The New Glamour of Velvet (Literary Digest, 1936)A 1930s fashion article which perfectly encapsulated some of the heady excitement that filled the air when "a new crush-resistant, non-wrinkling, packable, ultra-fashionable velvet" hit the market. The material was immediately swooped-up by the glam squad in far-off Hollywood; RKO chief costume designer Walter Plunkett pontificated:
"Velvet is the epitome and symbol of elegance."
Not one to be upstaged, Travis Banton (1894 – 1958) Plunckett's counterpart at Paramount Studios, chimed in declaring:
"The flattery and refinement of velvet is supplied by no other material."
Anticipating the Springtime coronation of Edward VIII, thousands of yards of velvet had been manufactured for the occasion.
Linen and Cotton and the Summer of 1933 (Delineator, 1933)Attached is printable fashion editorial by a "lifer" in the world of 20th Century American fashion, Marian Corey who stood firm on her belief that the Summer of '33 would stand out as the first season in which the swankiest threads in fashion's offering would be linen and cotton rather than silk:
"Cotton and linen have gone chic on us. Yes we know that you've heard this before. Every year for the last three, stylists have become very sentimental, along about March first, on this subject and each year practically everyone has gone right on wearing silk and more silk, just the same. This time, however, things will be different; this is the summer to believe the stylists."
The article is illustrated by six photographs picturing various assorted well-fed loafers of the Palm Beach set.
Summer Fashions (Stage Magazine, 1934)Illustrated with three nifty black and white fashion illustrations, this critic lays it all on the line as to what the most exciting part of ladies fashions will be for the summer of 1934 - there is much talk of the Paris offerings from Marcelle Dormoy, hats by Tappe and smocks by Muriel King. However, no other fashionable bauble attracts her attention more than the concept of the net dress:
"The thing that everyone is going for now is net and, when you see that new net dresses, it is pretty hard to understand why this frivolous fabric was forgotten so long. It is being made into dresses and jacket dresses which are called cafe clothes; street-length skirts and crisp, starchy necklines and usually, short sleeves, each with its individual brand of ingenuity."
Fashion Journalism Goes Legit (Art Digest, 1936)The practice of commenting on fashion predates ink and paper by many years, however it was not until 1936 (A.D.) that a class was offered in the discipline of fashion journalism:
"Keeping abreast with current need, the Traphagan School (New York) offers for the first time a course in fashion journalism, which prepares students for positions on magazines and newspapers in advertising departments and agencies where they will interpret in words what they themselves or some other designer relates. The course is conducted by Marie Stark, formerly associate editor of Vogue..."
What all began in 1936 has fully flourished into a full industry; today there are a number of schools that offer M.A. degrees in fashion journalism. Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867) would be amused -he assumed a pen name in order to publish his fashion musings in a popular woman's magazine of his day.
Click to read about the U.S. fabric rationing during W.W. II.
Enter Rayon (The Literary Digest, 1937)This magazine article reported on the Miracle Fabric of the 1930s: rayon - and rayon cannot be deleted from any study dealing with Thirties fashion any more than the word "polyester" can be separated from a discussion of 1970s fashion. The article presents a history of the fabric but makes it quite clear that the fabric was immediately embraced by the fashion houses at the time:
"At New York's swank Beaux Arts Ball recently, rayon achieved the final and indubitable stamp of smart consumers' approval. The Ball was dubbed "Fete de Rayon Fantastique' and two thousand members of New York's '400' reveled in rayon."
"While the Ball indicated rayon's acceptance by fashion and the haute monde, it indicated even more the alert showmanship of the industry. This showmanship has persistently and ingeniously dramatized rayon's qualities."
Read about the 1930s revival of velvet.
Click here to read about feminine conversations overheard in the best New York bathrooms of 1937.
Broadway Costume Design for the Fall (Stage, 1933)In his review of contemporary Broadway costume design for the Autumn of 1933, the fashion journalist asked the pressing question:
"What is the well-dressed play wearing these days?"
There was much talk of Chanel, Schiaparelli and the House of (Elizabeth) Hawes as he heaped the praises high and deep for the the rag-pickers who clothed the ungrateful actresses for such productions as "Men in White", "Undesirable Lady", "Her Master's Voice" and "Heat Lightning".
"The fashions in the plays are vivid, authentic, and wearable. They have sprung from the gifted brains and fingers of the cream of the crop of designers, Schiaparelli and Chanel in Paris, and our own industrious Americans who, themselves, are becoming hardy annuals. The silhouette is lengthening into slim height but even in sports clothes corners are rounded and curves are accentuated..."
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