1930s style in action. A collection of vintage photos of regular everyday people in 1930s fashions.

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1930’s Fashions As Seen On Everyday People

The Vintage Photos

In the 1930s, fashion saw a profound influence from films and specifically Hollywood. Men’s, women’s, and children’s styles were based on fashions seen on screen with stars like Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Shirley Temple among the many who directly influenced fashion. A return to conservatism after the Roaring Twenties also marked fashion during this period.

(Learn all about 1930s Fashions for Men & Women at the Fashion Institute of Technology)

Our first image is the best way to start this 1930s fashion post. From the ruffled colar on this sweater jacket to her cute beanie hat, this woman is stylish!

Source: Etsy

Not only is the photo below of a stylish 1930s family it also comes with a fascinating story.

ABOUT: Two cousins named Roberta G. Thomas and Flaurience Sengstacke (Thomas stands at the far left, while Sengstacke is seated at the far left) chronicled what life was like for two young, African American women traveling abroad. Published in the pages of the Chicago Defender, a weekly newspaper published by their uncle Robert Sengstacke Abbott, the cousins’ columns regaled readers with tales of the duo’s travels throughout Europe, as recounted in some 20 articles penned between July 1931 and August 1932 (source).

Read all about their story here ==> Experience 1930s Europe Through the Words of Two African American Women

Source: Smithsonian magazine

This couple is probably not that “regular everyday” but I don’t know who they are, and neither does anyone else on the web so they get to be shared here. Besides why would you not want to admire her zebra stripped jacket and matching skirt and his dapper boater hat and suit? Fantastic style from head to toe!

“1933-Mamie Smith & Virginia Flynn” pose together in their homemade dresses. Mamie is wearing a 1930s housedress and Virginia is wearing a pretty bow dress.

Source: Etsy

Two friends share a moment in front of a store window.

Helene & Priscilla in 1930s coats with fur shawls posing on a boat.

Source: Etsy-DearMacyVintage

A group out for the day with their car, stopping to take a photo to showoff their 1930s style.

Source: Etsy

1935 Strolling Coats as seen in this photo from ‘James Van Der Zee’.

STUNNING!

James Augustus Van Der Zee (June 29, 1886 – May 15, 1983) was an American photographer best known for his portraits of BlackNew Yorkers. He was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Aside from the artistic merits of his work, Van Der Zee produced the most comprehensive documentation of the period (Source).

Source: Feature Shoot

A young man in a three piece suit and black and white shoes stops for a photo on a winter day.

Source: Etsy

What a stylish group of women, man and child. The 1930s hats are just wonderful and of course so are all their outfits.

Source: Pinterest

1939 photo of a couple posing together in a garden. How cute is our ladies Tam hat?

Source: Etsy

Lindy Hop at the Savoy Ballroom. Some fantastic 1930s outfits to admire in this photo. From the stripped socks on our lead, to the cute 1930s shoes on our follows. This image has it all!

“June 1936, Grace” poses in front of a her front steps to take a photo of her outfit of the day before heading out for some fun.

I like her confidence in this image, so that is why I decided to share it, even though her outfit is not the clearest.

Source: Etsy

What do I love about this outfit? I think it’s the vertical lines on the dress and the pretty eyelet blouse. It just goes so well together. Feels very Art Deco.

Source: Pinterest

“Bea, Me, Anne -January 1938”. Another lovely example of some of the coats style available in the late 1930s for women.

Source: Etsy

I hope you enjoyed taking a look at how regular people (aka not the movie stars) dressed in the 1930s. Share your favourite image / outfit in the comments section below. Also please make sure you check out my other fashions image posts at the link below.

Further Reading:

• Vintage Photo Tuesday: 1940’s Street Style
• Vintage Photo Tuesday: 1950s Street Style
• The Stylish “Regular” Folks of Days Gone By
• The Stylish Toronto of the 1940s
• Vintage Photo Tuesday: Vintage Black Style
• Vintage Fashions 1920s-1960s Archive

Thanks for dropping by!

Liz