Why Forties Blue feels fabulous — at any age
HAvE you noticed how fashion people always love to sink their teeth into a tricky colour?
Give us just three sightings of the same head- to- toe hue on the catwalks (because in fashion you need only three examples to make a trend) and we’ll gleefully provide you with a guide on how to wear it.
So far this season we’ve had siren red and a particularly bilious shade of saffron to get our heads round — colours that require enormous stylesavvy self- confidence and, if we’re honest, just the right complexion.
Well, here’s a novelty: Forties Blue. For once, an effortless colour into which you can dip your toe or wear all over with any skin tone and at any age. The shade looks particularly brilliant with all greys — hair, as well as any clothes in your wardrobe.
Forties Blue is actually a catch-all term for shades that range from muted and icy to military — the latter redolent of Forties Air Force uniforms, hence the name.
But while today’s designers have plundered the palette, they’re not much interested in resurrecting the fashions of the era; a time when rations dictated shorter hemlines ( we’re still in midi- length mode) and clothes were practical and built for utility.
TODAy,
we’re talking more about grownup glamour — the idea that fashion can be fun, frivolous and serve as visual escapism from the horrors of the world. That said, one item of clothing born in the Forties is on the rise — the workwear jumpsuit.
Remember Rosie the Riveter, the World War II factory worker in her cobalt blue jumpsuit, pictured on posters with the immortal words: ‘We Can Do It!’? Rosie and her jumpsuit loomed large at the Christian Dior show, where creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri produced an entire collection in Forties Blue.
This was a nod to the founder of the house, who adored blue. He famously flipped fashion on its head in the late Forties by issuing the New Look — the nipped-waist Bar jacket and the most decadent skirt in modern history, made from 20 yards of fabric.
After the war, Dior’s ultrafeminine styles were a blissful reminder of better days. As one ardent fan wrote: ‘you waved your wand and suddenly I was young and hopeful again.’
Can this winter’s Forties Blue do all that? Probably not, but it’s certainly easier to wear than fire- engine red or ochre yellow.
If you’re a tentative colourist, I’d try a silky blue shirt with black or charcoal grey trousers. Reiss’s Gabriella satin, wrapfront shirt (£110, reiss.com) is a good place to start. Or, for a tone with more aqua in it, try the silk shirt from Uterque (£ 88, uterque. com). Make either of these really pop with a white T-shirt or jeans. Note: Forties Blue also looks brilliant with denim.
For something bolder, try Zara’s crepe frock coat (£69.99,
zara.com) and matching wideleg trousers (£ 29.99). Or, Uterque has a reversible frilled-hem coat (£250), so if you’re not in a blue mood, you can flip it over to black.
And dress up any outfit with fancy, Forties-blue footwear. The strappy Erica, blue satin sandals (now £106, lkbennett.
com) are super-glamorous, and I’d have a look at the embellished blue ballerinas from Uterque, too (£98).
While Forties Blue is a varied palette, it doesn’t encompass powder or baby blues, which are hard colours to wear if you want to look grown-up. I’d give them a miss.
Personally, I’m going to invest in a Dior jumpsuit, which I’ll wear with those Uterque jewelled ballet pumps.
I’m determined to get the most out of Forties Blue before next season’s colour hits the stores — which reminds me, I can’t wait to tell you all about lilac . . .