LONDON.- Night and Day: 1930s Fashion & Photographs features over 100 ensembles, from fantasy evening wear to playful beach pyjamas. Using women’s fashion as a bellwether, the exhibition explores the social, cultural and political landscape of the period. From the escapism offered by Hollywood films, window-shopping and women’s magazines, to the increasingly stark political realities and extremes of wealth and poverty, the show explores the decade that brought the excess of the 1920s to an end. The 1930s ushered in the utilitarianism of World War II; as the flapper grew up, so too did her fashions.

The new silhouettes of the 1930s played with the hard-edged chic seen in the Art Deco and Moderne styles. Structure can be seen infiltrating the relaxed shapes of the 20s, with the bias cuts and complicated construction, pioneered by Madeleine Vionnet and Elsa Schiaparelli, heralding a new era of sophistication and maturity.

Presented thematically, the exhibition takes the visitor on a journey through sumptuous city tableaus, featuring a range of glamorous eveningwear. Nightclub, cinema and bustling street scenes are filled with floor length gowns, created in satins, velvets and crepes and adorned with diamante. Long evening dresses became de rigueur with the extended lines, fitted waists and the placement of seams accentuating the fashionable svelte figure. A peach and gold bias cut dress with matching bolero jacket demonstrates what Vogue termed “the cult of the bolero” whilst puffed, ruffled and caped sleeves reflect the variety of sleeve designs and influence of Hollywood icon Joan Crawford. Still more evening dresses feature the sunray motif; a recurrent emblem in Art Deco design, whilst sequined mermaid-cut dresses in black, gold and teal reflect the popularity of embellished fabrics. Backless dresses, satin gowns with plunging V-necks and velvet dresses with hip peplums reflect a shape that, whilst languid and streamlined, is far removed from the simple tubular shape of the androgynous 1920s. The new accentuated hip-lines and emphatic, stylised shoulder-line indicating a more mature female outline.

Visitors are being taken on a brief ‘train journey’, as the exhibition explores the new and popular concept of suburban living. With many modern homes built throughout the 1930s, suburbia was booming and the lifestyle of the middle classes improved. Garden parties, seaside visits and sporting outings became common pastimes in the new suburbia and here provide the quintessential backdrops to daytime fashions. Separates such as blouses and skirts, trousers with halter-tops, or dresses with coats were popular across the social spectrum. These pieces offered practicality and versatility; giving you two outfits to choose from they enabled you to maximise your wardrobe. Many garments in this section are hand sewn, presenting the reality of clothing for ordinary middle-class women.

From The Riviera to Blackpool, holidays and sunbathing were increasingly popular during the 30s. Austerity had sparked public health fears about fitness and outdoor activities such as camping, hiking and swimming were encouraged. A range of beach and fitness wear are on display, including a rare logoed two piece exercise ensemble in cream and black, as worn by the members of the newly found Women’s League for Health and Beauty (1930).

Changes in fashion retail during the 30s included the birth of multiple stores, the rise of the department store and the evolution of catalogues like Sears in the US and Littlewoods in the UK. These changes lead to a growth in ready-to-wear. This is evidenced through the increased popularity of day dresses; from a range of joyful floral pieces, including a Rayon dress in autumnal colours, to a chic cream linen dress, with navy polka dot sleeve edging and matching neckerchief. The decade saw the development of new mass-produced textile technologies, creating and improving man-made fabrics such as Rayon and Celanese silk. These fashionable artificial fabrics allowed shapes to become more fluid and provider a cheaper alternative to silk.

The final section of the exhibition looks at the 1937 coronation. Women’s magazines were full of suggestions of what to wear and coronation colours were sponsored by the British Colour Council. These include red, ‘a lovely shade’ and blue ‘the richest of colours’, as well as a range of hues named after Royal Palaces; from Holyrood Green to Buckingham Lilac. A selection of outfits for both men and women are being displayed alongside original coronation ephemera and decorations from the occasion.

Accompanying the main exhibition, the Museum’s smaller gallery features a selection of rare eveningwear; floor-length sequins suitable for the silver screen, accompanied by newsreel and photographs of the starlets of the time. The Main Gallery also presents a selection of portraits by pioneering photographers of the time; Paul Tanqueray, Madame Yevonde and Dorothy Wilding. Finally, The Fashion Studio hosts Cecil Beaton: Thirty from the 1930s – Fashion, Film, Fantasy. This display comprises thirty images by the highly influential and innovative photographer, whose photographs of famous figures in fashion, film, the arts and society, including Chanel and Schiaparelli, Marlene Dietrich and Vivien Leigh, Salvador Dali and Queen Elizabeth II, helped to define the look of an era.

Night and Day: 1930s Fashion & Photographs presents the most influential day and evening fashions of the decade, complemented by iconic photographs of the stars who championed them. With fashion as the lens, this exhibition brings the period of great social change that was the 1930s in to sharper focus.