Fashion In The 1930's

American Fashions were effected by the great market crash of 1929 and influenced by Hollywood and the movies. At this time Americans wanted to escape from the reality of not having any available jobs and money to a world of glamor. The 1930's highlighted the female form with a more gentle ladylike appearance with curves and waistlines emphasized . Cloche hats were popular in the previous years which hid the foreheads , this decade small plate shape hats were seen everywhere. Women clothes were sweet and feminine during the day and glamor appeal wore worn at night. Metallic lame was a new fabric and very popular at night and was adorned with glass beads and plastic sequins which led evening wear to shimmer more (Thomas, n.d) Children clothes were quite simple girls usually wore various types of dresses ranging from linen to floral, boys where still wearing the "Little Lord Fauntleroy" suit and often favored wool suits (Bissonnette, 2000) .

In the early 1930's men's suit had a change to it,it started to create the image of a large torso. Peaked lapels framing the v-shaped chest and shoulders were squared using wadding or shoulder pads the sleeves were tapered to the wrist. The double breasted suit was also popular appearing in steel, slate,navy, speckled gray midnight blue and charcoal. These dark fabrics were enhanced by herringbone and stippled diagonal and vertical stripes. The striped suit became a standard element in a man's wardrobe also at the time with double,single,chalk, narrow and wide stripes being popular in demand.

Once president Roosevelt's signed the "New deal" in 1935. Demand for a redesign of the business suit took place to signify successful status of the man who wore it. "The London Cut" designed by the London tailor Frederick Scholte was the new business suit. High pockets and buttons, sleeves tapering slightly from shoulder to wrist, pointed lapels flaring from the top rather than the middle buttons and roll rather than flat lapels(Nolan n,d.).

Men's fashion had the most changes to their suit in this decade and I must mention what gangsters or thieves impacted the suit. Their suits had bolder glen plaids, wider stripes, pronounced shoulders, more colorful narrower waists and wider trouser bottoms they took the image of the businessman but took the details to quite the extreme. In France mobsters had the initial embroidered on the breast of their shirts towards their waist. Their extreme look was toped with felt hat in a variety of colors: dove, lilac, petrol blue, brown and dark gray. The demand for the suits mortified