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

Reference
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