1930s Fashion: Top Styles, Designers And Clothing Trends

Longer, softer and cut on the bias - the slinkiest decade of the century.

Below: the clothes, the hairstyles and the accessories of the 1930s, then the fastest way to put together a costume if you are going to a themed night.

Useful for a decade party, a school project, a reminiscence session or working out what someone wore when they were young.

Years covered in the 1930s

• 1930 - The R101 disaster, rising unemployment and Amy Johnson flying to Australia. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1930
• 1931 - The National Government, the gold standard abandoned and the means test. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1931
• 1932 - Broadcasting House opened, the Empire Service began and hunger marches reached London. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1932
• 1933 - Bodyline, the first Loch Ness photograph and the opening of the Tube map. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1933
• 1934 - Driving tests announced, Belisha beacons and the Queen Mary being built. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1934
• 1935 - The Silver Jubilee, the first driving tests and the 30mph limit. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1935
• 1936 - Three kings in one year, the Jarrow March, Butlin's and the first television service. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1936
• 1937 - The coronation of George VI, the Hindenburg and the first Billy Butlin summer. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1937
• 1938 - Munich, gas masks and the Holidays with Pay Act. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1938
• 1939 - Evacuation, the blackout, the declaration of war and television going off air. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1939
• That is every 1930s year we have written up so far: 1930 to 1939.

What people wore in the 1930s

• Bias-cut dresses that skimmed the body, with the waist back in its natural place.
• Longer hemlines - mid-calf by day, floor length in the evening.
• Puffed and padded shoulders arriving late in the decade.
• Wide-legged beach pyjamas and the first properly popular women's trousers.
• For men: double-breasted suits, high-waisted trousers, knitted tank tops.

Hairstyles

• Slightly longer waves, soft and set, usually parted at the side.
• Pin curls set overnight and brushed out in the morning.
• Peroxide blonde, copied from the film stars.
• Men: side parting, short sides, hair combed with oil.

Accessories and finishing touches

• Small tilted hats worn at an angle, often with a net veil.
• Gloves for almost everything, short in summer and long in the evening.
• Clutch bags and slim court shoes.
• Costume jewellery - marcasite, diamante clips on the neckline.
• Men: trilbies, silk ties, tie pins.

Designers and labels of the 1930s

• Elsa Schiaparelli - surrealist collaborations with Dali and shocking pink.
• Madeleine Vionnet at her peak with bias-cut evening gowns.
• Mainbocher, who dressed Wallis Simpson for the 1937 wedding.
• Norman Hartnell, the leading British couturier and later dressmaker to the Queen.
• Hollywood costume designers - Adrian at MGM shaping what women asked for in the shops.
• Coco Chanel still setting the rules until the house closes in 1939.

Dressing up as the 1930s

• A long satin dress and a side parting is the whole look.
• Add gloves and a small hat pinned at an angle.
• For men: a waistcoat and a trilby do the job.

Where to find the clothes

• Charity shops first - the later decades turn up constantly and cost almost nothing.
• Your own loft or a relative's wardrobe beats any fancy dress shop for authenticity.
• Buy the accessories new and the clothes second-hand; the accessories are what people recognise.
• Fancy dress versions of an era are usually a cartoon of it - one real garment looks better than a whole costume.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• Photographs date an outfit faster than anything - look at family albums from the era before you shop.
• Hair and accessories carry a decade better than the clothes do.
• Pair this with the 1930s playlist for a themed night that hangs together.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1930
• Look back to 1931
• Look back to 1932
• Look back to 1933
• Look back to 1934
• Look back to 1935
• Look back to 1936
• Look back to 1937
• Look back to 1938
• Look back to 1939
• 1930s books, films and TV
• 1930s calendar: year by year
• 1930s trivia: fun facts
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• Victorian and vintage parlour games
• Village fete and church hall games
• Traditional British party games
• Seaside and beach games
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Decade-themed birthday parties
• Guess the year quiz
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Good luck cards
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What did people wear in the 1930s?

Bias-cut dresses that skimmed the body, with the waist back in its natural place. The full list above covers the everyday clothes as well as the going-out ones, because the two were rarely the same.

What was the 1930s hairstyle?

Slightly longer waves, soft and set, usually parted at the side. The other styles above ran alongside it - no decade had only one haircut.

Who were the big fashion designers of the 1930s?

Elsa Schiaparelli - surrealist collaborations with Dali and shocking pink. The designers section above lists the rest of the names and labels that set the decade's styles.

How do I dress up as the 1930s for a party?

Pick one silhouette and one accessory that everyone recognises, and stop there. The dressing-up section above gives the shortcuts for this era.

Do you sell clothes?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read and free to copy.