Fashion in the 1940s

Fashion in the 1940s was a good mix of comfort and glamour. There were specific outfits that were
meant for specific times of the day. Some of their designs look downright modern even by todays
standards.
Men were still pretty dressed up. Suits, ties and hats were commonplace in public. Women wore
dresses and skirts they still didnt wear slacks yet.
Another thing women ALWAYS wore: gloves. Preferably a pair that matches your outfit. Fur was
very popular, as was all kind of animal skins. Crocodile purses, wombat collars, lambskin lining,
and leather sleeves no animal was off limits.
Clothes in the 1940s were very bright and colorful. The brighter the better. Womens shoes were
often one of three popular color choices: red, white or blue.
Take a deeper look into 1940s fashion by clicking on the plus sign next to the year youd like to
read about below.

Fashion in 1941
For her easy hours she wanted a really beautiful gown one that made her feel like Lynn
Fontanne. A gown in star sapphire blue, purple or black, with swirls of gilt and coral at the deep
slashed throat is a perfect example of something a woman would relax in in 1941.
If she breakfasted in bed, she wanted a bed-jacket to match her gown. Or she would wear a cozy
quilted robe with a matching gown. Nosegay print in rayon crepe; white or blue with red ric-rac,
maize with green or pink with blue.

Womens Outfit in 194 (Harpers Bazaar)

When she plays cards in the evening she wears a pure cashmere cardigan in maize, gray, blue,
natural or purple.
If she likes jewelry she might wear a pin with an exquisite basketweave bowknot in glod plate
with rhinestones. She would like earrings with golden swirls with ruby and rhinestone bands. He
favorite bracelet is a rhinestone bracelet in a sunburst-and-knot design.
She will also need some Edelweiss doe-skin gloves, a smart umbrella and a handbag soft one.
One that is black suede or claf, gathered on a frame and for extra dash shell want her name in
golden script. And for her tweeds, nothing could be better than crocodile skins from the
Argentine.
At ease, at home, the man relaxes with his pipe and the paper in a chevron-weave smoking
jacket. Its made of spun rayon and wool in darker, more subdued colors. At his feet his wore
Freelancers bootmaker finish moccasins.

In 1941 they called scarfs mufflers and everyone wore one. They were usually in soft Scotch
cashmere with a plaid pattern. Garters were a hot items as well keeping those wide-ribbed
brushed wool socks up.
And speaking of keeping things up, he needed black trimmed rayon moire suspenders complete
with monogram.
When hes out he wears a capeskin jacket, or a pure cashmere pullover with crew or V-neck. Over
the sweater he wore a Huntsman jacket with Indian Tan soft suede leather and a comfortable
bi-swing back.

Fur was very popular in 1941

Back to the lady. When she goes out she wants to wear a honey-smooth dinner jacket, with it
lapels and cuffs encrusted with glittering jewels.
But what did she smell like? She had all kinds of perfumes to choose from: Charberts Amber,
Houbigants Chantilly, D-Orsays Le Dandy, Cordays Jet, Bourjois Mais Oui, Suzannes Tout de
Suite and Ardens Blue Grass were just some of the popular perfumes at the time.
But if hes in the mood to get really fancy, he would wear an opera hat, white chamois gloves, silk
scarf (white and black with black fringe or all-white) thats, of course, monogrammed.
How about a trip to the big game? Its gonna be cold! He needs a waterproofed cotton gabardine
coat, lined and collared in lamb. Waterproofed boots with a lining of warm electrified sheepskin.
For all-weather clothes, he wants a lightweight raincoat in high-count cotton broadcloth, treated
with DuPont water repellent Zelan process.
For black tie nights, he wore a shirt with attached collar and French cuffs, with gold plated
cufflinks, matched to its pique pleated bosom.

