Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fashion in the 1940s was a good mix of comfort and glamour. There were specific outfits that were
meant for specific times of the day. Some of their designs look downright modern even by todays
standards.
Men were still pretty dressed up. Suits, ties and hats were commonplace in public. Women wore
dresses and skirts they still didnt wear slacks yet.
Another thing women ALWAYS wore: gloves. Preferably a pair that matches your outfit. Fur was
very popular, as was all kind of animal skins. Crocodile purses, wombat collars, lambskin lining,
and leather sleeves no animal was off limits.
Clothes in the 1940s were very bright and colorful. The brighter the better. Womens shoes were
often one of three popular color choices: red, white or blue.
Take a deeper look into 1940s fashion by clicking on the plus sign next to the year youd like to
read about below.
Fashion in 1941
For her easy hours she wanted a really beautiful gown one that made her feel like Lynn
Fontanne. A gown in star sapphire blue, purple or black, with swirls of gilt and coral at the deep
slashed throat is a perfect example of something a woman would relax in in 1941.
If she breakfasted in bed, she wanted a bed-jacket to match her gown. Or she would wear a cozy
quilted robe with a matching gown. Nosegay print in rayon crepe; white or blue with red ric-rac,
maize with green or pink with blue.
In 1941 they called scarfs mufflers and everyone wore one. They were usually in soft Scotch
cashmere with a plaid pattern. Garters were a hot items as well keeping those wide-ribbed
brushed wool socks up.
And speaking of keeping things up, he needed black trimmed rayon moire suspenders complete
with monogram.
When hes out he wears a capeskin jacket, or a pure cashmere pullover with crew or V-neck. Over
the sweater he wore a Huntsman jacket with Indian Tan soft suede leather and a comfortable
bi-swing back.
An eighteen year-old guy thinks his poplin jacket is pretty special. The pure wool alpaca lining zips
out and makes a separate sleeveless vest. He also loved his ulster, complete with wombat fur lined
collar and the sleeves are leather lined.
An eighteen year-old girl loved her figure cutting outfit with its bright red and green plaid skirt
and matching stocking cap. And for her trim little sweater in jacquard knit, all pure wool.
The college girl wore a stocking cap made of hand-knit virgin wool with a roll-neck jerkin. She
loved those goofy elbow mittens, to echo her knee-high hand-loomed socks. All cable-stitched in
fireman red or white.
She wore those frisky boots called Mounties for her rustic roadwork and general campus traffic.
Complete with a knapsack muff in safari or beaver brown mouton lamb. With purse space inside,
the muff is a perfect spice for her off-campus visit.
Practically required equipment for the gal on the move was an imported Shetland wool sweater in
pink, blue, yellow or white. And she has a HUGE collection of Argyle socks.
Fashion in 1943
Fashion in 1943 began to show momentum of its own, an honest freedom from the great tradition
of Paris on which it had leaned so heavily, for so long. Clothes were at once less cautious and less
tricky. Still marked by the simplicity that wartime fabric shortages and the wartime work and
psychology of women demanded, the simplicity was tempered by inventiveness of cut, a genuine
suppleness of line.
Two very distinct silhouettes emerged over the year. One was tubular, slim, reedy, exemplified in
straight chemise dresses cinched in at the waist by belt, not fit; in knitted dresses that pulled on
over the figure like knee-length sweaters.
Fashion in 1945
U.S. fashion designers displayed remarkable creativity when using the limited amount of textiles
allotted to them by the government. The rounded line replaced angles, which was the primary
means of avoiding boring designs.
The Canadienne
At the beginning of 1945, the roundness was first achieved by pulling the waist tight, emphasizing
fullness above and below the waistline. Eventually the round look took every costume. Often the
only tight parts of an outfits were at the neck, waist and wrists.
Suit jackets had round collars and round-cut hemlines, while suit skirts belled out in front. The
Canadienne, a French twist on the coat of a Canadian soldier, was one of the years biggest fashion
hits.
Evening dresses often came with farthingales to make hips seem larger and the waist thinner.
The cholo was hugely popular on beaches in 1945. It was worn over top of the swimsuit.
The trend of wearing separates continued to grow. Shirts were ready to wear, came in a wide
variety of styles and mixed well with skirts.
A few horseblanket skirts appeared among the younger crowd. These unique skirts were made of
plaid wool horseblankets, bound with black braid and fastened with horseblanket buckles.
Gold neckbands, African-inspired metal rings and gold chains were wrapped around the neck and
wrists.Buttons were brassy and belt buckles shined like a cowboys saddle.
Due to the absolute necessity of belts in the wardrobe, manufactures began producing more
inventive belt styles than had even been seen before. Some were wide burnished bands of leather
and others were cut to fit the waistline.
Women were particularly fond of ballet slippers in 1945. They came in all colors: plaid, black, pink
you name it and were worn with everything from skirts to dresses to dancing tights.
Its hard to deny that as 1945 progressed, the fashion world took on a much more relaxed and
peaceful tone. Like a huge sigh of relief. Colors lightened and fancy fabrics slowly came back.
European designers didnt have the worry of a war in their backyard and, with the end of World
War II, people felt like it was OK to care about something as trivial as fashion again. It certainly
had been a while.
Fashion in 1946
Femininity was in full swing in 1946, After long, wartorn years of wearing suits, women turned to
dresses again.
The curves that were so popular in 1945 were replaced by a more natural look. The shoulders and
bosom were much more exposed this year, but never in a flamboyant way.
Even though Paris was short on just about everything but talent, designers did their best to keep
their position as the fashion capital of the world.
An asymmetrical look was important in 1946. Long evening skirts swayed to one side. Dinner
dresses appeared with just one shoulder strap. It was a very flattering look to the female figure.
