40S Fashion Facts How Did Fashion Reflect The 40S Society

The fashion of the ’40s was an identity of that decade.You must have heard of the phrase ‘fashion is a reflection of society’. This has been true throughout history.Right after the infamous stock market crash that took place in 1929 leading to the Great Depression, life was nothing but full of struggles. Since then, fashion has been a great escape for people. People loved imagining a glamorous, carefree life for themselves and fashion was a great tool for the same. Feminine yet modest dresses and men’s wide-shouldered suits that gave their bodies an illusion of a more masculine physique were becoming quite popular. White paste jewelry, furs, beads, gloves, and pocketbooks were the most common accessories which gave their look a wealthy, million-dollar vibe.The ’30s went by, in came the ’40s, and with it came the darker days. September 1939 marked the beginning of World War II when the Germans invaded Poland and the lives of every single person changed for at least a good decade. Fashion started taking a newer and more realistic turn. With all men in war and women busy doing literally everything else, a glamorous life soon became a thing of the past.Men’s wide padded shoulders and tampering sleeves took a sudden turn into uniforms. Women’s feminine dresses were now more masculine reflecting a more practical and time conservative life. The shoulder paddings that were earlier enjoyed by men were shifted into women’s clothing. Haute couture was overshadowed by global conflict as the world was burning in the flames of war.  If you love learning about fashion history, further reads like ’50s fashion facts and ’20s fashion facts should be your next stop.’40s Women’s Fashion HistoryShorter hemlines, long hair, and shoulder pads were the hallmarks of women’s fashion in the ’40s.While thinking of the ’40s fashion world, and because how fashion is hugely dominated by societal factors, one might think if the fashion industry really did exist back then. But truth be told, war or no war, fashion will always be a constant. In fact, the women’s fashions during the ’40s have also played a huge role for the later years to come in being a great inspiration. Now when do you think women jumped in to wear pants like men? With pantsuits and casual looks, the ’40s fashion had created a foundation for all the years to come.If we try to explain ’40s fashion for women in simple words, it was defined by a simple and clean silhouette with a military touch. The women started leaning towards a little more masculine fit with a feminine silhouette. Blouses, any type of utility dress, jackets, and sweaters were more close-fitting to give an hourglass look and flaunt the feminine features.Skirts were made with shorter hemlines compared to earlier trends of full skirts and sharp shoulder pads which was specifically a masculine thing in the past. Sleeves could be seen as short, dresses were more casual, and the utility suit and pants were being welcomed into the world of women’s fashion. Additionally, leopard prints also became more prominent in women’s clothing.Paris has always been denoted as the capital of fashion houses, with designers like Coco Chanel and Pierre Cardin, but this was not true during World War II. Prior to 1939, fashion trends always originated from Paris and inspired a lot of London fashion designers as well. However, when Paris was attacked by Germany, French fashion designers were bound to flee the country and fashion houses were closing up.A lot of fashion designers who did choose to stay saw their career doomed and their designs were limited in terms of exposure and they had to come up with their own creativity. That’s where New York took up the charge and decided to be the knight in shining armor for the fashion enthusiasts waiting for the new trend to hit and created new styles that were greatly influenced by the war.With a full-fledged war out there, it comes as no surprise that utility clothing was everywhere. A lot of materials were banned and scarce, ’30s fashion pieces like silk stockings and undergarments were out of the question and people learned to work out with everything that was available to them. The little access that people had to materials like silk and nylon was used for parachutes and waterproof maps. Many women even donated their good ol’ silk stockings to be made into parachutes.Civilian clothes resorted to new materials like rayon, wool blends, and cotton. American cotton began making its way into the mainstream fashion world for casual wear. Women wear for daytime included clothes made out of soft materials, while for the nights heavier clothing like a thick suit jacket was used. Women wore their hair up to their shoulders or longer with no bangs. Women often wore head scarves, hats, or turbans. Hair accessories like head scarves were mostly used to keep the hair away while working. Kangaroo cloaks were also used as an important accessory for their huge pockets to store essential items for emergencies.With the Second World War finally