Fiona Kay is a costume historian and Neil Storey is a social historian and they both have remarkable archives assembled over many years that chart British lives and fashions from the 1850s to the 1950s and together they have created a new book on 1940s fashion, ideal for both those approaching the subject for the first time or even those who know the subject well and want an enjoyable book on the period. Here is their selection of ten things you may not know about 1940s fashion...
Fiona Kay and Neil Storey
Steel used in corsets not classed as an 'essential' in wartime and corsets became floppy. Women in the services and other roles often having to stand for long hours, became vocal about need for good support and in 1944 corsetry was classified under the 'Essential Works Order.'
Norman Hartnell staged the first major British fashion show in wartime in Mayfair, London on 26 September 1939. Hartnell proved it was possible to combine wartime expedients with the height of fashion and it was no surprise when he gained the Royal Warrant as Dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth the following year.
Blackouts caused massive increase in accidents due to poor visibility in the darkened streets. People needed to be seen in the blackout so a range of bright white and luminous items soon hit the market which included button badges and flower brooches to be worn in the lapels of jackets and coats, umbrella covers, white pixie hoods, luminous waistcoats, hatbands, armbands, cross belts, large white gauntlet gloves, exaggerated berthe collars going from neck to shoulders and even large white inserts down the side seam of trousers.
The onesie is nothing new! Many people carried on just wearing their ordinary night attire with a few extra layers and a coat in easy reach in the event of an air raid one garment above all others has become synonymous with wartime home front clothing – the siren suit. Based on the designs of pre-war one-piece ski clothing the 'siren suits', and so-called ARP suits of similar ilk, soon made their appearance. Churchill have several of them which he referred to as his 'romper suit.'
The Women's Land Army coat was designed by Worth but the rest of the uniform was a practical green jumper, aertex shirt and corduroy breeches and Wellies. Vita Sackville-West wrote: 'You cannot look fashionable in uniform; you can usually look only trim, neat and correct; but the Land Girls uniform does offer the alternative of looking picturesque.'
Girls working in ordnance factories needed to wear protective foundation to preserve skin from chemicals. Shortages became so severe in 1942 that the Ministry of Supply issued workers with an allowance for high-grade foundation and face powder.
Rationing of clothes was introduced on 1 June 1941. Its introduction has been described as 'the best kept secret of the war.' Initially there were not even any special clothing ration books printed, extra margarine coupons were to be used instead.
Utility clothing was produced under strict guidelines of quality and prescribed specifications. Skirts were limited to three buttons, six seams, two box pleats and only one pocket. The width of belts, collars & sleeves was also heavily restricted. Only four buttons were allowed on a coat and all shoes were to have neither open toes nor heels higher than two inches.
The woman 'doing her bit' for the war effort in a host of jobs on the land, in the factories or canteens the practical scarf turban became the iconic emblem of the hands-on woman war worker. Easy to make at home from scrap fabric, eminently practical for war work, in truth it was also good for hiding unstyled hair and allowed the wearer to get off to work without such worries. In truth, it was also good for hiding unwashed hair as shampoo became scarce towards the end of the war.
Fuel shortages in 1943 resulted in people taking fewer baths and in any social situation body odour or 'B.O.' is really unpleasant, deodorants were the answer, but many women were wary. The Lady magazine of May 1943 stated 'Some people are still nervous of deodorants, thinking they are harmful. Of course they are not. They are a vital necessity for your friend’s sake as well as yours.'
