The deprivations of World War I led to wild times for women’s fashion in the 1920s. Hemlines were much shorter, corsets were discarded, hair was cut short, and the slim, straight boyish silhouette was in vogue. After the Stock Market collapsed in October of 1929, money was scarce and times were tough but people still needed the psychological boost offered by new fashions. Hemlines dropped to mid-calf, waistlines rose from the hips to the natural waist and bias-cut flowing dresses that showed off women’s figures characterized the look of the 1930s. Finally it was acceptable for women to wear pants!
Ready-to-wear fashionable clothes became widely available in the late 1920s, bringing fashion to everyone through outlets such as the Sears catalog. As the economy tightened and money was scarce in the 1930s, more women turned to making clothes for themselves and their families. Man-made fabrics like rayon and the use of zippers rather than buttons for fastening helped to bring down the price of clothes.
One way to save money on clothing was to reuse feed or flour sacks. Women were sewing clothes, undergarments, diapers and kitchen textiles from empty cotton sacks. Manufacturers noticed this and started to provide sacks in various solid colors as well as a variety of prints. Each sack’s label was printed with water-soluble inks that were easily washed away. This definitely increased sales since three 100-pound sacks of the same material could make a dress, saving 60¢ in fabric costs!