Conclusion – Impact of war on 1940s style

World War Two Fashion

The Impact of War on 1940’s Fashion in the USA.

© 23/10/2012  Tia Craig –

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9.Conclusion – The impact of war on 1940s style

Essentially, this entire decade was impacted through ways in which “The war constrained fashion from its usual path of progression, but necessity was almost literally the mother of invention.” (Walford). Women’s clothing in this decade went through so many alterations in a somewhat short amount of time. During the war, “Synthetic materials were used to make the minimal clothing styles that liberal wartime mores considered appropriate dress. Fashion had never before used so little fabric; short sleeves and knee-length skirts in close-fitting styles accentuated the female silhouette.” (Walford). Then after the war, the fashion industry sought after new styles, or in Dior’s case, renewing old styles in the New Look. The changes in the post-war time set the look for the next decade. Once again, referring back to the research question: How were the styles of women’s fashion in the United States influenced by World War II during the 1940s? This can be answered by stating that “War was the dominant influence on fashion in the early 1940s [but] the elegance and excess of the late 1940s were a reaction to the spare, liberating styles that it inspired.” (Walford). Furthermore, the influences on women’s fashion were positive in that they allowed new styles to emerge and evolve throughout the period of the war and postwar, as well as become an influence towards the following decade.

copyright 2012 Tia Craig

You can download the complete free ebook World War Influence on 1940s Fashion  by Tia Craig.

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