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... ... delweiss Media™ looks at fashion history, especially of the thirties and forties, and analyses the mood of an era. The term fashion here is used to refer to the prevailing mode or style in clothing. The changes in style that influence the public's taste in dress are frequently brought about by the innovations of the major couturiers, or fashion designers, who act as arbiters of current trends. But we can also say that hanges in technology, leisure, work, cultural and moral values, homelife and politics have all contributed to lifestyle trends which influence the style of clothing worn in society. These are the changes that make any era of society special in relation to the study of the costume of a particular period. Edelweiss Media Admin.

... ... ince the 14th century the acknowledged center of the fashion industry has been Paris, largely because of the predominance of fabric manufacturing and the number of merchants of fashionable goods. Much of France's fashion industry, especially silk weaving, was then encouraged by the patronage of the king. To promote their wares the French manufacturers would dispatch dolls, dressed in the latest styles, to the cities and courts throughout Europe, where they were eagerly awaited by a privileged clientele who would make their selection of styles from them. This custom continued into the 19th century. By the 17th century, fashion engravings appeared in France; these were the forerunners of modern fashion magazines. The most influential 18th-century Parisian publications were Courier de la mode (1768), Galerie des modes et costumes francais (1778-87), and Journal de la mode et du gout, which lasted until 1793. The first French fashion designer of eminence was Rose Bertin (1747-1813), who by 1776 was modiste to Queen Marie Antoinette of France. During the French Revolution, Bertin fled to England; from there she continued to send out fashion dolls dressed in the new high-waisted neo-Greek styles. During the Napoleonic age the designer Louis Hippolyte Leroy created apparel for the Empress Josephine. The man who created the Parisian fashion industry as it is known today, however, was an Englishman working in Paris, Charles Frederick Worth, who rose from obscurity to become (1858) the fashion arbiter to the Empress Eugenie. He continued to dominate the fashion scene after the fall of Napoleon III in 1870. Worth created the first couture, or fashion, house with its fashion shows, mannequins, sales staff, dressmakers, and Paris labels; the house of Worth continued in the family until 1956. Other fashion houses followed to rival the Maison Worth. Jacques Doucet endeavored to return to the elegant style of the 18th century, and Madame Paquin, Madame Cheruit, and the Callot sisters were influential about 1900. Paul Poiret, however, created the first revolution in 20th-century dress about 1910 when he freed women from corsets and introduced costumes and hobble skirts of brilliant colors. In the 1920s, Coco Chanel replaced Poiret's exoticisms with simple classic suits and dresses of restrained color. Other women with a more romantic approach were Jeanne Lanvin and Madelaine Vionnet (see also: Stylish Thirties). Jeanne Lanvin's career began with her designs for her daughter's clothes, and this free and innocent effect, which was often created with costly brocades and lames, became her metier. Vionnet was one of the most skilled couturieres. She cut and sewed her own designs and introduced the bias cut--cutting the fabric against the weave--to create a free-flowing effect, as well as the cowl and halter necklines. Her work was so well structured that it was impossible to copy. Jean Patou was the one we can say brought an end to the 1920s look in 1929 when he introduced a collection with natural waistlines and longer hemlines for daytime dresses and floor-length skirts for evening wear. The other designers immediately followed this conservative yet natural look. The English designer Captain Edward Molyneux (1894-1974) and the American Mainbocher were prominent during the 1930s. Molyneux's clothes were elegant and uncomplicated, correct for spectator sports and practical for traveling. Mainbocher's padded shoulders and "wasp" waists anticipated the styles of the 1940s. Lucien Lelong (1889-1958) introduced a ready-made department, robes d'edition, in 1933. Ready-made clothes had been available from mail-order houses and department stores before 1900, but Lelong's innovation was unique in a Paris haute couture ("high fashion") house. Lelong was one of the greatest businessmen since Worth. During the Vichy government he strived to make France the fashion industry in the New Europe.

