 Set in 1931, costume designer Albert Wolsky (qv) had real trouble  finding distinctive clothing from the period. As this was the height  of the Depression, fashions lacked the flamboyance of the 20s and  the style of the later 30s when gangsterism was "fashionable".  Failing to find any usable real clothes from 1931, Wolsky found a  weaver in upstate New York who was able to make all the requisite  clothes using the same weight of fabrics that were used in the day.  Once woven, the costumes then had to be aged and dyed.