Looking to be the ‘Bees Knees’ at your next Electro Swing Party? Then you are at the right blog post! Check out all these cool real-life vintage images for tons of vintage style inspiration.

HELPFUL TIP! Looking for where to buy all these fashions, vintage or vintage reproduction? Check out the following websites:

Etsy
eBay
Unique Vintage (Vintage Style fashions in all modern sizes-Lots of 1920s fashions!)
RocknRomance Vintage (1940s Fashions in Modern sizes and materials)
Collectif (fun rockabilly / 1940s /1950s modern sized vintage style fashions)

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, Unique Vintage, RocknRomance Vintage & Collectif are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Lets begin….

The 1920s

In the 1920s, women’s dress seems to have been reduced to two dimensions and hung from the shoulders with little acknowledgment of bosom or hips. The waistline on the 1920s silhouette, if any, was located somewhere around the hips. Freedom of movement was the underlying appeal of the loosened dress (Source).

NOTE: LEAVE THE FRINGE AT HOME

1920s Photo of 2 black woman in 1920s coats and hats

T-Strap Shoes are just one example of the style of shoe you could wear to your Electro Swing party.

1920s vintage photo of women's t-strap shoes. 1920s fashions.

Go the 1920s vintage bathing suit route.

Side note: Learn all about the Miss Toronto Pageant HERE.

1920s vintage photo of women in the Miss Toronto Pageant in their 1920s swimsuits and 1920s hairstyles.

Cloche Hat, dark cupid bow lips, bobbed hair. VERY 1920’s here!

Louise Brooks-1920s movie star showcasing 1920s fashions.

Have long hair? You can do what this beautiful 1920s woman has done.Create a side bun. Fun!

Well dressed 1920s men in suits.

Image courtesy of Reed College Centennial 1911-2011

1920s fashions for men and women. Striped jackets for men and white pants.

1920s fashion illustration showcasing mens 1920s fashions in a catalog

The 1930s

In the 1930s, the silhouette regained some structure. Evening dresses made of bias-cut fabrics clung to the curves of the female body while women’s suits for day wear were carefully tailored to nip in at the waist and curve closely over a slim bottom. The 1930s also marked the introduction of the padded shoulder, first used by couturière Elsa Schiaparelli. While the strong shoulders of the 1930s flattered the waistline by comparison, the overall demand that suits be form fitting allowed for the reintroduction of shaping undergarments (Source).

1930 fashion Illustration featuring women's 1930s dresses.

1930s fashion illustration featuring women's 1930s dresses.

1930 womens fashion illustration featuring women's 1930s dresses and 1930s hats.

1930s fashion inspiration-1930s movie star glamour

Image courtesy of “Live life in Style“

1940s

Further Reading: 1940s Women’s Fashions Inspiration for your next dance.

1940s women's clothing-1940s fashion illustration featuring 1940s women's dresses.

Further Reading: A Vintage Guide to 1940s Hair Accessories

1940s women's hairstyle inspiration-use hair flowers

Rosie the Riveter-1940s women working on the homefront during ww2 vintage photo

1940s clothing for men-1940s men's suits

Now what I have just briefly shown you is only the tip of the iceberg there are so many looks you can wear from the different eras, but these looks should hopefully get you at least started. Happy shopping!

Further Reading:

Liz

If you happen to be one of my regular followers you might have picked up that my dad was born in Germany, making me officially half German. My mom’s background is Scottish/English but growing up my parents raised me in a German household learning German traditions and the German language (a big “sort of” on that one lol). One of those traditions we participated in every year was Oktoberfest.

Lets take a peek into the event I enjoy so very much ever year by checking out some great vintage Oktoberfest photos and also the dirndls (sorry Lederhosen) that make the party (mainly the adorable and gorgeous dirndl).

Vintage Oktoberfest Photo- Image of a woman waitress at Munich Oktoberfest holding a lot of beer steins for customers.

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

NOTE: If you click on any of the items featured below and they are not available, don’t fret! Hit the search button and see what else is on the websites. There are 1000’s and 1000’s of items being listed daily.