An eighteen year-old guy thinks his poplin jacket is pretty special. The pure wool alpaca lining zips
out and makes a separate sleeveless vest. He also loved his ulster, complete with wombat fur lined
collar and the sleeves are leather lined.
An eighteen year-old girl loved her figure cutting outfit with its bright red and green plaid skirt
and matching stocking cap. And for her trim little sweater in jacquard knit, all pure wool.
The college girl wore a stocking cap made of hand-knit virgin wool with a roll-neck jerkin. She
loved those goofy elbow mittens, to echo her knee-high hand-loomed socks. All cable-stitched in
fireman red or white.
She wore those frisky boots called Mounties for her rustic roadwork and general campus traffic.
Complete with a knapsack muff in safari or beaver brown mouton lamb. With purse space inside,
the muff is a perfect spice for her off-campus visit.
Practically required equipment for the gal on the move was an imported Shetland wool sweater in
pink, blue, yellow or white. And she has a HUGE collection of Argyle socks.

Fashion in 1943
Fashion in 1943 began to show momentum of its own, an honest freedom from the great tradition
of Paris on which it had leaned so heavily, for so long. Clothes were at once less cautious and less
tricky. Still marked by the simplicity that wartime fabric shortages and the wartime work and
psychology of women demanded, the simplicity was tempered by inventiveness of cut, a genuine
suppleness of line.
Two very distinct silhouettes emerged over the year. One was tubular, slim, reedy, exemplified in
straight chemise dresses cinched in at the waist by belt, not fit; in knitted dresses that pulled on
over the figure like knee-length sweaters.

Brooches were a common accessory in 1943

The other silhouette was chunky, bulky, giving the effect of fullness without gathers robust
boxcoats in wool or fur, or wool lined in fur; wool dresses cut with the generosity of officers
greatcoats, then decisively belted in.
With either silhouette, the look of the head was decidedly neat and small, the hair folded up off
the ears and moored on top of the head, netted neatly at the back of the neck, or twisted in tight
neat braids.
Hats fitted close to the skull were hot. Little felt caps, coifs bound tight around the hairline, wide
bands of material (called curvettes) worn over the top of the head and tied under the hair in
back with strings of felt or velvet ribbon. This curvette was the most popular headpiece (it could
scarcely be called a hat) of the young. It was seen in every material: felt, fur, crocheted wool
flecked with colored sequins for the evening. Many secured their hair in simple snoods of veiling
anchored on the head by a band of ribbon.
Suits were still the most popular single fashion.
The straight, spare skirt was broken across the front by soft trouser pleats, and a new hike-back
skirt appeared still straight in front, but hiked up slightly in back to make it swing out gracefully
behind. The suit jacket grew shorter and niftier.
Three jackets in particular marked a development:
1.) the short, fitted jacket, nipped in snugly at the waist, slightly flared out over the hipbones;
2.) the bolero, fitted close to the lines of the figure after the authentic Spanish fashion;
3.) the box jacket, extremely young and casual, its squared-off lines accentuating the slimness of
the skirt.
Long coats adapted from officers greatcoats, and short coats adapted from seamens jackets,
were seen everywhere practical, dashing, adaptable; but it was the fur-lined coat, launched in
the autumn, that became the big news of winter. Simple tweed reefers, loose box coats, slim midlength tuxedo coats all wore fur linings.
Even the raincoat made a welcome fur-lined appearance, giving women an opportunity to be
warm in any weather.
The younger generation made almost a uniform of the pinafore or jumper dress, perfect in cottons
for summer; and in gray flannel, checked tweed, or bright wool jersey a wonderful campus
costume worn with any of many shirts and blouses.
A few of the more daring began to couple the pinafore with an adaptation of the ballet dancers
leotard: waist-length tights and a separate crew-neck shirt of striped or figured wool jersey. This
basic outfit dispensed with stockings and most underclothing, and over it a pinafore or simple
wrap-on skirt completed a whole costume.

