The well-dressed woman in 1929 or 1930 continued the fashion trends from the 1920’s. The sheer amount of sequins, fine beadwork, exquisite embroidery and the like must have blinded many a seamstress working to meet her lady’s high standards. Hemlines went up for the younger set and stayed down for the older women, and corsets were still in use to help with cleavage – though some dresses came with something of the like already built in, similar to the push-up bra in use today. Plunging backs were also popular.

The most popular shoe for women was any number of variations on the pump, in any number of materials; black patent leather was a perennial favorite. Heels were short, usually around two inches, and varied from chunky to the stiletto. Straps either went straight across the foot or criss-cross, and the ensemble was completed with an embroidered or beaded clutch and appropriate jewelry.

For men, life was simpler. What would be considered a “classic” basic tuxedo today wouldn’t be far out of place in the grand salon of the Queen Victoria. Daywear for men still included a suit and tie, but the collars were no longer the stiffly starched neck scratchers they were at the beginning of the 1920’s. Shoes were lace ups that would appear familiar today, and of course all men wore a dress hat when outside. Men would have been bare-headed in the Queen Victoria’s First-Class salon.