How Do My 1930s Characters Dress?

During the 1920s,  men’s fashions tended toward loose-fitting garments–baggy, high-waisted zoot suit with a watch chain dangling to the knee. Long, often double-breasted,  jackets featured massive shoulder pads. A fedora completed the ensemble. Then came the stock market crash and years of hard times.

Fashion for both men and women switched to skinnier garments requiring less fabric. Suit jackets still had wide lapels that extended almost to the belt line and had padded broad shoulders. Trousers still had wide legs, but not nearly as wide as zoot suits. They had cuffs and center creases with a narrow waist set as much as three inches above the navel. Hats remained essential and men wore a lot of wingtips.

The first polo shirts came out during the thirties, as did Indiana Jones style Bush shirts with four patch pockets. Sweaters and short jackets came out during those years as well.

Since Jack and Bobbi spend a lot of time swimming, I spent some time looking at swimsuits.  Men’s swim trunks without tops also came out during those years–as well as women’s two-piece swimsuits. For Bobbi’s work clothes, click here.

For Jack,  I found some thirties-era casual ensembles.

I see Jack wearing something like the outfit, second from the left, for more formal dates and maybe third from the right other times.

I think Tony would have worn suits the times he spent with Bobbi–except the first time they met on the street near Bobbi’s apartment.

Either of these might have been every day attire for Tony. I suspect more like the dark suit on the left when he can Bobbi haunt the night clubs.
Gentleman wearing thirties-era three-piece suit with fedora.
Jack would have had the latest in swimsuits. In this case topless.
Bobbi, too, by the time she has the Pavilion job, would have been able to afford a new swimsuit, if little else.