1940s Style - What Women Wore in 1940s America
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- čas přidán 27. 01. 2023
- Here's another glimpse back into what life in America looked like in the 1940s.
With so many of our country's men off fighting in World War II, women's roles and responsibilities were changing. More women were finding themselves in the workplace, doing jobs previously held by men.
As a result, society was changing overall and with it, the fashions of the time. Please enjoy this video of everyday women's fashions in the 1940s.
Most of these images are simply candid photos of life in the 1940s. Most have been colorized.
Thanks for watching - I hope you enjoy!
#1940s , #nostalgia , #lifeinamerica - Zábava
![1930s - Street Scenes New York in color [60fps, Remastered] w/sound design added](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ePH--widhXk/mqdefault.jpg)
![Forties Fashions - Everyday Women's Clothing in 1940s USA [COLORIZED]](/img/n.gif)
They were fully dressed, but they presented style, and class so gracefully .
I'm old enough that I kinda wore hats and gloves...on Sundays. The underwear was TORTURE. Glad that's over!!!
@@yvonneplant9434 Yeah, girdles, when we didn't even really need girdles, just to hold up our hose.
Even in a shortage We still had class.
Now class is the shortage (more like nonexistent).
Until we saw a person of color living life as normal
@@rollitupmars whoosh! Right over my head 🤔
Most people were thin.
@@rollitupmars There were more middle class blacks than a lot of people seem to realize.
Stunning women of all races looking classy and classic. What happened to us?
Calories, mostly. And sloth.
TV, fast food!
We were assimilated..Never noticed the Borg.
Demoralisation.
My mother was a young woman in the 40’s, and she dressed beautifully. She grew up on a farm, and her parents bought her clothes as her payment for keeping house. I remember a closet full of beautiful clothes and shoes, and I loved everything! I was born in 1958, but I remember people dressed nicely until the hippie era. I liked some of the stuff from that era, the bohemian style. I remember arguing with my mom because I wanted shorter hemlines than she thought appropriate. Looking at some pictures from that time, I can see what she was talking about!
Funny. I was born in '58 too. I wanted bell bottoms. No go.
Wowza! The poise and class these women present is fantastic! The 40s were such an interesting period!
But go to your local supermarket or mall -- view the obese cows waddling around today.
@@henryhorner3182That's because the food industry changed, too, after world war two.
Much has changed since the 40s. Food availability, chemicals in food, the decrease in activity at such a young age, more screen time, portions are larger, eating out more. Changes in what is acceptable public behavior, refusal to learn societal norms. It all plays a part in us becoming the society we are.
Seeing these photos of 1940s America and I get kind of a bittersweet feeling. I'm sure many people will view this as outdated or antiquated. But to me, it illustrates to me just how exceptional and beautiful America.....and American women, used to be!! The greatest generation INDEED!!!!
Racism...
What are these comments LOL 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I love women’s clothing from the 1940s. They looked fabulous.
Love the look of the 40s, so much nicer than todays fashion.
@ Robin Borucki, yes.. I have to look high and low for a decent conservative respectful outfit to wear out in these times and I got to ⛪ religiously! So I do want to look well put together bc I have respect for myself 1st! 🙏
It was classy, stylish, they looked well groomed. Today people rather choose to walk around as a clown because FrEeDoM
I highly agree. Such beautiful hairstyle in the '40s.
I like watching old movies from the 1940's to see what the people were wearing
Wish we still dressed that way.classy.
Lots of poise and natural beauty
Especially in the poor southern states. Where there is dirt and poverty there are beautiful women!!!
My favorite era. I think I should try wearing dresses more often. They're so pretty!
The styles of the 40's were so beautiful. No broken jeans or pajamas. Even the dressier, more conservative styles today can't compete.
I remember the fashions of the 1940's from old b/w photos of my mom, her sister and my grandmother, with their beautiful hairstyles and sense of fashion. Though they gave up things to help the war effort, such as not using their car, giving up certain foods and making clothing with less material, they kept a cheerful attitude. With their smiles and fashion sense, they had class.
No fat girls with piercings, purple and green hair, and more ink than the Sunday Times.
