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Assignment 2

Wikipedia Article: 1930-1945 in fashion

This article provides a concise overview of the predominant fashion trends within North America during 1930 through to 1945. It begins with the most wide-spread details, such as nylon stockings, zippers and detailed shoulders. Famous figures such as the Prince of Wales, Wallis Simpson and Joan Crawford are labelled as taste-makers.

First womanswear is outlined. The soft flowing silhouettes of the 1920s have adjusted to a more tailored, austere look which highlights the woman's curves. The dueling influences of Paris couture and American cinema share prominence in the era's offerings.Lana Turner's film They won't forget is credited with the arrival of the Sweater girl, oft considered the first teenage style subculture. The drastic change of this time frame occurred with the arrival of wartime rationing. Hemlines rose, silk stockings were outlawed, and the majority of North Americans operated with a very finite clothing budget.

The article concludes with an overview of menswear. More subdued coloring is stated as the biggest change in style upon the arrival of the 1930s. The drape cut suit, with its greater ease of movement, replaced the more rigid styles of previous years.

Encyclopedia Article: Modern Fashions for Modern Women: The Evolution of New York Sportswear in the 1930s

Rebecca Arnold's article for Costume Journal offers an overview of the fashion of the same time period, strictly of women's offerings. It states that the Depression played a large part in the emergence of casual, mass-produced clothing that could be worn for many activities. The economic struggles of the time shaped the desire for affordable, functional clothing. It also stimulated the economy by changing the shape of fashion, giving women the desire to invest in new wardrobes. Clothing was marketed more towards the busy, modern woman than the socialites that were typically targeted in the 1920s. The stylistic influences of the Paris and New York fashion houses were more clearly established.

Compare and Contrast of Articles

What struck me most about the Wikipedia article was how it narrowed down a very broad subject. The 1930s and early 1940s styles varied slightly depending on location. As North Americans were great consumers of fashion even in times of economic recession, it made sense to focus in on them. The text was very concise, and limited mention to only the most prominent styles and prevalent taste-makers. It was not mentioned which trends were popularized by which stars, with the exception of Lana Turner and her sweaters. It mentions just how the film industry influenced the silhouettes of the time.

It follows with men's fashion. As is typically the case, there are less changes to report than with women. Colors softened, and the London Drape and Zoot Suit took shape. Waistlines rose, shoulder pads filled out and a silhouette emerged which allowed greater freedom of movement. Carey Grant, Fred Astaire and Gary Cooper were said to herald in new looks, though it does not say which looks these were. It concludes with mentioning the effect WWII held on clothing. As one would expect, new clothing produced within North America was made with less, and often different fabrics in order to adhere to wartime restrictions. In the spirit of conservation, many men were said to continue wearing their suits of the previous decade.

The article from Costume Journal, which I'd found within the LRC's database, took a fairly different approach. While Wikipedia zeroed in mainly on the primary trends, Arnold's article touched on the people and events that brought about these trends. It starts off pointing out that the 1930s marked the beginning of ready-to-wear. The previous norm was going to a dress maker for one's formal wardrobe, and keeping a few exceptionally casual pieces strictly for messier tasks. This decade began the habit of glimpsing a piece on a store rack, and wearing it to an event that evening. It also denotes a slight blurring of social classes and their associated attributes. Clothing was being made and marketed toward the student, the traveler, the housewife and even the career girl.

The article also glimpses a broader section of design houses' origins. The notable offerings of New York, London and Paris are contrasted, whereas the previous article tended to stay within North America. It also mentioned that New York's fashion was suggested more for the perceived middle class woman, while the other two cities continued to call to the upper class and the privileged. I would say that the Costume article is more thorough than the Wikipedia one,although that may be attributed to their respective objectives. Arnold focuses mainly on the cause, but touches on the effect. Wikipedia zeroes in on the effect almost exclusively. The fashion of the 1930s through early 1940s is a very broad topic, so a fully developed article would likely be extremely long. Both articles seemed to achieve their intended purpose, although I prefer Costume Journal's for the expertise it conveys on a relatively small spectrum of the total picture.

Assessment of the Validity of Both Articles

The Wikipedia article I've chosen was short and concise; understandable when given a very broad subject. After reading it, I would assume that the author(s) are very interested in the topic, though perhaps not professionals. Having been familiar with the subject beforehand, I was able to detect no errors. The further reading category was satisfactory. If anything, it was more diverse than the content of the article. There was also a fairly equal amount of web versus book recommendations, making a varied list of sources easy. There are books covering the notable offerings of New York, London and Paris. There are suggestions ranging from the decade in question right through to the 1990s. Unfortunately, the web sources are not all of the same caliber. The link to the Victoria and Albert Museum was quite helpful. Some of the other links were not found, and others were riddled with advertisements and had no visible authors. Had I not already spent a great deal of time studying the topic, I'd have felt compelled to go elsewhere for many of my backing materials.

