FASHION IN THE 1940s

By Natalie Dahdah

When Nylon stockings were first introduced in 1939, by Dupont. Women loved them, they spread throughout the country. They weren’t cheap in the beginning and there was a major demand for them in the U.S. from the onset of the war. The designer, Dupont couldn’t keep them on the shelves.

NYLONS INTRODUCED

http://glamourdaze.com/2013/01/1940s-wartime-fashion-paint-your-own-stockings.html

M&Ms were first created by Forrest Mars during the Spanish Civil War for the soldiers to eat and had a sugar coating so they wouldn’t melt in their hands. The manufacturing process began on March 3, 1941. They were first packaged in cardboard tubes, then changed to bags.

M&MS CREATED

http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventors/a/ForrestMars.htm

The D-day invasion was on June 6, 1944. It was the invasion of Normandy during World War II. It was the largest amphibious invasion to ever take place. 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches on the Coast of France Normandy.

D-DAY INVASION

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day

The first bikini bathing suit was introduced on July 5, 1946 by Louis Reard at a swimming pool in Paris. They started being worn during World War II because fabric was being rationed for the war and uniforms. He designed one called the atom, because it was the worlds smallest bathing suit. It took until the 1950s for most countries to allow it on public beaches.

BIKINIS INTRODUCED

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bikini-introduced

http://www.vintagedancer.com/1940s/1940s-bathing-suits/

The first built computer was the ENIAC, which was the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, it was an entire room. It was built as a secret World War II military project by John Mauchly during the war, but was finished after it ended. They needed to speed up the mathematical calculations for the Army.

FIRST COMPUTER BUILT

http://www.ushistory.org/oddities/eniac.htm

The household telephone was created in the 1940s during World War II because the amount of calls increased, many more people had to be reached during the war. They did anything they could to help the war effort.

HOUSEHOLD TELEPHONE

http://www.telephonymuseum.com/History%201940-today.htm

1940s Everyday People and Style

1940s Everyday People and Style

1940s Everyday People and Style

World War II was the most significant event during the decade of the 1940s. It impacted almost every American life in every way, especially in fashion. It was from 1939 to 1945 in Europe, Russia, North Africa and Asia. It was fought between the Axis Powers and the Allies, 60 million people died by the end of the war, 40 million were civilians. During the war all fabric had to be rationed for soldiers’ uniform, so the style of fashion became more revealing, dresses became shorter, and they style was very militaristic. The designers during this time period had to make do with the fabric they had, their motto was “make do and mend”. Women also began wearing the same clothes as men. Nylon wool and silk were restricted due to the war. Fashion was impacted on social and economic scenes.

WORLD WAR II

http://fashion.ekstrax.com/2013/01/1940s-fashion-impact-of-world-war-ii-on.html

https://sites.google.com/a/umn.edu/historpedia/home/arts-new-ideas/women-s-fashion-during-wwi-and-ww2-fall-2012

As soon as nylons were introduced in 1939 by Dupont, they became extremely popular and every woman wanted a pair. They were the replacement for silk stockings because they were being rationed for the war, no one could get them anymore. Women also put tan makeup on their legs and used eye liner to draw a line up the back of their legs to look like seams. They were a very popular fashion trend during the time of the war.

NYLONS

http://glamourdaze.com/2013/01/1940s-wartime-fashion-paint-your-own-stockings.html

With the war and rationing of fabric, skirt lengths began to rise because the fabric was needed for the war. The hemlines of dresses rose to the knee. It was the new 1940s look, knee length button down dresses, trim waists and padded shoulders.

SHORTER HEMLINES

http://glamourdaze.com/2009/08/1940s-fashion-womens-dress-code.html

Shoulder pads became a new fashion trend in almost every jacket or dress in the 1940s because it had a masculine look to it, this was when women began to dress like men. This was also during the war which had a military look to it and women's fashion began to look like men's uniforms in the war.

SHOULDER PADS

http://hubpages.com/hub/Fashion-History-Design-Trends-of-the-1040s

Hats became a way to express your own style in the 1940s, because everyone had to dress the same, in the same militaristic style. Some hats were military styled to go with the outfits they wore, others came in different shapes, styles and colors. The most common hat styles were turbans, berets, military caps, hair snoods, and fascinators with net veils.

