Utility clothing versus the New Look

Let’s get creative

When resources were low, people used their imaginations. Some used aircrew’s outdated escape maps to make blouses, scraps of factory plastic for jewellery, wedding dresses from parachutes, and beetroot juice as lipstick.

Bring a bag

Pockets and buttons were both deemed an unnecessary expense. While never banned outright, coats were limited to three pockets maximum and buttons were restricted to only the necessary in 1942.

Plainer the better

Embroidery and lace on clothing were banned under wartime austerity measures, as was fancy details on corsets and ruching on women’s underwear. So wartime fashion tended to be plain with few embellishments.

The square shoulder

Practicality was key with suits and dresses of wartime Britain. Outfits had to be suitable for everyday use and all seasons. This often resulted in practical, militarystyle shoulders.

Coat for days

Like skirts and dresses, coats got bigger and more luxurious. Women were taking up as much room as possible in voluminous, often shapeless, coats that used swathes of fabric.

Knee-length skirts

Wartime rationing and a demand on materials for uniforms meant there was less fabric for everyday clothing. So slimmer, shorter skirts and dresses that stopped at the knee became popular.

Something in the air

A drop of perfume was the finishing touch to any glamorous look. Dior allegedly sprinkled Miss Dior in the air before debuting his famous ‘New Look’ as a finishing touch.

Always more accessories

Elegant hats, belts that synch the waist, glittering jewels, shawls that reach the ground, dainty gloves that reach your elbows, the odd crown. With accessories, one was never enough.

All in the detail

Pleats, ruching, embroidery and lace were all back in fashion. Dresses had plenty of dainty floral designs, elegant ruching and capped sleeves that showed off feminine shoulders.

Big, long skirts

The end of austerity meant the end of size considerations. Skirt hems dropped to mid-shin, which was seen as more elegant and extravagant, and were full of hip-accentuating pleating.