In 1930, Prague offered a lively environment and beautiful scenery, and one dressmaker set the scene with her stunning gowns. The feminine details draped on real-life mannequins, woolen fabric, and innovative V-cut necklines marked the delicate but powerful nature of a woman’s body. This dressmaker was entrepreneur Hana Podolska, “the” fashion designer of the 1930s and 1940s in Prague. Her gowns and garments could be seen in well-known films worn by famous actresses, many magazines, and popular political figures.
Images from old periodicals, Salon (1922-1943), tresbohemes.com
Podolska was born into a wealthy family, with an architect father and a housewife mother, in Merkhausen. There she enjoyed a comfortable life until tragedy hit. Her father passed away due to a hard battle with tuberculosis, leaving the family with no financial security. Podolska’s mother had to move her children to Prague and run a small shop selling flour and beans. Once Podolska was old enough, she started working with a local seamstress, where she discovered her desire for fashion and yearned to be a fashion designer. Though she left her apprenticeship with Anežka Fišerová, Podolska’s talent allowed her to sew independently in houses. After years of hard work, she met the love of her life, Viktor Podolský, who supported her dream to be a fashion designer and put down the money to open her first shop in Prague. There she settled down and had two sons.
That was where her life as a designer thrived. After some time, she opened a fashion studio in Prague, Lucerna Palace, where her business became a huge success. It became a luxury model house after the First World War and had several dozen seamstresses during the interwar period. It succeeded in publishing two magazines, Fashion and Taste and Eva. After changing the company name to "Model House of Ladies' Toilettes Hanna Podolská" and moving to Adria Palace on the corner of Jungmannova Street in 1931, she began selling her designs abroad and earned the title “Czech Coco Chanel.” Her fame resulted from her natural talent and clever marketing strategies, such as product placement.
Archives of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, english.radio.cz
Because of her talent and dedication to her fashion, Podolska worked hard on her garments and took advantage of every opportunity. She designed clothes accents for the people of Prague and made clothes for celebrities like Natasha Gollová, Lida Baarová, and first lady Hana Benesova. Her clothes were worn in films and seen in magazines as ‘trendy fashion.’ Podolska even went as far as employing professional models to be shown at Prague Pardubice Steeplechase for the newest arrivals. Her “real-life mannequins” and public fashion shows were the first of their kind and were organized and designed by her. Even after two world wars, her career thrived and didn’t slow down until the communist takeover changed her life.
After her salon was nationalized and renamed in 1948, Podolska stayed and continued to work at the shop as a saleswoman. However, during this time, her younger son tried to flee the country after being released from prison with charges of espionage. Needing to cooperate with the Communist party, he decided to go to the United States, leaving his mother in Czechoslovakia even after begging her to leave with him. Podolska never left Czechoslovakia, even though her husband passed away long ago and her older son was paralyzed. She took pride in where she was from and decided to remain, even after the communist takeover. She later died in 1972 in Czechoslovakia alone and left a small fortune to her caregiver.
Hana Podolská, photo: Carola, Archives of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, english.radio.cz
Although her ending was sad, we can appreciate and celebrate the life she had. Hana Podolska was a fantastic fashion designer who accomplished so much. Her fashion, creativity, and ability to thrive as a designer and entrepreneur in Czechoslovakia will always be remembered.
Written By Diana Arriaga
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7 Unsung Heroines Who Had a Lasting Impact on Czech History.” Prague, Czech Republic, 9 Mar. 2022, www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/celebrate-overlooked-czech-women-for-international-women-s-day
Nikonova, Angelina. “Hana Podolská, Czech Fashion for the First Republic.” Lennon Wall, 3 May 2019, lennonwall.aauni.edu/hana-podolska-czech-fashion-for-the-first-republic
Daniela Lazarová The Czech “Coco Chanel“ - her rise to fame and fall from stardom, 24 Jan 2019, https://english.radio.cz/czech-coco-chanel-her-rise-fame-and-fall-stardom-8140382
“The Elegant Dress Designs of Hana Podolská.” Tres Bohemes, 15 Feb. 2017, www.tresbohemes.com/2017/02/the-elegant-dress-designs-of-hana-podolska. Accessed 11 Apr. 2023.