No CC Decades Outfits 2.0

1940s Women's Fashion

Just like men's fashion, women's fashion in the 1940s were dictated by the war. Military influence, rations of fabric and a limit to which colors were allowed to be used all influenced the style and cut of the clothes. In fact, government restrictions even dictated how wide skirts could get (which might explain why larger, fuller skirts became so popular at the end of the decade when restrictions were lifted). While the 30s house wife had been able to use flower sacks for fabric, this option was now closed as military need meant that flower now came in paper bags instead of cotton sacks. As a result sleeves were predominantly short, skirts a bit shorter and for the first half a bit more a-line in shape.  

Everyday wear and work wear

One thing that affected women's fashion was how many more women worked. With 16 million men at war, women worked in the industry, farming, in retail, offices, hospitals and also in the military. This first batch of outfits are to show what working women might wear. From the classic overall, to the military inspired work wear to the nurses uniform and then the business suits, I wanted to show some different aspects of working life. The skirt in the last two outfits is from Chrystal Creation and perfect for the era.

Other possible outfits for the every day women could include house dresses (good for cleaning), pants and shirts (pants got more and more common during this era), and since material was rationed and most sleeves short, a knitted cardigan to put over your top. Just like with men's fashion western fashion (or the idea of it) was hugely popular and the last three outfits are variations of that theme. 

For winter there would be a variety of jackets and coats. Unfortunately the game doesn't offer coats (I really wish it would) but I picked out some jackets that might work. The first outfit might be a woman working in farming, the second a nurse on her way home, while the last three could just be any woman trying to stay warm. 

For summer I've chosen these outfits. All outfits has the short sleeves, the marked waist and the slimmer skirt size. The second outfit has a pair of shorts, something which were becoming more popular as well. 

Swimwear 

Swimsuits were as also becoming smaller, though they were still a bit skirt like at times. The first resembles a two color option I saw in 1940s add but would have been slightly lower down the hip. The second is a representation of the dress-bathing suit that was quite popular (though again it should be longer). But new for the decade was also the birth of the bikini, which the last three outfits are a representation of. 

Athletics wear 

For sportswear we see the overall making its way into women's sportswear as well. But you could also couple a pair of shorts with a shirt or polo shirt (2+4) or keep a skirt/short combo (especially for tennis). This was also a time when women's leagues in sports such as baseball were starting, and I did try to find a way to incorporate that, but to be fair there is no good options for that. 

Party and formal wear

For formal wear the start of the 40s suffered the same restrictions as every day wear. As a result many women chose to wear separates for fancier party (outfit 1 and 4). Skirts were long but narrow and hugged the curves similar to the 30s. We started seeing bare shoulders (outfit 2) and sweetheart necklines became popular (outfit 3). Towards the end of the decade the skirt widened and the princess dress came back in fashion, on young girls often in light pastel colors (outfit 5).

For the less formal parties, blouses and skirts of different kinds were popular options. Jackets could also be worn to make shoulders wider as was popular at the time (outfit 1 and 2). The little black dress (outfit 4) was always in style. 

Teenagers

Teenagers dressed decisively different from their parents. For one they favoured pattern where their mother might favour single color. For school the outfit was often modest, cute dresses or like in outfit 1 a school uniform depending on the school, but after school she'd change to a plaid skirt and a knitted top, coupled with saddle shoes and bobby socks (outfit 2) or go either further to a plaid shirt coupled with jeans the same cut and style as a boy would wear (outfit 3). In the summer she might want to wear a shorter (or tied up) top to show off her midriff (outfit 4) but for the teens whose parents forbade that much show of skin, a t-shirt might be an option (outfit 5). For winter the jeans (or skirt) might be coupled with a thicker knitted sweater, preferably with patterns. 

Sleepwear

For sleepwear you'll recognise a lot of options, so I'll just post them up here: 

The Pinup-girl

The one style I haven't mentioned here is the pin-up girl, and that's because she was hardly the ordinary woman struggling at her new job at home, but more likely in showbiz sent to entertain the troops. But either way, she was a part of the style of the 40s, so here she is: