At home or in public, ’30s women most commonly wore dresses with wide shoulders; puffy sleeves; modest necklines; higher, belted waistlines; and mid-calf flared hemlines. Frilly bows, ruffles, buttons, and other details often decorated dresses.
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| ’30s couples pose with their cars |
Formal dresses most dramatically displayed the decade’s willowy, elegant silhouette. Evening gowns in fluid fabrics were cut on the bias to create flowing, figure-hugging lines that reached the floor. Popular fabrics included satin, rayon, and chiffon.
Hollywood screen stars Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich helped introduce women’s trousers for sports and leisure. These trousers were wide-legged and high-waisted, often styled like sailors’ pants. Women wore baggier, casual lounge pants on vacation and at the beach.
For men, suits of the 1930s typically had high waists and slightly tapered, creased trousers with turned-up cuffs. Younger men preferred baggier trousers and longer jackets. Suits were darker blue, brown, or gray for cooler weather, with lighter tones for warm weather. Bold patterns included stripes, checks, and plaids.
A vest, pocket handkerchief, shorter tie, hat (such as a fedora or bowler), and dark or two-toned leather dress shoes completed the look.
Here is a set of vintage photos from Vintage Cars & People that shows couples posing with their cars in the 1930s.
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| A middle-aged couple posing with a Steyr XX Cabriolet on a gravel road running along the bank of a lake on a bleak summer's day, circa 1930 |
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| A stylish couple posing with a Röhr 8 9/50 PS Typ R in front of a monumental equestrian statue at Deutsches Eck, a landmark in the town of Koblenz at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Moselle, circa 1930 |
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| A cheerful lady in a floral dress and a dapper fellow in a suit posing with a Hanomag 4/20 PS Cabriolet-Limousine in the backyard of a private home. The car is registered in the Bavarian province of Middle Franconia, June 1932 |
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| A middle-class couple posing with a 1932 DeSoto Six on a sunny spring day in the countryside. The car is registered in the state of Michigan with 1932 license plates, May 1932 |
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| A stylish couple posing on the running board of an Opel 4/20 PS Cabriolet 2 convertible in the countryside. The car is registered in the Saxon district of Leipzig, circa 1933 |
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| A well-to-do couple posing with their horse and their 1932 Willys-Overland Sedan on a sunny winter's day. The car is registered in New York State with 1933 license plates, circa 1933 |
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| A cheerful couple and posing with an Opel 1,2 Liter in front of a middle-class home in a residential street. The car is registered in the Prussian province of Saxony, circa 1935 |
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| A couple posing with a Fiat Balilla 508 A on a gravel road in the countryside, circa 1935 |
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| A middle-aged couple wearing raincoats and hats with an Opel 1,2 Liter. The car is registered in the German state of Württemberg, circa 1935 |
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| A stylish young couple and their dog posing with a 1933 Graham Blue Streak Sedan in an middle class neighborhood. The car is registered in the state of New York with 1935 license plates, 1935 |
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| An elegant couple posing with a Citroën 11 CV in front of an impressive Renaissance building in a busy historic town centre, circa 1935 |
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| Two stylish couples posing with a 1934 Chevrolet Master Sedan at the seaside on the island of Rügen. The car is registered in the city of Leipzig, circa 1935 |
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| Two stylish couples posing with a Adler Trumpf Junior Cabrio-Limousine on a dirt road in the countryside. The car is registered in the city of Berlin, circa 1935 |
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| A cheerful lady in a light-colored dress and a fellow wearing a suit and tie posing with an English-built Citroën 7.5 H.P. Type C, circa 1936 |
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| A middle-aged couple posing with a Triumph Gloria Vitesse on a gravel road in the countryside. The location is probably somewhere in Scotland, circa 1936 |
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| A stylish couple posing with a 1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe in late afternoon sunshine, circa 1936 |
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| A stylish couple posing with a 1936 Chevrolet Standard Coupe on a gravel road in the countryside on July 22, 1936 |
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| A stylish couple posing with a two-tone Peugeot 201 Cabriolet by the side of a country road, circa 1936 |
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| A cheerful couple posing with a Steyr 50 on the side of the road in the town of Melk on the bank of the Danube with the famous monastery visible in the background. The car is registered in the city of Vienna, circa 1937 |
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| A couple wearing light-colored suits in the fashion of the thirties posing with an Opel 6 Cabriolet in the countryside. A mountain range can be seen in the background. The car is registered in Upper Bavaria, 1937 |
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| A stylish couple posing with a Steyr 50 in the Styrian village of Palfau, rural Austria, the building in the background houses an inn called 'Gasthof zur Kaisergemse'. The car is registered in the city of Vienna, circa 1937 |
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| A cheerful couple posing with a 1937 Dodge Sedan on a sunny summer afternoon, somewhere in Canada, 1938 |
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| A cheerful couple posing with a Steyr 220 Limousine on a country road in the Ahr Valley, a wine-growing region south of the city of Bonn. The car is registered in the administrative region of Düsseldorf, circa 1938 |
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| A couple posing with a Steyr 220 Limousine on a mountain road overlooking a valley, circa 1938 |
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| A fellow in a pinstripe suit and a lady in a floral dress posing on the fenders of a Mercedes-Benz 170 V, near the town of Plauen in Saxony. The car is registered in the Saxon district of Zwickau, August 1938 |
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| A lady in a short-sleeved dress and a fellow in a suit posing with a Mercedes-Benz 170 V in the countryside. The car is registered in the state of Bavaria, most probably in the district of Lower Bavaria, circa 1938 |
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| A leisurely clad couple posing with a 1933 Chevrolet Sedan on a sunny summer's day. The car is registered in the state of New York, August 25, 1938 |
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| A young couple posing with a Fiat 521 Berlina on the side of a road lined with Italian stone pines. The Fiat is registered in the province of Imperia, September 25, 1938 |
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| A young elegant couple in trench coats and an elderly gent in a woollen coat posing with a German-built Ford Eifel. The car is registered in the city of Bremen, circa 1938 |
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| Two fashionable couples posing with an elegant two-tone Wanderer W 23 Cabriolet in summertime. The car is registered in the city of Berlin, circa 1938 |
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| En elderly couple and their chauffeur posing with an 1930 Essex Sedan at Lorelei Rock on the bank of the River Rhine, circa 1930 |
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| A middle-aged couple from Brooklyn posing with a shiny 1937 Chevrolet Master De Luxe in the countryside. The car is registered in New York State with 1937 license plates, September 1937 |
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| A fashionable couple posing with a 1939 Mercury Eight Club Coupe near a suspension bridge on a bleak winter's day, circa 1939 |
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| A fashionable couple posing with a Fiat 500 A on a gravel road in the countryside. The car is registered in the city of Stuttgart, 1939 |
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| A middle-aged couple posing with a 1939 DeSoto Business Coupe in a back yard in summertime, circa 1939 |
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| A stylish couple posing with a Wanderer W 240 on a sunny summer's day. In the background, a famous landmark – Lorelei Rock on the bank of the River Rhine – can be seen, 1939 |
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| A well-to-do couple posing with an Opel Admiral on a bleak winter's day. The car is registered in the state of Hesse, circa 1939 |