All posts tagged: 1930s

Art Deco Weekend roundup

Last week I posted the tiniest bit about my wardrobe for Art Deco Weekend 2012, but I didn’t really tell you much about what it was about. Napier holds an annual Art Deco weekend because an earthquake (and resultant fire) on Feb 3 1931 devastated the city, killing 256 people in the greater Hawkes Bay area, and necessitating the rebuilding of the entire downtown business district. All the rebuilding was done in the Art Deco and Spanish Mission style. So every year Napier holds a festival to celebrate it’s Art Deco heritage, and commemorate the earthquake. Or so goes the official line. Sadly, my impression was that the festival was really just an excuse to sell stuff, wear silly clothes with only the barest veneer of historicism, and drink too much. There were a few tours about architecture, and a 20 minute ceremony about the earthquake, but I found the lack of history and recognition of why the event was held vastly disappointing. Also, the whole event puts a huge emphasis on the 1920s. The …

Elise’s gift: The blue velvet leaf dress

Published by The Dreamstress

Of the textiles Elise gave me, I’ve shown you a very exotic assuit tunic, and a very sweet but commercial wrap. This week, let’s look at something a bit between the two – a homemade evening gown of gorgeous devore velvet in cobalt blue. The dress is a beautiful, but absolutely typical, example of a middle-class semi-formal dress. This wasn’t a society woman’s frock by any means: it’s the kind of dress made by a home dressmaker from a pattern that almost certainly included a ‘day’ and ‘evening’ version with the only notable difference being the length of the skirt. So, not unusual or exciting in that sense, but actually more exciting because it is such a typical example: it really gives such a perfect picture of what most women were wearing to simple evening events in the second half of the 30s. And it’s beautiful. The devore velvet (probably rayon) is just swoon-worthy, and the cut is simple but effective. The dress consists of a bodice joined to a basic bias-cut four-gore skirt at …

Art Deco wardrobe planning

Published by The Dreamstress

This year, for the first time ever, I’m going to Napier’s Art Deco Weekend. I’ve tried to go in the past, but things have come up. But this year, unless something happens in the next 5 days, it’s actually happening! Three days of 30s clothes and dancing! Being crazy and ambitious I’m planning a specific wardrobe. It’s based around the idea of what a well-off girl from Hawaii would have taken for a trip to Napier to visit family in early 1933*. So all my clothes will be from the very end of the 1920s and the early 30s. I’m going with a red, white & blue theme, to organise my design and keep my accessories down. I’ve got a pinterest board with inspiration. But don’t think it will be all patriotic and nautical red, white & blue! Here is my fabric pile: I’m hoping to make two evening dresses, one out of white lace with black lace that looks like this: With this: And one of blue lace in a cut very similar to …