Volume 7 , Issue 40

History of Dress from WWI To WWII...

"The First World War (1914-1918) had a pronounced effect on women's fashion in the Western world. Several trends that had roots in the decades prior to the war, were rapidly accelerated by wartime conditions. The most lasting change happened to women's hemlines. Hems which had risen from floor length to ankle length prior to the war, rose to mid calf length by 1916, and have stayed that high, or higher, ever since. Hobble skirts were instantly jettisoned in favor of slightly wider more practical skirts. Several avant-garde fashions, like women's trousers, and short hair, decried before the war as sinful and ugly, were promoted as practical fashions for war work. The Pope even issued a bull during the war declaring that short hair for women was not immoral, and was a necessity for many factory workers. Most women did not suddenly cut their hair, but once it became acceptable to do so, gradually more and more women did in the following decades....." -- The Costumer's Manifesto: Early 20th Century Fashion Links: 1920's & History of Dress WWI & WWII- by Tara Maginnis, Ph.D. of The University of Alaska Fairbanks   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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