1940's FASHION- FASHION HISTORY SESSIONS

[Music] strict and utilitarian the fashion of the 1940s reveals the hardship of war but is it true that this was no time for fashion i'm estella mendes welcome to fashion history sessions the 1940s were dominated by war running from it fighting it and recovering from it loss fear deception and grief to cover people's minds world war ii started in 1939. the united states joined the war in 1941 unfortunately the war ended with the ally victory in 1945. this was one of the most catastrophic events in history it is estimated that around 75 million people died in this war with the end of the war the second part of the 1940s it's about recovering rebuilding and reinventing women's role in the second world war became more evident comparing to the previous war not only were they contributing at home for the war effort but in some countries like the soviet union they were actually at the front the united states decided not to send women to the front instead women served in administration roles as mechanics electricians or nurses in europe women were facing more at home if they were not being victims of persecution some would take roles in various resistances like in france italy or poland [Music] the fashion industry is going to suffer a dramatic and unprecedented setback with this war the odd could your business will be tremendously affected with the nazi occupation of paris lucian lelong presided the champers in the cal de la utte parisienne and managed to convince the nazis not to take the oath couture business to berlin or vienna some parisian salons remain open there was a shortage of materials and the clientele was mostly german after the liberation of paris the odd couture business started to slowly recover the international clientele and reignite its contacts in 1945 couturiers presented an exhibition entitled theatre de la mod at the musee des artes in paris this was a way for katuhis to show their new creations this exhibition went also to the united states a market that would save the parisian would couture business from food to fuel everything was limited because it had to go to the effort of war during the war the british government took control of textile production like cloth and wool only 15 of textiles produced would be able to be employed in the garment industry this industry was advised to produce a reduced stock enough to cover people's needs prices were also controlled to allow affordability this is how utility clothing became the only clothing in the market this is unprecedented in the past sanctuary laws were implemented in regards to fashion though only applied to some members of society during the war rationing and utility clothing was applied to every rank of society utility clothing restricted the amount of fabric used for each piece of clothing the length of m lines the number of pockets and the number of buttons utility clothing was meant to be colorful and uplifting to boost morale some designers like bianca mosca and molino collaborated with the board of trade to create designs that were appealing and compelled to the restrictions in the end this fashion was quite colorful and joyful the absence of new fashion from paris created a vacuum in america that though part of the war since 1941 enjoyed peace at home american designers like charles james and maine butcher returned to new york this decade seized the emergence of the true american fashion characterized by a sense of comfort and practicality 1940s american fashion sees the growth of sportswear and ready to wear this kind of fashion was not perceived as inferior to old couture designers like claire mcardle will pave the way for an american fashion that was independent from the parisian trends and represented the american lifestyle hollywood would still be influential in the idea of glamour and sophistication the ideal body of a woman in the 1940s was curvaceous and robust with broad shoulders a small waist and round hips nothing like the tall super slim woman of the previous decade fashion reflects this silhouette with padded shoulders as small waist and knee-length skirts the suit of the 1940s presents this same silhouette usually made of wool its strict shape reminds us of the war uniforms peplums were very popular as it was a way to balance the silhouette with broad shoulders which also would reinforce the idea of a small waist dresses would often have sweetheart necklines with broad shoulders and lots of rushing 1940s fashion was very colorful with intense bright colors in the united states in particular we see a nationalism in gloating blue red and white was in every garment women would dress in the patriotic colors from head to toe strong colors were a way to contradict the sadness of war creating a positive energy bold prince became also very popular they took the place of dreams that were produced in european countries fighting the war [Music] the 1940s look relied a lot on accessories hats were fundamental as clothes were restricted adorning the hand was a way to balance the look hats would be of great variety of styles and colors some were decorated with flowers they could be small or quite big either way they would always create a statement [Music] turbans were also very popular they could be made of more or less expensive materials but they were certainly the kind to elevate the look snoots were in fashion for most of the decade concealing the hair and often attached to a hat costume jewelry was a way