What do you think?
Rate this book
Forties Fashion: From Siren Suits to the New Look
"A fascinating narrative… Great stories, remarkable acts of patriotism…mark the indomitable spirit of humanity."― Booklist Here is a definitive look at fashion in the 1940s―from French style under the Occupation and the “make do and mend” approach to wartime clothing shortages through the development of faux fabrics, the rise of American fashion houses, and the New Look of the post- war period.
The illustrations reveal the wide range of fashions and styles from the 1940s in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Japan. The lively text by fashion specialist Jonathan Walford details how fashion was considered not a frivolity but an aesthetic expression of circumstances in the 1940s. While Fascist states tried to create “national” styles before the war began, by 1940 the pursuit of beauty was promoted on both sides of the conflict as a patriotic duty. From prewar to postwar, we see attitudes emerge from period advertisements, images of real clothes, and firsthand accounts in contemporary publications. The result is a celebration of everything from practical and smart-looking attire for air raids (hooded capes with large pockets and siren suits) to street fashion and the creation of Christian Dior’s “New Look” collection in 1947. 196 color and 54 black-and-white illustrations
The illustrations reveal the wide range of fashions and styles from the 1940s in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Japan. The lively text by fashion specialist Jonathan Walford details how fashion was considered not a frivolity but an aesthetic expression of circumstances in the 1940s. While Fascist states tried to create “national” styles before the war began, by 1940 the pursuit of beauty was promoted on both sides of the conflict as a patriotic duty. From prewar to postwar, we see attitudes emerge from period advertisements, images of real clothes, and firsthand accounts in contemporary publications. The result is a celebration of everything from practical and smart-looking attire for air raids (hooded capes with large pockets and siren suits) to street fashion and the creation of Christian Dior’s “New Look” collection in 1947. 196 color and 54 black-and-white illustrations
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 27, 2008
8 people are currently reading
447 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
March 11, 2022
An enlightening overview of the fashion (and everyday clothing) for women in Western Europe and America during WWII.
I learned a lot of really interesting things, although with a book with a scope this broad and a page limit so (relatively) small, I kinda wished it had been a tighter focus? Either Western Europe or the United States, pick one and stick to it (and the briefest of chapters on New Zealand, Australia, Canadian and Japanese fashions made me want more of those areas!), although knowing the broader sense of what was happening in France during the occupation was riveting.
Also, I wanted more pictures of clothes, dammit! And more on counterculture fashion and fashion as resistance!
But again, it was a good overview, touching upon the politics of the times and not leaning away from the bits of history often overlooked during "lighter" historical works.
I learned a lot of really interesting things, although with a book with a scope this broad and a page limit so (relatively) small, I kinda wished it had been a tighter focus? Either Western Europe or the United States, pick one and stick to it (and the briefest of chapters on New Zealand, Australia, Canadian and Japanese fashions made me want more of those areas!), although knowing the broader sense of what was happening in France during the occupation was riveting.
Also, I wanted more pictures of clothes, dammit! And more on counterculture fashion and fashion as resistance!
But again, it was a good overview, touching upon the politics of the times and not leaning away from the bits of history often overlooked during "lighter" historical works.
August 5, 2024
Really interesting breakdown of fashion trends in the forties, more text but a sufficient amount of visual examples as well. Seemed to be well researched as fashion was so influenced by pre, mid, and post-war international affairs.
November 24, 2013
Fashion in the world at war. A "siren suit" is something you grab to throw over your nightgown or pajamas while bolting for the air-raid shelter.
Indeed, there's a lot about the war in here. It starts with the late 1930s -- the Nazi glorification of a healthy, blond, tanned young woman who wore traditional clothes and no make-up, and was scorned by high-society women, including the wives of high-ranking Nazis as "Gretchen" -- folk-inspired haut couture -- the last fashion exhibits, with corsets and bustles.
But then it's of and into the war. Ration books, synthetic fabrics, restrictions on styles (to cut down on fabric), and colors (for chemicals). Lots of interesting tidbits. American shoes were limited in colors as much to restrict buying as to save chemicals. The difficulties of wooden soled shoes. The laws against using parachute fabric; it was supposed to be turned into the authorities for investigation. The brides who wore their mother's made-over wedding gowns, or one of lace (luxury item, not subject to ration, but the bride only pulled it off because in WAF, she had been able to save the money), or one collected in the United States for the benefit of British brides. Both Great Britain and Germany were exporting materials and clothes for the money entailed. Paris's efforts to keep the business going, justified by the need for employment -- the rest of France had it harder. Italian objections to neutral Nordic shades for dreary, snowy cities; they needed sun and color. The zoot suit as a symbol of unrest, leading to trouble when it was also a symbol of draft resistance. How American designers leapt at the chance to avoid French competition.
