In 1929 the wall street crashed causing what was known to be the great depression, this made buying clothes a rare thing. women tended to make more clothes and buy new clothes every few months.
Women's fashion became more conservative than the "Roaring Twenties", however the feminine look came back into fashion in the 1930's, with clothes returning to the natural waistline, skirts being longer and womanly curves were shown, not being hidden. It was also the decade that introduced bra cup sizing!
More sophisticated looks were introduced thanks to the influence of Hollywood movies. Fabrics like silk and rayon were used most in this decade,however in the mid 1930s nylon was developed and started to replace silk, mainly for stockings. Colours also changed muted colours and prints (abstract and geometric). the skirts became lower, as the hemlines often sat mid-calf length for daytime wear. These skirts tended to drape from the waistline but for evening wear skirts would be ankle or floor-length hemlines. the sleeves were sometimes puffed but could be seen with other aesthetic design such as ruffles or flounces. Necklines were lower than the last decade, with the most common styles being v-neck and crossover with ruffles, lace and scallop edges. Fur was also a key characteristic in women's fashion in 1930s, this linking to the glamorous and elegant lifestyle of Hollywood movies.
towards the end of the 1930s, the second world war started. this effected fashion, bringing the trends of the decade to a close and the new decade,1940s to be entirely different.
i think the 1930s fashion really does show the sophistication in women because some of the clothes were so elegant. silk evening dresses draping down to the floor, contrasting with the animal fur. putting fur onto any piece of attire would have given the impression of wealth.
Chanel was created none other than coco Chanel or Gabrielle Chanel. one of the most inspirational women that has worked in the fashion industry. From a rough start in life as an orphan , Gabrielle developed her business to be a massive success, making her have that iconic status. Coco founded Chanel, one of the most famous and recognized fashion company in the world. 1910 was the year coco opened her shop in pairs and from then her designed developed to being completely original garments, such as the little black dress in 1926 and the iconic tweet jacket .Chanel's womenswear fashion developed into more simplistic designs compared to the past era. coco had a boyish figure herself, therefore taking inspiration from masculine attire. Coco Chanel transformed the female silhouette, shortening the dresses, revealing ankles, freed the waist by eliminating corsets, revived jersey, cut hair and bronzed her skin. Her designs were more practical, meaning they were comfortable and easy for women to wear. "Enabling women to move, to not feel like they are in a costume" Coco Chanel. she adopted the elegance, movement, minimalism and straight cut into her tweet suit that ultimately changed fashion forever.
Chanel introduced suits in jersey and tweed, shift chemisis, costume jewellery, wide bottom trousers and of course the little black dress. B
ut what Chanel was highly known for was the promotion of the white, black and grey colour palette, which she acquired the taste since she was a child in the abbey of Aubanzine. "These women I'm bloody going to dress them in black" Coco Chanel.
and the key to coco's success.
Coco Chanel was such an inspirational women and had a major impact on fashion. Nearly half a century after the death of Gabrielle, yet the style of Chanel still endures. It makes me think, without these iconic designers like Coco Chanel, we all might still be in these huge dresses with tight uncomfortable corsets. Thank goodness for Chanel.
