The roaring twenties was a prosperous period that marked the beginning of modern fashion. But when the Great Depression hit the economy hard, people had to struggle just to make ends meet. But despite the hard times, the 1930s continued to progress-and the fashion world continued to thrive.
The Return of the Female Figure
Where once the rectangular “boyish” shape ruled the fashion world, the 1930s brought back the natural curves of a woman. This can be partly credited to the effects of the Great Depression. How? The lack of money had sent many clothing companies trying to find ways to make clothes at a cheaper cost. This meant that clothing styles became simpler. The return of the female figure allowed the fashions to remain feminine.
The Fashions
As elaborate, intricate clothing became rare in the 1930s, designers turned to experimenting with different “cuts” for dresses. This allowed designers to create elaborate new styles, but without the cost of any extra fabric or adornments. A popular style-mostly found in evening dresses-was the bias cut dress. It was normally a simple sleeveless long gown with a plunging back. As for day dresses, popular styles were suit-like dresses and shirtwaist dresses. Shirtwaist dresses were becoming popular as they helped show off a woman’s figure. These shirtwaist dresses were narrow at the waist, and had a sleek silhouette.
The patterns of these shirtwaist dresses varied from plain, floral and so on. Cloches were still worn, as well as floppy sun hats decorated with a simple bow, a lace veil, or fake flowers. As for shoes, the heel was still modest, and styles varied from a simple pump, the T-Strap shoes, and oxford style heels. It was all simplistic but stylish. Although the clothing became much simpler compared to the 1920s, the hairstyles of the 1930s became more elegant. Soft curls were in. They usually were just past the ear, but not quite past the shoulder.
The Makeup
With the movies becoming a popular pastime due to the Great Depression, many women began turning to makeup to look like the flawless women of the big screen. The pale look was in, accompanied with a colorful eye shadow and a red lip. Eye shadow colors now ranged from blues, greens, purple and the safe neutrals-browns. As for the lip colors, they ranged from a bright to deep reds, and again, the safe neutrals-browns. Blushes were always a light pink or a neutral brown-red. Nail polish became popular and ranged in shades that matched the lipstick or were neutral colors-reds and creams. They were painted a specific way; the tips and the “half moon” part of the nail were left unpainted.