1940’s in fashion for women in WW2. Trends, utility dresses, seamed stockings, peplum’s, shoulder pads, and the post war New Look.
Women in World War 2 left us an iconic and beguiling style which is forever celebrated in movies, books and magazines. Rationing encouraged women to “make do and mend”. With all resources going to the war effort, Fabric shortage meant longer skirts and less revealing evening dresses. Austerity was reflected by a more austere fashion in the early 1940’s. Makeup and hairstyles however never looked better.
Browse the 1940’s fashion trends as worn by women in that troubled decade. Find inspiration for your next 1940’s style dress, victory rolls hairstyle.
Now you know the highlights, dive in to our archive of 1940’s fashion history. Find out how women in WW2 lived, worked, served in the forces and of course dressed.
Winter Hollywood Style by Edith Head 1942 – Well hello to Barbara Stanwyck, who has more than a nodding acquaintance with skis in Columbia’s “You belong to me.” She makes a pretty cover in this bright number for the slopes. Next she does a bit of interior decoration here in a gray gabardine ski suit …
British fashion models in training 1944 ! – As with all those early 1940s Pathe newsreels – the insert for women was ..ahem .. delivered by a nonplussed sexist male narrator. Here we see a group of typical fashion models of the 1940’s, learning their craft. No these girls are not in training for the …
A day with a 1940’s fashion model – And now let’s drop in to the house of England’s number one glamour girl Joan Richards. A 1940’s fashion model, who turns her charm and ability into a business. Joan has a long and busy day ahead, splitting her modelling duty between giving shows for the troops. …
Pathe 1940s fashion newsreel from 1943 – In wartime Britain, women had to make do and mend, with severe rationing from coupons and utility clothing a must, the new ethos was to be innovative with your current wardrobe. This Pathe film suggests – a tad optimistically that a girl could get by for a whole …
Mary Baldwin College for Girls 1940s Yearbooks – Published every year of the 20th century, the yearbook of Mary Baldwin College, now a fully fledged university since August 2016, is a great resource for the clothing and hairstyles of young women in the United States. Every year is published on Archive.org and are a real …
Ever wondered why a size 12 is called a size 12? – Kass McGann of Reconstructing History.com Explains – Dress sizing is certainly confusing! I mean, a man’s jacket size 42 fits a man with a chest measurement of 42″. Jeans sized 36/32 fit a waist of 36″ and an inseam of 32″. But what …
More Women are buying more clothes for more money – In the country’s custom fashion salons and high-priced stores, with the post war fears of fabric shortages, business in fashion is booming .. and women are in a frenzy of buying, at least those who can afford it. Shown here are this falls latest silhouettes …
Pathe News report on the new Liberty Cut hairstyles – Utility is the key note in the new 1940s Liberty hairstyles. Here’s an example. In days like these, with so many women in war work, there is no time for coiffure. Long hair in such circumstances is a nuisance rather than a blessing. The new style …
Pathe News report on the new US hairstyles – From America comes a new 1940’s hairstyle that’s almost as smooth as a plate across the top of your head. For the girl with an oval face, this is the newest idea with soft curls drooping to the shoulders. A variation, is a centre parting and …
Charles ‘Teenie’ Harris from Pittsburgh USA, is now acknowledged as one of the great photographers of his generation. His documentation of the daily lives of African American women and men in a collection of some 80,000 photographs, is quite simply unique. The Photographs of Charles Harris African American Women of the 1940’s We’ve picked out …