Fashion in the 1940’s
the fashion of the 1940’s for both
upper and lower class people
•
Upper class women wore suits which were short
straight skirts topped by short jackets of 25
inches or less in length. Cardigans were worn to
match the skirts and sheath evening dresses
replaced the long flowing gowns of the thirties. In
the early 40’s a popular fashion for upper class
people was an austere silhouette with narrow
hips, padded shoulders and a hat. Many varieties
of peplums were worn by the upper class people.
Butterfly, bustle and gathered peplums are some
examples ruffles found their way to skirt hems,
necklines and waists. Line skirt s was topped
with soft feminine blouses. Blouses were worn
with a bow at the centre front neck line and had
puffy sleeves. Lace accentuated around the neck
line and collars were cut full.
Material used for shoes could have been a variety of
reptile skins and mesh. Cork or wood soled “wedgies”
were also used. The heels on shoes were limited to
one inch and came in only 6 different colours
(stockings were unavailable). People use to paint
their legs with back seams and tan using makeup.
That was what people would do for a special
occasion or outing. Otherwise socks became a
popular trend.
• Men’s suits were made without vests and pocket
flaps, trousers lost their multiple pleats and cuffs.
The ‘bold look’ came out in 1949 which was a loose
fitting jacket with pronounced shoulders (for men).
Also notched labels with double breasted. Males in
lower class wore sneakers and upper class wore
shoes. Males in lower class wore jeans and white tshirts and upper class often wore shorts. Lower
class women wore knee length skirts and to make
them longer ruffles would be sewn onto the bottom
of them. ‘Saddle oxford’ shoes were fashionable
(brown and white). Wearing your dads big shirts (the
sloppier the better) and hair was worn form lower ear
to shoulder length.
Accessories in the 1940’s
•
1940's Navy rayon
purse. The purse has
tiny medal dots, in rows
of 3 in each colour. Red,
green, yellow and navy.
The purse is lined in a
light tan rayon taffeta
1940's Black cotton
evening gloves.
Elbow length On
the back of the
gloves going full
length are many
tiny black beads
forming diamond
patterns
1940's Off White
satin evening
purse, The purse is
an embossed
design with gold
threads. Embossed
brass frame, brass
clasp and chain,
purse is very
gathered at the
frame . Lined in off
white satin, lining
is slightly soiled
Vintage 1940's ladies hat crochet pattern
Joseph Weisner earrings. Oval prong set emerald foil back
stones, open backed surround smaller sparkling crystal
rhinestones. Tiny bit of wear to the foil backs.
What are the hair styles the 1940s?
• Hair styles in this decade saw tresses curled and rolled
longer than shoulder-length. A few rare big nights out,
meant putting your hair up into compact elegant up-dos.
The 1940’s saw lot of curls and updos being used. Using
rollers to curl the hair was a common factor during that
period. Most women used soft curls to get a feminine
look in the 1940’sOne of the popular 1940’s hairstyles
was the Chignon. This is derived from the French phrase
‘Chignon du cou’. This hairstyle required one to pin the
hair into a knot at the base of the neck. Of course, there
were many versions of the Chignon seen in the society.
The 1940’s period saw the Chignon being worn with a
headscarf while women worked in the factories.
• . The pin curls were amongst the most basic
types of curls. These could be done for the
entire area of the head, but pin curls were
mainly used to curl smaller portions of the hair.
Such curls are also used to frame the shape of
the face for a feminine look. The Omelete fold
was also one of the 1940’ hairstyle that was
frequently worn by many during that period.
Here, the hair was parted at the back and the
stylist used a criss cross effect for the hair to
create folds.
In the 1940’s the down wavy/curly hairstyle was
very popular and so was peroxide bleached hair.
Glamorous styles with curls were preferred to the
short styles of the 1920’s.
Women of the 1940’s liked to wear a lot of
accessories. Bags/purses were very
popular as were pearls used in jewellery.
Cloves, broaches were very important
accessories for the upper class females.
• Hairstyles were smooth and longer; the pared-down
look of the Thirties gave way to the more romantic,
softer look of the War Years. The Bob haircuts
disappeared; women were going for longer locks,
even if they did have to be pinned up at work.
Curlers and irons created wavy hair that was pulled
away from the face. Forties' hair styles were
glamorous and high maintenance. You could wear
your hair down, with long, rolling curl. Finger waves
and pin curls were still among the hair designer's
repertoire, and many women slept on curlers or did
the dishes with their hair in a bandana to cover the
pin curls drying tightly against the head. And hair
colour wasn't unheard of: peroxide became the way
to have more fun as women turned blond in salons
and at home.