Georgiana Frocks (1943)

After several years of covered-up necklines for both day and evening, decolletage came back in
fashion. It was first seen during the summer in gingham beach dresses with shoulder-strap tops,
and in printed silk town dresses with matching jackets to cover their backless, sleeveless
nakedness on the street.
By winter, 1943, the covered-up, short-skirted dinner dress of 1942 had become a full-fledged,
decollete evening dress: short black slipper satin dresses with ribbons of satin over bare shoulders;
halter tops of white satin and sequins barbarically strapping naked backs above simple short black
crepe skirts; short black crepe dresses with deep oval decolletage and tiny cap sleeves
dangerously edged in black lace.
The deep oval decolletage with its little cap sleeves proved so becoming to so many women, and
such a relief from high-neck, long-sleeve fashions that it spread to clothes of every description.
Both the oval and the halter neckline were uppermost also in a new genre of play dress for the
south. A casual, feminine type of dress, made in coarse colorful cottons from Mexico and
Guatemala, that threatened to supplant the shirtwaist dress, to banish the ubiquitous slacks from
the beach forever.

Fashion in 1945
U.S. fashion designers displayed remarkable creativity when using the limited amount of textiles
allotted to them by the government. The rounded line replaced angles, which was the primary
means of avoiding boring designs.

The Canadienne
At the beginning of 1945, the roundness was first achieved by pulling the waist tight, emphasizing
fullness above and below the waistline. Eventually the round look took every costume. Often the
only tight parts of an outfits were at the neck, waist and wrists.
Suit jackets had round collars and round-cut hemlines, while suit skirts belled out in front. The
Canadienne, a French twist on the coat of a Canadian soldier, was one of the years biggest fashion
hits.
Evening dresses often came with farthingales to make hips seem larger and the waist thinner.
The cholo was hugely popular on beaches in 1945. It was worn over top of the swimsuit.
The trend of wearing separates continued to grow. Shirts were ready to wear, came in a wide
variety of styles and mixed well with skirts.
A few horseblanket skirts appeared among the younger crowd. These unique skirts were made of
plaid wool horseblankets, bound with black braid and fastened with horseblanket buckles.
Gold neckbands, African-inspired metal rings and gold chains were wrapped around the neck and
wrists.Buttons were brassy and belt buckles shined like a cowboys saddle.
Due to the absolute necessity of belts in the wardrobe, manufactures began producing more
inventive belt styles than had even been seen before. Some were wide burnished bands of leather
and others were cut to fit the waistline.
Women were particularly fond of ballet slippers in 1945. They came in all colors: plaid, black, pink
you name it and were worn with everything from skirts to dresses to dancing tights.
Its hard to deny that as 1945 progressed, the fashion world took on a much more relaxed and
peaceful tone. Like a huge sigh of relief. Colors lightened and fancy fabrics slowly came back.
European designers didnt have the worry of a war in their backyard and, with the end of World
War II, people felt like it was OK to care about something as trivial as fashion again. It certainly
had been a while.

Fashion in 1946
Femininity was in full swing in 1946, After long, wartorn years of wearing suits, women turned to
dresses again.
The curves that were so popular in 1945 were replaced by a more natural look. The shoulders and
bosom were much more exposed this year, but never in a flamboyant way.
Even though Paris was short on just about everything but talent, designers did their best to keep
their position as the fashion capital of the world.
An asymmetrical look was important in 1946. Long evening skirts swayed to one side. Dinner
dresses appeared with just one shoulder strap. It was a very flattering look to the female figure.
Two popular suits, the cutaway suit and the bellhop suit, were very successful for designers. While
not overly feminine, they still had a distinct look from man-tailored suits, and were exactly what
women were looking for.
The Kiltie, a short pleated skirt which came in varied lengths, was a vital part of the playtime
wardrobe.
With the end of the war, designers were finally able to dip into their array of beautiful fabrics
again. Fine Irish linens returned and were used for simple things like day dresses, or for
extravagant lace.
Embroidery was seen in almost every form: passementerie, jet beading, silk tassels, ball-fringe
and more. Colors were delicate, pale blues and pinks, pale yellows and violet, were common color
combinations.
Hats were trimmed with fantastic feathers. The tricorne, bicorne and tiny pillbox were popular
hat shapes.
The ankle-length evening dress eclipsed the picture-skirted ball gowns in importance. Shoulders
were covered by tiny boleros. Flowing capes draped over day dresses and evening gowns alike.
One extravagant wrap was a greatcoat cut like a cape, lined with seal.
The feminine look was certainly aided by the fact that women could buy nylon stockings again.
Also, with the rising of the hemline came a new focus on shoes.
Shoes were designed with grace. Gentle arches, high heels and ankle straps all gave the foot a
renewed appeal.

