I have a soft spot for women’s fashion in the 1930s. This was a time of sweeping modernisation in Turkey, when Turkish women enjoyed new freedoms in many walks of life, including the dress code. The world was changing, and so were women’s lives. In Atatürk’s modern Turkish Republic, women were everywhere: in universities, political parties, dance halls, and on the streets. This was when my grandmother was a young woman in Istanbul, just like the women in the following photos, with their elegant dresses and exquisite details.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic at a reception with guests, 1930s
Atatürk at a wedding reception, 1930s
Glance at the women in these photos, shot in Istanbul, who gaze back at us from a century ago to remind us how dramatically life has changed! I cannot help but wonder where all this elegance has gone, and how it has been so brutally replaced by either ultra-conservatism or a Lady Gaga–like edginess in Istanbul. Today, walking through Istanbul, one cannot see a woman who can rival the timeless elegance of any of these women.
Actresses of Istanbul Municipality City Theatre, 1930s
1930s, Istanbul
A Choir practise, 1930s, Istanbul
CHP Istanbul Women’s Council, 1930s