No kidding, freaks
and these women's grandmas complained about them too
How I wish we still had stores to buy these styles yet.
Actually we can find similar tailored jackets etc…..everything depends on how you wear them and some mix and mach
Catherine Hepburn could be the cover girl in the today’s fashion magazines,amazing photo 💐
I was born right after Pearl Harbor. My G’pa was air raid warden in our neighborhood. I remember my G’ma having ladies come over bringing their FOOD Ration coupons and exchanging with one another! My G’ma made a quilt out of fabric scraps and I’ll never forget her BUTTON BOX!
Also, everyone put blankets over their windows right before dark………just in case! Our family car was up on blocks……… Everything was for OUR BOYS, OVERSEAS!
My Dad left for the Army before I was two years old & I didn’t see him again until I was nearly seven.
For some reason, we also conserved on water…… only having a bath & hair washing on Saturday nights…… for Church on Sunday! We had more meatless meals, but I remember having SPAM, filled with cloves, twice a week and G’ma had chickens, so on Saturdays, she would go out back with her
hatchet, grab a chicken, throw it on the tree stump & chop its head off! She put it in a barrel of very hot water, then I would help her pluck out the feathers & scoop the grain from its craw! Funny how this video brought up all those memories!!
Sir , another fascinating, amazing video. Going back 80 years is something special.
Thanks and thanks again for watching, Joey!
@@TheHistoryLounge Absolutely sir.
@Mary Guy I suppose so. My pleasure to hear from you.
@Mary Guy Really? That is so cool.
@Mary Guy That is terrific. I am a lead vocalist, and we do : Get off of my cloud. I will be 27 ion July 16. I will tell you a fun fact about this song. Time is on my side, was their first stateside hit(1964)! Get off of my cloud came about after ( Satisfaction)! People bothered them, and pestered them: asking what comes after Satisfaction. Get off of my cloud , came after. To a man, they disliked the song. This song is hands down my favorite by them. We do not only 60s, but 70s, 80s, 90s, through today. I have eclectic taste in music. I most definitely Pic and choose. Our music ( a couple of originals) appeals to ages 21- 80. God bless you, and I will remember your birthday.
You can really see the influence of the military uniform on women's tailoring. I was born in 1953, and remember the way my mother dressed back then. The blockiness of the '40s was gone, and the Audrey Hepburn look was the thing. And, God rest her, Mama wore it well!
I'd say some of that uniform influence remained to an extent for a while, especially with working women (at least from what I've seen in stuff). I believe it is no accident either, since the Korean War resulted in a lot of young men again were shipped off (and it wasn't just guys, since Congress made women a permanent part of the military after World War II, I've read that around 100,000 women were involved in the Korean War era military, as nurses, armed forces members or as civilian workers). Fascinating how events and changing cultures influence fashion!
@Tom Brown-Not all of the fashions were blocky and military looking. Most of the styles in this video were very soft and feminine.
Born in '47, I have memories of how women dressed, spoke, and acted.. in the 1950s and 1960s. .. Oh, do I miss seeing women in DRESSES and SKIRTS . . . . .
I love the 40s. I sew all my own clothes. I either use true patterns from the 40s or replicas of them. I will admit people kind of stare (not in a bad way) when I wear my shirt waist dresses and other 40s skirts and jackets. As much as I love the clothes, I'm not sure I'd like to actually live in that decade what with food rationing and guys Iand some women) going to war.
I thoroughly agree. I'm 70. Always been fascinated by the 40s. Today, Americans dress like slobs. It's hideous.
That's awesome! As a guy, I find whenever I see a girl wearing a skirt or a shirt waist dress (rarely have i) they look great and better than in regular lousy clothing they make today
The 1940s were not monolithic. 1940-1942 were basically a continuation of the late 30's, 1943-46 were heavily affected by the war and then 1947-49 were wide open, back to normal, and a prelude to the fabulous fifties. Nice pictures. Every way these images can be preserved is to the good.
