuate and flatter the figure to perfection ~ whether svelte or curvaceous ~ cleverly enhancing the often simple, sleek designs.Silk was commonly worn due to its tendency to enhance this form-fitting look, while designers like Coco Chanel began experimenting with rayon to mimic the look and feel of silk. Beautifully draped Empire line dresses were popular but 1930s dresses as evening wear were often backless, with bodices draped, pleated or shirred. Halter necks and plunging necklines were also an alluring addition, while bare shoulders and backs were draped and beautifully accessorised with stoles, boas, capes and embellished shrugs and shawls. Trimming were used on many evening dresses and fabric flowers and bows could be found on one shoulder, on the neckline or on the centre of the waist ~ the most opulent gowns and cover ups were adorned, of course, with beautiful brooches and glittering gems. As a finishing flourish, achingly chic elbow length gloves in satin, silk, lace or velvet complemented many a sumptuous evening gown.
1930s hairstyles saw the 20s bob replaced with modest yet elegant short to shoulder length perms. Finger-waves or soft curls were common 1930s hairstyles, worn with a side or middle parting, and towards the end of the decade women's hair would start to become longer ~ arranged in looser bobs or pulled back in glamorous chignons to reflect the popular styles of the Hollywood icons... think of the 1930s hairstyles of Greta Garbo, Barbara Stanwyck or the iconic platinum waves that were Jean Harlow’s crowning glory!
This was truly a decade of pioneering design, innovative shaping and cutting-edge chic as seen in the broad, exaggerated shoulders and slim, sleek lines that defined womenswear. Prominent designers such as Madeleine Vionnet and Elsa Schiaparelli rewrote the design book ~ Vionnet’s new bias cut and handkerchief hems were cutting edge (literally) and launched a myriad of evening dresses that dripped and draped with style, opulence and glamour. It’s not surprising that this form-flattering cut has remained a staple of styling and exquisite tailoring ever since. Schiaparelli, along with her greatest rival Chanel, is regarded as one of the most important figures in fashion between the wars. Renowned initially for her knitwear and her surrealist collaborations, she made the zipper popular, strengthened her profile with sumptuous evening wear in luxury silks, and innovated ski wear, bathing suits and the ‘divided skirt’ (the forerunner of shorts).
Indeed, although clothing (1930s dresses in particular) would today, in many ways, be considered very ‘feminised’ in style and intention, the ‘in’ shape for women’s bodies was toned and athletic and the increase in outdoor activities to achieve the neo-classical, slimmer figure led to couturiers manufacturing what we now call sportswear or leisurewear. The chief impetus here came from America, and a group of female designers who were determined to liberate fashion from the Parisian embrace, eschewing fussiness and the ornament in favour of choice and versatility to create casual clothing that firmly established the sportswear tradition, leading to the formation of the modern and more casual, informal dress code we know today.
However, the 1930s was the decade which blazed a trail, in so many ways, for couture and iconography in clothing ~ and remains the decade where fashion celebrated opulence, style and innovation...a decade which continues to inspire, endure and influence fashion, especially evening wear, to this day.
"...So while there's moonlight and music and love and romance ~
let's face the music and dance”
~ Irving Berlin, 1936
There’s much debate about when the silent film era began and certainly the idea of combining motion pictures with recorded sound is nearly as old as film itself ~ but ‘silents’ continued throughout the 1920s until the release of The Jazz Singer (1927), the first commercially successful sound film, which marked the introduction of ‘talkies’ ~ and within a decade, popular widespread production of silent films had ceased and Hollywood’s Golden Age had swept in!
This groundbreaking era not only sparkled with the timeless movies we know so well, it also heralded the dawn of the new screen goddesses...Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo were just a handful of the silver screen icons who ushered in a new age of 30s fashion with beauty, allure and sophistication. The glamour of 1930s fashion, epitomised by Hollywood, provided fantasy and escape ahead of the looming depression, propelling new styles into the limelight to replace the 20s Jazz Age look with a revelatory style ‘du jour’ which was to influence women’s fashion the world over.
Gone was the 20s styling: the ditsy quirkiness of the flapper, the boxy shapes and the loose forms. 1930s fashion brought a more genteel, sophisticated and sleek look that was heavily influenced by the movie stars of the time and lent itself to the most glamorous and gorgeous garments that graced the famous and the infamous, the vamps and the vixens!
The shorter skirt lengths of the previous decade were replaced in 1930s fashion by mid-calf or full length dresses and gowns, with a return to the natural waistline and clothing which was more moulded to the body’s natural form. 1930s fashion favoured a longer, sleeker, streamlined shape enhanced in flatteringly soft, more fitted day dresses, and the most stunning, opulent evening gowns. These were frequently inspired by the screen goddesses and celebrities of the time who had an immense influence on 30s fashion. Fabric flowers or bows decorated hats, collars and bodices, while hats (wide brims, cloches, berets or turbans ~ very ‘à la mode’!) were worn at jaunty angles to compliment all manner of outfits. 30s fashion shoes often carried on where the 20s had left off ~ Cuban heels, Mary Janes and T-straps were the order of the day, while sophisticated strappy sandals (often in metallic or mesh) and peep toes were worn at night, setting off the most sumptuous evening wear which, over time, has lost none of its ability to wow and delight.
