Make me a… 1940’s Wartime Woman

The third in my series helping modern girls to wear the fashions of their ancestors, this week I address the changeable period of time that was the war-torn 1940’s. These will contain clothes (both vintage, vintage inspired and direct repro), makeup and more, to help you achieve that distinctly vintage fashion style!

View :

• Part 1: Understanding Vintage Fashion
• Part 2: Understanding Vintage Fashion

This week I tackle the smart suits and working woman’s styles that characterise that most austere and determined part of history.

 The war had a dramatic effect on the women of the war in the 1940’s, plunging housewives into working roles for the first time in modern history. My own grandmother was a wartime worker, and never quite got over the disappointment of having to go back to the home once the men returned to their jobs. Because of this the need for practicality over high fashion was dramatically apparent, and women often wore suitable trousers and dungarees in preference to the suits and dresses that are used more often to represent this era. Consequently these are what I will show you now, suitable as they are for modern day wear.

 

1940's fashion denim trousers

The trousers are great fun, with a high waist and wide bold legs. I think that curvy girls with bigger hips can wear them just as well as the willowy type, mainly due to the fact that they were designed to be comfy and easy to wear. Vivien of Holloway produced these incredibly cute denim trousers, whilst if dungarees are your thing (much harder to wear in my opinion!) then try these from Freddie’s of Pinewood. Personally I think inspired looks are better for this, as you can look 1940’s whilst still getting to wear modern measurements for differently proportioned women.

1940's Fashion inspired dungarees

 If you love the gorgeous dresses and suits of the 1940’s (and let’s face it, who doesn’t) then you are probably fed up of me going on about the wonderous trousers and funky vintage dunagrees. The suits and dresses, I must admit, are where you can really go all out and enjoy the look, cinched waist and all. For dresses try Swirls and pretty work wear, any online vintage shop will stock a beautiful example! Whilst the look was still designed for waspish beauties, curvy girls need to concentrate on excellent tailoring, spending a bit more to make the sexy look right. Think Christina Hendricks in Madmen (I know it is 1960’s, but the tailoring point stands across eras!) and you can understand that curvy shapes do work brilliantly for suited looks!

Beautifully Curvy Christina Hendricks

Keep the skirt length long to the knees to make the look 1940’s, and have a little fun with gently padded shoulders. Personally I would dream of a truly vintage suit, but inspired looks are available all over the interwebs and can often give a brilliantly modern twist on the general 1940’s look. The colour range out there is great, so why not try rocking this dramatic orange look if you want to add an 80’s on trend vibe, or keep it sophisticated and office friendly in tan. eBay is teaming with these! Having fun with a suit and adding some vintage feeling can really update your outfit, especially if you throw in a modern scarf or a totally noughties pair of heels!

1904's fashion vintage orange suit

1940's fashion vintage tan suit

If you really want to act like you live in the 40’s try being creative and making your own accessories with scraps you have lying around the house. After all, make do and mend was hot stuff at the time, and fabrics were rationed. If you are feeling a little lazy, however, try silver (gold was hard to get hold of in the war), along with paste gems, delicate chains and the occasion flower/bird motif.

 

Finally, you have to work the 1940’s makeup look. A little more accessible than the 1930’s, this makeup went for feminine bright lip colours and simply “unadorned” skin. Powders and soft shades were used, whilst the eyebrows were well defined/sculpted and the cheeks had a healthy rosy glow. I love this era as the makeup isn’t complicated but is beautifully effective. Try Fleur’s wonderful tutorials to see how to work fake bangs and curls to the best of their ability – trust me, she is an expert!