My mother grew up in the 30’s wearing a flour sack dress. She said, “ I wore the polka dot one day and the yellow one next day. (Then she laughed) It was the same dress.” So for her to be proud of the navy blue two piece suit w/a white blouse to work at the Naval Yard in San Diego as a clerk for the Navy all during WW2 was a step up in class. I heard that story when she’d just finished sewing me 3 dresses to begin 1st grade in school. I was “rich” in her mind.
My mother told how most women in the early forties had one dress, which they would hand wash every night, to have it fresh to wear the next day.
@@carolyearsley True, same for the undergarments too. Undies, slip, girdle etc.
My mother used to say, "I had 2 dresses: One on the rack and one on my back!" She made my dresses until I could earn enough money to get a "store bought dress". More importantly, I learned about hard work and saving up for something, not instant gratification!
GREAT STUFF, AN ERA THAT SHOULD COME BACK....WELL IN CLOTHING ANYWAY. 😁
Forties fashion was so feminine without being cutesy. Just classy.
A sense of style, modesty and class totally missing to day. I loved my mother,s shoes and clothes. A classic era.
clothes my mom wore in her day, got images of it besidres these vids. even when they just went for awalk or kids to a park they were fashionable.
I lo e the photos of the coloured lassies, somehow they looked more elegant
Very interesting and informative. I love the range of sportiness, and practicality in these fashions. All these women look so happy, capable and healthy. I find them very attractive for it. The one on the far left at 1:03 is just adorable in her boyish coveralls.
They are models though, not factory workers?
Really fantastic photographs, and enjoyed watching this so much… However, very frustrating that a lot of the photographs cut off right as the shoes come in to view and I wasn’t able to see what shoes they were wearing with particular outfits 😢
And today, woman dress in pajamas and beach sandals. Now that just oozes class.
great pictures.....and woman
Holy moly! That was totally fabulous! Practical yes but still fashionable.
Absolutely one of my favorite eras for clothing in part because of the more masculine but not overbearing tilt!
Thank you for the research in bringing this video. Loved it!
I loved and lived in the 1940's...but then was born-again in April 1963....to start this new life where the late 70's and 1980's were soo cool.
Aug. 1980 for me brother !!!
@@BIBLE328 No not christianity, we've lived many lifes...our souls never die, we just get erased, we choose not to remember when we come into our next life...but every instant, action, thought and event of our former lifes are recorded and contained within the light. Born again christianity is a different thing, where you accept Jesus as your savior, repent and are cleaned of your former sins.
true @@BIBLE328
@@BIBLE328 Not pagen, you can request during your loving life review (Divine w/ jesus and God) to not be erased. I KNOW we live again. See you can learn the Bible and God..but there's things for us in the after life many of us are unaware of...which is ...time to live another life. ~ 15 years passes here on Earth when you come again as a new-born. Time is not-linear. That's about 1000x15=15,000. years in God's world/dimension before we ARE back here in physcial body in about 15 years....by our own choice!
Nice video have pictures taking us back 80 years. Isn't that amazing we were all looking at her grandmothers last in swimsuits! Always told my kids that they weren't always somebody's Grandma and Grandpa. It's nice to see that some of them are having an enjoyable time as well. I think it's fantastic that you show color pictures and not just black and white and they're from 80 years ago approximately.
Thanks, @CAROLDDISCOVER2525 - Glad you liked it!
@@TheHistoryLounge you're welcome and thank you from car old for the effort that you put into this.
@@CAROLDDISCOVER-FINDER2525 - You got it - and sorry I misidentified your name before - (it's been corrected!)
Oh that's fine. My son gave me that handle of car old. I thought so clever turn on words because there's so many people have old car something in their name. Mact in almost everything is natural fiber in clothing. Just interesting to see what the happy part of life back then was. For about half a decade there was a war going. Honestly the other half of the decade had its problems too. But the pictures so fun side of life.
@@CAROLDDISCOVER-FINDER2525 Absolutely some difficult and heartbreaking times in the '40s for a lot of folks, but it's definitely the happy times I'm trying to show.
Plenty of these beautiful fashions rolled over into the fifties. Early 50s at least. I remember my mom dressing like this sometimes.
Double WOW gorgeous lady! 1:56 I concur! hah 😁 My late father in his 20s in the 1940s then, always commented on the beauty of women, how they dressed then, especially the cute hats and BIG hats they wore. Almost like DEJA VU for me!
