Although Nazi Germany tied very hard to purify the German fashion industry and make it completely and entirely German, fashion in Nazi Germany was still influenced by outside factors. Evidence of this can be seen in their fashion magazines and spreads as well as in photographic evidence of everyday people. American and French influence both, impacted German Fashion.
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| Marlene Dietrich |
In American fashion trends, the dirndl was quite popular for a time because of Marlene Dietrich. In Germany, the dirndl was considered their preferred dress yet was unpopular among many women. Due to the unpopularity, the dirndl was seldom worn and when it was , for brief moments . . .mostly traditional or special occasion. Due to American and international trends, the dirndl in Germany picked up in popularity but only for a short while. Then, it fell out of popularity. Due to American trends, the German fashion industry was impacted because German women still desired to look fashionable and in tune with the larger fashion world. Although the dirndl was originally a German item, one could argue that this example is a poor one. In fact, it is not because although the dirndl started off as a German item, it was still not popular among German women. It was not until the dirndl became an American item being worn by American women that it became more popular among German women.
French fashion was also very much present in Germany especially on the backs of Nazi Leader’s wives. Desiring to look fashionable above all else, these women cared very little about supporting an ideology, as evident in there very closets. In fact, many of the Nazi leader's wives had clothes that were made by Jewish hands and designed by Jewish designers. French fashion was very much evident in Germany as well in the German fashion pages where some French influence is evident according some scholars.
French fashion was also very much present in Germany especially on the backs of Nazi Leader’s wives. Desiring to look fashionable above all else, these women cared very little about supporting an ideology, as evident in there very closets. In fact, many of the Nazi leader's wives had clothes that were made by Jewish hands and designed by Jewish designers. French fashion was very much evident in Germany as well in the German fashion pages where some French influence is evident according some scholars.
Why was Germany unable to produce their own fashions insolated from outside trends? This question is a complex one to answer yet at the same time is quite simple too. The simple answer rests in the desires of the consumers in that they wanted to look their best however they could regardless of the ideology of the regime in which they lived. This desire to look good is one that has existed for centuries. France, particularly Paris, has been the fashion apex for countless centuries resulting in a belief that only fashionable clothes come from Paris. With that said, if one wanted to look fashionable, Paris, not Berlin, was the place to look to. The more complex answer can be explained by the fact that Germany lacked the natural resources for the production of certain materials, particularly natural fiber materials. To fill in the gap created by their natural disposition, Germany relied on imports (to get natural fibers) and boosted the production of synthetic fibers such as rayon within their own boarders. Reliant on imports, fashion influences from other areas around the world must have followed.
Other more complex explanations can be found in the regime itself. Known for contradictory behavior, the Nazi regime would proclaim one thing and then do the opposite. This can be seen in an advertisement suggesting that fashionable German women get their goods from Vienna. Stating that fashionable women go to Vienna for their fashion goods suggests that German goods are possibly not as fashionable. Although this advertisement bucks Nazi ideology, I argued in my paper that this is actually not the case. Instead, this ad suggests that their women simply know where to shop, where the best products are, and that they are fashionable and cultured. Being fashionable, cultured, and educated on where to go boosts their superiority in the larger stage of the world which was a goal of the Nazi regime (racial superiority). For the Nazis, superiority includes being racially superior but also visually and aesthetically superior as well. Relying on the visual, the Nazis would have wanted their women to be fashionable to support their claims to being best.
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| “Viennese Fashion: the bridge of elegance from nation to nation”. |
Dirix, Emmanuelle and Charlotte Fiell. 1940s Fashion: The Definitive Sourcebook. London: Goodman Fiell, 2013.
Guenther, Irene. Nazi Chic?: Fashioning Women in the Third Reich. New York: Berg, 2004.
Guenther, Irene. “Fashioning Women in the Third Reich”, in Life and Times in Nazi Germany edited by Lisa Pine. New York: Bloomsbury, 2016.
“Viennese Fashion: the bridge of elegance from nation to nation”. Illustrated Magazine of Leipzig, German Propaganda Archive. http://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/ads.htm
