A new vintage jazz club is opening up in my town soon. I’m really excited about it, and I want to wear a fun 1930s dress to the opening night. I own a few formal vintage 1930s dresses, but I need something informal enough to dance in. I might even consider some cute ’30s pant and blouse set. The tricky part about buying ‘30s clothing is that the vintage pieces are rare enough to render the prices too high and yet the major vintage inspired clothing manufacturers tend to only make 1940s and 1950s style dresses. What is a girl to do? Search the web, of course!
Here are the best 1930s style dresses and clothing sources I found — some vintage, some reproduction, some inspired styles. Any of these sources will provide you with the perfect 1930s outfit.
Vintage 1930s Dresses
- eBay – Search for vintage 1930s dresses and narrow it down from there. So many great choices and most sellers have good reputations. Shop carefully because many do not allow returns.
- Etsy- Under “vintage” search “1930s dress”. Be aware that many vintage dresses may be ’70s, 80’s or 90’s thirties-inspired pieces instead of authentic 1930s vintage. Many of the later decades actually make really great dresses at better prices. Keep an open mind and you might find a diamond in the rough.
- Blue Velvet Vintage – A mix of genuine and vintage and new vintage inspired 30s clothing. Great company to buy from.
- Adored Vintage – One of my all-time favorite online vintage clothing resellers. The stock sells fast and is always changing.
- Ballyhoo Vintage – Another favorite vintage clothing reseller. Very reasonable prices for both day and evening dress.
- Facebook: 20s, 30s, 40s Marketplace and The 30s and 40s clothing exchange- Facebook groups selling vintage ’30s clothing and more.
New Vintage Inspired 1930s Dresses
1930s Style Fashion Dress
VintageDancer.com (that’s us!) – 1930s Dresses, 1930s day dresses, 1930s Plus Size dresses and 1930s formal dresses shop pages. I handpick 1930s style dresses from many popular vintage style clothing retailers like Modcloth, UniqueVintage, Forever 21, and Urban Outfitters as well as big department stores that surprisingly carry many wonderful and affordable 1930s inspired dresses. I also have 1930s shop pages for shoes and accessories too. If you don’t find what you are looking for, feel free to contact me for help.
1930s Style Dresses:
Unique Vintage – Day to evening styles from a variety of vintage inspired brands as well as their own house brand.
Top Vintage (UK) – Dresses, shoes, blouse, skirts, jewelry, and bags. A complete 1930s wardrobe can be found here.
House of Foxy 1930s dress
House of Foxy – (UK) A handful of lovely dresses and separates made in the UK. They feature plus size clothing on many of the styles.
- Blue Velvet Vintage – A mix of genuine and vintage and new vintage inspired 30s clothing. Great company to buy from.
Wearing History Clothing – Vintage pattern maker and now ready to wear Vintage Reproduction clothing! Quality fabrics made in the USA. Some plus sizes, too. You must buy the 1930s/1940s Smooth Sailing Trousers!
Revival-retro.com (UK) – Modern day reproductions and re-interpretations of 1920s, 1930s and 1940s fashions.
1930s Style eShakti Dress
eShakti / Amazon store is a unique retailer that makes vintage inspired clothing in a full range of sizes. You can take a standard dress and choose a length, sleeves type, neckline, and other modifications. This will require a little creativity on your part to create a 1930s style. Choose the longest length, mid arm length sleeves and a high neckline for the best 30s style.
Amazon – I am hesitant to recommend clothing labeled “1930s” on Amazon because many are not 30s but 40s or even 50s style. They are cheap, however, and for shoppers on a very slim budget, they can be a good option. Triple check the size chart and watch delivery times. I usually only select items available for Prime shipping to be sure they will arrive quickly.
Custom Made 1930s Reproduction Dresses:
I am surprised to see so many seamstresses specializing in 1930s clothing. Each of these ladies have been in business for many years with outstanding reviews. Some are ready to buy now, while others can be custom made to your measurements.
Vercona – (DE) Based in Germany, this seamstress produces excellent custom dresses and separates. Each dress is made to order in materials that are very close to original colors. The website translates to English nicely so you can shop with ease.
Nudeedudee – Another Etsy seamstress who isn’t afraid to make pants or plus sizes. She also makes tops and dresses too. All her clothing is ready made so you don’t have to wait for a custom order. She comes highly recommended from several gals I know.
On the Sunny Side – (NL) – Handmade women’s ’30s, ’40s and ’50s clothing. Colorful dresses and blouses.
ReVamp Vintage – A full range of ready made 1930s clothing from dresses to skirts, tops to bottoms. All are made in wash ready quality cotton. Sizes run X-small to X-large with a made to measure option as well.
1930s Sewing Patterns
Sometimes its better to sew your own clothing from vintage or reproduction sewing patterns. Here are some of our favorites online:
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Kate says
I run a group on facebook 30s and 40s clothing exchange. We have over 1000 members and lots of 30s frocks/coats posted weekly. Great article!