Over the next 2 weeks, each of us (Stella, Valisia, and Alexandra) will be analysing our favourite decade, decoding the elements that come together to form 2WO+1NE=2. We begin with Stella and the '30s.
When someone asks me which decade I’d like to visit if I had a time machine, or when I would have preferred to live, my answer is always the same: I would have liked to be born in 1897 in Paris, be 23 in 1920, mature and learn during the ’20s, and by 1930, when all the fun was at its peak, I would have been thriving at 33.
Favourite designer = Elsa Schiaparelli
To be honest, I chose that entire decade because of my undying love for Elsa Schiaparelli, a truly innovative pioneer. There is no other designer I have ever studied as intensely as I have her. Her body of work will always inform mine, and I truly believe that, in a strange, romantic way, we are soulmates. Without knowing it, I was designing things I later discovered she had already created. Her collaborations with artists shaped her work and elevated it to a level above every other designer — because, as I have always believed myself, through collaboration true innovation takes shape and transformative ideas are born.
Every period of her work is notable and worth exploring. If someone were to create a memoir of her life, it would have to include pieces from her entire career. Each one would deserve to be examined with the detail and attention of a Cadavre Exquis sketch by the surrealists.
She embraced her past and was deeply immersed in it. Her approach parallels that of Aby Warburg, whose aspiration was to observe the behavior of haptic visual cultural elements and analyze their function in life. He discovered that certain pre-shaped visual forms continually reappeared — which he called pathosformeln (pathos formulas). With Mnemosyne, his Picture Atlas, he sought to uncover the order and laws behind this process.
Elsa Schiaparelli collaborated with Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dalí, Leonor Fini, Alberto Giacometti, Jean-Michel Frank, Christian Bérard (Bebe), Marcel Vertès and Man Ray, just to name a few.
Favourite Design Movement = Art Deco
There’s a lot to be said about Art Deco and its significant influence on art, architecture, fashion, film, product design, graphic design —you name it! But today, I’ll focus solely on its impact on interior design.
An intro:
Art Deco is derived from the term Arts Décoratifs, and was known initially as "le style moderne" or "Jazz Moderne”. Technically Art Deco began in France in the early 1900s, however, most of what we associate with the movement is from the 1920s and 1930s.
It was properly introduced during the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. After that, the style began to reflect the fast-paced artistic and technological changes of the time, blending elegance, historical and cultural references, and modern, machine-inspired forms into a vibrant decorative style.
Art Deco originated in a time of intense aesthetic experimentation; art movements such as the Bauhaus, Constructivism, Cubism, De Stijl, Egyptian Art, Futurism, Orphism, and Surrealism helped define the style's inherent modernism.
“Jean-Michel Frank was one of the most influential and iconic Interior Designers during the 1920s and 1930s. Collaborating with the best artists of the time, including Alberto Giacometti and Christian Bérard, Frank designed and art directed streamlined yet sumptuous interiors for notable patrons like Marie-Laure and Charles de Noailles, Nelson Rockefeller, and Elsa Schiaparelli.”
Art Deco’s expression in interior design is characterized by sleek geometric and stylized forms, rich materials, a sense of opulence, and of course, plenty of wood in the deepest tones.
“Paul Dupré-Lafon differed from his contemporaries by his application of a wise and angular geometry, by a measured use of the curved lines and by his shades reminding of the original nature. Realizing most of his pieces on commission, he became the most virtuous of the figures of the functionalist side of Art Deco. His mastering of the alliance of metal elements, of noble and exotic woods, to subtle and colourful leathers, soon resulted in the advent of a sophisticated and elegant modernism.”
Art Deco objects often showcase simple, clean shapes, usually with a “streamlined” look; ornament that is geometric or stylized from representational forms such as florals, animals, and sunrays; and use of manufactured substances, including plastics, vita-glass, and reinforced concrete, often combined with such natural materials as jade, silver, ivory, and chrome.
How the 1930s inspire moi
I got inspired by 3(2+1) things: Marlene Dietrich, Elsa Schiaparelli (Shocking!)(see what I did in the previous parenthesis?) and the lavish nature of 1930s in general.
Marlene Dietrich is one of my ultimate style icons. She was so bold, being one of the first women to ever wear trousers. She often wore actual men’s suits, cinched at the waist, just like I did here. Marlene also had a blasé attitude, which I channel as well, as you can see. I couldn’t reinterpret the 1930s without including a hat, and I absolutely love the hats from BLANC, immaculate construction and incredible designs.
Coats are not socially acceptable at this time of year, but a waterproof windbreaker is.