Love this video and time capsule these women so much playful class wonderful to see
Except for the war, which is saying a lot I know, the country was a better place back then. Virtually no crime. People pulled their own weight and I think were much happier in their everyday lives. I was born early Boomers and remember the 50s as a wonderful time, a continuation of the 40s!
Everything’s better? Racial segregation, no women’s right, …
Yes, I agree. I feel as though many of them must have been happier.
My mom was in nursing school in the early '40s. I have photos of her in a crisp white uniform, white stockings, and white school nursing cap. When the girls had some precious time off from their studies and duties, they wore shirtwaist dresses in mostly drab colors (by today's thoughts). A few who could afford suits, a perky hat, and heels were seen as lucky ones to have the resources to buy such outfits. The women also borrowed a lot of clothing from one another----for dates, trips home, etc. While we'd consider their fashion a bit plain, the women were happy to explore new looks that paved the way for women in the turbulent '60s and '70s.
These wonderful old photos look like my parent's photo albums.
Best decade of the 20th century for women's fashion
Some of those styles are much more flattering than a lot of the styles today.
The women were gorgeous in my mother's generation. So much style and class. And not an overweight one in the bunch. How sad that close to 50% of Americans are overweight now and two thirds of them are obese. What has fast food done to us?
Love the music!
Not one tattoo on this lovely ladies
Elegance, class and sophistication! And they weren't covered in tattoos from head to toe!
My mother came from that era and remained elegant and beautiful until the day she died. My Father was what might be referred to as dapper.
They were beautiful together and my siblings and I were lucky to have them.❤
My mom sewed Vogue patterns full of details mid century and clothes had such thought... a great video.. thanks.
I really like The History Lounge!
The utility movement was very interesting. Thank you for doing great reach into this topic. I never knew the saving fabric was a thing to take note of.
Wow! Loved this short journey in time.
matching shoes' purse and hat would sell big time.
I love how patriotic they were ❤️
I'm going to start wearing hats!!!!!
For the record, the photo of women in overalls at .55 is quite a bit earlier, about 1920 or possibly WWI vintage, but it still serves to make the point about utility/utilitarian clothes.
Thank you history this is a great video all the past woman in those days and these days need to be treated fairly women are just about the best workers as much as men..I I remember when I was in the military as an Army medical supply officer in the 70s through the 80s times were changing.Great Video 🎥 Wonderful...
Thanks for your kind words, Ronald and thanks for your service to our country!
👍👍.. Thank You For your Great Video's..
I saw women in the 50s dress like these women. Beautiful.
I miss the soft, feminine draped look of some of those dresses and blouses. I'm going to start making my own clothes again.
Oh how I wish these styles from the 40's & 50's would make a come back!! If they did, I believe the manufacturers would have a difficult time keeping the stores stocked because they would sell out so fast.
Back when there were only 2 genders; and a dollar was a dollar;
hahaha I love your comment,
that had me laughing
Thank god for that, I ish it was the same now, swap the dollar for the pound
@@bobbibuttons8730 *God
Tim, there were crossdressers and trans people then. Please learn something about how complicated people are and always have been.
A dollar is still a dollar. It's still the " world's trusted currency". That may change just like it did to the Bristish pound. I don't see Brits whining so much about it.
I mean the third gender was recognised actually since ancient times
1940s Women, how beautiful,they just radiated I am Woman.
they had dignity, class, pride.. 3 things missing today
Nice to see so many slim women , I’d forgotten what that was like .
Not a single obese woman. No tattoos, no shaved, weird, colored hair. All REAL women (no men claiming to be women) The 1940's were a time of shortages and the Great Depression was still a thing, yet women looked lovely. Why do so many of us look like slobs today?
People made a lot of sacrifices in them days. We should all take a bead from those times.
Que hermosas eran las mujeres de los 40 increíble
I wasn't born till 53 but even as a very young boy mum taught me that girls and ladies were the fairer sex, and give them respect and a seat on the bus and no bad language.
Well I LOVED the feminine dress back then ,girls in skirts and dresses and looking pretty.
