international exhibition promotion final

Running Head: INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION PROMOTION: FINAL PROJECT 1

International Exhibition Promotion: Final Project: Part Two

Alexandra Caballero, Murae McCumber, Lana Mufleh, Marissa Norman

University of North Texas


Interior Discussion

Setting the Scene

In order to understand the glamorous dresses featured in the exhibit, one must first

understand what created the fashions of the decade. As with most fashion, the zeitgeist of the

time is extremely influential at shaping the silhouettes, colors, and materials depicted. When

discussing the 1930s in American history, one essential title comes to mind, The Great

Depression. However, this depression era can really be traced to an origin in 1929, with the stock

market crash (Kellman, 2010; Tortora, P.G., & Marcketti, S.B., 2015). According to Tortora &

Marketti, the ‘20s was a prosperous time filled with hedonistic activity (2015). While some argue

that the “Roaring Twenties” are a hard act to follow, the 1930s has a unique spirit all its own,

that is not always characterized by depressing stereotypes. In fact, Kellman himself describes the

decade of the 1930s as a treasure for historians (2010). However, this is not to say that times

were not tough in the United States during this time. On of the strongest economic indicators,

gross domestic product, can be observed to understand the financial effects of the Great

Depression on the United States economy. Over a five-year period, ending in 1933, the GDP for

America decreased by 27 percent (Samuelson, 2012). This loss of GDP coupled with an

employment rate of 23 percent in 1932 easily shows the economic struggle the United States

faced (Samuelson, 2012). However, the more significant effect of these statistics can be observed

by the zeitgeist created by the crisis. In essence, many citizens were scared, with no money and

no jobs (Samuelson, 2012; Torta, P.G., & Marcketti, S.B., 2015). Citizens were saving all they

had, trying to survive on a daily basis; however, many searched for an escape in the dismal

times, causing the rise of the popularity of movies and cinema (Esperdy, 2007; Kellman, 2010).

The pictures featured on the silver screen often completely ignored the crisis of the Great


Depression, not giving any hint as to what was actually happening all over the world (Torta, P.G.

& Marcketti, S.B., 2015). Unlike the Great Depression itself, the cinema soon became profitable

and popular among Americans.

The Golden Age of Hollywood

While the country as a whole will remember the 1930s as the Great Depression Era,

Hollywood remembers the 1930s as a Golden Age. While the true Golden Age of Hollywood is

considered to be a 30-year period, the decade of the 30s lands right in the middle (Esperdy, 2007;

Li, 2014). During this time the film industry was adapting with the times, making technological

and cultural advances (Li, 2014). The focus of this exhibit is the cultural representation of

modern independent starlets during this time, both on and off the silver screen. The exhibit

focuses on the classic Hollywood glamour of female stars and their dress, while aiming to

empower women today by the passion these starlets had for their careers. In the exhibit, viewers

will see costuming from movies and actual pieces worn by the stars on the red carpet. The pieces

are meant to capture the femininity of these independent starlets, to contrast the masculinity

conquering the industry at the time (Carman, 2008). During the 1930s, many dresses, shown as

ostentatious and rich on film, were adapted by the normal women of the 1930s, but with more

modest designs (Torta, P.G., & Marcketti, S.B., 2015). The pieces will be discussed in more

detail in the following section. The true essence of the show is to focus on the women of

Hollywood that defied the industry centered on male actors. Such women include stars such as

Barbara Stanwyck, Carol Lombard, and Mariam Hopkins (Carman, 2008). In their movies, the

Depression never touched the fantasy lives of the starlets; however, real women imitated the

styles and looks of the stars as best they could in difficult times (Torta, P.G., & Marcketti, S.B.,

2015). Carman describes these female stars using the term “independent stardom,” defining them


as women who were modern and independent in their films and in their real lives (2008). The

exhibit will discuss the lives of many strong female stars in relation to their dress and how they

used fashion to show their dazzling and defiant personalities.

Garments

Garment 1

This garment, shown in Figure 1 and 2, is a ball gown worn by Vivien Leigh as

Scarlett O’Hara in the movie Gone With The Wind. This red sleeveless gown is made of

silk velvet that is embellished with glass teardrop beads and ostrich feathers around the

shoulders (Ennis, 2014). In the movie Gone With The Wind that premiered in 1939, the

character known as Scarlett O’Hara wore this provocative gown to a celebration (2014).

