The Second World War shook the vast majority of the world’s countries from 1939 to 1945. Immediate effects of the war were seen everywhere; parts of Europe destroyed from war and bombings, bringing countries to debt after spending deficit on warfare and in total around 80 million military and civilian deaths (Taylor, 2011).
During the war, fashion was effected by the short supply and rationing. The silhouette for women was quite masculine. Why was the war silhouette masculine? The government-encouraged …show more content…
As will the trends, economical and artistic factors, which let Christian Dior to create the revolutionary look. How did this change the fashion industry for the upcoming years and set Dior to be one of the leading designers in the …show more content…
The military was in need for both Nylon and Wool, Japanese Silk was banned in the United States of America after the Pearl Harbor attack 1941. The new synthetic fabric Rayon developed in the 1930’s become the most used material for women’s clothing. It was the fabric of choice; versatile, did not crease or shrink, and could have been produced light and heavy. By the June 1941, Britain has developed a coupon system of purchasing clothing. Adults received 66 clothing coupons per year, but were reduced to 36 by 1945 (Monet, 2017). People were provided with a Coupon Book, while all garments were given a value in coupons. To buy, the booklet was handed over to the shopkeeper, and the needed amounts of coupons were cut out. Only then they handed over the money to pay (Barrow, 2013). Shoes were to cost around 7 coupons, while a woman’s tweed suit 18 coupons, half of the yearly ration Lauren, 2011). This was all to keeping a limitation of the production of clothing, consumer buying; supplies were limited, and the prices were high as materials were needed for the military. The war gave fashion a more practical use. The mass fear of gas attacks lead to London’s Harvey Nichols creation of the Utility Jumpsuit, which should be worn as soon as the sirens blew. The protection suit was made from oiled silk in a variety of colors, being warm and comfortable and featuring multiple pockets for valuables and papers (Monet,