Ladies Clothing in the 1930s

The roaring 20s was an era of good times and prosperity; furthermore, with the suffrage movement, women were finally throwing off the oppressive yokes of the Victorian Era.  All these circumstances were expressed by dresses that were revealing and fun.  When the 1930s hit, so did the Great Depression, and people were not as carefree anymore.  Despite this, the 1930s fashion had a great and unique allure that is unsurpassed, full of glamour and innovation.

A return to a more feminine look

As mentioned above, the 20s heralded the equality of women.  The dresses were cut in a boyish manner; dresses purposely hid the hips and the bosom.  This type of style may sound prudish but the overall effect was very radical for its day. The 1930s turned back to a more a feminine style, showing off waistlines and curves.  Hemlines plunged down to the ankle, reinforcing the conservative but not the boring.  The effect of showy waists with long, flowing dresses was extremely glamorous and attractive.

Accessories

Gloves were very popular during this period and they usually matched a women’s handbag and hat.  Some popular hat styles included pillbox and panama.  Whatever hat the woman donned, it was usually worn at an angle. Shoes styles ranged from sexy platforms to peep toes to sandals.

New innovations

In this era, two of the most significant innovations in fashion were zippers and nylon.  Zippers were invented in 1891 but weren’t used widely in clothing.  In the 1930s Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli made zipper use popular by adding them to her dresses and sportswear.

Today, we take nylon hosiery for granted but before the 1930s women had to struggle with stockings that would continuously sag and bag.  And with hemlines getting shorter, that was an embarrassing problem!  Nylon made women’s legs appear very sheer and virtually flawless.