Wednesday 15 April 2015

Fashion on the Ration



At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, with the disruption of everyday life, fear of an imminent gas attack and invasion, and resources thrown into the war effort, people wondered if fashion would just 'go away'. But quite the opposite happened, clothing and fashion adapted to the time, retailers saw new opportunities, people made do and mended, the British government got involved and mass manufacture became more efficient, producing price regulated, decent quality clothes for all.
The exhibition, 'Fashion on the Ration' tells this story at the Imperial War Museum, London.  


The fashion landscape changed, more uniforms were seen on the streets, both the armed forces and women's auxiliary services. Some uniforms were more desirable than others which swayed people's decisions about signing up. 
The air force uniform was considered very smart, the men named the 'Brylcreem boys'. 


Apart from school, I've never worn a uniform, except perhaps for this one, for a very short time, in the Girl-Guides.
Like these Girl-Guides taking part in a fund raising parade in 1941.


If you hadn't signed up and been issued a uniform, there was a kind of home front uniform.
The housecoat, worn to protect your hard-to-replace everyday clothes. Funny how I've grown up thinking that a housecoat was kind of dressing gown.


Housecoats increased in popularity. These housecoats look to good to do the housework in. I wouldn't be drying my hands on them like I do with my grubby kitchen apron.


And aircraft factory overalls in Manchester weren't that bad either.



Retailers saw opportunities and jumped on the bandwagon, creating clothes and accessories for war conditions.

Like the 'Siren Suit'. Perfect for pulling on over your nightie for that middle of the night dash to the air raid shelter. This even has a drop down flap at the rear for convenience. Mind you how convenient was the lavatory back at the house when you were ensconced in a shelter down the garden? 


And luminous accessories for the Blackout. Buttons and flowers.
Plus checkout these handbags with gas mask compartments. 



Or you could just take the government's advice and wear something white, cheaper that way. This wasn't just a gimmick, one in five people were injured in the blackout. 



In 1941 rationing was introduced. Food had been rationed for over a year. The government wanted to safeguard raw material and free up labour and factory space for the war effort. The rationing of clothes was successful in ensuing decent quality, durable, price regulated supplies for all, resulting in clothes being distributed more fairly.  


You were issued with 66 coupons and a dress was 11. So the public were encouraged to 'Make Do and Mend'. This was the bit of the exhibition I was really looking forward to.

Two Sussex dressmakers made this from scraps.




Perhaps inspired by 'Woman'.


This dressing gown was made from an RAF silk 'escape map'. Surplus maps were sold off to the public in 1945.



Then you could also knit for yourself.


Fairisle was a 'useful for using up scraps of different coloured wool'. So they say, I reckon fairisle is more complicated and planned than that. I could well be wrong. 


'Make Do and Mend' has been embraced recently, capturing some kind of romantic nostalgic attitude to crafts and recycling, but this official rhetoric was not particulalrly liked at the time.

This wedding dress was made from pre-war silk intended for petticoats. It was first worn by Evelyn Higginson in 1943, who later lent it to fourteen other women, including her sister Linda in 1946.


I came to Fashion on the Ration at the Imperial War Museum with a little idea how the Second World War had impacted fashion in the forties, influenced by necessity, the need to protect what clothes they had, newly available jobs in the factories, lack of raw materials and the like. The most surprising thing I found out was that the government, in regulating the use of rubber, one of the rarest of commodities in war time, prioritised the use of elastic for women. 'Women's knickers were one of few garments where the use of elastic was allowed'.
Don't get to excited though, here's a pair of  'Utility peach rayon knickers'.


Fashion on the Ration is on at the Imperial War Museum, London until 31st August 2015.
Details on their website here.

Before they are accused of a one-sided look at fashion and clothing in the Second World War. There were men's garments and accessories, I just don't seem to have taken any photos of them.  

23 comments:

  1. What a fascinating exhibition. Thank you for highlighting it.

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    1. You really should go. I think you'd love it.

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  2. Hello Katharine, It is interesting to see the detailed workings of wartime rationing. My favorite photo here is the Wear White poster; I like that people could keep a sense of humor, even when under attack.
    --Jim

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    1. So many of those wartime posters used humour. People didn't like the bossy or too serious ones.