The last chapters cover the period when the war's effects were being shaken off with the New Look, and is much more heavily concentrated on fashion that the rest, which is full of fascinating stuff about everyday life. (Though it mentions that after the hunger of the war years, the models needed padding to fill it out, and it was deliberately heavy with fabric.) Those who read this solely for the clothes will no doubt like that, too. The rest is interesting to anyone interested in World War II stuff.
Indeed, there's a lot about the war in here. It starts with the late 1930s -- the Nazi glorification of a healthy, blond, tanned young woman who wore traditional clothes and no make-up, and was scorned by high-society women, including the wives of high-ranking Nazis as "Gretchen" -- folk-inspired haut couture -- the last fashion exhibits, with corsets and bustles.
But then it's of and into the war. Ration books, synthetic fabrics, restrictions on styles (to cut down on fabric), and colors (for chemicals). Lots of interesting tidbits. American shoes were limited in colors as much to restrict buying as to save chemicals. The difficulties of wooden soled shoes. The laws against using parachute fabric; it was supposed to be turned into the authorities for investigation. The brides who wore their mother's made-over wedding gowns, or one of lace (luxury item, not subject to ration, but the bride only pulled it off because in WAF, she had been able to save the money), or one collected in the United States for the benefit of British brides. Both Great Britain and Germany were exporting materials and clothes for the money entailed. Paris's efforts to keep the business going, justified by the need for employment -- the rest of France had it harder. Italian objections to neutral Nordic shades for dreary, snowy cities; they needed sun and color. The zoot suit as a symbol of unrest, leading to trouble when it was also a symbol of draft resistance. How American designers leapt at the chance to avoid French competition.
The last chapters cover the period when the war's effects were being shaken off with the New Look, and is much more heavily concentrated on fashion that the rest, which is full of fascinating stuff about everyday life. (Though it mentions that after the hunger of the war years, the models needed padding to fill it out, and it was deliberately heavy with fabric.) Those who read this solely for the clothes will no doubt like that, too. The rest is interesting to anyone interested in World War II stuff.
October 30, 2011
This book is a brilliant history of the development of women's clothing during World War II and after. Generously illustrated with photos of garments rarely, if ever, seen in any other costume histories, along with a plethora of advertisements, documents, and period photography, it deals with how and why clothing, especially fashionable clothing, was produced during the war. Wartime austerity was not limited to England, as the chapters on the wildly different wartime fashion industries of France, Germany, and the US demonstrate.
I had never realised that the horrible piles of shoes and rooms of clothing found in Germany after the war were the remnants of looting the wardrobes of the Germans' victims for the benefit of the Nazi elites; nor how the French fashion industry claimed after the war that its wartime lavish use of fabrics and supplying luxury items to the Nazi elites during the war was actually a patriotic effort to drain resources from the occupying Germans; nor that Germany had swing-dancing, zoot-suited teenage rebels who hated the Nazis and their evil philosophy; nor that many German women scorned the official Nazi retro-folklore fashions with their dirndls and long blonde braids.
From ration books to "untouched by Jewish hands" labels in German couture to leg makeup and cork-soled shoes, this book is a remarkably deep examination of the difficulties and deeper meanings of clothing in wartime, and how people made fashion work regardless.
I had never realised that the horrible piles of shoes and rooms of clothing found in Germany after the war were the remnants of looting the wardrobes of the Germans' victims for the benefit of the Nazi elites; nor how the French fashion industry claimed after the war that its wartime lavish use of fabrics and supplying luxury items to the Nazi elites during the war was actually a patriotic effort to drain resources from the occupying Germans; nor that Germany had swing-dancing, zoot-suited teenage rebels who hated the Nazis and their evil philosophy; nor that many German women scorned the official Nazi retro-folklore fashions with their dirndls and long blonde braids.
From ration books to "untouched by Jewish hands" labels in German couture to leg makeup and cork-soled shoes, this book is a remarkably deep examination of the difficulties and deeper meanings of clothing in wartime, and how people made fashion work regardless.