Fact: Did you know that Oktoberfest in Germany use to start in October but was moved to in and around Sept 20th to accommodate better weather? And even though it is celebrated all over the world now, Oktoberfest is originally a Southern Germany (Bavarian) Tradition. Interesting huh!

Vintage Oktoberfest Images & Dirndls

Vintage Oktoberfest Photos

1920s vintage photo of Oktoberfest in NYC!! WOW What an incredible photo of showgirls and beer.

I’m thinking this image is from the 1970s at the Cinncinnati Germania Society Oktoberfest. Everyone is holding up special steins for the photo.

Big giant tent at Oktoberfest filled with party goers in Germany. This is a normal sight if you were to visit even to this day.

Mmmm pretzels, a Oktoberfest staple. Tastes so good with beer 🙂

Vintage image of a person selling pretzels at Oktoberfest. — Image courtesy of Owen Franken / CORBIS

1960s / 1970s vintage image of a woman either singing, yawning or yelling but whatever she is doing from the looks of everyone around her she is probably having a very good time at the fest.

1960s or 1970s vintage image of a woman having a good time at Oktoberfest. — Photo Courtesy of Mark Susina

Adorable matching dirndls on the Schwabn Dancers.

Vintage photo of the Schwabn dancers in their matching dirndls.

1928 Oktoberfest “Beer Maids”. You have to have strong arms to carry those steins.

1920s vintage photo of 1928 Oktoberfest "Beer Maids" women who brought the giant beer steins to your table. — (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Vintage 1960s or 1970s photo of an Oktoberfest party at the Concordia Club in Kitchener, Ontario Canada. Looks like everyone is singing ‘Ein Prosit’.

The Concordia is a club I have been going to years for German Karneval events and their world famous Oktoberfest parties (my fav hall during the fest!).

1960s/ 1970s vintage photo of a group of men and women in dirndls and lederhosen singing 'Ein Prosit' at an Oktoberfest party at the Concordia Club in Kitchener, Ontario Canada

Source: Concordia Club

Video time!

Here is a great video I found of Oktoberfest in the 1950’s. Other then the clothes and hairstyles, not much has changed 🙂

Oktoberfest – a short story

Now onto the Dirndls portion….

Vintage Dirndls

To start, a wonderful fellow blogger Jessica from “Chronically Vintage” did a post on her truly gorgeous vintage dirndl that you really must see to believe.

My dirndl is not as old as the 1950’s but it was my mothers from the 1970’s and I just adore it. The blouse is actually new from a beautiful designer called “Rare“.

1970s vintage Dirndl with a Rare Dirndl Blouse as seen on the vintage inn blogger.

I also recently while travelling thru Munich purchased my first official “Made in Germany Dirndl”. Here it is (with same blouse from above).

Photos: 2013 Liz on the left and 2024 Liz on the right. I’m a bit older lol!

German Dirndl purchased from Munich with a Rare Dirndl blouse.

Photo of the Vintage Inn Blog in dirndl from Munich Germany.

Here is the beautiful design on the bottom of the dress.

September 2022 Update: This past July I attended in German Fest in Milwaukee with my husband, parents and I met up with loads of friends at the 3 days party. I wore two of the dirndls above and one new / vintage dirndl I picked up in Toronto.

What to wear at Germanfest in Milwaukee...Drindls! Vintage or New!

Never thought of pairing a dirndl with an adorable vintage hat but the pattern below just makes it look so lovely.

Further Reading: Vintage Dirndl Fashion Illustrations

1940s vintage pattern for a women's dirndl style dress.

Pattern for sale on Etsy from “BluetreeSewingStudio“

These dirndl skirts are so very cute from the 1950s.

Dirndl skirt vintage sewing pattern fashion illustration

Pattern for sale on etsy from “CynicalGirl“

1950s sewing pattern for women’s 1950s dirndl dresses. The black and red dirndl in the back sort of reminds me of mine. The flowered on in the front is very pretty.