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  3. This looks like a great exhibition, Katherine it's fascinating to see how people coped with everyday situations. My mum used to talk about rationing of both food and clothing and also 'make do and mend' she used to unpick jumpers and re knit them and I remember she still had a darning mushroom in her sewing box. A friend of mine has a photo of himself aged about 18 months old in a romper suit made from a piece of parachute silk:)

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    1. A silk romper suit, that's cool. My granny (in Trentham) made a knitted waistcoat made from scraps. It was really beautiful, quite sophisticated, not something that you imagine would have been made from unpicked and leftover yarn.

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  4. Fascinating.. it would make a great day out with my crafting friends. I particularly loved the patchwork dress. Jx

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    1. Yes you should go. I loved the exhibition. It's amazing how the war influenced fashion.

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  5. Thank you so much for reviewing. This exhibition caught my eye as it sounds right up my street. After reading your review I'm determined to see it. I love the idea of the Siren Suit!

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    1. You should go. It's quite pricey, so perhaps only take your kids if they really want to go. However the rest of the Imperial War Museum is amazing too & free. Check out the Lord Ashcroft gallery, my kids oved it.

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    1. Amy, you should go. i think you would love it. x

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  7. We saw this exhibit when we were in London in March. My favourite part was how "make-up" was made- including using beets to rouge your cheeks and to turn your lips pink!

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    1. I'm so glad you got to see it on your trip over here. The make-up section was fascinating. 'Beauty as Duty'. Even in the war, there was pressure to look a certain way.

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    2. Make-up was for cheering up, not to conform to a norm. Cosmetics were so scarce that most people could not wear it but flaunting lipstick was a morale-booster.
      ,

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  8. I love this exhibition, Katharine. It is amazing how much ingenuity will be shown by a keen dressmaker in emergencies. I have also seen a picture of a bra and knickers made from that silk with the maps. My mother kept a wartime dress for a long time so I remember it well. Made from small pieces of brown, gold and green fabric, back one colour, front another, pockets another - like today's color-blocking! She made it herself.

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  9. My mum went to see it too and it brought back so many memories. She thought the exhibition was excellent.

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  10. How fascinating. The skill shown here to make such exquisite garments Is extraordinary especially when you think of all the other pressures people were under at the time. I just adore that map dressing gown, and the house coats were really rather smart. I remember my Granny and her contemporaries wearing such things and thinking how awful they looked, I wish I could go back and take some photos!

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  11. Hello Katharine,

    Although we are not so long in the tooth to actually remember the 1940s, there were many shades of this 'fashion on the ration' during our childhoods of the 1950s. Indeed, sweets we remember being rationed right into the 1950s and thus had a big impact upon us as children.

    The Imperial War Museum has impressed us many times in the past with their imaginatively and impressively curated exhibitions. Fashion on the Ration looks to be of the very high standard we have come to expect. Such a great attention to every detail and all well described as well as displayed. If we find ourselves anywhere near we shall certainly add it to the visiting list!

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  12. I haven't seen this exhibition yet (another to add to the list). Too young to have been around during the war but I remember my Mum having a housecoat. I had forgotten all about it until I read your post. Can you imagine how long it must have taken to make that patchwork skirt and top? War or no war I can't see myself ever having that much patience!

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  13. What a great exhibition. I went to a similar one at a nearby country house, Lotherton Hall, back in 2013 entitled Dressed For Battle which showed how the war influenced fashion, it was really interesting.

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  14. As mentioned above, these fashions continued well into the 1950s. My Mum didn't have a housecoat, but always tied her hair up in a fetching turban when doing housework. I'm on the look-out for a floral housecoat at vintage fairs, but they can now cost £30 - £90 for a pretty one! However I did have a siren suit when I was a toddler.

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  15. My mother had assorted housecoats and I did rather think of them as dressing gowns too even though she was dressed in day clothes underneath. I'm not quite sure what time they got removed. I had never made the obvious connection with the name of the siren suit. I had one which was really just an all in one outdoor romper suit for winter when I was a toddler.

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