A History of Blouses, Part 5 (1930s)

BLOUSES ARE BACK

The blouse and skirt, banished for some years is back in favour, and Spring has brought us many adaptations of this style.

The Home, An Australian Quarterly, September 1930

With the start of the 1930s and the onset of the Depression "grown-up" fashions came back into style.  Waists rose, skirts fell, and the frivolous flapper found herself replaced by the serious "business girl".  

Australian Home Journal, March 1930

Pattern No. 11,105.  The ever popular tuck-in blouse is gradually coming back to its old place in the fashion world.  Fastening is down the front; material is cut wider at the waist and ornamented with buttons.  Inverted tucks are supplied on the shoulder, and neck is bordered with a roll collar.  Sleeves are slightly eased into turn-back cuffs.

It's not surprising that the blouse made a comeback as well.  It was not only smart but worn with a suit or separate skirt it was an economical way of introducing variety in a limited wardrobe.

Weldon's Ladies' Journal, November 1931

853832.  There is a decidedly period look about this blouse with its double collar crossing high at the neck... Make in cream Japahan silk or meadow green taffeta.

853632.  Designed for a spotted material... the severe lines of this blouse are somewhat modified by knotted ends.  Round yoke in one with panel is unusual and becoming.

853842.  Great importance is given to hand-made blouses, and here is a design I'm sure you'll like in Clytie satin or washing silk.  Binds or pipings, lingerie folds down the front, and bows give smartness.

8538272.  Raglan sleeves impart a trim, main-tailored appearance so they have been used for this blouse...

853852.  The basque again!  This time the blouse is of softly draping fabric, because it has a scarf collar.

853882.  Paris is using a supple taffeta for many little tailored blouses.  It would be smart for this design with shoulder yokes buttoned over inverted pleats, trim turn-down collar and "pressed flat" jabot.

Butterick Fashion News, October 1932

Make Your Suit a Convertible— with Blouses.

4569.  Here is an important surplice blouse with its back and sleeves cut in one.  Gusset at underarm.

4611.  Puffed sleeves which are gathered into a deep cuff and the new soft neckline are smart details here.

The blouses depicted in early 1930s women's magazines were usually soft and fluid in appearance.  Satin, georgette and crepe de chine were frequently mentioned as materials—as was the cheaper "art silk" (rayon).  Colours were usually white, off-white or very pale and decoration was often in the form of diagonal or decorative seaming.  V-necks, surplice bodices and cowl-necklines were popular, often set off with a very soft bow.

Vogue, February 15 1933

 Dark bright colors rise to the top.

....Schiaparelli's ribbed silk blouse... Bonwit Teller.

Schiaparelli's suit has an empire blouse of silk peau d'ange jersey; Altman. 

...Ribbed wool blouse with a semi-turtle neck... The blouse, Schiaparelli's "476", from Hattie Carnegie.

1933 saw a shift away from these styles when Schiaparelli (in Paris) and Adrian (in Hollywood) introduced padded shoulders.  Suddenly a bolder, crisper look was in vogue.  With broad shoulders fashion went to the neck, with wide collars, jabots, frills and bows framing the face.  (This look probably owed a lot to Hollywood, where collars were used to frame the face in close-up.)  As a rule blouses were more decorative depending on the time of day and occasion they were worn.

Very few of the new blouses are frilly and fluffy; although made in such materials as fine linen, organza and taffeta, they are generally strictly tailored.  Plaids, checks, stripes and spots are printed on all materials and used for blouses.  The designers give you plaid blouses with dark suits and dark blouses with light ones.

Australian Women's Weekly, 22 July 1933

Australian Home Journal, October 1934

11,230.  Picture this becoming jumper in suit effect with the two blues that are so much now in evidence.  It has a Magyar top with the front cut separately; this provides the turn-back trimming of contrast matching the sleeves.  Large buttons are a prominent feature.

11,237.  Portraying one of the newest blouses in spotted crepe-de-Chine.  The raglan sleeves in three-quarter length are cut in one with the tie.  Front forms a V neck; over this the tie is fastened. Sleeves are gathered into narrow cuff bands edged with pleated frilling.

11,234.  An afternoon blouse, made dressy with the pleated frilling—omit the trimming and it is converted into a blouse for sport.  It slips over the head and fastens from the neck; here it is furnished with a roll collar.  Sleeves are slightly eased into narrow cuff bands.