•
• Hairstyles were smooth and longer; the pared-down look
of the Thirties gave way to the more romantic, softer look
of the War Years. The Bob haircuts disappeared; women
were going for longer locks, even if they did have to be
pinned up at work. Curlers and irons created wavy hair
that was pulled away from the face. Forties' hair styles
were glamorous and high maintenance. You could wear
your hair down, with long, rolling curl. Finger waves and
pin curls were still among the hair designer's repertoire,
and many women slept on curlers or did the dishes with
their hair in a bandana to cover the pin curls drying
tightly against the head. And hair colour wasn't unheard
of: peroxide became the way to have more fun as
women turned blond in salons and at home.
Materials used in the 1940’s
• Fabrics Available
• Natural fibers (linen, cotton, wool, and silk), rayon,
acetate, and nylon. Light- to medium-weight fabrics
used, with light and sheer materials for nightwear. Nylon
was seen as net overlays on formals and as the sole
material in some sheer day dresses.
• Silk and nylon became difficult to come by as a result of
WWII.
• Many fashion materials previously available were
needed for the war, and were not readily available as
they had been.
• Nylon was donated for the purpose of making
parachutes.
• The women would use their husband’s suits and old curtains, or any
material they could find to make clothes for themselves.
• To make up for the lack of good materials used, the women began
to wear more vibrant colours.
• Materials were used that enhanced the female figure.
• Leather was rationed, so wooden wedge heels became a popular
choice for women's shoes.
• Heels of 2 inches were popular, and the shoes would most likely
have had peep-toe's and be of a slip on style.
• Artificial materials were used as substitutes, such as, viscose and
rayon.
• During the late 1940's blouses became more fitted with short
sleeves.
• Skirts began to take on a fuller look, and the broad shoulders of the
past were virtually gone.
What styles were popular in the
1940’s
• Before Dior introduced the ‘New Look’ women of the
1940s flaunted austere silhouette with narrow, trim waist
and hips, contrasting with a broad chest and padded
shoulders, plus many different types and styles of hats.
• Many varieties of peplums were in vogue at that moment
. styles like: butterfly, bustle and gathered peplums.
Ruffles ended up on skirt hems, necklines and waists. Aline skirts were topped with soft, feminine blouses.
Blouses dropped at the centre-front neckline and
supported puffy sleeves. Collars were large and lace
found its self onto just about any garment.
Shoes
• Leather was now restricted as it was used
for materials for the war. So shoe markers
incorporated many different materials into
shoes. Reptile skins and mesh being the
most successful substitutes. Cork or
wood-soled "Wedgies" were another
substitute.
dresses
Dresses had small waists, tight busts and
full skirts. Women were expected to
tighten their belts; silk stockings
disappeared when silk was used for
parachutes and other wartime items, so
women drew lines up the backs of their
legs with eyebrow pencils to simulate
stocking seams.
makeup
• Lips were a true, patriotic red; creamy skin was
powdered and smoothly pink. Mascara had
founds its place on women's eyelashes to make
the look complete.
• “THE NEW LOOK”
• In 1947, Dior introduced the “New Look”,
featuring longer lengths and fuller skirts; a return
to classic femininity with a nipped waist. The use
of many yards of fabric in garments was now
seen fashionable. Women’s fashion changed to
a soft, feminine and romantic image
Common designs
• The fitted jacket-and-skirt suit, with a peplum to
the hip
• Dresses with curved necklines, and the bust
was shaped by soft gathers above or below, and
sometimes swags or drapery on the skirt
• Lace and taffeta eveningwear with asymmetric,
bouffant styling
• Cap-sleeved cotton or rayon blouses and
matching tap-style shorts or wide-leg pants for
sports and recreation
Popular designs and pants
• Most daywear was in conservative colors,
though some morning dresses had bright
or bold floral or abstract figured
prints. Evening saw more soft shades,
and also classic navy and black. Casual
clothes were sometimes boldly colored,
with a lean towards western motifs.
Hemlines day and night
• For day, just below the knee was standard,
but some dresses fell to mid-calf. At night,
at least ankle-length was a must except
for cocktail hour.
hats
• Hats of every shape and size were
fashionable, and was a style that began in
the previous decade. Shoulder pads were
occasionally made wide or pointy. Hot
items were alligator accessories, platform
shoes, and marten stoles (long fox-like
animals strung together).
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