Fashions of a Decade : The 1940s

Fashions of a Decade #3

by Patricia Baker

Chronicles clothing trends of the 1940s and the influence of World War II on styles of dress, availability of many fabrics, and the new ideas of "designers at war."

Genres: Fashion, History, Nonfiction, Reference

64 pages, Hardcover

First published December 5, 1991

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good synopsis and starter if you want to study the period.

[Sandrine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about fashion in history (1940) not about the clothes themselves. That doesn't make it a bad book, of course, what I didn't like was that it's not in chronological order. It's separated by topics so you always go back to talk about war-time fashion, post-war fashion then the next page you go back to war-time. I'm sure I'll have a hard time remembering anything because of that. Also a lot of things that I believe should be pictured were not and it was lacking explanation of some terms. Due to the book being separated by topics, it was also in some ways repetitive as if it was just a bunch of articles put together. It makes it a good book for research on the 1940s if you have a specific subject you want to cover but it is really not a pleasant read from cover to cover. Also, picture descriptions are a bit everywhere and you're not always sure which ones goes with which pictures or who's who in the picture. And pictures that have nothing to do with the text...

[Stacy Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book if you want to know more about the history/culture of the 1940's, which I did find fascinating. I was expecting more on the actual style though. More pictures of the clothes would have been helpful. Giving it 4 stars, since I am a history buff, but if you want strictly fashion, I think this will be disappointing.

[Jeremiah]

A very brief overview of the decade but it was interesting to see how fashion was influenced by the war, for example the fashion design spotlight shifting from Europe to the US, both men’s and women’s outfits being simplified and standardized to save on materials and production, and how the public narrative around gender roles was a function of economic interest.

[Ligaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and easy read, giving an overview of what was going on fashion-wise in the 1940s. More photos, and fewer illustrations, would have been appreciated in my estimation, and the timeline in the back might be better in the front of the book. It really shows what was going on historically.

[Cecile · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 but valuable as a reference for badgework; do not just hand this book to your child not everything in it is appropriate.

[Cameron Toney · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all the others in this series, a fun, easy entry into the fashions of this period. Enjoyable and easy to digest.

[Jordan Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and summarized description of fashion in the 1940's, during and after World War II. It goes into detail without being monotonous - but I didn't focus on the text all that much; I was most interested in the photographs and illustrations.
Focused mainly on female attire. Great book if you're interested in 40's style.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!!!!! The 1940s is my favorite time period and this book was wonderful.

[Krystal Esmi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough info or pictures. Booo!!

[Coyney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite an interesting read

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More pics would have been a great thing!!

[Natalya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great look at the fashion and what influenced it.