1930’s hat design from the French La Gazzette magazine
Early 1930’s french fashion
Check out popular 1930’s makeup styles
and 1930’s Hairstyles
Womens Fashion of the 1930’s was directly influenced by the great Wall Street Crash of October 24, 1929 and subsequent Depression. The Autumn, 1930 Sears Catalogue admonished, “Thrift is the spirit of the day. Reckless spending is a thing of the past.” The beginning of the decade saw women sewing more. Clothing was mended and patched before being replaced. Less ready-to-wear garments were purchased, even though styles were dramatically changing.
A softer, more feminine style replaced the boyish, flapper look of the twenties. At the beginning of the decade, hemlines dropped dramatically to the ankle and remained there until the end of the thirties. Necklines were lowered while torsos were sensuously molded beneath squared shoulders. Darts were replaced by soft gathers. Dress waists returned to the natural waistline. Moderately full skirts accentuated a small waist and minimized the hips. Dress bodices were designed with inset pieces and yokes. Necklines received dramatic attention, often with wide scallop-edged or ruffled collars.
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Things were indeed bad after the Crash — many people whose fortunes were concentrated in stocks were wiped out — but the economy largely held its own for a while. It wasn't until 1931 that the bottom fell out, unemployment skyrocketed, and the recession become a depression. It's not as if stocks tumbled in October '29 and there were mass breadlines by January 1930.
Incidentally, you have a wonderful site, and I cordially invite you to visit mine,called "Carole & Co." (for Carole Lombard, my all-time favorite actress). You'll find many fashion photos of Lombard there, as she was considered among the best-dressed stars of her era. Check us out at
http://community.livejournal.com/carole_and_co/