HATS

http://www.vintagedancer.com/1940s/vintage-inspired-1940s-hats-for-ladies/

1940s fashion shoes were the wedge, sling back, sandal, oxford, Mary Jane, saddle shoe and peep toe pumps. They were made in different materials because others were needed for the war. Shoes during this time were simple and didn’t come in many different colors.

WEDGED-HEEL SHOES

http://www.vintagedancer.com/1940s/1940s-womens-shoes/

Darker color schemes were a fashion trend in the 1940s because during the war people dressed like the mood of the war and because they dressed like men and their military uniforms they wore dark colors, such as khaki, black and grey.

DARK COLORS

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/40sclothes.html

Christian Dior was a French Fashion designer born on January 21, 1905 in Granville, France. He was the second of 5 children of Alexandre Louis Maurice Dior and Isabelle. When he was young his family moved to Paris, where he grew up. He was passionate about art and was interested in becoming an architect, in 1925 he enrolled at the École des Sciences Politiques to begin his studies in political science, because he was pressured by his dad. Dior opened a small art gallery in 1928 with money that his father lent him. In the few years it was open it had very famous work in it. In 1931 he was forced to close it because of financial purposes. After this he began selling his fashion sketches to make any money he can get. In 1935 he got a job illustrating the magazine Figaro Illustré, years later Dior was hired as a design assistant by Paris couturier Robert Piguet. The next year he served as an officer in the French Army. After France surrendered in 1940 he went back to Paris, where he was hired by couturier Lucien Lelong. He became famous for his wartime designs and reintroduction to feminist designs, this made him the most successful fashion designer in the world, his designs were worn by stars, royalty and the most famous models. Dior went to Montecatini, Italy and suffered his third heart attack and died at the age of 52 on October 23, 1957.

CHRISTIAN DIOR

http://www.biography.com/people/christian-dior-9275315#death

“New Look”-Large Amounts of fabric used post war in 1947 when he introduced this. There were no more war restrictions, so he could use what ever he wanted.

-Softened women’s shoulders because during the war the shoulders on women’s clothing was padded, to look more masculine.

-Emphasized women’s hips and pinched in their waists, people thought it was a more scandalous look.

-Full Skirts people thought were a waste of fabric because they were still in the rationing mind set.

CHRISTIAN DIOR TRENDS

http://fashion.just-the-swing.com/1940s-womens-fashion

Christian Dior’s “New Look” after World War II ended was a reintroduction to feminine

clothing. During the time of the war, women dressed like

men.

CHRISTIAN DIOR

http://fashion.just-the-swing.com/1940s-womens-fashion

Christian Dior’s Designs

Christian Dior’s Designs

CHRISTIAN DIOR

1905-1957

Originally named, Maria Nielli, Nina Ricci was born in Turin, Italy, in 1883. She moved to Florence when she was five years old, then her family moved to France in 1895 when she was 12 years old. When she was 13 she began working in a salon then she was moved up to a dressmaker and by 18 she became the head of the salon finally by 22 she was the chief designer. In 1904 she married Luigi Ricci and had a son named Robert in 1905. In 1908 she joined the house of Raffin as a designer and stayed there for 20 years. Then she opened her own house with her son called House of Ricci. It grew and became very popular. She began to create elegant, sophisticated classic style clothes, and became a popular designer for older women. Then she went on a tour through Europe and the U.S. to show her gowns. Her son then hired Jules-Francois Crahay in 1954. Nina died on November 30, 1970.

NINA RICCI

http://fashion-forum.org/fashion-designers/nina-ricci.html

-Plaid Coats was a trend set by Nina Ricci in the fall of 1948 after the war was over, so they could use more fabric and make full skirts. --Pleated black satin cocktail dress set the trend for formal dresses. They could use satin, a very expensive material now that the war was over and they could use it. --Faux fur was a trend in the cold winters, because they didn’t want to use animals.--Perfume was a major trend by Nina Ricci. L’Air du Temps was made in 1948. Many women loved wearing it.

NINA RICCI TRENDS

http://headtotoefashionart.com/nina-ricci-1883-1970/

Nina Ricci introduced more formal and feminine clothing for women to wear.

NINA RICCI

http://headtotoefashionart.com/nina-ricci-1883-1970/

Nina Ricci’s Designs

1939 Artist: Benigni1939  -  By the  outbreak of war they occupied eleven floors in three buildings, all on the same street as the original Maison de Couture.        

Nina Ricci’s Designs

Nina Ricci1883-1970

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CI-0E_jses

IN THE MOOD- GLENN MILLER