April 3, 2011
A really good look at how WWII affected what women (and, to some extent, men) wore before, during, and after the war. Interesting that Dior's New Look wasn't actually that far removed from where things were heading anyway in 1939.
I do wish that this had spent a little more time on patterns and home-sewing, but I guess that's a topic for another book.
I do wish that this had spent a little more time on patterns and home-sewing, but I guess that's a topic for another book.
July 31, 2018
This is the absolute BEST book on 1940s fashion I've read so far. It doesn't just talk about American or British fashion, but it includes even German. Most books focus on one country, which can get kind of boring, so this book is really refreshing! Great use of photos, advertisements and actual clothing from the era, it makes it a great experience to go through this book. A definite must have for any fan of 1940s fashion or fashion history!
April 7, 2024
I absolutely loved this- full of great details and information, but chock a block full of wonderful, stunning pictures of pictures fashions from the era, including at least one hat that I feel that I urgently need.
If you have any interest in Forties Fashion, I really recommend this.
If you have any interest in Forties Fashion, I really recommend this.
September 18, 2025
Gran libro sobre utility clothing y el ahorro textil después de la ll guerra mundial que adoptaron países como UK, EE.UU y Francia. muchas imágenes de vestidos y otras piezas, así como anuncios, documentos de gran interés. Una maravilla!
December 28, 2018
Great text, great illustrations.
October 15, 2019
Gorgeous outfits. Would love to make some of these outfits.
September 20, 2023
The “siren suit” struck a nerve from these last few years. Full of fashion history.
March 10, 2009
I read this in a couple of hours. Lots of great photos of forties clothes. What really surprised me about this book was that it's really the history of World War II in fashion. I knew about the government rationing clothing, but didn't realize they also set regulations regarding designs and construction covering how many yards of fabric could be used, the width of lapels, how many buttons and pockets. I also didn't know that Christian Dior, creator of "The New Look" in 1947, was given financial backing by the largest textile manufacturer in France--on the condition that his designs use yards and yards of fabric. It all comes down to money and politics, doesn't it?
May 30, 2009
Heavy on text but well illustrated. A comphrensive review of how 40s fashion grew out of the elegant bias-cut 30's and how the full-skirted New Look of the 50's killed it. I loved the level of detail in the writing which gave me a much greater appreciation for what my Gran's tweed suits really cost. I was particularly entertained by the old advertisements for fashion and recruitment posters.
December 19, 2009
I really loved this book! I had expected to see wonderful photos of the fashions of the time, but what an unexpected pleasure it was to find all these juicy historical facts about the fashion industry & fashion in the daily life of people during WWII in both Europe & America. A worth-while read for fashion buffs & history nuts alike.
March 10, 2010
I wish I could find more books like this. Not only does it have beautiful full color photographs (which justify the book in and of themselves), it's also a fascinating read. While I wish it had delved more deeply into the New Look and fashion in the late 1940's, it's coverage of WWII and its impact was wonderful.
September 5, 2014
Simply the best book I've found on Wartime fashions - illustrated beautifully with great photos of authentic styles, Mr Walford successfully dispels the notion that the fashion world shut down and waited it out. I especially love the fashions incorporating "V for Victory" motifs. Highly recommended.
January 14, 2010
Fascinating. I had no idea how much the War had shaped the fashions of the 40s. It's crammed with detail, illustrations and photos. I finished the book awed by the creativity and resourcefulness of that era despite stringent rationing.
June 15, 2012
I LOVE all things vintage, especially fashion and the '40s era. Walford did a fabulous job putting together an interesting and in depth analysis of fashion from that era. As a owner of a fashion business, this is a mandatory MUST READ. It also makes a great reference guide!
October 31, 2014
Read this for a research paper I had to do for school. Really interesting and informative. I wish he'd included a more detailed timeline of how fashions actually changed year to year, but I still learned a lot. And the pictures were GORGEOUS.
January 31, 2016
I read this as a reference for writing research and at first was a bit disappointed, having expected more illustrations and fewer text, but I loved how Eve accompanying text has just enough detail to cover just how much 40s fashion is ultimately tied to WWII.
June 9, 2011
Interesting look at how fashions were affected by war-time rationing and political ideologies.
September 12, 2012
I picked this up intending to look only at the pictures. Instead I found myself reading every word. It was very interesting and I learned a lot about how the war affected the clothing industry.
January 8, 2013
A great discussion highlighting the effect of war, politics upon the world of fashion.
February 22, 2013
Amazing.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews