World War I and after the War

The war diverted most women's thoughts from fashion, dressing them into working clothes, uniforms. Fashion magazines carried designs for appropriate widow's clothes: always high at the neck, black and loose, with full skirts and veiled hats. The longer the war went on, the more clothing rules were relaxed. Only a few women wore black for a whole year or limited their jewelry to black jet.

Dress code at the theater became much more independent. Elegant evening dresses were still allowed but were no longer “recommended”.

While men were at the front, women did many of their jobs. They went into farming and building, worked in factories, became drivers and conductresses on buses and trains, and even ran many businesses. They also went into military service, some being sent to the front, and not only as nurses. Women gradually became accustomed to wearing uniform.

The military style was soon reflected in fashion. Before the war coats had normally been shorter than skirts. Now they resembled uniforms and covered everything. Shawl collars with fur trimming were replaced by strict lapels. Clothes simply became more functional. The narrow straight skirt was replaced by a calf-length pleated skirt. Hats became smaller and were worn with no decoration. Jewelry was more or less taboo.

In Britain a “dress for all occasions” was launched. This could be worn indoors and outdoors, from morning till evening. Loosely cut and made of cheap, washable material, it was fastened with buckles and had no hooks and eyes. Clothes did become simpler because working women found that uniforms and working clothes were practical and had a certain appeal: they made women look competent and serious.

Fashionable clothes were still created and sold, but it did not seem right to appear in them on the street. A skirt and pullover were more appropriate. There was a certain nostalgia for wide skirts, which reminded wearers of the “good old days”.

In 1915 there was a short period of frivolity, when the so-called war crinoline was introduced. This was a mid-calf skirt made of abundant material and worn over several petticoats, reminiscent of the 19th-century crinoline.

Many couture houses including Poiret and Vionnet were closed during the war. Chanel, on the other hand, introduced her jersey suits which suited the times perfectly.

Many women did not want to give up the freedoms which the war had forced on them. Morals had changed, and so had clothes: both had become looser. The shorter dress that now revealed the ankles was more popular than pants which reminded wearers of hard work. Women wanted to enjoy themselves. They wanted to dance and they could move best in the simplest dress, cut straight from top to bottom like a tube. This design also had the advantage of being something that every woman could copy and run up on her sewing machine at home.

The fashion industry needed new ideas and new customers.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1069