There weren't to many women in pants back then but if they did wear them they were women's pants with a side zipped.
Then we got to the 60s and all of the sudden women wanted to wear men's jeans and all the women's lib stuff came about
Now virtually nobody will give a lady a seat and people swear in front of them.
Well I hatre it but this is the 21st century.
This is the result of the 60's "sex,drugs ,and Rock and Roll"
Born '52 and you wouldn't have caught my mother dead off our property in pants. Finally got a pair of jeans in the '80's because my fashion plate wife took her to pick a pair that didn't look "manly".
I like that fashion of hats and gloves.
My mom, hat, gloves to church up thru the early '70's.
I love these styles. Great music, too.
What a difference 80 years make, these elegant women have been replaced by overweight, tattooed, mobility scooter users.
Look at dem DAMES!
🤣🤣 Dem is broads!
Hubba Hubba!
Oh the shoes and other accessories. I am drooling
LOVE THIS WAS IN COLOR AND THE ROOM PHOTO SO GREAT LOVE TO HAVE A BIG PHOTO OH THAT TO FRAME
A little elegance was just around the corner.
I love 1940s suits
Women back then were so much more elegant, than today's women, even when wearing overalls.
Functional yet elegant. Despite the lack of materials, it doesn't mean you can't have class.
1:19---Confident and Super Cool with the shades!
All in good shape and well dressed.
I noticed that black or very dark lipstick was in fashion back then.
Fabulous
Love those styles 😍.
The good old days when people were normal. 🧡
We were born too late and doomed to live in this crazy, violent mixed up modern day world
@@Diana-yn2ho I think you mean white adult.
@@Diana-yn2ho Yes they were dangerous for blacks. Entire black towns were burned to the ground false imprisonment, segregation, lynchings, the KKK was roaring blacks were thrown in low income neighborhoods and had worse schools, and weren’t offered good job opportunities because of skin color so their comment is indeed 100% correct.
@@Diana-yn2hoYes I see what you mean now although crime has dropped in the past 40- years in most areas around the country
@@online65555 More obsession with race
Alot of these women had class and had such a POLISHED look even back then!!
Beautifully turned out , great hairstyles , and not a scruffy or fat person anywhere in sight , just sheer class .🇬🇧
Take a closer look at 3:38
Some designer needs to bring these back. They would sell
SADDLE SHOES WERE NOT COMFORTABLE! They were heavy, cumbersome and clunky. They did last a long time. Every single woman in a dress or shirt wore at least one slip and often more depending on how shear the dress was. In those days your shoes and purse had to match--if not the exact material the color must be the same.
Very interesting--this is the first time I ever read or heard wearing more than one slip at a time, but it makes sense!
@@streetofdreams4538 When we wore poodle skirts we wore up to 3 -50yards each of tiered netting petticoats that we starched often with sugar water or regular starch to make them as stiff as possible. The petticoats were so scratchy that you had to wear a nylon slip close to your skin or your legs and lower toros would be so scratched it would bleed, so we could actually wear up to 4 different slips at once. If you could walk down a row of desks without having to hold your skirt in and down--you weren’t wearing stiff enough or simply enough petticoats.
@@nanabutner The details are such fun to hear about! I wish people who wore and saw these things firsthand could make their videos about them; I'd love to watch!
@@streetofdreams4538 Sadly we didn’t have video cameras like that way back then--we only have those pictures in our minds. Hope that words can somehow convey some of the pictures for you to enjoy.
@@nanabutner Yes, thanks! I meant informative videos made today about lifestyle and fashion and such back then. Many ladies who are into the "vintage lifestyle" research and create informative books, videos, tutorials, and website articles about those times, but they are often done by younger Generation X and millenials who often don't have as much firsthand knowledge as they would like, besides interviewing their grandmothers and reading vintage magazines, books, and watching vintage movies and vintage videos such as documentaries and educational videos.
I'd love it if more older people made videos or wrote today about their firsthand recollections of those times! Some people have posted video and website interviews with their grandmothers, but those are relatively few.
“Those Were The Days, My Friend”!
