Fashion In The Forties Fifties

Forties and Fifties Fashion for the Stage: with Patterns from Vintage Clothing provides instruction on how to recreate fashion from the 1940s and 1950s that withstands the vigorous demands of theatrical stage use. This book provides historical context for the clothing and features authentic patterns taken from real vintage pieces. Forties and Fifties Fashion for the Stage demonstrates how to construct a durable costume from scratch, and how to adjust patterns to fit an individual’s measurements. The book also contains a number of "How To Fake It" chapters with advice on thrifting and how to create period fashion using today’s clothing. Both men’s and women’s fashions and patterns are featured, including formal and casual wear.

Forties and Fifties Fashion for the Stage: with Patterns from Vintage Clothing provides instruction on how to recreate fashion from the 1940s and 1950s that withstands the vigorous demands of theatrical stage use. This book provides historical context for the clothing and features authentic patterns taken from real vintage pieces. Forties and Fifties Fashion for the Stage demonstrates how to construct a durable costume from scratch, and how to adjust patterns to fit an individual’s measurements. The book also contains a number of "How To Fake It" chapters with advice on thrifting and how to create period fashion using today’s clothing. Both men’s and women’s fashions and patterns are featured, including formal and casual wear.

One-piece strapless bathing suits and dresses with plunging necklines for women; business suits with wide lapels for men; bluejeans and plaid shirts for girls; and much more. Over 300 black-and-white illustrations.

An essential sourcebook of prints from a key fashion decade. The 1950s was the decade when an analytical approach to design, with a lightness and freshness, combined with whimsical imagery and idiosyncratic subject matter. Showcasing hundreds of print designs, this book celebrates the heyday of postwar fashion design. From Lucienne Day and Robert Stewart to Maija Isola of Marimekko, the designs and influences of the print icons of the time are all covered. In addition to finished prints, the book contains exclusive illustrations and original artworks. The major themes of the period are explored, including: narrative and novelty; abstraction, exploring the distorted and attenuated forms used in print; artistic licence and the influence of contemporary art on fashion print; and finally kinetic prints that capture the influence of the era's 'mobiles, doodles and spasms'. Each short chapter introduction is followed by a range of illustrations with captions to give provenance and relevance, making this a unique sourcebook for contemporary designers and students.

Traces changes in fashion during the 40s and 50s including military styles, utility clothes, Dior glamour, and the modernist look.

What American men, women, and children wore in the 1940s, shown in 122 fully illustrated and captioned pages selected from rare copies of Sears catalogs. Reproduced in large format on high-quality glossy stock.

In September 1939, just three weeks after the outbreak of war, Gladys Mason wrote briefly in her diary about events in Europe: 'Hitler watched German siege of Warsaw. City in flames.' And, she continued, 'Had my wedding dress fitted. Lovely.' For Gladys Mason, and for thousands of women throughout the long years of the war, fashion was not simply a distraction, but a necessity - and one they weren't going to give up easily. In the face of bombings, conscription, rationing and ludicrous bureaucracy, they maintained a sense of elegance and style with determination and often astonishing ingenuity. From the young woman who avoided the dreaded 'forces bloomers' by making knickers from military-issue silk maps, to Vogue's indomitable editor Audrey Withers, who balanced lobbying government on behalf of her readers with driving lorries for the war effort, Julie Summers weaves together stories from ordinary lives and high society to provide a unique picture of life during the Second World War. As a nation went into uniform and women took on traditional male roles, clothing and beauty began to reflect changing social attitudes. For the first time, fashion was influenced not only by Hollywood and high society but by the demands of industrial production and the pressing need to 'make-do-and-mend'. Beautifully illustrated and full of gorgeous detail, Fashion on the Ration lifts the veil on a fascinating era in British fashion.