The Mid 1900's
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."
The phrase above was popular in the 1930's until the end of World War II to describe the times. Rationing and saving provoked a need for creativity in fashion and daily life to stay afloat. The usual expression of fashion decreased with the frugality of the time.
Great Depression (1929-1939)The U.S. stock market crash in 1929 began the Great Depression. Investors lost $16 billion, banks and businesses closed, and 14 million people lost their jobs. Thinness exemplified poverty as people lined up for food, so in response, women accented their curves with waistlines and fitted tops. Skirts lengthened, and women grew out their hair to reflect the somber time. Some resorted to reusing and making their own clothes.
For farmwomen, feed sacks and flour bags were used to make dresses, underwear, towels, curtains, quilts, and other necessities. Manufacturers caught on and added designs to the bags in hopes of boosting sales. In the late 1930’s, women with the funds for evenings out wore open backed, floor length gowns in an attempt to mirror Hollywood actresses. |
1930's Fall Dresses by BlueVelvetVintage.com is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
Skinny meant impoverished, so slim-fitted clothing emphasized a fuller figure. |
World War II (1939-1945): Women at Home & in Uniform
We Can Do It! By J. Howard Miller, from the website of the Virginia Historical Society, 1942. Public Domain.
Women took on men's roles while men were away. Girl Power! |
The U.S. entered World War II in 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This instigated a nationwide war effort in which American women played an important role. The allowance of women to take over men’s roles was even mocked by Hitler. Women volunteered in wartime groups and worked in factories or as streetcar conductors while simultaneously running the household.
Rationing of materials affected wartime fashion. The American War Production Board issued rules to conserve fabric for military uniforms— skirts were shortened, and decorative touches like pockets were nonexistent for civilian clothing. Stockings and zippers disappeared due to Nylon for parachutes and metal necessity in war. Nonessential war fabrics like the common denim and jersey material became popular back at home along with patriotic clothing colors.
Pants grew acceptable both at work and day-to-day with the demand for functionality. Gender inequalities emerged when World War II ended, and men came home. Women returned involuntarily to housework and “feminine” workplaces. Women veterans discovered difficulties trying to receive equal veteran’s benefits.
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