1940s_1950s

Fashion in 1940s

During the 1940 fashion role passed in second place as the majority of the decade was obscured by the second world war . Because of the war European was no longer seen in the United States of America so the American designers that were not considerate started to become more popular and started to improvements to sizing standards and started to use fibre content and care labels in clothing. One of the main factors to impact fashion was the availability of fabrics. Utmost fabrics were not available because of the war which limited the production of clothes.

In the 1942 there was a limited supply of whole so they started to use artificial fibres such as viscose and rayon are used, which were derived from wood pulp. Nylon was the fabric used to make stockings, was also part of the synthetic fabrics that were popular in the 1940s. Still as the Second World War was progressing, the use of fabrics was for military purposes like making parachutes. Greatest  of the colours seen 1940s reflected the dark war time situation. Colours like black, navy and other dark colours were use. In the meantime that fabrics and money were limited; most of the trends from the 1940s war period represented the realism and utilitarian way of life. Most of the magazines and newspapers articles encouraged women items and clothes that they already owned. Sewing, stitching and knitting, were popular ways to create clothes from fabrics and items around the house and darning was a popular way to mend socks with holes.

Man’s fashion in the 1940 was also reflective warning tone of the war time era. For special occasions men wore suits made of limited materials or V-neck sweater vests or knitted waistcoats over shirt a tie. An iconic suit to emerge in the 1940s was the illicit zoot suit. This suit was usually worn in the night clubs and in the consisted of an oversized jacket, wide lapels, broad shoulders, low crotches, and the pants narrowed toward the ankles. The darkness over the war time fashion  in the 1940s will go on till the end of the war. Then when the war ended, new fashion trends emerged like Christian Dior new look which became popular in America in the 1947s.

People asked theme self when it was the last saw such gentle curves, rounded shoulder line, extravagantly wide skirts and narrow waist (in the BELL’EPOQUE).Dior became the New Look that would define fashion for the next decade.

This new silhouette was so popular that influenced everyone.

The smoothness and the softness of the New Look was illusory; the curved jacket peplum shaped over a high, rounded, curved shoulders, and full skirt of Dior's clothes trusted on an internal creation of new interlining materials to shape the silhouette.

Suits had tailored jackets with peplums, usually worn with a long, thin pencil skirt.

The day dresses had fitted bodices and full skirts, with gem or low necklines or peter pan collars. Shirtdresses, with a shirt like bodice .

 Evening gowns were often the same length as day dresses (called "ballerina length"), with full, foam-covered skirts.

Cocktail dresses, "goodly  than a day dress but not as formal as a dinner or evening dress"

 Skirts were slim or very full, held out with petticoats.

 Short shrugs and bolero jackets, often made to match low-cut dresses, were worn.

CRISTOBAL BALENCIAGA

Everyone was talking about Dior’s New Look but at the beginning we all know that the real innovator was Cristobal Balenciaga.

He received good education, at the edge of 24, he opened hi own fashion house in San Sebastian and then in Madrid and Barcelona.

He had big costumers like Marlene Dietrich Ingrid Bergman, Duchess of Windsor etc… 

Cristobal gowns were perfect for big events, with dramatic detail as short capes, gigantic flounces, trains and wrap around effects that create a frame for the wearer. The flamenco inspired his evening dresses.

Balenciaga invented:

•  collarless blouse and collars which elongated the neck
•    balloon
•  tunic
•  sack
• Chemises dresses.

Cristobal worked with stiff and luxurious fabrics which “stood up “that goes with his silhouette that he had designed. Many designer took him like exa,mple like Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Dior, Emanuel Ungaro etc…