1930s Vintage Clothing – Daywear

Who wore it?

Marlene Dietrich, Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper

Accessories

Fedora hats for men, wide ties, ladies wore cloche and small plate-shaped hats.

A Brief History

So where did men’s 1930s vintage clothing originate?

The London Drape suit, first developed by Frederick Scholte (tailor to the Prince of Wales no less…) was all the rage, with it’s additional folds and cloth. It proved more flattering for the dapper man-about-town and was championed by stars like Fred Astaire.

Ladies found that the new busy lifestyles of the well-to-do woman required less formal clothing, and materials like rayon, silk and fine wool became common in skirts (down to the mid-calf of course, for practicality…).

1930s vintage clothing never looked so good!

An Interesting Fact

Cotton was considered to be a cloth only worn by working skanks, until Chanel began to use it in their 30s ranges.

Best Bit?

The development of nylon in the late 1920s hit a peak in the 30s with nylon stockings. O, and the zipper began to be used in fashion. An important era indeed!

Worst Bit?

The Great Depression and WW2 sandwich that was the 1930s stalled some saucy developments…

Designers

Frederick Scholte, Elsa Schiaparelli

The 30s boasted a unique style of beachwear, see our favourite picks of vintage swimsuits below, available from various stores online.