Early 40s Skirt fullness?

[Fleur De Guerre]

So, I have a question - the skirt Sunny made in the "Show us etc" thread made is less full than the pattern picture, but were fuller skirts actually around in the early 40s? I only ask since I had a skirt made that came out a bit fuller than expected, it's a bit more than a quarter circle, but with 8 gores. I don't know how authentic it is. Of course, I'll probably wear it anyway!

Edited to make sense for its own thread!

I will try and get a picture of the skirt. Well I will do when I buy my digital camera soon!

 

[Sunny]

Lovely work sunny! I have a sort of fftopic: question - the skirt that you made is less full than the pattern picture (as you said), but were skirts that full actually around in the early 40s? I only ask since I had a skirt made that came out a bit fuller than expected, it's a bit more than a quarter circle, but with 8 gores. I don't know how authentic it is. Of course, I'll probably wear it anyway!

Hehe, I love going off-topic so long as it's about clothes! Actually, many skirts were quite full from the late 1930s into 1940; in 1941 they're mostly a lot slimmer. But I've seen some on 1939 patterns that would rival New Look skirts for fullness. If you were really going for a 1940s look, as opposed to a 1940 or 1939 look, you wouldn't want a really full skirt. But before then, yes! Slim was the exception.

This is a "slim" skirt from 1939.

This is a full skirt, from 1940.

Lauren just won this darling 1939 sundress pattern. You can see the back of the pattern here. That's a full skirt!

Compare to the back of my pattern.

Something funny is this one, which I think is from 1937.

Looks like a typical slim 1930s skirt, right? Well, illustration notwithstanding, that skirt's no more than 3" longer than a regular "short" 1940s skirt, and the hem circumference is, IIRC, over 2 1/2 yards. There's a lot more fabric there than it looks like. I've just made a skirt out of it that's only awaiting a hem before it makes an appearance here.

 

[ShooShooBaby]

Hehe, I love going off-topic so long as it's about clothes! Actually, many skirts were quite full from the late 1930s into 1940; in 1941 they're mostly a lot slimmer. But I've seen some on 1939 patterns that would rival New Look skirts for fullness. If you were really going for a 1940s look, as opposed to a 1940 or 1939 look, you wouldn't want a really full skirt. But before then, yes! Slim was the exception.

i wonder if silhouettes were slimmer in the UK earlier on, since they were already at war and the US wasn't until '42...

((edited to remove duplicates of large images!))

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

Sunny, thank you so much! I'm going for an early 40s look (and ShooShoo is right I suspect my look is much more american, seeing as I get all my vintage there!) but I am not a stickler for 100% adherence for years as long as it's approximate. But this image is exactly what I was going for!

I have a shirt very similar, without the ruffles, and would wear it with my fuller skirt! So yippee!

 

[Snookie]

Hehe, I love going off-topic so long as it's about clothes! Actually, many skirts were quite full from the late 1930s into 1940; in 1941 they're mostly a lot slimmer. But I've seen some on 1939 patterns that would rival New Look skirts for fullness. If you were really going for a 1940s look, as opposed to a 1940 or 1939 look, you wouldn't want a really full skirt. But before then, yes! Slim was the exception.

In terms of skirt fullness, you also have to consider the age of the wearer. I think that in the 30's and early 40's it was mostly the younger set wearing
flared skirts, and older women tended to wear a slimmer look. Pre-War, it would not have been considered age appropriate for a 40-year-old woman to wear those dresses, with the possible exception of the last (slimmer) one.

Post-War, everyone, no matter their age, could wear the full skirts of course.

Anyone know when fabric restrictions went into effect in the US/England/other places during WWII? (Look how lazy I am!! Don't want to look things up. )

I've got this pattern! Not in such nearly good condition, though. I'm inspired by Sunny's nightgown ruffles and want to make this up, now!

 

[Sunny]

i wonder if silhouettes were slimmer in the UK earlier on, since they were already at war and the US wasn't until '42...

((edited to remove duplicates of large images!))

Possibly, to a degree; but 1941 patterns are all pretty slim, and Pearl Harbor wasn't until December of that year. I don't know enough about the fashion industry at the time to know when and from where American pattern makers took their cue, but they didn't wait until then.

 

[Sunny]

In terms of skirt fullness, you also have to consider the age of the wearer. I think that in the 30's and early 40's it was mostly the younger set wearing
flared skirts, and older women tended to wear a slimmer look. Pre-War, it would not have been considered age appropriate for a 40-year-old woman to wear those dresses, with the possible exception of the last (slimmer) one.

Post-War, everyone, no matter their age, could wear the full skirts of course.

Anyone know when fabric restrictions went into effect in the US/England/other places during WWII? (Look how lazy I am!! Don't want to look things up. )

I've got this pattern! Not in such nearly good condition, though. I'm inspired by Sunny's nightgown ruffles and want to make this up, now!

Hehe, I wish I had that pattern! I just saved the image because I liked it so much, but it was the wrong size. I want to find a full skirt pattern with 10 or 12 gores.

Back to full skirts. I think that the coming of the war actually short-circuited the progress of fashion; full skirts were just coming in. Of course younger and/or fashionable women, always the quickest to follow trends, were the ones who adopted them first. If the war hadn't come, I think they would've rapidly been adopted by the rest of the population. Keep in mind that slim skirts had been the rule for virtually all of the 1930s, so plenty of women were used to that style and had a wardrobe that was that way. They'd hardly have a chance to get everything in the new fuller look. It still took a long time for the real New Look to catch on, even after the war.

 

[Lady Day]

*house keeping note*

Made the skirt talk from the 'made' thread into its own.

Discuss

LD

 

[gluegungeisha]

I acquired a skirt just like this last week, and I am in love with it! I've worn it three times since buying it. The cut is very flattering.

 

[Miss Sis]

If you look at late 30s issues of Vogue, fuller skirts that look very 'New Look' are the norm from all the big name designers of the day.

Christain Dior didn't invent his new look, he just gave it popularity post war.

 

[Miss Roulette]

Anyone know when fabric restrictions went into effect in the US/England/other places during WWII? (Look how lazy I am!! Don't want to look things up. )

Don't know about US but in Britain clothes rationing came in to force in June 1941 and ended in March 1949.

Utility clothing was born with rationing and it's often the utility style that we see as the typical look of World War Two Britain.

 

[LizzieMaine]

With the exception of shoes, clothes weren't actually rationed in the US in the sense that no stamps or coupons were needed to buy them. Instead, restrictions were imposed on the manufacturing end -- the War Production Board issued Limitation Order L-85 in early 1942 which severely restricted the amount of fabric which could be used in any civilian garment. Both the length and sweep of skirts was required to meet these standards, and pleating and non-functional ornamentation was prohibited. The result was a look essentially the same as the British Utility pattern -- slim and trim and just below the knee. This order was amended to be even more restrictive in May of 1943, and despite considerable political protest after the end of the war, it wasn't lifted until October 1946.

 

[Sharpsburg]

Would it be better to go with an a-line skirt for the 40s or would it be closer to a pencil skirt?

Thanks!

 

[Miss Sis]

Depends when in the 40s you want the look for. 1940 - 1946/7 A-line was more the norm, then slimmer and more pencil like from 1947/8 onwards, when the skirts weren't busy being very full!