The Twenties, Thirties and

World War II
1920 1947
The Twenties
Warren G. Harding elected president
Passage of the 18
th
Amendment for Prohibition
U.S. ratifies 19
th
Amendment: women have the right to vote
1920
1922
1924
1925
1927
1929
Fascist dictatorship in Italy
Commercial public radio broadcasting begins
Surrealist Movement
Name Rayon established for cellulosic fiber called
artificial silk by Dept. of Commerce
LExposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et
Industriels Moderns in Paris
Zipper trademark registered by B.F. Goodrich
Charles Lindbergh first flight across Atlantic Ocean
Sound introduced in motions pictures in the The Jazz Singer
Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression
Le Garconne
androgynous look
Jean Patou design 1927
Louise Brooks,
Actress
A Sense of Liberation
1928 Afternoon Coat
1926 Masculine Looks at the Races
Paul Poiret
Evening Dress, 1925:
Materials: Lam, metallic thread lace
Jeanne Lanvin
1926 Robe de Style
Bias cut silk
chiffon in two
colors with
velvet ribbon
trim
1929 Woman's Afternoon Dress
Afternoon Dress, 1928
Eugnie
Materials: Silk taffeta
Gabrielle Chanels
Total Look 1929
Mme. Vionnet late 20s & early 30s
Bias cut draping, necklines and uneven cut hems.
Wedding Dress and Cap, 1929
Edward Molyneux
Materials: Rayon satin dress;
linen point de gauze lace cap
Movie Stars and Fashion
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1938
1939
The Thirties
Franklin D. Roosevelt elected President: the New Deal begins
Technicolor process introduced in motion pictures
Hitler dictatorship in Germany
Prohibition Repeal
Clark Gable without an undershirt in It Happened
One Night; undershirt sales plummet
WPA established & Social Security Act becomes law
Italy invades Ethiopia
Edward III abdicates to marry Wallis Simpson
Italy invades Ethiopia
Germany annexes Austria and part of Czechoslovakia
Nylon first marketed by DuPont
Germany Invades Poland and WWII begins
Publication of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Gone With the Wind is released as a film
Socialites at the Races, 1930
Femininity Returning to Fashion
Butterfly Sleeves 1934 Exaggerated Shoulders 1935
Femininity Returning to Fashion
Frills, the waist and longer skirts
Coat, Early to mid-1930s
Jean Patou
Materials: Wool, wool crepe,
fox fur
Evening Dress, 1930
Louise Boulanger
France, Paris,
Materials: Printed silk chiffon
trimmed with paste stones
and sequins, silk satin
Sportswear
Swimsuit, 1930s
Margit Fellegi, Cole of CA
Materials: Cotton
Swimsuit, 1932
Mary Ann DeWeese,
Catalina Sportswear
Materials: Wool knit
Affluent Lifestyle
Lucien Lelong
designer, 1937
Mme. Elsa Schiaparelli
Shocking Pink Surrealism,
1938
Womans Coat, 1938
Elsa Schiaparelli
Materials: Monkey fur with
black suede leather
Jewelry in the Thirties
New Support
Menswear in the Thirties
1941
1945
1947
The Forties & WWII
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor and the United States enters the war
Regulations on clothing manufacture in the U. S.
Rationing of leather goods imposed in the U.S.
FDR dies and Harry Truman becomes president
United Nations Charter signed
First atomic bombs detonated
World War II ends
Christian Dior introduces
the New Look
Princess Elizabeth of
England marries Prince
Philip
Schiaparellis One-piece Bomb
Shelter Outfit, 1939
Wartime
Fashion
European Regulated
Dress, 1942
Wartime Regulation Clothing in the Mid-Forties
Evening Skirt and Jacket,
1942
Louella Ballerino
Materials: Rayon faille skirt,
grosgrain ribbon, and
metallic yarn trim; rayon
faille jacket
2 Piece Bathing Suit,
Swoon Suit, 1942
Margit Fellegi: Cole of
CA
Materials: Acetate satin
Bathing Suitand Skirt, 1944
Margit Fellegi: Cole of CA
Materials: Glazed cotton chintz,
cotton and elastic
Bathing Suit, Mid 1940s
Mary Ann DeWeese, Catalina
Sportswear
Materials: Hand-painted elastic
fabric (Lastex)
Bathing Suit, Early 1950s
Tobi of CA
Materials: Elasticized fabric,
sequins, metallic foil, imitation
pearls
Patio Dress, 1947
Joy Kingston
Materials: Cotton piqu with
metallic studs
Hats by the Milliners of
1945 to brighten the drab,
plain fashions.
Wartime Fashion
Balenciago
Post War
Christian Diors
New Look 1947
Coolie Hat, soft
shoulders, cinched
waist and full skirts
Post War