Day Dresses from "McCall Style News" (August 1933)

Paris was still the capital of fashion in the 1930s, but Hollywood was giving it a run for its money—at least as far as the average woman was concerned.  A few privileged women bought upmarket fashion magazines like Vogue, but in an era when most people went to the cinema at least once a week a great many more got their fashion ideas via the silver screen.  The studios also used to release publicity photos of their stars and starlets, dressed to the nines by their in-house designers, to be published in the fan magazines.

While the patterns in this booklet aren't direct interpretations of movie costumes, they show a definite Hollywood influence.  The most obvious is their use of organza ruffles, made popular by an Adrian design for Joan Crawford in "Letty Lynton" (1932).  Indeed, the "Letty Lynton" dress became so fashionable that it inspired dozens of knockoffs and reinterpretations at all price levels.  The broadening shoulders in these designs were also a Hollywood inspiration (once again from Adrian designing for Crawford).  Lastly, the emphasis on design details (such as bows, jabots, etc.) framing the face, surely came from the requirements of designing for the movies—where actresses were often filmed in medium- or close-up and embellishments lower down on the costume would be lost.

"Frocks in the New Bridge Length"

"Shoulders Going Up Via Flouncing"

"Tailored Types for Street Wear"

"Bows and Jabots at the Neckline"

"The Fashion... Cape or Jacket Atop a Frock"

... "Its Advantages... Twice Useful, Twice Chic"

"Organdy Rustles Around the Neckline"

"Interest and Width Above the Belt"

"Simplicity and Slenderness Below"