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The Spanish Civil War Living History Group |
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This page is designed as a quick guide to help People get themselves kitted up to do a civilian 'Aid for Spain' event
Contents
OK before I start with this bit I will put my hand up and say I have done no research into ladies clothing so will need a volunteer out there to help... please?
There are links to ladies fashions listed below
Also see the quick guide to using eBay to see what women's wear is available there
Obviously our IB and militia uniforms will not be suitable for this event so we all need to get ourselves kitted out in British 1930s civvy stuff.
In the long term for future Aid for Spain events we would be best trying to get clothed as follows:
Why such formal wear? Well it would appear most people, both working and middle class, in the 1930s wore what we would consider formal most of the time. If you look at photographs of Aid for Spain events people are dressed well, click picture see picture below for example:
In an ideal world we could all go to 'Traders Row' at an event and pick up all the items for a song and be done with it.... and pigs might fly.
As we know from getting ourselves kitted out for the military side of things this isn't that easy; we are one of the few 1930s groups so clothing that is specifically pre-WWII (which is distinctive due to war time 'austerity' measures) is not readily available.
So to give members the chance to get the items they want we have decided to use examples of people who were at the Basque Niños camp at Stoneham in May 1937. Below are a few examples:
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This is of two English brothers who helped at Stoneham with two Spanish women volunteers. They are both wearing work wear: the chap on the left is wearing bib and braces overalls, a work shirt and a flat cap. His brother appears to have a collarless shirt on and a working jacket... dressed like that I don't fancy their chances with the girls though! |
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This picture
is a detail of the picture of the camp at Stoneham, it shows two people
talking and one is distinctly wearing shorts (though he might be one of
the older Niños not a British helper.) |
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This picture
is of a group of people at the gate of Stoneham, it illustrates one man
in shirt trousers and a sleeveless pullover and another in just trousers
and shirt. |
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This picture
shows the organising committee of Stoneham. They are smartly dressed in
suits and ties (one is an MP) |
OK so what does this mean? Well below is a list of looks you could go for:
Click here to give you some ideas of how to find these items
Click here to give you some ideas of how to find these items
Click here to give you some ideas of how to find these items
Basics for ideal Aid for Spain look:
Working Man look
A Guide to looking for 1930s clothing on eBay
Links to clothing resources on the web
ShirtsEssential item |
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Collarless 'Granddad' ShirtsThese are quite easy to get a hold of from charity shops, second hand clothiers or eBay, they can be worn without a collar but to be dressed decently you would wear a collar and tie.
Collars for a collarless 'granddad' shirtAs with fashion today what collar you wear can be determined by your age: The older gentlemen of the group might want to buy either a 'double round collar' or an 'Albany collar' as these were the fashion in the earlier part of the century. If you look at contemporary photographs older gents are often wearing such collars. For ease of wear (I can say it is murder wearing a collar all day) perhaps the younger, or more fashionable older chaps, might consider a collared shirt instead?
The Vintage Shirt Company also sells collar studs. |
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Collared shirtsThese are definitely the easier option (to physically put on and wear), and a more modern thing to wear in the 1930s. There are a number od shirt makers who will make you one of these:
These are lovely shirts and the quality looks great but they are expensive. That said it is possible to pick up these kind of shirts elsewhere once you know what to look for. The Author picked up a double cuffed spearpoint collared shirt in a British supermarket for a mere £8 recently.. keep your eyes peeled and you might get lucky. |
Gents SuitsJacketsDesirable item |
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Suit JacketsThese are probably the trickiest thing to source, and annoying one of the more commonly worn items of the period. What 1930s suit Jackets were like: The 1930s suit doesn't differ a huge amount from the modern suit and could be either single or double breasted. It is important to be careful not to buy a distinct 'austerity' suit from war time: these were similar in style to 1930s suits put used less material in an effort to save material. |
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Tailor madeNot the cheapest way to buy a suit, put the best way to get one that fits, a member of La Columna has approached a tailor in Birmingham who still had 1930s patterns available, he quoted at least £500 for a suit (Jacket and Trousers) - ouch!
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eBayThere are usually items suitable on eBay, but you have to be patient and careful. Firstly, to get a suit come up in your size is pure chance, secondly people can advertise an item as being 1930s when it isn't.. if in doubt ask around the group before bidding. See here for a guide to using eBay
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Second hand shopsIf you are lucky enough to be of a smaller frame this is probably easier to get hold of an original suit than if you are of a larger frame. That said if you look long and hard enough you might be lucky... The author found a jacket and waistcoat and he's 6'2"
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TrousersEssential item |
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What 1930s trousers were like: The 1930s men's trouser tended to be quite high waisted and often, but not always, had a v shaped back (where the braces buttoned on). They were often very baggy (being as much as 22 inches wide at the bottom and would have been straight cut, i.e. not flared) There are a number of avenues to follow to get hold of a pair of these:
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As stated earlier being over 6 foot tall and not having the shortest arms in the world, it is a real bind trying to find second had clothes that fit, but they are out there if you look hard enough. I managed to get hold of a pair of trousers from a second hand shop and if you watch on eBay long enough stuff does come up. It's just a matter of regularly checking... |
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TiesNot essential but nice to look smart |
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| Either a woolen or silk tie is what you need with an appropriate pattern on; psychedelic paisley kippers might stand out as a bit wrong. Again it is worth checking charity shops for them or if you would like a brand new one?
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HatsNot essential |
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Flat capsThe mark of a working man: the flat cap.
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Trilby/Homburg/Fedora HatsA bit more upmarket than the flat cap, available at most old fashion milliners ranging in price from £35 to £80. They also appear on eBay quite a lot.
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BracesNot essential but nice to keep your trousers up |
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| The majority of 1930s braces were the old fashion button type rather than the clip-on modern type, though these were around you don't see them in great number.
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"Street" ShoesEssential item |
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Street shoesIt is relatively easy to get hold of smart leather soled brogues from most high street shops, the author got a pair from Marks and Spencer for example. Second hand clothiers/ eBay Second hand shops and eBay is another place to get hold of some appropriate shoes Click here for a quick guide to browsing eBay
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Work WearBack to men's clothing menuFor those that want that Work wear look. Don't forget to look at the Flat Caps in the hat section. |
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Bib and Braces overallsA pair of bib and braces overalls would be fine for those who want to go for that worker look, these are available from:
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Corduroy Trousers
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How to browse eBay for 1930s and 40s clothing:From eBay front page (www.eBay.co.uk):
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General fashion history links
Lady's wear links
Vintage clothing suppliers
Other links
© Text La Columna, unless otherwise stated, 2006-2008
