1940s fashion

   Considering 1940s fashion is usually described as being that of drab colors, functional cuts and all-around limited creativity due to wartime restrictions and military style, you probably think people are crazy to call the ’40s an era that “rocked.”

   But you see, that’s exactly what the ’40s was all about: It rocked a woman’s closet because the war literally stopped the trends, and women had to make due with the limited inspiration and fabric available as World War II raged.

   Not only did designers stop designing from 1939 to 1945, but the government set limits on how much nylon, wool and other materials a woman could purchase to make her clothing.

   It was the absence of designers and these wartime restrictions that forced women to adapt, improvise and get creative when it came to choosing their wardrobe. Despite restrictions, awesome trends still emerged from the decade and some of these styles are quintessential pieces in the  modern woman’s closet today.

1940s fashion investments were strategic and smart. Women purchased classic pieces that they could wear for seasons to come. Their coats needed to be as versatile as the rest of their wardrobe.

Pencil skirts were popular in the ’40s because women quite literally couldn’t wear longer skirts due to government restrictions on the amount of materials used in garments.

In 1942, the War Production Board announced order  that said jackets could be no more than 25 inches in length, pants no more than 19 inches in circumference at the hem, belts no more than two inches wide and heels no more than an inch in height!

   Knee-length coats came into vogue in the 1940s because of fabric restrictions. No longer was it considered trendy to wear a maxi-length coat made from rich, warm fabrics like wool. Even if you had the money to buy a luxurious and lengthy style, clothing brands were bowing to US demands and producing more conservative styles with less fabric and almost zero decoration.

   For ladies who couldn’t afford to buy a new shorter piece, they’d cut the bottoms from their ’30s coats to stay on trend with the new shorter-length look!

Simple floral designs satisfied the ’40s woman’s desire for something decadent in her wardrobe. Plus, the synthetic fiber rayon was the least war-rationed material, and because of its cotton-esque properties took to floral designs and light coloring well.

   One of the most popular (not to mention easiest) ways to spotlight some ’40 style into your look is by wearing a patterned scarf tied from the back of your head into a knot at your forehead.

   This style wasn’t a look worn by day for the typical lady of the ’40s. Rather, it was a practical but pretty way for the new working woman of the era to keep her hair out of her eyes and away from the machinery she might have been handling at her factory job.

This is a fashion show showing the 1940s fashion.