Bombed Into New Fashion

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Bombed Into New Fashion
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• Its often been said that current affairs can
  begin changes in fashion. And its easy to show
  how world wars influenced the clothes people
  wore.
• In the early forties, ladies fashion was probably
  the last thing on the minds of people in Europe
  and the United States. Perhaps that was just as
  well, as occupied Paris could hardly expect to
  put on fashion shows.

Before the Second World War Paris was by far the
biggest influence on ladies fashion. Most
healthy men of a certain age suddenly found
themselves in uniform. And this was also to
influence womens fashion. Indeed, there were
also plenty of women in uniform and suddenly the
styles of the preceding years seemed irrelevant.
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• In Britain there was food and clothing ration for
  all military and civilians. There was a shortage
  of material for making all clothing and this
  alongside the military uniform led to the way
  fashion was about to change and reflect the times
  people were living through.
• Less material combined with the simple
  utilitarian look of uniforms including the new
  dungarees worn by the Land Girls led to shorter
  skirts and simpler lines all round.
• 40s style dresses may have had their beginnings
  in the war but that did not mean they remained
  dowdy. After the war people wanted some colour
  back in their lives. Dresses remained shorter
  than before the war but bright floral prints in
  loose swirls of cotton and silk were the norm.

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• The shortage of stockings in the war led to a
  number of lewd tales about young women doing most
  things to tease GI Joes into handing them over.
  And after the war silk stockings were still in
  great demand in the UK.
• Nylon, like silk, was almost impossible to find
  in any shop during the conflict. Nylon because it
  was used by the military and silk because the
  major supplier had been the new enemy Japan.
• It has been said that all fashions have a habit
  of going and coming back over a period of time.
  And there is no exception with 40s clothing.
  Today we all have far greater choices without
  negative comments.
• Lets face it, anything is better than the
  ubiquitous top and jeans seen daily on so many
  millions of people.

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• In keeping with influence of the military, after
  the war womens shoulder pads were a must.
  Shoulder pads helped to show off the new slimmer
  waist and an hour glass figure.
• On another note, it was the middle part of the
  1940s that saw women in shorts and the birth of
  the bikini. The latter was still modest compared
  with todays versions but it was certainly the
  first time in perhaps a few hundred years that
  women revealed their naked midriff.
• With the wonder of online shopping its possible
  to find plenty of vintage clothing. The demand
  outstrips genuine period pieces but that doesnt
  mean that modern copies look any less authentic.

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