The entertainment industry was a key driver for trend setting in 1930s fashion. Celebrities, and what they wore, impacted directly on fashion and were the recognisable face of these trends.
Television was introduced to American audiences in 1928 and, despite a lack of commercial channels until 1941, provided a shop window for the fashion industry. Viewers were treated to the latest trends and were eager to follow the fashion ques of their favourite stars seen on screen. With reported “8 million Americans” (Manty, 2021) attending the movies every week, films also became a marketing opportunity for the fashion industry. Studios worked closely with retailers to create a relationship between movie fashions and Ready-to-Wear clothing. Despite the impact of the Depression on spending this relationship led to a sustained increase in sales, with even more success coming from garment sales that fused both together.
Joan Crawford (1905-1977) was “one of Old Hollywood’s top actresses” (Agloo and Chilton, 2020), probably most-famously known as a Metro Goldwyn Mayer darling (MGM – Largest and most profitable motion-picture studio of the 1930s). She epitomised the idea of a ‘movie star’ which was prevalent in the 1930s and through her audiences was a key figure who impacted hugely on the fashion industry during this period. She personified clearly how “pervasive of an influence film could be on fashion” (Reddy, 2020). Crawford’s on-screen presence was adored by Americans and growing up from a humble background, framed by the Depression, related her to the millions of people during the difficult time (Carter, 2017). Her off screen experiences informed her ability of developing a star persona [and] connecting with audiences” (Carter, 2017) and she successfully “captured the imagination of American women” (Manty, 2021).
Figure 5: Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton Dress designed by Adrian (Hurrell, 1932)
Crawford was regularly dressed by costume designer Gilbert Adrian during her time at MGM. Recognising how powerful the media was in influencing fashion trends, the industry itself and those working in it, Crawford would contribute to Adrian’s designs and design processes, clearly displaying her hands on approach to creating her well-known looks of the time. Shown in Figure 5 (Hurrell, 1932) is the most career defining dress of Adrian’s and Crawford’s working lives, the famous Letty Lynton dress which took centre stage in the film of the same name. Having premiered in 1932 the film became embroiled in a costly lawsuit for plagiarism which meant that it was never widely distributed, and still remains unavailable today. Due to Crawford’s ‘film star’ status at the time and her consequential ability to influence the fashion industry the style of the Letty Lynton dress, despite the lack of viewings of the film, became incredibly popular. Adrian acknowledged Crawford’s impact on his career, through the Letty Lynton dress and other designs, and when asked would reflect on the notion that "who would have thought that my entire reputation as a designer would rest on Joan Crawford's shoulders?" (Adrian quoted in Manty, 2021).
The white dress features translucent ruffled, organdie sleeves with a single layer of organdie around the neckline of the garment. The waistline is sinched with a thick, plain strip of fabric sewn horizontally which contrasts the more whimsical nature of the dress. Below this feature there is a layer of ruffles around the hips, elongating the torso whilst also accentuating an hourglass silhouette. The lower portion of the dress is more simplistic. The skirt is full-length and to have a consistent motif throughout the design, the organdie ruffles are repeated along the bottom hem. Although the dress is both powerful and elegant its design helps “her appear both innocent and flirtatious” (Manty, 2021). Adrian, fascinated by Crawford’s persona, considered that the dress embodied the polarities of her character perfectly.
This dress captures many of the elements popularised in the 30s, including the broadened shoulders and small waist, however due to its volume, it contrasted the simpler, more form fitting silhouettes commonly worn at the time as shown in Figure 6 (Hurrell, 1932). This also acts as an example of the accessory usage to add interest to plain garments previously mentioned, with Figure 6 (Hurrell, 1932) showing Crawford wearing matching sunhat, gloves and belt which defines her waistline. Crawford wore many different silhouettes throughout her career but none as effective as the Letty Lynton costume. With the incredible popularity of this dress despite its untraditional nature for the time period, it was imitated at all price points by many couture fashion houses and lower-end high street stores too. Buying and selling 500,000 copies alone, Macy’s contributed to the dissemination of the Letty Lynton style (Reddy, 2021). Technological changes in manufacturing enabled reproduction of affordable fashions and therefore ordinary women could dress like their icons (Steele, 2010). An occurrence we regularly see today, and another example of the Trickle Down theory, is the movie industry’s massive influence on trend setting, so much so that the daytime romanticism style was translated into eveningwear massively due to the success of the Letty Lynton dress, i.e., medieval. puffed sleeves and flowing skirts as well as influencing “young girls’ party dresses for the next ten years” (Steele, 2010). Crawford’s influence on the fashion industry lives on to this day!
Figure 6: Joan Crawford by George Hurrell (Hurrell, 1932)
Icons and Media References
Manty, K. 2021. The ‘Letty Lynton’ Dress Took Country by Storm. [Online]. [Accessed: 27 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.antiquetrader.com/collectibles/letty-lynton-dress-tapped-into-need-for-postwar-romance
Agloo, J and Chilton, C. 2020. In Photos: Joan Crawford’s Most Glamourous Old Hollywood Moments. [Online]. [Accessed: 27 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/g7016/joan-crawford-photos/
S. Carter, I. 2017. Joan Crawford and Her Enduring style Influence. [Online]. [Accessed: 28 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.allure.com/story/joan-crawford-style-icon
Steele, V. 2010. The Berg Companion to Fashion. [Online]. Oxford: Bloomsbury Academic. [Accessed: 29 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.bloomsburyfashioncentral.com/products/berg-fashion-library/encyclopedia/the-berg-companion-to-fashion/preface
Icons and Media Image list
Figure 1: Hurrell, G. 1932. Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton. [Online]. [Accessed: 29 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023132/mediaviewer/rm4285437952/
Figure 2: Hurrell, G. 1932. Summer Joan. [Online]. [Accessed: 29 November 2021]. Available from: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/american-actress-joan-crawford-wearing-a-summery-white-news-photo/3169599?adppopup=true
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