Product Description

Completely revised in full-color, "Fashions of a Decade: The 1930s" examines the role of fashion as it made its way through the Great Depression, exploring the social and cultural aspects of history through a softer lens. Cheaper fabrics that imitated luxury items such as nylon and artificial silks became popular, along with clothing that featured a more muted palette and longer, more flowing lines. Such Hollywood icons as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers set the mood for idealized glamour, as did the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, as they pushed the bounds of fashion to a newer height, changing history forever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1295650 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 64 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-- Baker explains how Nazi invasions and Japanese bombings forced rapid economic and therefore fashion change. Rationing became the order of the day. To save material, skirts narrowed and shortened; the midriff was bared in swim suits; pockets, buttons, and trim were regulated; and attached coathoods were banned. Costantino looks at The 1930s , when 23 million people were out of work; even the rich found it necessary to watch expenditures carefully, and Coco Chanel reduced her prices by 50%. Splashed with full-color photos and illlustrations, plenty of verve, and enticing information, both books connect political and social history with the reasons people chose particular dress modes. The reading lists and other reference aids make them handy for researchers, but they are also delightful to browse through and certain to lead young people to ponder their own sartorial choices. Two books that will be interesting to anyone searching for the whys and wherefores of human identity.
- Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Although this is part of the Fashions of a Decade series, there is almost as much here about the decade as there is about the fashion. The excellent photographs and illustrations, many from ads and magazines of the era, emphasize what was being shown by designers and worn by everyday women, but the text also discusses what was going on in the world: the cold war, segregation, the Cuban Revolution, and the role of women in society. There is also a good deal of information about the new miracle fabrics, such as rayon, that were taking over the fashion industry. Men's fashions are not neglected, with a discussion of both business wear ("The man in the gray flannel suit") and leisure wear. There is also an emphasis on the different ways that Hollywood influenced what a woman wore and how women were seemingly divided between girls next door and sirens. Organization is weak, but this will still work for report writers or browsers. Chronology and glossary appended. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Good for adults too!
I thought this book was well written, even if it is supposedly for kids. It was full of information, pictures, and interesting trivia. As a free-lance writer and researcher of the Twenties, it's a good book to have in one's personal library!

Great Book!
I really enjoyed this book. Its an interesting read about the effect of WWII on world fashion and also a helpful resorce guide to fashion and trends of the era. I must for any vintage clothing collector or swing kid!

Great Source Book for historical costumes!
I found this book to be well writen and researched. The illustrations were great, and very inspiring. I can't wait to try and sew some of these fashions myself. The historical aspects of the Fashions of the 1940s was very informative.