Fashion in 1948
The new look, which had blossomed, billowed and exploded the point of near absurdity, finally
collapsed. Clothes were pared down to create a tight fitting, spare look. It was the total opposite
of what had been worn for the last three years.

Jackets were short and rib-tight. Skirts were straight in

the front and sides, with all fullness drawn to the back. The tent coat disappeared, replaced by
the belted greatcoat or the fitted coat with small shoulder capes.
Women who couldnt afford to buy an entirely new wardrobe would pull their loose fitting clothing
tighter or just cut them smaller.
The Belt of the Year in 1948 was the dog leash, a thin, rounded and made in a variety of colors
and materials. Handbags shrank in size and the extravagant jewelry that had been so popular over
the past few years was toned down to smaller pieces.
Gloves were wrist length, scarves were short and even the hats were small.
Oliver Twist waistcoats suddenly appeared in every material and color imaginable, but especially
of suede and velvet. Stoles became popular again, made of tweed, wool, jersey, and fur.
A renewed focus on the going away look placed more importance on the back. As such, 1948
fashions are markedly more embellished in the back than 1947 designs.
The lampshade dress was perfected in 1948. The lampshade dress fit very tightly from shoulder to
mid-thigh, where it flared out intensely. It was intended for late afternoon and evening wear.
Patent leather made a comeback in 1948 as well, especially in bags and belts.

Fashion in 1949
Spring of 1949 went down in fashion history as the flying panel period. In the previous autumn
Balenciaga had shown a fitted suit with narrow skirt, and a wide separate back panel. This original
method of achieving a slim look combined with becoming movement made such an impression that
the Paris spring collections were full of developments of this flying panel theme.

There were side panels, back and front panels, all-round strip panels like maypole ribbons.
Sometimes a three-step hem level was given by panels both longer and shorter than the skirt. The
skirt itself was always skin-tight.

Rayon Dress in 1949

Another fashion detail which grew to such proportions as to affect the silhouette was the pocket.
Breast-high pockets, funnel-shaped, had flaps pointed and stiffened like calla lily petals to stand
up above shoulder level. In some evening dresses the entire bodice consisted of twin pockets.
Pouch pockets and huge flap pockets, placed far to the side, widened
the hips.
The spring and summer also saw a new low level in daytime necklines. Even simple day dresses
had necklines which plunged narrowly almost to the waist. Late-day dresses were apt to have
immensely wide deep necklines.
Coats grew collars which rose high at the back, then turned down in a sloping line to become
miniature capes. There were some fitted, bell-skirted coats, but the pyramid coat, sloping out
from neck to hem, was the prevailing line.
Urchin hair cut and petulant earrings a distinctive fashion style in 1949.
Christian Dior showed the first short-and-long evening dress, spiraling from above the knee to
train length. This 1949 fashion trend is shown by a sheath evening dress in black wool, slit above
knee at back and with grosgrain panels trailing to the ground and the three-step hem levels
caused by varied length panels were the forerunners of a whole crop of uneven hems in the
autumn collections.
The later the hour, the more skirt lengths wavered. By day the general level had risen again to 14
or 15 inches from the ground, sometimes rising further at a wrap-around point, or slit for walking
freedom. Late-day and evening skirt lengths; however, were extremely erratic.
The floor-length crinoline skirts, were kept for debutante and ball dresses. A new evening dress
line was widely draped at the hips, narrowed to the ankle and then considerably slit.