Although this gown was worn as a costume, many gowns like this one were seen in

Hollywood fashion in 1930 through 1940. The famous starlet in Gone With The Wind,

Vivien Leigh, was known for her off screen wardrobe and was seen in luxurious gowns

like this one (Lo, 2013). Many other famous female actresses of the Golden Era could

also be seen in glamorous gowns such as Katherine Hepburn, Fay Wray, and Betty

Grable (MGM, 2011). This gown from the movie Gone With The Wind is currently at the

Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, which is where we would

borrow the gown from to present at our exhibit featuring Hollywood Glam fashion of the

1930s. The designer was the well-known costume designer, Walter Plunkett. Walter

Plunkett designed costumes for stars like Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Irene

Dunne (Ennis, 2014). This garment represents the glamorous time of the 1930s in

Hollywood. Along with the glamour of Hollywood the depression was a major event that

took place in the 1930s and people wanted to escape from bad times to go see movies and


shows (History Staff, 2010). Gone With The Wind was a major film that was premiered

during this time, which represents the Golden Era well. The gown itself is a good

representation of the luxurious celebrations that took place in the 1930s and the urge to

get away from harsh times and sadness from the depression.

Garment 2

This garment, shown in Figure 3, was named the curtain gown and was also worn by the

character Scarlett O’Hara in the movie Gone With The Wind. The curtain dress is green and

has two separate velvet skirt parts that reveal a velvet underskirt that is attached to sleeveless

cotton under bodice. The separate bodice has long sleeves and a caplet on each shoulder and

has a chord belt with tassels at the end draped around the waist (Ennis, 2014). This dress was

also worn by Vivien Leigh in the movie Gone With The Wind, but represented the harder

times of the Golden Era. This dress was worn in three different scenes in the movie and was

known as a symbol to represent the financial hardship and challenges of the 1930s (2014).

Instead of representing the glamorous side it was a costume that could represent the lower

social class that might have been going through financial hardships themselves. This dress is

also being conserved at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. This

would be where we would have to borrow the dress from to display at our exhibit. Walter

Plunkett designed the costumes for Gone With The Wind, which means he also designed this

one. This garment was faded and discolored and sewn out of Scarlett O’Hara’s mother’s

green velvet curtains in Gone With The Wind (2014). This dress represents the determination

and resourcefulness of the Golden Era. Many people were struggling financially in the great

depression, but because of the perseverance many were able to move on after the depression.

This dress contrasts from the glamorous red gown to represent the hard times of the 1930s.


Garment 3

Actress Jean Harlow in the well-known movie Dinner At Eight that premiered in1932 wore

this gown. This gown was a stunning white satin gown that became known as the “Jean

Harlow Dress” shown in Figure 4. It also became a symbol of the popular art-deco style of

the 1930s (Rooney, 2011). This sexy and provocative dress worn by Bombshell Jean Harlow

inspired many famous actresses. The “Jean Harlow Dress” was a representation of the

glamorous times in Hollywood. Jean Harlow was known as a sexual goddess and inspired

actresses like Marilyn Monroe (Ayre, 2016). This satin gown also inspired the style seen

throughout Hollywood with it’s simplistic yet powerful look. A lot of gowns from MGM

were sold at auctions, but a lot of Adrian’s designs worn by Jean Harlow are located at the

Museum at FIT located in NYC (Steele, n.d.). Adrian Adolph Green berg, or better known as

Adrian was the designer of the “Jean Harlow Dress” worn in Dinner At Eight. He was known

for his exaggerated designs during the glamour years of the Golden Era. (Evans, 2014) Jean

Harlow was known as a style icon of the Golden Era. The “Jean Harlow Dress” is a great

depiction of Hollywood and the luxurious style worn by actresses on scene and off scene

(Ayre, 2016). Although this stunning gown was worn in the thirties it is still used as a major

influence in Hollywood style.

Interior Flap Discussion

The exhibit will include a tour that will showcase the essence of the glamorous 30’s in

the age of crisis. Patricia Mears will guide the tour while sharing her years of expertise in being a

fashion historian and working as a freelance curator in costume and textile collections (Royal

Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History, 2016). Mears is currently a deputy director

at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Mears has published a collection of


fashion books, one of which is Elegance in the Age of Crisis, which focused on 1930’s women’s

fashion. Her book showcases the phenomenon of the modernism and classicism movement that

transformed from the period of innovation and craftsmanship. This entails a view into the Great

Depression and it’s impact on cultural history and fashion (Evans, 2015). She goes into immense

amount of detail in the style and the construction of each garment. In 2014, Mears brought her

book to life and organized Elegance In An Age Of Crisis: Fashions Of The 1930s at the Museum

at FIT. The exhibit captures the refinements within the era’s fashion, while reflecting upon the

equally challenged 21st century economy (Felder, 2014). Mears also apprehends the

empowerment and elegance that the era brought. Mears describes elegance as representing a lady

with dignity and ease (Admin, 2014).