ending in the year 1945 and restrictions being lifted, the war fashion trends continued among civilians with a little more colors until fashion designer Christian Dior, a French designer came up with his debut collection, known as the ’new look’. With a softer and more defined hourglass silhouette that was achieved through the corset, and hip and bust padding, Christian Dior created a new era in the world of fashion that would be a popular clothing trend in the next decade.’40s Men’s Fashion HistoryMen’s clothing after World War II without surprise included military clothing. Men who were not on the battlefield still continued to wear suits.Although suits were still in fashion and were worn for both semi-formal and formal occasions, men worked out with their old suits because of the amount of fabric that is used in order to make them. New suits, unlike before, were made out of wool-rayon blend instead of pure wool, which was used for military clothing. The fabric used in making a suit jacket was more than often patterned or striped. With muted tones that included grays, browns, and black.The uniforms belonging to military clothing were modified into civilian clothing and put together with trench coats, bomber jackets, knitted undershirts, pea coats, chino pants, and aviator glasses. However, overall, the inclusion of muted coats, shirts, and trousers remained the same for both military uniforms and civilian clothing. Well, now you know who did these badass trends first!The United Kingdom had strict rules on men’s fashion and swapped double-breasted suit jackets with single-breasted ones with fewer pockets and smaller lapels to try and conserve materials that were really scarce during wartime. The trousers too had restrictions and were made without cuffs. However, in the United States, the restrictions were a little less strict than that of the United Kingdom and had almost similar restrictions on their ‘victory suit’. The ‘zoot suit’ that was a popular style and was inspired by the jazz culture, that included a baggy and colorful cut of the pants, also had restrictions but was still spotted being worn. However, some people even considered zoot suits to be unpatriotic due to the careless approach to fashion during a time of scarcity. High-waisted pants were popular among teenagers. These pants were worn with turned-up cuffs, paired with white socks and penny loafers. For casuals, knitted tank-tops, trouser braces, and expanding sleeve holders were also very popular among men in ’40s fashion. Another popular men’s fashion accessory was hats. Hats were used as a final and finishing touch to well-dressed men’s clothing styles. However, during the World War II era, hats had lesser fans and were later made famous post-war. These hats were made from mostly felt and straw. For activewear, flap caps were also equally popular.Later, when the war finally ended, with the returning soldiers, men went back to a bolder look with ties incorporated into their suits with louder color and patterns. Sports jackets also gained popularity in casual looks with contrasting colors. ’40s Fashion: ShoesComfort was the main goal for ’40s fashion and the same goes for footwear.The fashion trends of the ’40s were more practical and were nothing like those fancy ’30s shoes. Shoes in the women’s department were plain, unlike the shoes in the ’30s which were elaborately detailed, and were sturdy and chunky. Leather was essential for the war and therefore the shoes that were made for the civilians came in materials like velvet, mesh, and reptile skin. Heels for women were short and also came in pumps by the later half of the ’40s. The color of the shoes during the war period was limited to muted colors such as brown, black, olive green, and light tan. Due to the benefit of gaining height and at the same time being comfortable, wedges were in and were preferred by many women. One of the commonest and most popular styles for wedges was peep toes and could also be seen in other shoes as well. Another popular style in the ladies’ footwear section was sling backs and slip-in pumps.For casuals, women chose oxfords and saddle shoes which resembled men’s shoes but were mostly rounded at the tip. Because of the comfort that these shoes provided, it was famous among all ages, from teens to working women. Oxfords were also famous for the heel that it came with making it feminine and comfortable at the same time. Many working professionals such as nurses, maids, waitresses, and other office job holders were also required to wear oxfords with their uniforms. Today, such shoes can be found in antique stores, as well as designer shoe shops.However, men’s footwear styles remained almost constant from the ’20s to the ’50s with similar styles and overall colors. Lace-up dress shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, and loafers were a popular choice among men for almost four decades. What sets each decade apart was the design and unique detailing that were specific to each decade. Stuck between the ornamented ’30s style and colorful ’50s footwear