1940s wardrobe essentials

[goldwyn girl]

Lady Day, you naughty girl I've drooled all over the key board. Those scans are fabulous !!!!

 

[Lorena B]

What a beautiful pictures, I cant stop looking at themlol

 

[LelaViavonie]

Lady Day!
THANK YOU for the scans!! OMG.. Im still drooling!

 

[StaceFace]

LD, I'm speechless! All those scans must have taken eons to do, but thank you very much.

Question: What would one wear under those sheer blouses back then? I have a couple of old back buttoning blouses and I have been wearing modern tank tops/camis under them, but it just looks...funny. Any ideas? Does anyone know where to find decent-looking full slips? I have quite a number of sheer dresses but no slips for them! :eusa_doh:

 

[Lady Day]

The scans took little time to do. I dont want to have them all to myself. Share and share alike

A cami would have worked. Cotton, rayon, silk, whatever you had. I like that look, I think its cute

As for the sheer dress, you'd wear an underdress, its a bit weightier than a slip, something simple, perhaps one color.

LD

 

[chanteuseCarey]

Thanks, I have a good start then...

I'm focusing on the 1940s as it suits my figure better.
Here's what I have so far in Vintage clothing:

Day Dresses
lt . peach rayon s/s print w/h navy, wht, and kelly green
red rayon s/s print with cream and bright blue
dark navy rayon s/s print with white

Cocktail dresses
black rayon crepe solid w/h allover rhinestone design

Blouses
s/s silk mint green with cut embroidery
s/s silk peach with cut embroidery
s/s silk wht print w multi colors, asian style-red frog trim
l/s silk blue with blue polka dots
(newly made from 1940s pattern)

Skirts
navy solid wool crepe
(newly made from 30-40s pattern)

Pants
black wool 1930's mens' tuxedo trousers, fitted to me and hemmed to wear with heels

Jackets/Coats/Furs
beige boucle wool coat with fur down front
creamy unlined gabardine jacket w trapunto stitching
kelly green lined gabardine casual jacket
drk brown fur stole
red/brown fur chubby

Shoes
1 pair 1940s black pumps
beige casual flats

Purses
corde'; black, navy, drk brown, lt brown
bright navy crocheted small clutch
brick red crocodile

Gloves
navy wrist length
black wrist length
gold/brwn forearm length
cream with beige embroidery forearm length

Slips
creamy white nylon with lace trim, pleated hem
lt blue nylon with beige lace trim
black "taffreda" w side zip, bodice cutwork, pleated hem

Hats
25- 1940s hats; felts and straws of various colors, mostly tilts or toppers, many with full intact face veils
6- 1930s hats; felts and straws various colors

NEED list- either vintage or vintage inspired:
one Spring/summer weight cream or white skirt
at least one pair of wide leg trousers preferably linen
sleeveless blouse for warm weather
another pair pumps/shoes for warm seasons

Here are a few pics of some of the outfits and/or pieces:

 

[Inky]

I don't quite know where to post this, but since it relates to 1940's fashions, I'll post it here and if it needs to be moved, Bartenders, feel free to do so.

I am concentrating on blouses right now, and sticking to my 40's era guidelines, I'd like a sheer blouse. I see a lot of them here and there, and also sheer dresses. Did one just wear a slip underneath and let it show? Or was there a coordinating camisole type of thing purchased with the blouses that might be missing?

I'm not one for showing my undergarments and I am actually pretty conservative when I dress these days (don't let all my tattoos fool you!), so having my slip show seems contrary.

 

[Lady Day]

Id do a cami, not a slip. Slips generally have that bit of lace on the lower neckline, and that would totally look like a slip.

If you wore the sheer blouse with an underdress you could scam it and sort of have that double as a slip for the skirt and a cami for the top.

*whew*

Id just get/make some nice plain camies

LD

 

[ZuckerBaby]

The America's Housekeeping Book circa 1941. also reprinted 1945.

I bought mine off ebay for about $13

I ordered a copy of this book about a week ago from Barnes & Noble for about the same price (including S&H). I cant wait for it to get here!!

I'm loving this thread! I've been trying to think of what some of the clothing staples were for the 40s and the scans LD posted are a fantastic help. I love how "pulled together" all the styles were, something that I think is missing in today's "fashion".

 

[La Julia]

yeah, I want all those shoes!!!!

So classy, so well designed

 

[chanteuseCarey]

should be on the 1940s essentials list

a good repro girdle. There is a fabulous vintage/deco seamstress out in my area that put me onto www.girdlebound.com saying that you need the proper foundation garment to create the right shape for how the clothes were worn and were created for. She recommended the Rago Spapette open girdle. For me the waistband rolls down, so I wear the long line.

 

[SayCici]

Does anyone have any suggestions for making 40s styles flattering for a hour-glass figure?

 

[Lady Day]

Go for post war 40s. They went more toward accentuating the female form with darted bodice designs than the more square cuts of the working woman in the early to mid 40s.

LD

 

[Miss Sis]

I find wartime 40s styles *are* flattering for an hourglass figure? [huh] Just keep the shoulder pads small and make sure the waist is defined with a belt or natural waistline.

This might be different if you are particularly busty, which I'm not.

 

[CherryWry]

Thanks so much for posting all these amazing pictures. Now I'm on a mission for V-necked cardigans.

I love seeing that there are hairstyles that aren't ALL curled, that there's hope for those of us with curl-resistant hair. As long as I can get the ends to curl under, I'll be ok.

Some etiquette guides included information on running a household, and they're great reads.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Just keep the shoulder pads small and make sure the waist is defined with a belt or natural waistline.

The use of a belt, especially, makes a tremendous difference in how pulled-together the typical wartime dress looks. Most dresses of the period were sold with self-fabric belts which are usually missing when they turn up sixty years after the fact, and they don't really look as intended without them. War-era suits look quite well on an hourglass shape -- they're highly tailored with an emphatic waistline.

The postwar New Look, as LD says, was really intended to emphasize the hourglass shape, and even to exaggerate it. The waistlines are really not all that much different from those of the war era, but the skirts are very full and blousy and will really emphasize the hips and backside, making the waist look smaller by contrast.

 

[SayCici]

I find wartime 40s styles *are* flattering for an hourglass figure? [huh] Just keep the shoulder pads small and make sure the waist is defined with a belt or natural waistline.

This might be different if you are particularly busty, which I'm not.

I'm definitely not busty, haha. I actually think the exaggeration of certain areas is to *give* someone an hourglass figure, rather than tailored for someone who already has one.

For example, the outfit on the right would look ridiculous on me.

I think LD is right in that the middle of the era, for the most part, is just too boxy for me. If it doesn't have the right fit on either the top or bottom, I look like a waif about to disappear into nothingness.

I definitely know the importance of belts! Maybe it's just my body. lol Sometimes extra thought needs to be given if you have shorter hair like mine because things won't look balanced. Thank you everyone!

 

[Miss Sis]

I actually think the exaggeration of certain areas is to *give* someone an hourglass figure, rather than tailored for someone who already has one.

Exactly! The bigger shoulder pads give definition and make the figure more houglass-like. Meaning the shapes suit an hourglass figure AND those who wish to have a *more* hourglass-shape too.

I agree about the boxy-ness of the blue dress, but that's just one style, exaggerated by the huge pockets in a strange place and buttoning right up to the neck. The shape of the other dress would be much more flattering on most figures.

 

[Lady Day]

For example, the outfit on the right would look ridiculous on me.

I think that dress would look ridiculous on just about anybody

LD

 

[Miss Sis]

I think that dress would look ridiculous on just about anybody
LD

lol lol lol