For my Elsa Schiaparelli-inspired look I chose my favourite dress, the one closest to my heart: the Αγάπη dress.
It’s inspired by Elsa because it was created through a collaboration with the amazing artist Sevastiana Konstaki. As I said above, through collaboration true innovation takes shape and transformative ideas are born.
This dress is part of the Τήνος collection and draws inspiration from the dovecotes (περιστεριώνες) of the island. During our research, we discovered that these structures, which beautifully adorn the landscape, are neither random nor merely symmetrical. They function as an “architectural language,” encoding information such as the date of construction, the builder’s identity, the owner's name, and decorative motifs like suns or trees.
Based on that concept, we designed this dress. Its embellishments feature decorative elements, the name of our artist, and the name of the brand.
Do I love this pair of shorts? With passion! I wear them in winter, I wear them in summer, I wear them from evening (no, not during the day) to night, and they always deliver.
Here, I decided to go full fringe to properly celebrate the lavishness of the ’30s. And naturally, I was dancing around —because that’s just what one does when wearing: a) fringe and b) full skirts.
Honestly, is it even possible not to have fun in fringe?
Favourite Art Movement = Surrealism
I know, I know, we all love Surrealism. But why, you ask? Because Surrealism —even when it’s subconscious— is associated with freedom. Freedom of expression, stripped of social stereotypes and expectations. The whole idea of Surrealism, for those unfamiliar with the movement, is to emphasize the power of the unconscious and the world of dreams.
Many Surrealist artists have used automatic drawing or writing to unlock ideas and images from their unconscious minds as a way to free themselves from the constraints of learned, conventional thinking.
The word ‘surrealist’ (suggesting ‘beyond reality’) was coined by the French Avant-Garde poet Guillaume Apollinaire in the preface to a play performed in 1917. But it was André Breton, leader of a new grouping of poets and artists in Paris, who, in his Surrealist Manifesto (1924), defined surrealism as:
“pure psychic automatism, by which one proposes to express, either verbally, in writing, or by any other manner, the real functioning of thought. Dictation of thought in the absence of all control exercised by reason, outside of all aesthetic and moral preoccupation.”
The 1930s are considered the “Golden Age” of Surrealism. 1931 was a year when several Surrealist painters produced works which marked turning points in their stylistic evolution.
(one of my) Favourite Composer(s) = Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a groundbreaking French composer whose Avant-Garde music blended complex rhythms and bold harmonies.
In the 1930s, he composed Les Offrandes oubliées(1930) and L'Ascension (1933), which showcased his unique voice mixing Catholic mysticism with innovative musical structures.
But because music is to be listened to and not to be talked about:
The Films
Have you really thought that any article is complete without its film part?
It is impossible to pick just 1 movie from an entire decade, so here are 7 for your viewing pleasure.
Design for Living (1933)
This movie has stayed with me for so many years because it was so daring and witty. A gem of pre-Code cinema that makes me think how many greats movies we lost because of said Code. A ménage à trois between a girl who can’t (or won’t) choose between 2 suitors, so they decide to live all together.
Duck Soup (1933)
Woody Allen in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) said it best:
"I went into a movie house. I didn’t know what was playing. I just needed a moment to gather my thoughts and, lo and behold, they were showing a Marx Brothers movie. Duck Soup. And it was just incredible. I mean, it was so funny, and I realized there was something worth living for. Not great, big things like a cure for cancer or peace in the Middle East. But little things, like a Groucho Marx movie."
L’Atalante (1934)
Jean Vigo’s masterpiece is the first film that comes to mind when someone mentions 1930s cinema. A work so simple, yet so immersive, filled with realism, longing, eroticism, and a touch of ghostliness.
The Thin Man (1934)
The first of 6(!) screwball comedies, combining mystery with humour and Myrna Loy’s and William Powell’s effortless chemistry. It basically invented the "married detectives who flirt while solving crimes" formula.
Freaks (1932)
Tod Browning’s crowning achievement has haunted cinema for nearly a century. A truly unforgettable cast of real-life performers portrays circus members who, rejected by mainstream society, live by their own rules. The chant 'We accept her, one of us' will stay with you forever.
Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
The film that inspired Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story is a heartbreaking meditation on aging, separation, family, and the generational gap. It tells the story of an elderly couple who, after losing their home to the bank, are not only displaced but also forced to live apart—each sent to a different child’s home. There, they are treated as burdens, quietly neglected by the very family they devoted their lives to.
M (1931)
Need I say more?
If you stayed until the end I salute you!
Stella