Fashion designers such as Travis Banton and
Adrian expertly crafted a stunning silhouette in Hollywood's glamorous 1930's, but the
reality is that while the style is chic, most of these gowns are as thin
and delicate as a slip.
Peek-a-boo!
Silk Satin is the ultimate
luxury fiber. It's soft and beautiful and oh, so gorgeous.
It's also takes a lifetime of 400 silkworms to produce enough silk for a wedding
gown.
Silk from the 1930's was known as
"Phospora," due to its glistening reflective property that
resembles freshly fallen snow. With lively
suppleness and draping, silk satin is best worn unfettered by
strain. Although it is rumored that Jean Harlow (shown above) often had her silk gowns sewn onto her body for
fit, you'll need a little bit of room for the gown to move around your
body. Jean Harlow could not sit down during movie filming and had to use a slant board to
rest against.
Poor dear, but Man... was she sexy. Back in the real World, it's impractical
to have a seamstress sew your wedding gown to your body. (So much
for Hollywood mirroring real life.)
Using
a National Recovery Administration gown (1933-1935) as an example, let's
look at some of the hard to deny facts when wearing a silk satin
Phospora gown.
