arfdawg-1 The Plot. Sherwood Nash is a swindler who bootlegs Paris fashions for sale at cut-rate prices. His assistant Lynn poses as An American interested in a dress and Snap conceals a camera in his cane. When they try to steal the latest Baroque designs hidden cameras capture them. Threat and counter threat lead to the suggestion of putting on a legitimate show.I am completely confounded by the 7 plus rating. There is the thinnest of plots. The only thing worth waiting for (or fast forwarding to) is the Busby Berkeley number about half way thru. It features a ton of half naked babes that are hot even by today's standards. Any red blooded 12 year old male will be wanking to these babes left and right. Other than that, it's a ho hum movie. And think think Bette Davis is gonna save the movie. She's barely in it and rather out of place.

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . of (The Then) Far Future about the Fraud of the Millennium. Though nearly everyone in Tinseltown subsequently plagiarized FASHIONS OF 1934, from Astaire & Rogers (ROBERTA) to Robert Altman (PRET A PORTER, aka READY TO WEAR), none of these Wannabes could see the Forest through Warner's Feathers. Though Warner provoked the Pope to impose a Century of American Film Censorship over these feathers (or lack thereof), Warner's Faithful Prognosticators of the USA's upcoming Calamities, Catastrophes, Cataclysms, and Apocalypti thought that it was worth this risk to reveal that this Once Respectable Nation's Future Emperor Caligula was wearing no clothes at all. Our Endangered Homeland's Modern Day "Little Boots," aka that feather-brained Red Commie Tool Don Juan Rump, is perfectly predicted long in advance by FASHIION's "Sherwood Nash." Mr. Nash even has a Russian Connection through "Countess Mabel," a clear reference to Rump's KGB handler, Vlad "The Mad Russian" Putin. (That is, "Countess Mabel" is the KGB's Code Name for Rump, as in "Countess Mabel is meeting with the Big Boss this week, so order more of the cheap baloney.") As this story ends, all the feathers turn out to be diseased, which serves as a final Warner warning of Putin's Plot to liquidate millions of U.S. Citizens by curtailing ObamaCare and transferring the billions "saved" by this Genocidal Mass Murder to the Russian Oligarch "investors" who have a stranglehold now on the American Economy, thanks to the Rump\Kushner Money-Laundering Crime Syndicate.

st-shot William Powell's at his most self assured while Bette Davis makes for a just as sharp worthy partner in this mildly entertaining con game involving Paris fashion rip offs. Powell plays a scheming grifter always looking for a way to make fast cash and finds one bootlegging the latest ladies fashions with the help of graphic artist Davis. When the jig is up in NY they head to Paris and cook up another scheme involving a phony countess and ostrich feathers.Were it not for the charm of William Powell, Fashions of 1934 might well be a cynical mean spirited film of dishonest and disreputable impostors greedily out to make a buck, screw partners, associates and in the case of a character played by Frank McHugh every model he lays eyes on. Powell with his healthy rapid fire audacity though manages to win you over to his side with his enthusiasm for the journey. The well tailored Davis rather than moon over Powell instead shows independence and an option that demands he play his hand with her on equal footing. Reginald Owen as a bombastic adversary and especially Veree Teasdale as the counterfeit countess ably support while McHugh and Hugh Herbert do their standard mugging. William Dieterle's direction lacks subtlety and racy innuendo and the film's rhythm sometimes flags but it does have some dazzling sets ( a house of fashion with full orchestra ) and a couple of impressive Busby Berkeley numbers to make Fashions of 1934 a decent enough entertainment, if not exactly haute couture..

LEKKipp Don't let the title fool you. Fashions or Fashions of 1934 is just inocently fun to watch. Considering that it was made in the middle of the depression, it gave American's what they were looking for--humor, a love story and a considerable amount of extremely sexy costumes (pre-censor). As always, William Powell is at his best and Bette Davis, is well, Bette Davis--younger and more innocent but absolutely stunningly beautiful. Powell's performance is always enhanced by supporting actors--in this case Frank McHugh who has played his comedic side kick in several other movies. The direction is excellent--good continuity tells an simple but excellent story. Fun to watch--in 1934 or today.