1930's Men's Fashion

Fred Astaire

     As we have seen throughout the last century, men’s fashion has not changed very much in formal wear. In the 1930’s, a single or double breasted white dinner jacket was worn with a cummerbund instead of the vest worn in earlier times. A black bow tie and black trousers, trimmed with braid down the outside seams completed the look. In warmer climates a white, waist-length mess jacket was also acceptable. Pocket handkerchiefs were customary with any type of suit.
     For the less formal look, suits were made with a little extra fabric in the shoulder and upper arm with a more tailored, slimmer look throughout the waist which really flattered the male figure and was fastidiously adopted by movie stars Cary Grant, Gary Cooper and Fred Astaire. The suit trousers were worn slightly tapered at the bottom as well and usually matched the material of the jacket. Colors included dark grays, navy, browns, with or without pinstripes. Ties had a straight silhouette or slight flare toward the bottom. Circles and plaids were common fabric designs for ties. Cufflinks were popular accessories for men throughout the 1920’s – 40’s.
     Shoes for a formal look could be copied with a modern basic man’s dress shoe – lighter weight, not heavy and shiny. An informal look could be done with a less dressy, medium weight shoe. The iconic two-tone shoes for men were worn with both formal and informal suits. For informal looks, the shoes did not always match the color of the suit.