BLOUSES! 

A Note from Margo Hill-Manners

The summer suits have given a great fillip to the blouse vogue.  Every suit has a bevy of blouses and they are of varying styles— soft and frilly, dressy, or of the sports girl type.

Truly one cannot have too many, and this is a wonderful way of using up those short remnant lengths which are irresistible to the bargain hunter.

The Australian Woman's Mirror, November 26 1935

National Bellas Hess sale catalog, 1936

ACETATE CREPE.  A value worth special consideration!  Lovely blouse with gathered sleeves, shoulder shirring, and self belt.  The flower is included!  Rich looking pebbly acetate crepe.

TAILORED SUIT BLOUSE.  Sheer, tailored, washable.  Pure dye Sheer Silk Georgette Crepe [or] washable French finish Cotton Voile.

EMBROIDERED NET—NEWEST!  All you could desire in a blouse!  Exquisite cream-colored embroidered net—our very finest quality.  Ruffled collar, jabot and cuffs edged in fine 'Val' matching lace.  "Boutonierre" of violets at the neck.

CELANESE RIPPLE CREPE.  A blouse you shouldn't miss!  The high collar and jabot edged in matching color Val pattern lace makes it perfect for tailored suits!  A nice weight pebbly surface Celanese Ripple Crepe.  Washable.

Blouses started to be made of heavier and more boldly coloured fabrics mid-decade too.  While satin and and the various crepes were still worn, velveteen and taffeta became popular.   Black, navy, emerald green and canary yellow are mentioned in women's magazines as being suitable colours for blouses.  Patterned fabrics become more common too—with polka dots becoming a favourite.

Butterick Fashion News, July 1936

BLOUSES TO BOLSTER CHIC

6849.  With your tailored suit wear a crisp linen blouse with tucked front, a bow-tied neckline, and short sleeves with turn-back cuffs.

6888 is another smart suit blouse.  The short sleeves with shirred shoulders are new this season.

6851.  Embroidered organdy is smartest for this very feminine blouse with brief, puffed sleeves, and soft gathering below the yoke.  The neckline may be unbuttoned and worn open.

McCall Style News, August 1936

402.  Good news!  A gorgeous peasant blouse—yours to make—in a smart new design.  Alive with bright colors in the cross-stich flowers and deep smocked top.

401.  Cross-stitch makes a handsome decoration on these full sleeves, whether they are short or long.  Such combinations as black on green, red on white, brown on tan are very stunning.

There was a trend in the mid- to late 1930s for decorating garments (not just blouses) with "peasant" embroidery, inspired by the folk traditions of Central and Eastern Europe.

Petit Echo de la Mode, Mai 22 1938

 Z 3592. BLOUSE en flanelle ou en mousseline de laine rayée, ave empiѐcement pris à contressens.  Col rabattu et petite patte boutonnée.  Les manches montées à fronces sont resserrées du bas dans un poignet.

Modes & Travaux, Juillet 1939

6. Blouse en organdi de soie garnie de groupe de plis et d'un jabot bordé de dentelle.

7.  Ce modéle d'un ton bleu, monté par un empiecment, est garni d'un entre-deaux incrusté que le jabot.

8.  Modéle exécuté en organdi noir; le plastron est fait de bouillonnés et d'entre-deux.

9.  L'empiécement de cette blouse est rayé d'entre-deux ainsi que le nœud qui termine d'encolure.

10.  Blouse en organdi garnie d'un jabot fait avec l'entre-deux froncé de chaque coté du pli boutonné.

11.  Plus classique de modéle est garni d'un entre-deux incrusté au milieu de larges plis qui garnissment le devant.

AFTER 20 YEARS FRILLY BLOUSES COME BACK BIG

The spring of 1939 may well go down in fashion history as the season of the frilly lingerie blouse.  At the first blouse fashion show in the history of the industry, held two weeks ago at the Waldorf-Astoria, a hundred French and American shirtwaists were exhibited... Prominent were blouses with jabots and frills every which way.

Life, 23 January 1939

As war loomed in 1939 fashion designers tried to take women back to the past, showing nostalgic collections full of garments with nipped in waists and longer skirts—and frilly, puff-sleeved blouses.   History, however, got in the way, and fashion wasn't to develop along these lines for nearly a decade!