1930s Fashion: The Definitive Sourcebook, by Charlotte Fiell; intro. By Emmanuelle Dirix. Welbeck, 2021

Like her volume on 1920s fashion, this book clocks in at 500 pages, almost all of them photos and drawings from the era. Once again, most of the magazine pages and ads show the back side of the clothing, which I really like as a sewist of old fashioned costume. I found the introduction to be much more interesting than the one in the 20s book; it talks about the newly burgeoning film industry affected women’s dress- French idea and design, slightly changed Hollywood version, home pattern with less details. (oh, how I wish Hollywood had costume designs like those these days!) Hollywood fashion was luxurious and extremely glamourous, despite of the Depression (or, perhaps, because of- huge, beautiful movies and larger than life stars to take people’s minds off their money problems) and women sewed up their own versions of backless evening gowns and fake fur stoles. After ten or so years of a boyish figure being the ideal form, women, while still slim, were expected now to have a bustline and hips. Nail polish arrived on the scene, a by-product of the car enamal industry, and eye makeup was everywhere. Four and a half stars.