Forties Fashion: A Vintage Decade"A fascinating narrative… Great stories, remarkable acts of patriotism…mark the indomitable spirit of humanity."—Booklist Here is a definitive look at fashion in the 1940s—from French style under the Occupation and the “make do and mend” approach to wartime clothing shortages through the development of faux fabrics, the rise of American fashion houses, and the New Look of the post- war period. The illustrations reveal the wide range of fashions and styles from the 1940s in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Japan. The lively text by fashion specialist Jonathan Walford details how fashion was considered not a frivolity but an aesthetic expression of circumstances in the 1940s. While Fascist states tried to create “national” styles before the war began, by 1940 the pursuit of beauty was promoted on both sides of the conflict as a patriotic duty. From prewar to postwar, we see attitudes emerge from period advertisements, images of real clothes, and firsthand accounts in contemporary publications. The result is a celebration of everything from practical and smart-looking attire for air raids (hooded capes with large pockets and siren suits) to street fashion and the creation of Christian Dior’s “New Look” collection in 1947. |
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advertisement American designers American Vogue autumn beauty became blouse blue BOARD OF TRADE brides Britain British buttons Canadian centimetres Christian Dior civilian clothing clothing rationing cm² coat collar collections colours corsets cosmetics cotton coupons created crepe CUTEX Dior Dior's Elsa Schiaparelli export fabric footwear France French front garments German German fashion gowns Hardy Amies Harper's Bazaar hats haute couture Helena Rubinstein issued Italian jacket Jacques Fath Jeanne Lanvin June L'Officiel label leather shoes Lelong limited Look Lucien Lelong luxury magazine manufacturers material military Mode de Paris Nazi occupation OPPOSITE pair Parisian patriotic pleating pockets popular post-war pre-war production rayon restrictions Schiaparelli September 1939 shortages shoulders silhouette silk SIREN SUITS skirts sleeves square inches stockings style summer supplies Swing Kids textiles TRADE BOARD trimming trousers turban uniform United Utility victory waist wartime wear wedding dress women wooden soles wool worn York zoot suit