In the 1930s, fashion took a wild turn. Women were opting for more feminine clothes. The length of the clothes varied from the clothing of the 1920s. Most of the fashion of the 30s got inspired by Hollywood movies and actresses of that time. Skirts became a popular trend during that period. Because nothing speaks feminine like skirts. There were various 1930s skirt patterns and designs. Here we will be talking about everything you need to know about skirts from the ’30s. Before we dive into the technical details, let’s go through a bit of the fashion history of 1930s skirt fashion.
History of 1930s skirt
The ’30s came in with a lot of change in fashion. In some ways, it was completely different from the fashion of the ’20s. The 1930s skirt fashion got a difference from the 20s. And with time that changed as well.
At the beginning of the ’30s skirts used to run about ankle length but with time they got up to knee height. As the economy wasn’t pretty good at that time, skirts were a great way to go fashionable with affordability. Most of the time the skirts came along with the dresses themselves, so there wasn’t much issue with matching or combining them. But there were also options to go for separate skirts with different tops.
But one thing about 30’s fashion was to be focused on the tops rather than the bottom part of the clothing. So, the skirts from that time weren’t much gorgeous and didn’t have many details on them. They didn’t get much attention. So, that’s a classic trait of 30’s skirts which is being simple in design. If they got some attention, they had patterns or stripes, but that was on infrequent occasions. The fitting of most of the skirts was to have a snug-fitting as women were moving away from the loose clothing fashion from the ’20s.
Well, now that we know some history about 30s skirts, let’s check out different types of skirts available at that time.
1930s Skirt Fashion
As we already know, skirts in the ’30s weren’t much of a separate entity. They usually came in with different dresses such as the afternoon dress, evening dress, day dresses.
Some women preferred going for separate skirts, with colorful tops or shirts. But that was a sporadic form of fashion back in that day. There were different kinds of skirts such as midi-skirts, tea length, pleated, high waist, and so on. The midi-length of skirts used to be the most sorted form of 30’s skirts. Also, the tea-length skirts were something to take a look at.
Another variant of skirts in the ’30s was the pleated ones. They were quite popular among the privileged class people. They came with dresses and sometimes came separately as well.
For separate skirts, women mostly went for tailored skirts. In the beginning, they used to run up to ankle length. As time passed by the range getting shorter, and it ended up with knee height.
In the day dresses the hemlines got more fitting in the hips area. They were tight and snug in that area but flared out in the bottom part of the skirts. The day dresses came with various kinds of gores, pleats, and seam details as well. All of these slimmed the hips and created a swing on the bottom part of the skirt.
The pleated skirts used to have sewn pleats partially. The fully pleated skirts soon began to become the classic choice of that era. There were some choices of pleats on the front panel of the dresses as well. These pleats usually came from either side of the front panel.
Another popular choice in the ’30s was the hip yoke. It was an evolved version of the drop waist from the ’20s. But this one was much snugger, which was the trend back in the ’30s. This style of skirts didn’t last much longer in the 30’s fashion. It became a popular trend at the beginning of the era, but in the end, it wasn’t as popular.
At the beginning of the era, women got into another kind of skirt which used to have multiple panels. This was much more sophisticated than the other skirts. The specialty of this one was the panels that were curved up over the hips. This wasn’t a choice for working women or women in general. Usually, the higher-class people opted for this kind of skirt.
Just like we said earlier in the 30’s main focus was on the top rather than the bottom part of the clothing. So, skirts with only one front panel were the most popular choice among women. They would wear them with dresses and different kinds of tops as well.
Women used to wear house dresses whenever they were at home. Usually, these dresses would have a skirt that run-up to the mid-calf length. But these were cut a bit loosely for comfort around the house. They used to be much more flared than the other skirts. Also, there were sometimes pockets on the mid-thigh of the skirts featured in the house dresses.
Now all of these skirts we talked about mostly came into simple texture and didn’t have much of designs to offer. However, some women preferred wearing skirts with checkered designs or patterns all around the skirt—patterns such as polka dots, flowers, stripes, and so on.
The plain and straightforward skirts came in with a lot of different color choices. Plaid, beige, green, olive, yellow, black, white were some of the most hyped colors of that time. These colored skirts usually didn’t have any pattern on them.
The trend of the ’30s in terms of skirts was to wear them really high on the hips. Unless they came in with a dress such as an afternoon dress, house dress, or day dress, these skirts would be high on the hips. The evening dresses didn’t feature any kind of skirts as women in the ’30s mostly wore a gown as evening dresses.
But if someone was going for a formal look without a gown, they could go for a skirt and a tailored blouse on the top. Now if you want to go for a 30’s skirt, then those day dresses or the house dresses aren’t probably the right choice to go with. Let’s get you through some ideas to go on with the 30’s skirt look.
Bringing the 30’s style in modern days
If you are looking to go for a 30’s costume then maybe a day dress made like the ’30s can be an option. But if you are just looking to get a touch of the ’30s in your style, then you can add a 30’s skirt and add a top to make up the look.
To get the classic 30’s look, you must go for a skirt with a high waistline. This is the primary requirement for a 30’s skirt. Make sure to have a snug fit and a flared bottom of the skirt. These two things are the basics of a 30’s skirt. Also, it is better to have a length of mid-calf or just a little above the calf. This will surely help you create that classy vibe.
The best option is to go for a plain skirt rather than any fancy patterns or designs. As 1930s fashion is all about elegance and sophistication, you can never go wrong with solid plain skirts. Other than these you can choose between a single panel or multiple panels.
Pleated skirts are a sure shot forgetting that 1930’s vibe on your look. The fully pleated skirts might not be a trend right now, but back then, they were the trend. And to be very honest they have a class of their own.
Obviously, nowadays you have a lot of choices for colors. But going for the classic ’30s will undoubtedly require you to choose a darker color such as navy blue, black or brown. You can also go for plaid ones if you are looking for something fancy.
Pair up a top according to your choice. You can go through a lot of tops that will surely match up with these skirts. But for an excellent selection, you can always rely on a light-colored blouse or a shirt to complete the look.
Conclusion
Fashion has evolved quite a lot over time. But if you are talking about the foundation, then there is always a beginning. 1930s skirts were surely the foundation for all the sophisticated and modern skirts we see nowadays. Also, you can still wear skirts from the ’30s and look good because they can easily blend in with current fashion as well. That’s all from us about 30’s skirt trends.