... ... n the 1930s women fashion returned to a more genteel, ladylike appearance. Budding rounded busts and waistline curves were seen and hair became softer and prettier as hair perms improved. Foreheads which had been hidden by cloche hats were revealed and adorned with small plate shaped hats. Clothes were feminine, sweet and tidy by day with a return to real glamour at night. Skirts were frequently longer at the back than the front. Below the knee pleats and godets fell from panels so gave fullness at the hemline. The hemlines reached the bottom of the calf within a year. Some of the clothes were so stylish that they could be worn today. More luxurious gowns were kept for evening. Part of their appeal was the draping fabric that was further enhanced by cutting fabrics on the true cross or the bias grain also quite fashionable at the start of the new millennium. New fabrics like metallic lame were very popular at night and were made to shimmer even more richly by adding plastic sequins and glass beads. The new improved fabrics like rayon had several finishes and gave various effects exploited by designers eager to work with new materials. Cotton was also used by Chanel and suddenly it was considered more than a cheap fabric for work clothes. But nothing cut and looked like pure silk and it was still the best fabric to capture the folds and drapes of thirties couture. Fine wool crepes also moulded to the body and fell into beautiful godets and pleats.  Rayon dyed well and looked similar to and felt like silk. Often it was used to make lingerie for the cheaper end of the market. In 1927 Dr. Wallace Carothers began to research new polymers and eventually discovered polyamide. By 1938 the Du Pont company was producing commercial nylon and by 1939 making knitted hosiery. Later it was given the commercial name Nylon. Nylons were eventually available in 15 denier and these were very sought after particularly in the War. Nylon hosiery transformed women lives. No more bagging and sagging of stockings and a sheer allure which enhanced their legs. The women of the era must have felt much the same as women of the sixties did later when tights gave a new freedom. The French designer Madeleine Vionnet opened her own fashion house in 1912. She devised methods of bias cross cutting during the 1920s using a miniature model. She made popular the halter neck and the cowl neck.The bias method has often been used to add a flirtatious and elegant quality to clothes. To make a piece of fabric hang and drape in sinuous folds and stretch over the round contours of the body, fabric pattern pieces can be cut not on the straight grain, but at an angle of 45 degrees.     It is sometimes said that Vionnet invented bias cutting, but historical evidence suggests that close fitting gowns and veils of the medieval period were made with cross cut fabrics. The Edwardians also made skirts that swayed to the back by joining a bias edge to a straight grain edge and the result was a pull to the back that formed the trained skirt. She did really popularise it and the resulting clothes are styles we forever associate with movie goddesses and dancers. Using her technique designers were able to produce magnificent gowns in satins, crepe-de-chines, silks, crepes and chiffons by cross cutting the fabric, creating a flare and fluidity of drapery that other methods could not achieve. Many of the gowns could be slipped over the head and came alive when put on the human form. Some evening garments made women look like Grecian goddesses whilst others made them look like seductresses of the silver screen.   In fact the entertainment industry continued to exert a strong influence over fashion througout the period. Movies were one of the few escapes from the harsh reality of the Depression. Movie star endorsements of styles and accessories became common, especially with evening wear. A popular formal look was the empire-waisted gown, with ties at the back. The dress might boast butterfly or large, puffy sleeves. Hemlines fell at the ankle and trains added a further formal touch. Fabric flowers might be placed at the neckline, on one shoulder, or at the center waist or center neckline. Bows were another popular accent. The peplum made its debut in the late thirties evening wear. To show off the styles of the times a slim figure was essential and that was getting easier for women using full length backless evening dresses cut on the true cross or bias and which moulded to the body. Certain of these gowns still look quite contemporary today. Until the 1930s wealthy women had not really needed to wear practical day clothes. Although styles had been designated day styles if they were impractical it had not really mattered as long as maids took care of chores. Now women had more productive and busier lives and simpler pared down clothes gave a freedom of movement women relished in daily life. As far as men's clothing, it was during this decade that promoting clothing