My mom's 95. She was in college during WWII. The suit style of the 1940s was the SAME in the 1930s... the length of skirts changes, as u mentioned, to conserve fabric, and the huge, longer gathered skirts of the 1950s were also a reaction to the abundance of that Era.
But the 1940s business suits u show were the same in the 1930s, just longer and, frankly, not quite as stylish.
Style is what the 40s were all about, having nothing qf all to do with the war except optimism... The US had the cool music, the US had the cool dancing, the US had the cool soldiers (a biography of an English boy trapped in the Diplomatic neighborhood of some Japanese or Japanese occupied Chinese city (cant remember which) who was captured and spent the war in a POW camp run by the Japanese talks about how cool the Americans were, and how he left the British area which, according to this kid, was filled with depressed men who kept strict hierarchy going, to the Amercian are which was optimistic and upbeat. The kid says tbe Americans were always working on an escape plan, or paying poker etc, and they tight the kid to survive. The Japanese were well k nown for horrible autotrocities conducted against their POWs, often worse than the SS. Starvation was one of them, and the kid says the GIs taught him to eat grubs and it her insects and be happy to be alive. While the British soldiers refused this, became deeply depressed, etc.)
Americans were a tough lot.
When women were women
Women are still women. What do you think we are now ?. Bless your little heart for thinking we aren't still women because many of us stand up for ourselves now.
@@franceslock2058 There's plenty of gender confusion out there, so the comment has some credence.
Classy 👌🙏👌
you know the 40s were better than the 50s.. you know it
The second shot is of British girls wearing the wartime CC41 Utility mark fashion style which came out in 1941 . It was set up to ensure high quality of product and at the same time restrict certain overuse of fabric and materials etc. It's not an American style although it fits in with the mode of the early 40s. Rationing of clothing ended a lot later than in the US
Good catch, thanks for pointing this out. An oversight on my part!
At 1:56 ... WOW!
@Don Schenck - Double WOW gorgeous lady! 1:56 I concur! hah 😁 My late father in his 20s in the 1940s then, always commented on the beauty of women, how they dressed then, especially the cute hats and BIG hats they wore. Almost like DEJA VU for me!
Can anyone name the music with this video ?
My favorite time in fashion history!
Hmmmm Garbo walked away from Hollywood after her last movie 1941...... Betty Grable, Rita Hanworth, Lana Turner reflected the style of the time though Crawford was always a trend setter and wore sharply tailored suits so well (watch Mildred Peirce)
Omg they're all so pretty I can't. I gravitate towards this look but not fully vintage, mostly modern pieces that reminisce of the style. The only thing, I prefer long hair
I love🥰 fashion from the 40s, 50s and 60s. What has become of us women? How could we have neglected ourselves so much? Now the peak of "elegance" is ripped jeans and ubiquitous tracksuits.The most primitive peoples have a more sense of beauty and aesthetics. I am one of the few women at work who wears skirts and dresses to work and I am considered eccentric.😂
Same goes with guys, I'm in highschool and some of the shit that is worn is pajamas, baggy clothing or super bright designer stuff that's okay but something an 10 year old wears, I wear chino pants and a tucked in polo some days. I feel more confident and presentable, I wish we had it where men wore suits and casual wear was a polo, and where women weared skirts and shirt waist dresses. I if people would be more respectful and formal, I also like alot of cars of the late 40s/early to mid 50s!
@@Christopher.Colberg I agree with you. I accept "rapper" fashion in young people, but when you look at guys over 50, it's completely distasteful. Sporty elegance is the minimum that a man should wear. Well, anti-fashion has become the canon of the street, a woman in a dress or skirt and blouse is perceived as eccentric, and a woman in tight leggings and a short T-shirt is "super fashionable". This is a much more serious problem, because anti-fashion is followed by anti-culture, but that's a topic for another discussion. And finally, such a reflection, although we are a relatively rich society compared to the 1940s, we choose mediocrity over quality in all aspects of life.
They were in a literal world war and they were better dresses and even looked healthier and happier than we do.
Can you do the 1920s?
They look so stylish!! The woman at 2:00 WOW!
Ahhhh, a time when women had class.