TIP #506 - FASHIONS REFLECTED SOCIETY 1930-1940 Today I'm concluding the series on the wardrobes of America reflecting what was going on in the world. That means the male members of the list can start reading again! This week we're looking at the decade 1930-1940. World events again came to the forefront during this decade. Many of you will remember the fateful day of October 24, 1929, just two months before the beginning of this decade resonated throughout America. When all was considered safe and secure again - the Great Depression struck with great fury. Those of our readers who are too young surely have read of the Great Depression or have had stories told you. It was a dark, fearful time as fortunes were lost, lives shattered. Thus the fashions of this time frame reflected the mood of the country. Women went back to sewing many of their owns clothes; clothes manufacturers advertised thrift and hoped their companies would hold together. Patches were in again and the women tried to stretch the family wardrobe. For those who could still afford "store-bought" clothes, fashions changed. Gone was the masculine look of women's clothes and feminine was in again. The hemlines dropped down to the ankle as if the short skirts of the past decade were shameful. Necklines however took a daring dip; shoulders became square. Remember again the movie stars of that time frame on the late night movies; padded shoulders giving a squared off look were everywhere. The waistline came back to where it belonged and skirts became fuller with many pleats. Scalloped edge collars or those with ruffles were very popular. Why did Americans pattern after the movie stars? They needed to escape into the make-believe world of the films to forget the reality of their lives. To the average woman who could afford to go to the local movie house, these grand ladies represented the perfect fashion. Women wanted to emulate them, and many dreamed of how they would look if they could just afford such a lovely outfit. Other dresses offered trains at the back, flowers were seen on the shoulders or near the neckline. And this was a time when fur coats were definitely in fashion. They were worn for all occasions, at all times of the day or night. A lady in milk, sable or chinchilla felt so fashionable! With all the new emphasis on the feminine attire, the only exception was in the more sporting clothes. These would definitely be considered masculine in appearance with suits, slacks and leather jackets. Beret hats were sported cockily on the woman's tresses and if you didn't like the beret, the pill box hat (made so famous later by Jackie Kennedy) wide brimmed hats were quite acceptable. For my lady's tiny feet, the rounded toe shoe was fashionable; most with thick heels. You could buy pumps and "flats" and the ankle strapped shoe was popular (and this held over until my school days!). To complete the outfit, one must have a large beaded bag or a mesh bag.. Ok, what about men's clothing? Normally in thinking of clothing styles, the poor men were given second page coverage! This is still obvious today with wedding coverage; there are columns on what the bride and her attendants wore; the poor groom and his attendants were also present! But during the 1930's men decided to revolt a little on their own! Clark Gable took off his shirt in a daring movie, and there was no undershirt! So men, after thinking it over carefully, decided that they would do away with their undershirts too and look more "manly". Outer shirts came in large plains and the single-breasted jacket completed the upper torso look. The latter didn't last too long, double-breasted suits were back in vogue later in this decade. The decade ended with yet another war in 1939 and everything slowed down in the fashion world once again. Once again, Americans had to focus on the war effort instead of the latest offering from the fashion magazines. I hope that you have enjoyed this little side-trip to genealogy and will make you take a look at those old pictures one more time - this time studying the clothes they wore. (c) Copyright 9 September 2004, Sandra K. Gorin