1940s Vintage Valentine Fashion

Hello sweet friends! Welcome to another edition of historical Fashion Friday. Today I have a bit of fun with 1940s Vintage Valentine Fashion.

Fashion Influence

This past December 7th, 2021 marked the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. 

In the costuming/historic fashion community there is currently a World War II Sewing Challenge. It is being hosted by Ayana, Lindsey, and Melissa.

In a nutshell, sewists are encouraged to create clothing based on the stringent rationing guidelines that occurred during WWII.

Not all materials were available. Fabric such as silk was reserved for making parachutes. So this meant that most clothing was made from cotton or rayon. 

Metal was also reserved for the war effort. So fasteners like zippers were not used. 

All these guidelines truly influenced the fashion styles of the 1940s.

Because of patriotic pride and war rationing Make Due and Mend became extremely popular. This concept asked people to repair and reimagine their existing clothes.

Patterns

For the skirt I used a vintage pattern from Simplicity 1261, view 2. I purchased this pattern from Verity Vintage. If you love vintage fashion and lifestyle you will love her blog and Instagram. 

I selected this pattern because it almost fit the following rationing criteria for skirts:

• Length of no more than 30″ with a hem circumference of 66″.
• No more than 6 seams. (It has 2.)
• No more than 4 yards of stitching total. 
• It has no pockets. 

This is a great pattern for beginners. I have plans to make an almost spot on reproduction of view 1 in March or April, so stay tuned. 

For the blouse I used Simplicity 1692, view D. This view is perfect for the beginning seamstress. 

I chose this pattern because it almost fit the following rationing criteria for blouses:

• Length from neck to hem 22″
• Max sleeve width 14″

Now while it may be considered a Dolman style sleeve (which was prohibited) I think grace can be given in that it is a short sleeve and the blouse has no pockets or buttons,

I also have view B cut out and hope to have it finished by the end of February. 

In both pattern guidelines you may have read that I typed the word almost.

For the skirt the pattern recommended a 7″ slide fastener (zipper). Zippers were metal at the time. You would have wanted to use buttons or snaps instead. 

The blouse has a bit of embellishment at the neckline which was frowned upon. 

UNLESS

You made due and mended.

If you have followed me here for any length of time you are aware that most of my sewing supplies come from either estate sales or thrift stores. This project was no exception. How I SKIRTED the issue of zippers and embellishments is covered more thoroughly in this week’s video. 

1940s Vintage Valentine Fashion

For this fashion shoot I followed this pin curl hairstyle tutorial. I was trying to emulate a hairstyle my Grandma Mary wore in 1941. You can see the inspiration photo HERE.

I’m also wearing my Grandma Mary’s pearls and holding her vintage Valentines.  

Shoulder pads will be purchased soon to get the correct 1940s fit for this blouse. 

My shoes are from B.A.I.T. Footwear in the Kat style. 

You can see an almost exact style of this shoe and more on my WWII Fashion Pinterest Page. 

Normally I do not buy shoes that are pleather, faux leather, vegan, etc. Because all those terms mean one thing: plastic. I made an exception because of the rationing guideline of no leather. 

I always like to look at my historical creations through a black and white lens. It truly does change the perspective. 

If it would have been 25 degrees warmer this look would have been so comfortable to wear. 

Luckily, I had snuggly pups to keep me warm!

This Week’s Video

This week’s video features the skirt and blouse in action as I play with the puppy.

Plus how to make a vintage Valentine craft. 

I’ll see you on Sunday!

Laura