Forties Fashion!

 I saw this book months ago on a blog I follow - Male Pattern Boldness. I knew I had to get my hands on this book. Of course my library didn't have a copy,  but they secured it through inter-library loan. It was a long wait --  finally it arrived from a university in Tennessee.

Forties Fashion from Siren Suits to the New Look was published in 2008. The pictures are out of this world. The information about fashion during the war years is more than fascinating.  How French designers were influenced during  the German occupation was something I never knew. So much to learn and enjoy in this book.

Notice all these publications for using what is on hand. I don't actually remember the national theme called  "Make do and Mend. " though I heard stories from my grandmother and mother. They used frayed men's shirts to make a child's shirt. A men's suit was turned into a women's suit.  I've  heard stories from

Famous designers worked on practical and good-looking military uniforms. Evidently the women's Naval uniform was the best looking of all the branches.  That evidently  influenced the women who enlisted.

There was a bit of a dilemma as whether lipstick would be allowed for women in the service! Finally it was decided that cosmetics were a moral booster. Take a took at the ads.

Lots of  photos show the war's influence on the style of clothing for those at home. 

So many things were rationed  (I have old ration books from my parents.)   I never realized there were such  rigid rules on how much fabric could be used in ready to wear and in patterns. A government yardage  formula to which had to be followed? Oh my goodness...would America accept that today?  The patriotism of that generation was extraordinary.  (When I visited the WWII Memorial in Washington, DC, I saw elderly military gentlemen walking around viewing their memorial. They had tears in their eyes and so did I.)

 I kept my nose  in this book  until it had to be returned. My husband finally told me to buy it. I suppose I could....there it is on Amazon. Maybe I cherish it more by not owning it.  DH also said it was a shame I wasn't born sooner so I could have lived in the era on which I am fixated.  I admit it...the movies, the literature and music and the fashions from that era are my favorites.
See blog -  http://sewsoslow.blogspot.com/2010/08/fashion-from-1940s.html