As the 1920s turned into the 1930s, women’s fashion softly evolved from the boyish look of the previous decade into the feminine silhouette of the early thirties. With the stock market crash in 1929 and with the opening of the new decade, hemlines descended back to ankle length and waistlines moved back to their natural place.

Despite these departures from the prevailing mode of the previous decade, the popular styles of the early 1930s were similar in their simple lines to the popular garçonne look of the twenties. But while the simplicity of the 1920s created a sack-like silhouette free from curves, the simple lines of the early thirties hugged those curves, creating a soft, feminine silhouette. Cally Blackman, a lecturer on the history of fashion at Central Saint Martins, writes in 100 Years of Fashion, “By the early 1930s, the fashionable silhouette was evolving into a slender, elongated torso with widening shoulders and a neat head with softly waved short hair” (13). Though the lines were simple, the overall effect was one of complete sinuous femininity with a natural waist and skirts flaring out slightly at the ankle, as seen in a fashion illustration from 1935 (Fig. 1).

Contributing to the overall slender look of the early thirties was one of the most important developments and trends of the decade: the bias cut. To cut fabric on the bias means cutting the fabric 45 degrees against the weave, creating a fluid, body-skimming garment (Morton). Designer Madeleine Vionnet began using the bias cut in the 1920s, and in the thirties, it became a popular method of creating dresses that skimmed over women’s curves. Especially in the evening, satin dresses with low backs, like the silvery Vionnet dress from 1932 (Fig. 2), created a slinky and feminine silhouette, flaring out at the bottom and hugging curves that had not previously been hugged, like the white gown worn by the model in figure 3. Other designers also used the method, as seen in the light pink Chanel dress from the 1930s (Fig. 4).

While eveningwear became dominated by the body-skimming silhouette, daywear returned to romanticism and femininity. Day dresses came in a variety of patterns: floral, plaid, dots, and more abstract prints, like the zebra print suit in figure 5. They had clearly defined waists and fell between the mid-calf and just above the ankle. Smart suits were popular with crisp lines and sculptural, defined shoulders, like those in the Edward Molyneux dress from 1939 (Fig. 6). The exaggerated shoulder–on suits or dresses–was a hallmark of 1930s fashion and was created through padding, layers of fabric, or other embellishments.

Having gained popularity in the 1920s, designer Elsa Schiaparelli took her designs to another level in the 1930s, collaborating with surrealist artists such as Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. She used drawings by the latter to adorn her garments, like the linen jacket from 1937 that shows a woman’s head with her hair a cascade of sequins down one arm (Fig. 9). While many of her collections were grounded in the prevailing mode, they included unique embellishment and twists that were uniquely hers. The purple dress from her 1938 Pagan collection follows a popular construction, but the highly embellished neckline and structural shoulders are quintessential Schiaparelli (Fig. 7). Impeccably tailored, her designs in the thirties championed the strong shoulder and cinched in waist that defined the period, as seen in the vibrant green jacket (Fig. 8).

There was no shortage of fashion icons in the 1930s thanks to the rise of the movie star. But it was Joan Crawford in 1932 who proved just how pervasive of an influence film could be on fashion. Starring in the film Letty Lynton, Crawford donned a diaphanous white organdie gown (Fig. 12) which would spawn thousands of copies across the US.

Designed by MGM costume designer Gilbert Adrian, with whom Crawford (and other stars) would continue to work with on- and off-screen for years, the dress diverged from the body-skimming dresses the public had become used to in the early thirties. Instead, the white dress had a nipped in waist, full skirt, and huge puffed sleeves created with layers of translucent white organdie. So popular was the dress that it was copied at all price points in a phenomenon we readily recognize today but was new with the advent of the movie industry. Macy’s alone sold in the region of half a million copies of the Adrian design in 1932 (Maryland Historical Society). Its design also helped inspire a return to romanticism in 1930s fashion and the dress influenced designs that did not directly copy it but took inspiration from the feminine style as seen in the mid-1930s Vionnet gown (Fig. 14) and a 1937 Lanvin gown (Fig. 15).

Crawford continued to work with Adrian throughout the decade both on film and in her personal life. Adrian designed knockout looks for Crawford that flattered her body shape and despite the popularity of the Letty Lynton dress, she also wore the slinky styles that were popular in the decade (Fig. 13). She is still remembered for her iconic style today.

Sports, physical activity, and the sun continued to have an influence on men’s fashion in the thirties as they had in the twenties. Tennis, golf, and a healthy suntan, which all saw a rise in popularity in the 1920s, continued to hold sway in the thirties (Fashion and Textile Museum). Going hand-in-hand with film’s influence on the democratization of men’s fashion, blazers and sports jackets with flannel trousers and open-necked shirts were popular styles for men in the 1930s that took from sporting pursuits, as seen in figure 22.

While no longer as wide as the previous decade’s Oxford bags, trouser legs continued to be wide at the bottom and worn creased and cuffed. Plus-fours, like the Duke of Windsor’s 1933 suit in figure 20, continued to be worn by many and tweed continued to be a popular material. When suits were worn, jackets had wide, padded shoulders and tapering sleeves. Perhaps foreshadowing what was to come, military-inspired trends such as the trench coat and the leather “Bomber” jacket also saw popularity in the 1930s as casual outerwear. An enduring image of the Great Depression are men, like those in Fig. 18, in worn boots, large overcoats, and a flat cap. For some, this was all the fashion they could afford during the thirties.

Children’s wear in the 1930s continued much in the same vein as it did in the 1920s. Like womenswear, however, girls’ dresses saw a return of the natural waist. Cotton and muslin were popular fabrics for dresses and embellishment consisted of embroidery, piping, and ruffles. Peter pan collars continued their reign and dresses could be made in solid or patterned material. Puffed sleeves, high-waists, and severely short dresses for much younger girls were especially popular thanks to child movie star Shirley Temple. Older girls wore longer dresses that fell just above their knees (O’Hanlon). These were punctuated with ankle socks and Mary Jane shoes as in figure 23.

Sailor suits and dresses continued to be a popular style for both young boys and girls, especially for young boys, as seen in the fashion plates in figures 24 and 25. Age continued to dictate whether a young boy wore shorts or long trousers with younger boys wearing corduroy shorts and cotton shirts. Boys’ clothing largely echoed their adult counterparts as they got older, with wool and flannel suits being worn by older boys. Trousers were worn with a belt or suspenders while sweaters or sweater vests were worn over collared cotton shirts. The image of Joe and Rose Kennedy with their nine children in the late 1930s illustrates what young people were wearing at various stages of childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood during the thirties (Fig. 26).

Due to the Great Depression, a phenomenon among children’s clothing in the US, especially for girls, was the flour sack dress (Casely). As times became more and more desperate during the decade, women turned to the cotton sacks flour came in at the time. They began making clothing out of the emptied bags and once flour manufacturers found out, they began printing patterns onto the sacks. Women made dresses for themselves and their children–both girls and boys– but young girls often sported these “make-do” dresses. While they may not have been the height of fashion, they show how even those hit hardest by the Depression were able to update their wardrobe.