Even someone who knows hardly anything about the 1940s will probably know that roughly half of it was taken up with the Second World War and that the other half was a time of austerity and continued rationing, but also a time of hope. The fashion of the time reflected both of these phenomena – material was is short supply and was generally quite unadorned; but women found ways of making it glamorous and as much fun to wear as possible. This was still a time when most women would wear a skirt or a dress – and sleep in a nightie. Trousers were certainly worn by working women, and during the war they were increasingly doing manual labour such as factory, construction and farm work, and it is possibly this experience that started the ball rolling to the point where a woman wearing trousers no longer looks remotely strange.

One of the things that first strikes you when you see the typical 1940s dress is that it was made to fit the body snugly, with minimal frills and flaps. The shortage of material is often given as the reason for this style, but dresses from the pre-war period were still petty narrow, although they were generally ankle-length. So the typical knee-length, figure-hugging 1940s dress was influenced both by the prevailing styles and the inevitable shortages. Perhaps with hindsight of what happened next – the 1950s – it could be argued that this style was enforced, waiting to pop like a bottle of champagne, but women probably didn’t realise it at the time.

So the classic look for a 40s dress was trim, straight to the point and a little bit utilitarian. Sleeves and skirt both tended to end at the elbows and knees respectively, and it would not have been all that unusual to have pockets on the sides, at hip level. Colouring would not necessarily have been as drab as you might imagine – dyes were available – and pale blues, greens and reds would have been common. That said, if you are planning on scouring the vintage clothing stores to get a dress with that off-duty wartime feel so real that it sounds like the Glenn Miller Orchestra, something in the military shades – greens, olives, blues and khakis – is essential.

As the 1940s drew to a close, the shape of things to come in women’s dress was becoming a little more noticeable. Dresses were definitely getting a little longer, although they did not reach 1930s lengths. And details such as pleats, which can double the amount or material required, began to work their way into the styles of the day.

It is worth remembering also that for most working-class women, dresses would not have been bought off the shelf – they would have been hand-made with great care. This means that clothes would have been a perfect fit for their makers, but it also means that care must be taken when seeking genuine vintage items when shopping today. But when you finally find that dress that completely befits this hugely influential decade in women’s fashion, you won’t look back.

There\’s a unmistakable charm about a classic 1940\’s dress and James is an expert in seeing the beauty in vintage clothing items of all types. He reviews and explains vintage fashions and trends for various stores and outlets.

There\’s a unmistakable charm about a classic 1940\’s dress and James is an expert in seeing the beauty in vintage clothing items of all types. He reviews and explains vintage fashions and trends for various stores like http://www.rokit.co.uk/ and others.

Author Bio: There\’s a unmistakable charm about a classic 1940\’s dress and James is an expert in seeing the beauty in vintage clothing items of all types. He reviews and explains vintage fashions and trends for various stores and outlets.

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