were the ’40s shoes. Men’s fashion was impacted by the war even more than women’s because of the shortage of leather which was mostly used for soldiers. This scarcity made leather shoes very expensive and rare. So expensive that if you would try purchasing a pair of leather shoes back then you would have to spend half of your family’s ration stamp. Hence, men had to look for cheaper options in oxford shoes that were made out of fabric which was not rationed and inexpensive but at the same time would not last long. Men’s shoes in the ’40s were chunky and heavy, and unlike women did not have a lot of options that were promising enough to last long. Oxfords were, although inexpensive, very popular and came in mellow brown or saddle brown, dark brown, and black. For summer, white oxfords were famous and were categorized as an upper-class luxury. Other popular men’s footwear included saddle shoes, two-toned shoes, half or ankle boots, monk strap shoes, slip-on shoes, loafers, Converse All Star tennis shoes, cowboy shoes, and hiking shoes. Socks were usually tall or mid-calf and above the ankle, which was mostly worn with work shoes. These socks were made of ribbed cotton or wool, and rayon blend.      ’40s Swimsuits And BeachwearSwimsuits came in one-piece styles and the two-piece suits were only making an entry into the world of women’s fashion. Unlike the ’30s, the swimsuits of the ’40s included both two-pieces as well as one-piece. The one-piece, which already had its popularity in the previous decade, was now tighter with padded bras for more support and thinner straps. The V neckline was in but revealed the least cleavage along with other necklines like the halter neck. Suit bottoms became shorter and fell just above the thighs and were designed in the shape of skirts or loose shorts. The two-piece swimsuit was just like a one-piece with the middle part cut out making these suits a two-piece fabric, as the name suggests. The bottom part of the suit was high-waisted and would come up at least a little above the belly button. And guess what? It was just in the middle of this decade that bikini first came out. They too were designed in the same design but were tighter and lower on the waist which was found to be too revealing in those times making it less popular in the beginning.Beachwear, or also known as playsuits, were tiny dresses that wrapped over swimsuits and were button-down dresses that were made out of light cotton materials. Playsuits also included high-waisted shorts that were paired with a halter-neck swimsuit top. This beachwear was mostly common among teenagers and young girls, while mature women would have a more modest and conservative version of them. The swimsuits in the ’40s were made out of materials like rayon, jersey, rayon-jersey blends, and knitted cotton linings.The Effect Of War On FashionThe fashion world of the ’40s was directly impacted by the ongoing rage of the war, making the trends of the decade very interesting.Both men and women were impacted by the war that broke out in the year 1939 and everyone’s life took a sudden drift to more restricted and darker times. Rationing was ordered and was well accepted by each and everyone throughout all war-affected countries. In order to provide war supplies effectively, the fabric was rationed.The situations were not ideal and people were forced to learn to live with the changes. Due to the increasing scarcity of dress materials, people were required to come up with new and innovative ways to carry out their day-to-day fashion lifestyle. This was the time where simple was the new black and everyone hoped onboard with an optimistic perspective.Because nylon and wool were both essential for the military and Japanese silk was banned after the attack on Pearl Harbor, rayon was the star for daily clothing material choices. Women also preferred utility jumpsuits which were warm, comfortable, and could be easily put on when the sirens went off. Wool too was in great demand in the military and therefore designers came up with wool blends made out of recycled wool and rayon. Rayon was hugely popular and was preferred by women because of its properties such as less shrinking or creasing and being produced easily in light or heavyweights.Seamed stockings came into the picture as well and these were made out of nylon. However, when the demand for nylon grew in the military, women wore tan makeup on their legs with a line drawn to give the illusion of stockings.The war period was definitely not easy for anyone and fashion was hugely impacted by it like any other thing in the world. Nevertheless, at the same time, people and the fashion world did a great job at bouncing back to a more post-war fashion statement with great fashion designers working hard on making fashion accessible, comfortable and stylish at the same time to help rid the trauma of the war.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ’40s fashion facts then why not take a look at 1956 fun facts, or ’60s fashion facts.

The fashion of the ’40s was an identity of that decade.