Newest of all for Europe (but already familiar to America) were the strapless evening dresses in
rich fabrics with street-length skirts: a few full, but the majority slim sheaths the 1920s all over
again, except that these dresses were invariably belted, in contrast to the unbroken line of that
earlier period.
Diors ultra-short sheath, with a huge hip-swathe trailing the floor, was the most dramatic of a
whole range of models which achieved short-and-long hemlines by panels, wrap-around swathing
or slanting overskirts.
Kerchief-pointed skirts, wavering between knee and ballet length, were another aspect of hemline uncertainty and another reminder of the 20s also recalled by the ever receding length of
hair.
The short hair of late 1948 was still long enough to curl out like a drakes tail at the nape but late
1949 saw actually shingled heads and that variant, the gamine hair cut, reputedly begun by
mannequins fretting their short hair unevenly with razor blades but soon developed through more
orthodox means by the hairdressers.
Of course, this short hair went along with head-clasping hats. Most of these were small skull-caps,
called beanies, cloches, berets, miniature toques and helmets. There were however, a few large
hats, still with nothing at the back to impede the high collars but with wide side-to-side brims or
jutting shovel brims heralding, perhaps, a forward movement in hats to come.
The last months of 1949 saw the beginning of several important trends. One was again due to Dior:
a dropped, markedly extended shoulder line the first sign of an important shoulder treatment
since the removal of square padding left shoulders naturally rounded.
These new shoulders were still sloped and unpadded but half-way between shoulder and elbow
Dior attached a gathered flounce, often buttoned, sometimes lined with fur, so that it stood out.
Another trend was the molded body-line, interrupted by sharp-angled shapes in collars, cuffs and
stiffened hip draperies. This contrast of soft and sharp was achieved by using soft fabrics and
stiffening them with a crisp lining at strategic
points.
Skirts in general narrowed as the year went on.
There was a marked tendency towards asymmetry in clothes of all types. One rever would be
longer than the other; a peplum would spring from the hip at one side only; a line of buttons (and
buttons were everywhere) would march down one side of a bodice or skirt; necklines were cut to
one side; evening dresses had one shoulder strap.
Colors continued dark or neutral. A whole range of charcoal colors as if black had been mixed
with them, appeared. There was much beige and grey. Blue, petrol and thunder blue and royal
blue, returned, especially with black.
Navy blue was chosen for winter and for evening, and other colors particularly favored were dark
greens, many browns and clear geranium reds.
Long gloves went out to meet the three-quarter and elbow-length sleeves. In the evening they
rose to shoulder level; were smartest in black glace kid. Leather belts pulled in every waist on

suits, day dresses, evening dresses. Court shoes and naked sandals (with covered toes and heels)
divided the honors.
Colored shoes were seen in shades of ivy leaf green, pewter, blonde, bronze and dark red. Yards of
pearls circled necks and dropped into deep necklines. Huge chandelier earrings swung to the
shoulders piquant contrast to the ragged gamine hair cut.
Nylon lingerie appeared in sufficient quantities to be on display instead of only under the counter.
Corsets in deep blue and other unconventional colors were a welcome proof that better supplies
were making fashion experiments possible.
Realistically to meet their customers shrinking budgets a number of couture houses in Paris and
London launched or expanded boutiques, little shops selling accessories and more moderately
priced simple clothes, ready-to-wear, or needing only one fitting.
Mens Fashions
In the mens fashion field, 1949 saw the death of the exaggerated drape jacket, which hung
loosely from the shoulders with hardly any indentation at the waist-line. Drape was a style
which originated in England at the end of the 19th century and gave an illusion of broader
shoulders and deeper chest.
After World War II it returned to England from America in such exaggerated forms that the style
leaders at last decided that it no longer had a place in mens fashions.