Fashions of 1934

What was in fashion in 1934? Comedy, con men, Orry-Kelly gowns, Busby Berkeley production numbers and in their only screen pairing, two of cinema's greatest stars: William Powell and Bette Davis. The story whisks audiences off to Paris with a fashion sharpie (Powell) and a designer (Davis) who hope to bootleg the hottest haute couture and flood New York with knockoffs. The two stars make larceny seem like great fun. And Berkeley's numbers are astonishing. Gorgeous girls wearing little more than ostrich plumes form a Web of Dreams, Venus with Her Galley Slaves and The Hall of Human Harps, which prompted one indignant mother to write an article titled I Don't Want My Daughter Growing Up to Be a Human Harp.

• comedy