Two popular suits, the cutaway suit and the bellhop suit, were very successful for designers. While
not overly feminine, they still had a distinct look from man-tailored suits, and were exactly what
women were looking for.
The Kiltie, a short pleated skirt which came in varied lengths, was a vital part of the playtime
wardrobe.
With the end of the war, designers were finally able to dip into their array of beautiful fabrics
again. Fine Irish linens returned and were used for simple things like day dresses, or for
extravagant lace.
Embroidery was seen in almost every form: passementerie, jet beading, silk tassels, ball-fringe
and more. Colors were delicate, pale blues and pinks, pale yellows and violet, were common color
combinations.
Hats were trimmed with fantastic feathers. The tricorne, bicorne and tiny pillbox were popular
hat shapes.
The ankle-length evening dress eclipsed the picture-skirted ball gowns in importance. Shoulders
were covered by tiny boleros. Flowing capes draped over day dresses and evening gowns alike.
One extravagant wrap was a greatcoat cut like a cape, lined with seal.
The feminine look was certainly aided by the fact that women could buy nylon stockings again.
Also, with the rising of the hemline came a new focus on shoes.
Shoes were designed with grace. Gentle arches, high heels and ankle straps all gave the foot a
renewed appeal.
Fashion in 1948
The new look, which had blossomed, billowed and exploded the point of near absurdity, finally
collapsed. Clothes were pared down to create a tight fitting, spare look. It was the total opposite
of what had been worn for the last three years.
Fashion in 1949
Spring of 1949 went down in fashion history as the flying panel period. In the previous autumn
Balenciaga had shown a fitted suit with narrow skirt, and a wide separate back panel. This original
method of achieving a slim look combined with becoming movement made such an impression that
the Paris spring collections were full of developments of this flying panel theme.
There were side panels, back and front panels, all-round strip panels like maypole ribbons.
Sometimes a three-step hem level was given by panels both longer and shorter than the skirt. The
skirt itself was always skin-tight.
Newest of all for Europe (but already familiar to America) were the strapless evening dresses in
rich fabrics with street-length skirts: a few full, but the majority slim sheaths the 1920s all over
again, except that these dresses were invariably belted, in contrast to the unbroken line of that
earlier period.
Diors ultra-short sheath, with a huge hip-swathe trailing the floor, was the most dramatic of a
whole range of models which achieved short-and-long hemlines by panels, wrap-around swathing
or slanting overskirts.
Kerchief-pointed skirts, wavering between knee and ballet length, were another aspect of hemline uncertainty and another reminder of the 20s also recalled by the ever receding length of
hair.
The short hair of late 1948 was still long enough to curl out like a drakes tail at the nape but late
1949 saw actually shingled heads and that variant, the gamine hair cut, reputedly begun by
mannequins fretting their short hair unevenly with razor blades but soon developed through more
orthodox means by the hairdressers.
Of course, this short hair went along with head-clasping hats. Most of these were small skull-caps,
called beanies, cloches, berets, miniature toques and helmets. There were however, a few large
hats, still with nothing at the back to impede the high collars but with wide side-to-side brims or
jutting shovel brims heralding, perhaps, a forward movement in hats to come.
The last months of 1949 saw the beginning of several important trends. One was again due to Dior:
a dropped, markedly extended shoulder line the first sign of an important shoulder treatment
since the removal of square padding left shoulders naturally rounded.
These new shoulders were still sloped and unpadded but half-way between shoulder and elbow
Dior attached a gathered flounce, often buttoned, sometimes lined with fur, so that it stood out.
Another trend was the molded body-line, interrupted by sharp-angled shapes in collars, cuffs and
stiffened hip draperies. This contrast of soft and sharp was achieved by using soft fabrics and
stiffening them with a crisp lining at strategic
points.
Skirts in general narrowed as the year went on.
There was a marked tendency towards asymmetry in clothes of all types. One rever would be
longer than the other; a peplum would spring from the hip at one side only; a line of buttons (and
buttons were everywhere) would march down one side of a bodice or skirt; necklines were cut to
one side; evening dresses had one shoulder strap.
Colors continued dark or neutral. A whole range of charcoal colors as if black had been mixed
with them, appeared. There was much beige and grey. Blue, petrol and thunder blue and royal
blue, returned, especially with black.
Navy blue was chosen for winter and for evening, and other colors particularly favored were dark
greens, many browns and clear geranium reds.
Long gloves went out to meet the three-quarter and elbow-length sleeves. In the evening they
rose to shoulder level; were smartest in black glace kid. Leather belts pulled in every waist on
suits, day dresses, evening dresses. Court shoes and naked sandals (with covered toes and heels)
divided the honors.
Colored shoes were seen in shades of ivy leaf green, pewter, blonde, bronze and dark red. Yards of
pearls circled necks and dropped into deep necklines. Huge chandelier earrings swung to the
shoulders piquant contrast to the ragged gamine hair cut.
Nylon lingerie appeared in sufficient quantities to be on display instead of only under the counter.
Corsets in deep blue and other unconventional colors were a welcome proof that better supplies
were making fashion experiments possible.
Realistically to meet their customers shrinking budgets a number of couture houses in Paris and
London launched or expanded boutiques, little shops selling accessories and more moderately
priced simple clothes, ready-to-wear, or needing only one fitting.
Mens Fashions
In the mens fashion field, 1949 saw the death of the exaggerated drape jacket, which hung
loosely from the shoulders with hardly any indentation at the waist-line. Drape was a style
which originated in England at the end of the 19th century and gave an illusion of broader
shoulders and deeper chest.
After World War II it returned to England from America in such exaggerated forms that the style
leaders at last decided that it no longer had a place in mens fashions.