Back Discussion

The whole essence of the exhibit is to educate our visitors. Thus, our gift shop creates a

flashback into the 1930’s through every purchased item. When arriving, visitors will get an idea

of what the museum considers it’s most cherished work by simply looking through the books,

brochures, and even the computer rooms for viewing the collection on a screen. The gift shop

sells different types of merchandises, such as books, T-shirts, greeting cards, ornaments, CDs of

music from the 1930s, dolls, and women’s jewelry. Some of the books include 1920s Fashion,

Fabulous Fashions of the 1920s, Fashion of the Decade, Fashion Illustration 1920-1950s

Techniques and Examples, and so on. The dolls are fakes that are copies of the originals, such as

Shirley Temple dolls that were popular in the 1930s and 1940s as shown in Figure 2. This gift

shop is pleased to sell 1920’s T-shirts in different sizes as shown in Figure 1. A few examples of

the songs in the CDs are jazz of the 1930s and the greatest songs in the 1930s. Aside from music,


some of the CDs have educational information of an audio version of most of the books we sell.

Further, in events, we allow take-home activities as we give visitors a piece of the past in

mementos to further reflect their fun and educational visit (Simon, 2010).

Props, Film, Music Discussion

Props

The additional props that will be added to the exhibit are the microphone, cigarettes and

cigarette posters. During the 1930’s the jazz era was a huge part of cultural society. In Figure C,

the Bruno Ribbon Velocity Microphone will emphasize the importance of music and how it

inspired fashion (Perera, 2016). Cigarettes were also a huge part of society; some used them for

the status aspect or for health reasons. In Figure C, there is a poster from 1931 called Lucky

Strike Cigarettes. On the poster there is a women rasping her throat; while the description on the

side states that Lucky cigarettes will take care of your itchy throat because it doesn’t have harsh

irritants (Lensen, 2010). During the 1930s dangers of smoking were unknown and many

Hollywood scarlet’s promoted them.

Background Music

During the exhibit, the types of background music that will be playing are related to the

theme of the show. The genre played throughout the exhibition is Jazz tunes. In the course of the

1930s, Jazz arose as a prevailing form in the American music. A few of the bandleaders whose

orchestras were jam-packed with great jazz musicians will be played during the exhibit. The lists

of Jazz songs are Basin Street Blues by the jazz legend Louis Armstrong, In the Mood by Joe

Garland and Andy Razaf, and Body and Soul by Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman,

and Robert Sour. Early Jazz appeared two decades before, it instantaneously established itself as


one of the influential works on American music. The motion picture studios jumped at the

chance to add musicals to their films during the introduction of jazz. Hollywood did not retain

form developing the originality of sound musicals, and frequently used jazz music to advocate

the influence of modernity, thus, making jazz as an important tool for expressing key themes

(Slowik, 2014).

Films

On the opening night, the two films that would be shown are Goodnight Sweetheart and

1930 Fashion Revue. Goodnight Sweetheart is filmed in California in 1932, and it was shot

during a Marx Brothers movie in 1930 it showcases women’s dresses and styles of the day. This

vintage color fashion clip specifies that the thirties were wonderful, but largely overlooked

decade of style that is heavily influenced by the art deco movement. The melody is by the

unrivaled Ray Noble and Al Bowlly. The other film presented in the exhibit is 1930 Fashion

Revue, which is infrequent documentation fashion footage in two-strip color. The inspired design

in women’s clothing is featuring the latest Paris and Chanel creators. Fashion films celebrate

sartorial spectacle while upholding a populist attitude toward fashion diffusion. The initial news

films regularly covered the Paris openings to enhance the manifestation of haute couture (Berry,

2000). This film shows the prevailing styles in comportments and the newest creations of textile

and silhouettes. Paris designers acknowledged the control of film costumes on their work, and

influenced contended with the Paris couturiers as a wellspring for ideas. In both films, it shows

that the 1930s are full of vintage fashion devotees, and the women on screen often led

glamourous, fast-pasted lives with a wardrobe to match. As seen on film, the 1930s marked a

vibrant disappearance fashion-wise from the androgyny of the 1920s.


Appendix A

Figure 1: The Ball Gown. Courtesy of HRC Center

Figure 2: The back of the Ball Gown. Courtesy of HRC Center


Figure 3: The Curtain Dress. Courtesy of HRC Center

Figure 4: “Jean Harlow Dress. Courtesy of George Hurrell


Appendix B

Figure 1: 1930’s inspired T-Shirt

Figure 2: Shirley Temple Dolls


Appendix C

Figure 1: Bruno VDHF Ribbon Velocity Microphone. Courtesy of A Museum of Early and Historic Microphones

Figure 2: Lucky Strike Cigarettes Color (1931). Courtesy of Vintage Ad Browser


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international exhibition promotion final

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