The Long and Short of 1940s Dresses
0 views
Skip to first unread message
James Brooks
May 8, 2013, 8:30:04 PM5/8/13
to publish-the...@googlegroups.com
*****************************************************************
Message delivered directly to members of the group:
publish-the...@googlegroups.com
*****************************************************************
Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
James Brooks
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1107266
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1107266
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: The Long and Short of 1940s Dresses
Author: James Brooks
Word Count: 527
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1107266&ca=Culture
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1107266
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1107266
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
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.
About The Author: 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.
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1107266
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
Message delivered directly to members of the group:
publish-the...@googlegroups.com
*****************************************************************
Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
James Brooks
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1107266
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1107266
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: The Long and Short of 1940s Dresses
Author: James Brooks
Word Count: 527
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1107266&ca=Culture
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1107266
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1107266
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
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.
About The Author: 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.
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1107266
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages