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.
Its interesting to remember that Pilates, now a hugely popular guide to good posture was developed in the 1940’s and named after Joseph Pilates. Women of the 1940’s simply had to master correct posture. There was no option. Corset makers like Spencer did their bit to help, but there is no better alternative than simply …
1940’s Clothing Plan and Budget 1947 – Now see the lavishly illustrated concise history of 1940s fashion ! 1940’s Fashion – A Young Woman’s Annual Clothing Plan A typical yearly clothing plan for a 19 year old San Francisco woman in 1947. Even in the opulent USA, the average woman of reasonable means, could only …
Vintage Glamour Tutorial 1946 A woman’s guide to achieving vintage glamour in the late 1940’s by Mary Stuyvesant aka the infamous Miss Ratherly Stern. Here, Mary explains the secrets to glamour and femininity. Watch the latest vintage glamour tutorial film on our YouTube channel. Also, read the lavishly illustrated concise history of 1940s womens fashion. …
Shopping Guide in 1940’s vintage style shoes You may have already decided what color you wish in your retro or vintage style 1940s shoes and whether you need them for general wear, dress wear or sports. But as shoes of any genre differ in so many ways, you may wish to discover the key styles …
Women’s Vintage Swimwear Secrets Before you go shopping for some cool Vintage swimwear or Retro Swimwear, why not sit back and learn a bit about what you’re wearing! Photo courtesy My Vintage Vogue Perhaps more than any other garment, the swimsuit has changed beyond all recognition in the last century. One of the most appealing …
The instructions for putting on Fully Fashioned Stockings !! That expensive kind which come apart after one night out. Vintage fully Fashioned Stockings [ with seams ] should be rolled right down to the toe before putting on. They should be rolled on gently and eased over the heel. They should then be rolled …
1940’s Swimwear The principle design factor of was to be figure flattering – often incorporating the new stretch fabrics to offer tummy support and hourglass shape to a womans figure.This marked a major departure in the history of vintage swimwear In 1946, the shocking introduction of the bikini threw the swimsuit fashion world into a …
1940s Swimsuits – Color Film Vintage swimsuits in the 1940’s and 1950’s had far a greater variety of swimwear fabrics, like lined cotton, stretch latex and nylon. The new bathing suit of that period was tailored to flatter a woman’s figure with tummy control panels,support cups for the bust and boning to create an …
1940’s makeup Tutorial – Face contouring / Lipstick and Hairstyles. The classic Vintage Makeup Guide to the 1940’s from Miss Ratherly Stern. Transcribed with illustrations.!! The ideal facial contour is supposed to be the oval. But some of us have round faces,square faces or long faces. What can we do to make our faces appear …
1940’s fashion – Keeping Well DressedAnother vintage film clip of 1940’s Fashion instruction.How to be well dressed on a tight budget!Some of Miss Ratherly Sterns advice for the 1940’s dresser1.A sagging hem or a gaping seam is a sure way to kill glamour !2.It’s not the size of the wardrobe that counts -it’s the shape …