New, opulent materials such as velvet, silk and lamé, enhanced and embellished by sequins, diamonte stones and beads, were used to create luxurious evening dresses that shimmered and shone. Elegant dresses inspired by the cross cut bias method of innovative French designer Madeleine Vionnet marked a resurgence in the female form with the cut allowing the fabric to drape softly and accentuate body lines. Most evening gowns of this period were cut this way and were ultimately designed to accentuate and flatter the figure to perfection ~ whether svelte or curvaceous ~ cleverly enhancing the often simple, sleek designs.Silk was commonly worn due to its tendency to enhance this form-fitting look, while designers like Coco Chanel began experimenting with rayon to mimic the look and feel of silk. Beautifully draped Empire line dresses were popular but 1930s dresses as evening wear were often backless, with bodices draped, pleated or shirred. Halter necks and plunging necklines were also an alluring addition, while bare shoulders and backs were draped and beautifully accessorised with stoles, boas, capes and embellished shrugs and shawls. The bias cut has remained a staple of fashion styling ever since, dressing sultry sirens and irrepressible starlets through the decades. Refined by Galliano in the 90s, it continues to influence modern contemporary design with vintage inspired 30s Noir gowns currently gracing the collections of Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton. 30s fashion shapes have also inspired the collections of Valentino, Lanvin et al while embellished evening and daywear continues to be ‘in vogue’. This period’s sleek, sumptuous and stylish fashion influences will always be relevant in modern designs – and rightly so!
The style and elegance of 1930s Hollywood tells of an era that basked in opulent glamour and is immortalised by the screen goddesses who influenced the fashion of the Golden Age ~ from the luminescent Jean Harlow draped in white and cream liquid satin, to the intelligence and allure of Garbo in all her dark and dangerous glamour, via the evocative and stylised Art Deco elegance, drama and exhilaration coming to life in those unforgettable dance partnerships such as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Today, heavenly 30s fashion has been showcased in recent films such as Atonement, Bright Young Things and Gosford Park, among others, and is buoyed by current period dramas, and the vintage 30s inspired wardrobes of modern fashionistas such Gwen Stefani and Paloma Faith ~ and many others who choose true vintage 30s pieces for red carpet events, special occasions and especially for their weddings. 1930s fashion continues to inspire and excite: to wear a true vintage 30s piece is to know why these items endure in the imagination and command their rightful and significant place in influential fashion history.
This video beautifully encapsulates the 1930s, the elegance, the beauty, the glamour..... Just exquisite.
Oh! I love to go out fishing
The 1930s influence on modern day fashion.
For ladies who meant business, a well fitting suit was ‘de rigeur’ with an overall more ‘masculine’ look (borrowed from men’s tailoring) which retained its chic essence with slim or slightly flared skirts elegantly pleated, and gorgeous fitted jackets which enhanced the figure. Overcoats were chosen to match outfits and an individual’s unique style but, as today, they were purchased and worn as classic pieces which were often mixed with more inexpensive and ‘fun’ items. Coats in general were smart and usually mid to calf-length, single or double breasted. Wrap coats were also popular and familiar features included roll collars, yokes, shoulder capes, belts and trimmed collars and cuffs. Jackets were smart and fitted, in wool, tweed and leather, while bolero jackets and short, classy capes were also in the style spotlight.
New, opulent materials such as velvet, silk and lamé, enhanced and embellished by sequins, diamonte stones and beads, were used to create luxurious evening dresses that shimmered and shone. Elegant dresses inspired by the cross cut bias method of innovative French designer Madeleine Vionnet marked a resurgence in the female form with the cut allowing the fabric to 
on the centre of the waist ~ the most opulent gowns and cover ups were adorned, of course, with beautiful brooches and glittering gems. As a finishing flourish, 
This was truly a decade of pioneering design, innovative shaping and cutting-edge chic as seen in the broad, exaggerated shoulders and slim, sleek lines that defined womenswear. Prominent designers such as Madeleine Vionnet and Elsa Schiaparelli rewrote the design book ~ Vionnet’s new bias cut and handkerchief hems were cutting edge (literally) and launched a myriad of evening dresses that dripped and draped with style, opulence and glamour. It’s not surprising that this form-flattering cut has remained a staple of styling and exquisite tailoring ever since. Schiaparelli, along with her greatest rival Chanel, is regarded as one of the most important figures in fashion between the wars. Renowned initially for her knitwear and her surrealist collaborations, she made the zipper popular, strengthened her profile with sumptuous evening wear in luxury silks, and innovated ski wear, bathing suits and the ‘divided skirt’ (the forerunner of shorts).
Gone was the 20s styling: the ditsy quirkiness of the flapper, the boxy shapes and the loose forms. 1930s fashion brought a more genteel, sophisticated and sleek look that was heavily influenced by the movie stars of the time and lent itself to the most glamorous and gorgeous garments that graced the famous and the infamous, the vamps and the vixens! 
New, opulent materials such as velvet, silk and lamé, enhanced and embellished by sequins, diamonte stones and beads, were used to create luxurious evening dresses that shimmered and shone. Elegant dresses inspired by the cross cut bias method of innovative French designer Madeleine Vionnet marked a resurgence in the female form with the cut allowing the fabric to 
were ultimately designed to accentuate and flatter the figure to perfection ~ whether svelte or curvaceous ~ cleverly enhancing the often simple, sleek designs.
embellished evening and daywear continues to be ‘in vogue’. 
The style and elegance of 1930s Hollywood tells of an era that basked in opulent glamour and is immortalised by the screen goddesses who influenced the fashion of the Golden Age ~ from the luminescent Jean Harlow draped in white and cream liquid satin, to the intelligence and allure of Garbo in all her dark and dangerous glamour, via the evocative and stylised Art Deco elegance, drama and exhilaration coming to life in those unforgettable dance partnerships such as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. 