What was the fashion like in the 1940's?

Answer 1

The clothing seemed to be rather gloomy, like there was a constant funeral, as a reflection of the war period. They didn't have fancy weddings. Soldiers would wear their uniforms and their brides wore what looked like a simple skirt suit, though white or ivory in color.

Prior to the war, glamour seemed to be out. Part of that was due to cloth rations, so there wasn't much choice of materials to use. Since there was limited wool around 1942, artificial fibers were used such as rayon and viscose. Those were derived from wood pulp.

The colors tended to be rather plain, if not solemn. Ivory and dark colors were about the only options. Clothes were designed just to be rugged and practical, since men had to fight and women had to work.

In those days, people had their clothes mended a lot since clothing was a bit hard to come by. The British government passed laws against using extra stitching, decorations, or excess buttons. So there were no gathers, pleats, or similar embellishments.

There were fur coats for ladies. They came from rabbits, and they were dyed to look like more expensive furs. Costume jewelry made up most of what jewelry was available during WWII.

Now fashion designers from London did start to influence fashion. The Incorporated Society of Fashion Designers created over 30 different new utility clothing designs in 1942. That group probably did the best in making the most of what was available during that time. Their suits for women, had shoulders that were not as broad, but were still squared. Their jackets and skirts were more formfitting and feminine than the other suits of that time period. They made women's blazers look elegant, even with only three buttons. A popular suit worn by women then was named the "siren suit", and was made from a tartan cloth.