for its 'snob appeal' was begun. Clothing manufacturers have always known that if changes are continuously made to clothing so that it goes out of fashion quickly, more sales will be made as women rush out to refurbish their closets. This has not been applied to men's clothing though. Until the 1930s. Warm shirts in large plaids, and early in the 30s the single breasted jacket was the male look. Later in the decade, double breasted jackets became popular yet again and the front of the man's jacket was higher. Health and fitness was an important aspect of thirties lifestyle. As sun worshipping became a common leisure pursuit fashion answered the needs of sun seekers by making chic outfits for the beach and its surrounds. Beach wraps, hold alls, soft hats and knitted bathing suits were all given the designer touch. Swimwear was getting briefer and the back was scooped out so that women could develop tanned backs to show off at night in the backless and low backed dresses. The colours of the beach holiday were  navy, white, cream, grey, black and buff with touches of red. Pyjamas introduced as informal dinner dress or nightwear for sleeping died quickly as fashions. However the third use of them as a practical beach outfit caught on and every woman made them an essential garment to pack. They were soon regarded as correct seaside wear. The trousers were sailor style, widely flared and flat fronted with buttons. They were made up in draping heavy crepe-de-chine. Blue and white tops or short jackets finished the holiday look.     In 1930 Prunella Stack started the Women's League Of Health And Beauty in Britain. The motto was 'Movement Is Life' and the League promoted the ideal of a healthy mind and a healthy body. The League had thousands of members who put on huge displays in parks and other venues. Physical fitness was seen as important and in various forms was popular across Europe especially in Germany and Austria. This resulted in the adoption of Tyrolean styles as forms of sportswear fashion which began to be more practical and actually allowed for movement. Skating skirts became shorter than ever before and in 1933 the Tennis star Alice Marble wore shorts at the Wimbledon season. The era had begun with an economic depression which had lifted by 1936 for many. At the same time the rumble of war in Europe became more evident. Designers began to adjust the mood of their collections to more military inspired square shouldered clothing teamed with low heels as if sensing a need for more functional wear. By 1939 European designers had shown simple clothes, trousers and sweaters and classic shirt waisters designed to stay in fashion. This was a pivotal time for the fashion industry and lessons learnt developing methods of mass producing uniforms carried over into the ready to wear industry. In the future it enabled manufacturers to produce quality goods speedily, moderately priced, and within acceptable profit margins.

... ... t is worthless to discuss fashion of the forties without first understanding the tremendous impact World War II had on everyday life during the early part of the decade. Social trends dictate fashion. World War II changed the world of fashion forever. On September 3, 1939 England and France declared war on Germany. On June 14, 1940 Paris fell to Germany. During the war, the Germans began controlling haute couture and seriously considered re-establishing the seat of haute couture in Berlin. Berlin would then be known as the fashion capital of the world. Prior to World War II, New York fashion designers made the trek across the Atlantic Ocean to attend the flamboyant and opulent French fashion shows each year. They then returned to the United States and copied the latest Parisian haute couture designs. After the Vichy government was in power, the New York designers after 1941 were cut off from Paris haute couture. In their attempts to design new fashions for the United States market, they concentrated on sportswear. This led to the United States emerging as the sportswear capital of the world. In 1941, war goods manufacturing took center stage. Most governments confiscated all stock of natural fabrics, forcing domestic manufacturers to concentrate on substituting other fibers for domestic garments. In an effort to comply with the restrictions imposed on them, designers created a new style of suits for women. Skirts were short and straight topped by short jackets of twenty-five inches or less in length. Cardigans matched skirts and sheath evening dresses replaced the long flowing gowns of the thirties.     The true hallmarks of fashion in the early 1940s included an austere silhouette with narrow hips, padded shoulders, and all manner of hats. The working-class look became chic, as women of all social standings joined the war effort. Class barriers fell and people dressed down. It was considered gauche to be showy during a time of shortage.

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