Thirties Fashion Predictions

What did the thirties fashion designers think we would be wearing today? And how right or wrong did they get it? Our roving reporter Armgard Freytag reports.

This 1920s to 1950s fashion site looks back at fashion in the period between 1920 and 1959. Fashion designers often look at the past for inspiration.

In the 1930s however, a selection of American fashion designers were challenged to look into the future and imagine what people would be wearing in the year 2000. The results can be viewed in the following film.

It is always amusing to see predictions of the future from the future that was being predicted.

But these 1930s fashion designers often had it right.

• Skirts did almost entirely disappear,
• Pettes do wear transparent net fabric,
• and chaps (and pettes) wear telephones and radios.

And do men wear ties anymore? Only if they really must, I believe.

Unfortunately we do not seem to have a need for dresses that can be adapted to morning, afternoon dress or evening anymore.

If only we could all wear such elegant swishy dresses as the girl at 1 minute 1 second because the weather is scientifically controlled.

And wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had an electric belt to adapt the body to climatic changes, or an electric headlight to find honest men? It would save many a pette a great deal of trouble.

Anyway, I vote for a big round of applause for those thirties fashion designers. They were astonishingly accurate after all.

Do you suppose that in 70 years time we will all wear pretty afternoon suits and elegant evening dresses again? Do you think we will come to our senses and realise that baggy clothes and jeans do nothing at all to make us look prettier?

Oh I do hope so.

~Armgard Freytag