The prevailing styles of 1940s fashion?
Well, that depends.
Not plastic pennies or a new series of banknotes, but rationing stamps.
In Paris, especially during the German Occupation, the couture industry was tightly regulated.
The biggest trend at the start of the 1940s was utility dressing.
While the skirt suit was not a novel fashion item, the stark, menswear-inspired tailoring was.
Vogue,June 1, 1940, photographed by Horst P. Horst
Adornments came in the form of military elements like belts and breast pockets.
It was prim without looking overly fussyessentially a practical dress that wasnt at odds with the sobering times.
Plus, it was the style championed by American and British authorities.
Vogue, September 1943, photographed by John Rawlings
likes itso will you.
being the War Production Board established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in January 1942 following Pearl Harbor.)
At the time,hats, still a somewhat mandatory accouterment for a woman, shrunk in size.
Vogue, September 1945, photographed by Constantin Joffe
They were worn askew at an angle and crafted from a variety of materials, from felt to straw.
Shoeswere sturdy: Toes were rounded, and heels were substantial.
Unexpected materials continued to proliferate in fashion; in 1947 Guccio Gucci famously gave us the curved bamboo-handle bag.
Vogue, September 1946, photographed by Horst P. Horst
Without Paris, the US looked inward for fashion direction.
that would travel the world.
Later that fall, Texan Mrs. William J. Woodward formed the Little-Above-the-Knee Club to protest Diors wasteful skirt styles.
Women model the new wartime utility fashions, 1942
However, Woodward was in the extreme minority.
Voguedescribed the Bar Suit thus: Pale tussore jacket hip-padded like a tea cosy; pleated jersey skirt.
The Little-Below-the-Knee Club leg it in protest of longer skirts.
Hardy Amies takes time out from his officer training to prepare his spring collection. Here, he’s seen showcasing shorter, less wasteful hemlines, 1940
Though it caused a splash, it would take a decade before the suit could shake its scandalousness.
Turn-ups on the hems of pants were also 86d under certain rationing protocols.
In 1948 the Academy Awards introduced an award for best costume design, underscoring the role of fashion onscreen.
A model wearing a striped cotton shirtwaist dress, July, 1941
For front row tickets, emailparis@vogueworld.com
Actor Dorothy Lamour showcasing an inventive hat, c. 1944
A trio of stylish women and their accessories, c. 1940s
A design by American designer Norman Norell for Hattie Carnegie, 1945
Designs by Clare McCardell (left) and Eisenberg (right) in Boston’s Louisburg Square, 1946
Katharine Hepburn, stylish in pants, 1940
“Théâtre de la Mode” at the Pavillon de Marsan in Paris in May 1945
Voguedescribed the Bar Suit thus: “Pale tussore jacket hip-padded like a tea cosy; pleated jersey skirt.”
The Little-Below-the-Knee Club leg it in protest of longer skirts.
The bikini’s big debut, July 5, 1946
Christian Dior after a show at the Savoy Hotel, London, 1950
A trio of men Zoot Suits in Los Angeles, California, 1942
Princess Elizabeth, future Queen Elizabeth II, on her wedding day, 1947
Nat King Cole, 1940