of adding a bit of pizzazz to the look big chunky bracelets made of bakelite in different colors cherry necklaces and so forth accessories were not rationed and as they were made of affordable materials women wore them a great deal 1940s shoes were not particularly delicate they were quite chunky with square hills and sometimes decorated with flowers platforms were the great trend of the decade often made from thick fabrics which the wedge was made of wood straw or cork during the war an island was used for many different things and silk was used for parachutes this means a shortage in stockings some women would draw a line on the back of their legs pretending to actually be wearing stockings well in hard times one must be inventive in the 1940s elaborate hairstyles were in fashion there was no restrictions to hairstyles like the ones we found in fashion during the war women wore their hair shorter and in the second half of the decade they let their hair grow movie stars will popularize long hair like veronica lake or rita hayward with her red hair curled hair was in fashion women went on to create the most amazing hairdos out of curls victory rolls were the most popular [Music] during the war women were incentivized to wear makeup as it boosted makeup was not rationed but it was very expensive as it had a luxury tax so instead of buying mascara for example women would burn cork and mix it with vaseline beet root was also used for blush the 1940s makeup consisted in the high arch eyebrow with a natural eye shadow the cat eye eyeliner and false eyelashes on the top lead a soft blush and a bright red lipstick the bright red lip became a symbol of resistance as it was known that hitler hated red lipstick in 1941 elizabeth arden launched a lipstick called victory red it was a great success women were defying the dictator with bright red lips with paris almost inactive during the war america fashion flourishes one of the most important designers of this decade is claire mccardell she is one of the pioneers of the american ready to wear she made utility clothing look beautiful mcardle soon resigned from the parisian influence in fashion looking for ideas in american streets and this way she learned about the american woman in 1941 she created a line of separates composed by five items with which you could create nine different outfits an inventive idea that is today known as the capsule wardrobe her pop over dress was created to respond to a harper's bizarre challenge that consisted in creating a dress that a woman could wear whilst cleaning the house and could take the same dress to a cocktail mccardle's prop overdress was a huge success only in its first season sold more than 000 copies at 6.95 this became a staple of our fashion reinvented many times afterwards in different lengths and fabrics right after the end of the war pierre palmer opens his fashion house in 1945 he launches a new silhouette a more opulent kind of fashion with rich fabrics and exquisite embroideries with a fitted waist and bell-shaped skirts it became known as the julie madame this style would open the door for the greatest change in style in the decade a style that would dictate part of the 1950s fashion christian dior launched his first collection entitled kahal in 1947. this silhouette consisted in rounded shoulders a cinched in waist and a very full skirt the american press started to call it the new look dior's new loop used fabrics lined with paracol cotton hip padding corsets and petticoats for a fuller skirt it celebrated femininity and detached from the severity of utility clothing the ultra feminine woman was back in fashion [Music] hollywood stars were great fashion icons in this decade rita hayward with her red hair embodied the strong 1940s body ideal full of energy and sensuality but another body type was a small and curvy one portrayed by pinups like betty grable these peanuts were the girls soldiers were dreaming of when i wore a delicate and playful girl both would wear sensual clothes and often seen in beachwear nevertheless one of the most iconic fashion images we have of the 1940s is the exuberant carmen miranda if turbans were in fashion not only she would wear one but would wear a pineapple if bracelets were the hype she would wear lots of them carmen miranda created this exotic tropical exaggerated and glamorous persona her tiny statue would be eclipsed by the outrageous headpieces extravagant colorful clothes and above all her platform shoes [Music] fashion reflects the world we live in it's a reaction to it during the 1940s fashion reacts by embracing its functional aspect but the need that human beings have to express themselves could never allow fashion to remain only in its utilitarian role though this decade was one of the worst periods in history fashion somehow managed to react with color creativity and a bit of humor the 1940s fashion experience tells us that putting clothes on is more than the need to cover up it affects our emotions helps us communicate who we are and how we want to be perceived fashion helps stimulate unity and create identity the 1940s dressed for victory and victorious it was this was a fashion history session on the 1940s fashion if you like this video please like it and subscribe to the channel for more similar content

Channel: Fashion History Sessions

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Id: Z9b2lY3pxnY

Length: 14min 43sec (883 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 10 2021