1929 - 1945 The Glamor Years Jump to:
1929 - 1945 The Glamor Years Jump to:
 4 Modern Industrial Buildings and Fairs The Chicago Century of Progress fair, in 1933, introduced many novel schemes of construction, most of which were too bizarre to be practical. The chief advantage to be gained from a study of this Chicago fair lay in the use of color in architecture and in the development of lighting effects, which began to play an increasingly extensive role in the design of buildings after 1930. Read More
4 Modern technology and its efficiency
In the industrial realm, modern technology and its efficiency have resulted in establishing norms and standards for production as well as consumption. The American emphasis on efficiency and expediency has always been of fascination to outside observers. Read More
4 Fashion and Hollywood Glamor
The fashion image most associated with the 1930s - a decade of Depression, unemployment, fascism and the approach of war - is probably the glamorous Hollywood pale satin evening gown, a bias-cut creation slithering to the floor, lowbacked and clinging to the thighs.
This ambiguous garment did not look very different from a nightdress, and managed to appear both sultry and languid - chic and upper-class in the pages of Vogue or trampishly sexual when worn by Jean Harlow. Read More
4 Filmic Images of Women
Women's magazines proliferated during the 1930s and contributed to the greatly increased circulation of fashion images, which could be copied by local dressmakers. Fan magazines and studio publicity also promoted "Hollywood" styles.
There was a vogue for movies set in department stores, beauty salons or fashion houses. These films acted as showcases for the latest fashions, which could then be copied en masse and retailed through special promotions in the big stores. Read More
4 Women Movie Stars as Role Models
Even more important than Hollywood's influence on clothes was the way in which the movies popularized cosmetics. In the 18th century and earlier, powder and paint had been freely worn, but for most of the 19th century makeup had been taboo for respectable women.
In the European capitals and American cities women had started to wear visible makeup again before World War I. In the 1930s cosmetic ranges proliferated for all classes of women, together with the more subtle and wider range of film-star types. Read More
4 Word Jazz
It was in Chicago that the word "jazz" (or "jaz" as it was sometimes spelled at first) came into general usage. On October 27, 1916, Variety commented as follows: "Chicago has added another innovation to its list of discoveries in the so-called 'jazz bands.' The jazz band is composed of three or more instruments and seldom plays regulated music. The College Inn and practically all the other high-class places of entertainment have a jazz band featured, while the low cost makes it possible for all smaller places to carry their jazz orchestras.
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