Vogue Magazine Photograph- 1930
This source is a photo for Vogue magazine in 1930 of two models wearing stylish evening gowns. This photo showcases the style of the time for women to wear more feminine garments. The gowns are slinky and the hair is worn in finger waves. The message to be gleaned from this photo is that despite the stock market crash, glamour prevailed. This photo is a great source as it comes from Vogue magazine, which epitomized fashion of the time. These models represent what women aspired to look like, and how they were told to dress. The accentuated waist is a marker that fashion is evolving past the 1920’s era of shapeless dresses. This source reflects the swinging pendulum of style; following a decade of short, shift designs, feminine-cut dresses came back into fashion.
Fashion Illustration- 1932
This source is an illustration displaying the designs of Molyneux and Jenny in 1932. The women are all wearing long, slim-fitting skirts. The skirts, unlike hobble-skirts of the Gilded Age, allow for plenty of movement and fall to about mid-calf. There is very little boning, or corsetry required for such outfits, and they promote women walking around or doing activities like golfing. The far left outfit is described as a “sports dress.” The dresses reflect the economic distress of the time as they lack the extravagant embroidery and of the era before and are instead adorned with small accents. This source captures perfectly a moment between wars in the opulence of the 1920s faded, yet the easier looser silhouettes remained.
Eleanor Roosevelt- 1932
This source is a photo of First-Lady Eleanor Roosevelt boarding an airplane in 1932. She’s wearing a wool suit, with a matching skirt, jacket, and overcoat. Around her neck is a mink stole to dress up the outfit. Her outfit shows that the economic deficit of the time affected even those who could afford to dress more lavishly. The need to dress in clothes that were cheaper simply became stylish. Roosevelt’s loose and short mid-calf skirt is also representative of the easier standards for women.