Arnold's article is 15 pages long, so it also makes sense that she was able to give a more thorough presentation of the topic. She does an excellent job of tying in examples with the major trend patterns. She states that a large focus went to assembling a wardrobe that will see you through a wide variety of activities. Fittingly, Claire McCardell is introduced on page 117. As the designer so endlessly accredited to the feminine, fuss-free look, the author proves her ability to stay relevant on such a broad topic. Pants, still a somewhat controversial item for women, are given the appropriate mention as well. They increased in popularity for casual events, though they remained highly taboo for formal affairs. As in today's society, outdoor activities were often engaged in while wearing pyjamas. I prefered this article over Wikipedia's because it simplified the main points, and refrained from the usage of jargon which would deter a less fashion-conscious reader. Arnold ends in stating that, as with all decades, 1930s fashion closely mirrored the societal events of the decade. The 1930s was considered the first decade for which financial concerns and other hardships need not be dealt with in private; they were often a means to bond individuals together. This was reflected in fashion marketing as well; suddenly, the target market for a smart dress was a busy woman on a budget. The styles may have drastically changed, but the concepts are still seen in much of today's marketing. This thoroughly explained concept, along with a list of furthur reading, made this a very informative article.

10 Additional Sources

1) DeLong, Mariyln, Peterson, Kristi. "Analysis and Characterization of 1930s Evening Dresses in a University Museum Collection" Clothing and Textiles Research Journal 22 (3), pg. 99-112 (2004) Scholar Portal Journals. Web. November 12, 2012

2) Richards, Wadia Rashna. "Show-Stoppers: 1937 And The Chance Encounter With Chiffons" Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media 48 (2), pg. 84-110 (2007) Scholar Portal Journals. Web. November 12, 2012

3) Carman, Emily Susan. "Independent Stardom: Female Film Stars and the Studio System in the 1930s" Women's Studies 37 (6), pg. 583-615 (2008) Scholar Portal Journals. Web. November 12, 2012

4) Srigley, Katrina. "Clothing Stories: Consumption, Identity, and Desire in Depression-Era Toronto" Journal of Women's History 19 (1), pg. 82-104 (2007) Scholar Portal Journals. Web. November 12, 2012

5) Clemente, Deirdre. "Striking Ensembles:The Importance of Clothing on the Picket Line" Labor Studies Jornal 30 (4), pg. 1-15 (2006) Scholar Portal Journals. Web. November 12, 2012

6) Troy, Nancy J. "The Theatre of Fashion: Staging Haute Couture in Early 20th Century France" Theatre Journal 53 (1), pg. 1-32 (2001) Scholar Portal Journals. Web. November 12, 2012

7) Rose, Nancy. "Production-for-Use or Production-for-Profit?: The Contradictions of Consumer Goods Production in 1930s Work Relief" Review of Radical Political Economics 20 (1), pg. 46-61 (1988) Scholar Portal Journal. Web. November 12, 2012.

(** Note: This is the oldest of my resources. As fashion history does not often encounter radical changes in previously accepted fact (as is often the case with, for instance, scientific theory), I feel these pieces are still relevant.)

8) Bryant, Nancy. "Facets of Madeleine Vionnet's Cut: The Manipulation of Grain, Slashing, and Insets" Clothing and Textiles Research Journal 11 (2), pg. 28-37 (1993) Scholar Portal Journal. Web. November 12, 2012.

9) Arnold, Rebecca. "Modern Fashions for Modern Women: The Evolution of New York Sportswear in the 1930s" Costume 41 (1), pg. 111-125 (2007) Scholar Portal Journal. Web. November 1, 2012.

10) "1930-1945 in fashion" Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. November 2012. Web. November 2012.

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Sub-heading

Italics Bold Digital Library

Sarah Ferguson Professor: Helena Merriam LIB2002 October 1,2012

1) "Claire McCardell." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 25 Aug. 2012. Web.

2) "1930-1945 in fashion." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 Sept. 2012. Web.

3) "Christian Dior." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Oct. 2012. Web.

4) Constance C. R. White. "Celebrating Claire McCardell." The New York Times November 17,1998. The New York Times Company. October 1, 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/17/style/celebrating-claire-mccardell.html?pagewanted=2.

5) "Christian Dior Fashion Designer (1905-1957)." Design Museum 2006. The Design Museum. October 1, 2012. http://designmuseum.org/design/christian-dior

On choosing these research materials:

In choosing vintage fashion as my most likely topic for the major assignment, I presented myself with a bit of a challenge. When searching for information on a commodity that is so widely shopped for on the internet, the majority of what arises will all be links to stores. Wikipedia made the search much easier. I chose an article about the overall period of fashion. For a small piece of writing, it managed to cover silhouettes, designers, and influences. Quite a few citations were given, adding the element of legitimacy. A couple, though, were faulty links.

For my second and third Wikipedia sources, I covered two of the prominent designers of my desired decade, the 1940s. The piece on Claire McCardell was concise, informative and had all the necessary links to be deemed a reliable source. The article on Christian Dior was somewhat lacking in citation, though my previous knowledge of the topic helped confirm the information. Had I not known of the designer beforehand, I would have likely chosen another source.

My next source was taken from The New York Times. I normally do not think to cite newspapers in my work, but this article has led me to believe that they can be just as informative as any encyclopedia entry. The last, once more about Christian Dior, was taken from the Design Museum's online domain. It was extremely rich in information, though it lacks the names of authors and editors. This is of course, important in adding legitimacy to a formal piece of writing. I might keep it as a secondary source for verification.

I was surprised that the non-Wikipedia domains I'd explored were largely free of authors and dates. The content seemed much the same, although Wikipedia tends to focus more so on the historical minutiae of the subject. It may be a challenge finding sufficient credible sources.